Administrative Units

Apply for the Mary Nell Thomas Memorial Scholarship (Click here)

The Office of Financial Aid at Miles College provides a comprehensive array of options to finance your college education. The decision to attend Miles College is important to your academic and professional success. It is the goal of our trained counselors to answer your financial aid questions and explain your aid options.

The Office, in accordance with the Department of Education, offers financial aid in the form of grants, loans, and work study. Grants and scholarships are gift aid, as they do not have to be repaid. Loans, by definition, must be repaid. Paying for college requires planning and preparation, but you can start the process by determining the cost of attendance through the Miles College Net Price Calculator, Financial Aid Forecaster, and Student Loan Advisory.

- Financial Aid Checklist for Students -
- Net Price Calculator -

How to Apply for Aid | How do I Pay for College | Repaying My Loans | Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) | Forms | Veterans Benefit (VA) | Financial Aid Resource Links | Glossary of Terms | Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) | Financial Aid Staff and Contact Information | Dates and Deadlines

How do I Apply for Aid

Applying for Financial Aid at Miles College | A summary of Federal  Student  Aid | Determining Eligibility for Financial Aid | Completing your Financial Aid | IRS Data Retrieval Tool | Review of Aid | Receiving your Aid | Transfer Students | Viewing Your Award | Requesting Additional  Funds |Verification | Verification Forms | Summer School Application | Applying  for Work Study | 

How do I Pay for College

My College Money Plan

Student Expenses and Fees

Net Price Calculator

Five Things you Need to Know About Your Student Loans

Types of Aid

·      Miles College Scholarship Search

·      Applying for Work Study

 Budgeting and Managing my Finances

Repaying My Loans

Repayment What to Expect

How to Manage Your Student Loan

Repayment Plan Estimator

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Programs

Loan Default Prevention

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Miles College SAP Policy
Appealing SAP suspension

Forms

-           Financial Aid at a Glance
-           Alabama Student Grant Program
-           Plus Loan Data Form (www.studentloans.gov)
-           Plus Loan Consent Form (www.studentloans.gov)
-           Request for Increase
-           Summer School Application
-           Dependent Verification Worksheet
-           Independent Verification Worksheet
-           Additional Income Form
-           No Income Form
-           SAP Appeal Form
-           Request to Certify Benefits Form

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Verification Forms for Miles College Students:

13-14 Financial Aid Verification

13-14 KHEAA Verification Process

13-14 KHEAA Verification Services 

12-13 Verification PDF Dependent

12-13 Verification PDF Independent

12-13 Additional Financial Info

Financial Aid Resource Links 

Financial Aid Checklist for New Applicants and Current Students
Financial Aid Scholarship Links
New Borrower Loan Entrance Counseling
Master Promissory Note
Loan Exit Counseling
Previous Federal Loans National Student Loan Database
The Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid

Dates and Deadlines

Financial Aid Calendar

 A. Determining Eligibility For Financial Aid

 To qualify for financial aid programs at Miles College, you must:

 i.   Have a high school diploma or equivalent
ii.   Be a U. S. citizen, national, or permanent resident alien
iii.   Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at least half time in a degree program
iv.  Make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree
v.  Register with the Selective Service Administration, if required to do so  
vi.  Not be in default on a federal or institutional loan or owe a repayment on a previous
     financial aid award received at Miles College or other institution
vii.  Have a valid social security number 

B. Applying for Financial Aid at Miles College

New Students

1. Apply for admissions to Miles College
2. Observe the priority date for Miles College Priority date is April 1
3. Review Miles College Financial Aid at a Glance
4. Review criteria for Federal Student Aid ( Stafford Loans and Pell Grant)
5. Review scholarships available from Miles College and other sources
6. Determine a one year budget for your education
7. Review 7 Easy Steps to Completing the FAFSA
8. Determining if you are an Independent or Dependent Student
9. View Responsible Borrowing
10. Complete the FAFSA Miles College Code is 001028. You must compete the FAFSA each year to receive your award

Current Students

1. File Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by April 1
2. Complete Preregistration
3. Receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from federal loan processor
4. Use IRS Data Retrieval Tool to retrieve income tax information or submit Verification Form (IVF) and Federal Income Tax Returns to the Student Financial Aid if needed.
5. Check email to receive notification award
   Complete and submit promissory notes and entrance loan counseling if needed at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action
6. Check the status of your award at the financial aid office or Bear’s Den
7. Receive your refund check

 C. Completing your Financial Aid

View Here

You are now accepted to become a Miles College student, however, you must ensure that all paperwork needed to complete your financial aid application is submitted. It is important that you monitor your email daily and provide immediately the documents requested. Your FAFSA is processed by the Central Processing System (CPS) which provides a printed Student Aid Report (SAR) for you.

1. After you submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you will get a Student Aid Report (SAR) that summarizes the information you provided on your FAFSA. You should receive an email for you to proceed to the SAR web page within three to four weeks. If this has not occurred, contact CPS at 1-800-433-3243 to check on your application status.
2. It is important that you review your Student Aid Report carefully to ensure that it is correct and complete.
3. If you have reviewed your SAR for accuracy and found any mistakes you will need to correct or update your FAFSA 
4. Visit FAFSAweb link and select “make correction” to correct any mistakes found. Common mistakes include information summary in part one and income figures in part two.
5. Based on the information provided, Miles College may request verification of social security number, immigration status, selective services registration, and previous Federal loans borrowed. Please respond immediately to all request made by Miles College.

D. Review of Aid Received

You will receive your award letter notification once your financial aid application is completed. You will receive an email to review and accept your award. Review your award carefully. If you are receiving a loan you must the complete the Promissory Notes and Entrance Counseling at https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action

E. Data Retrieval Tool

Guide to using the DRT Video Instruction

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool allows applicants who have already filed their federal Income tax returns to prefill the answers to some questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by transferring data from their federal income tax returns. This can save the family some time in completing the FAFSA. It may also reduce the likelihood that your FAFSA will be selected for verification.

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool has been available since the 2009-10 award years. Millions of students used the IRS Data Retrieval Tool last year. Read more about the tool at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/irshlp9.htm

OPTION 2 - IRS Tax Return Transcript

If you/your parents are not eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, or choose not to use it, you/they must instead request a Federal income tax return transcript from the IRS and submit it to our office. If you/your parents filed a joint return and are now separated, divorced, widowed or remarried, you/they must submit Federal income tax return transcripts as well as all W-2 forms. If you/your parents filed an amended tax return, you/they must submit both a Federal income tax return transcript and a signed copy of the amended tax return (1040X) to our office.

Tax transcripts may be requested from the IRS in the following ways:

1.Requesting on-line: www.ofas.uci.edu/TRTSteps

2.Calling (800) 908-9946

3.Mailing an IRS form 4506T-EZ www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506tez.pdf

4.Visiting your local IRS office: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Contact-Your-Local-IRS-Office-

Tax Extensions:

If you/your parent(s) are unable to submit federal tax information by the deadline because you/they are filing an extension, you must submit to our office a signed copy of IRS form 4868 along with all of your/your parent(s)' W-2 forms. If you/your parent(s) are self-employed and do not have W-2 forms, you/your parents must instead submit a signed statement indicating their 2012 adjusted gross income (AGI).

F. Receiving your Aid

Once you have accepted your award, the Business Office will disburse excess funds in the form of a refund check. Refund checks can be picked up at the Business Office if you reside on campus. The office of financial aid is not responsible for the disbursement of refund checks. If you are living off campus your checks will be mailed to the address provided.

To have your aid from disbursed in a timely manner it is important they you promptly:

1. Complete the Master promissory note.
2. Register at least half time to meet the minimum hours required
3. Complete the entrance counseling for Stafford Loan requirement

G. Transfer Students

The Office of Financial Aid at Miles College must have received valid financial aid transcript data via the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) from all post-secondary institutions you attended. This must be provided whether or not you received financial aid at those institutions.

All Title IV HEA Federal Student Loans are reported to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) and are accessible by guarantee agencies, lenders, and schools determined to be authorized users. To review your financial aid history and to better understand your federal student loan indebtedness, log in to http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/

You will need your name, date of birth, social security number and FAFSA PIN to access your confidential record.

If you have borrowed from one or more of the non-federal private financing programs, more information about those loans can be obtained from your lender or on your credit report at: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

H. Requesting Additional Funds

If you have an award and wish to request additional funding to cover further expenses, you must submit to the Office of Financial Aid Request for Increase Form. This form must be completed and submitted one week after the school’s published date for start of class each semester or academic session.

In order to qualify for the Off-Campus Budget to cover off-campus housing expenses, you must follow these instructions:

1. Make application for on-campus housing through the college’s housing department on or before the housing deadline date.
2. Pay the housing reservation fee and/or deposit on or before the deadline date.
3. The Request for an Increase Form must be completed and signed off by the Director of Campus Housing.
4. Submit the Request for an Increase Form to the Financial Aid office. The final date for submission is one week after the school’s published date for the start of class for each academic semester or academic session. See academic calendar
   

I. Verification

If your application has been selected for Federal Verification, you will be required to submit a separate Federal Verification Worksheet. Our office will send you this form or it may be downloaded at_________________________. You must respond to the verification request promptly for your application to be complete in a timely manner.

J. Summer School Application

The office of financial Aid begins awarding financial aid when summer registration begins each spring. Once summer registration is opened, students must complete the Summer School Application Form by by April 1 and submit it to the office of financial aid.

FILING INSTRUCTION

1. Students considering attending summer school must enroll for at least six hours to be eligible for summer financial aid.  After a student is awarded, if enrollment hours change (a student withdraws from the  College or drops an individual class), cost of attendance and financial aid may be adjusted and this may result in a student being billed for financial aid received and/or loss of Work-Study. Only a student who received federal student aid at Miles College during the 2012-2013 school year may use this application to apply for summer aid. All other students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid 2012-13 (See 1.2). 

2. If you are applying for Federal Student Aid for the first time, you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. For the 2012-2013 summer session only the 2012-2013 Free Application for Federal Student aid will be used to secure aid for the 2012-2013 Summer Session.

3. If you did not receive federal aid at Miles College but you did receive federal aid at another college, please contact the Federal Student Aid Processing Center and add the Miles College school code (001028)  to your Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the 2012-2013 school year, so that the College can receive your record. If you have received the full amount of your Federal Student Aid (Federal Pell Grant) at another school, you will not be eligible for additional aid for the 2012-13 School year. Ask the Financial Aid staff to assist in determining if you have received full aid for the 2012-13 school year. The College, as well as you (the student), have access to the data via the Federal Student Aid System. The Federal Code for Miles College is 001028. The telephone number for the Federal Student Aid Processing Center is 1-800-433-3243. Also you may use the PIN number assigned to you by the Federal Processing Center to return to your file at the website www.FAFSA.ed.gov and add Miles College to the list of schools you want to receive your Free Application for Federal Student Aid record.

4. You may contact the Financial Aid Office at Miles College by calling (205) 929-1665 if you need assistance

5. All aid for the Summer Session must be processed and applied to your Business Office Account no later than June 15, 2013. 

H. Work Study

The Federal Work Study program is a limited funding part time employment to students with financial need. It is administered through the Federal work study program by Miles College. Students can only receive work study if they complete the FAFSA each year. The amount of money award will be evenly distributed between fall and spring semester. Work study cannot be awarded for housing, tuition, fees, meal plan cost, or balances owed.

The amount of work study listed in your award is the maximum amount of funds you can earn under the program and you can only work up to the amount listed in your award. To apply for work study you must:

1. Preregister for your classes early
2. Complete your FAFSA by April 1 and select yes for work study
3. Check your EFC score (expected family contribution). EFC is used by your school to calculate how much financial aid you are eligible to receive. An EFC of less than 200 qualifies you for Work Study, but it is your responsibility to apply for the position to be hired.
4. Report to the financial aid office to enquire about work study positions and complete the work study application form. The work study program has limited funding, therefore, it is awarded on a first come first serve basis. Successfully applicants are assigned based on availability, major, and areas of interest.
5. Report to your assignment based on agreed schedule.

If you have any questions about Work Study, contact the Office of Financial Aid at 205-929-1665

Repaying My Loans

Repayment What to Expect

How to Manage Your Student Loan

Repayment Plan Estimator

Grants and scholarships are gift aid, as they do not have to be repaid. Loans by definition must be repaid. Before you leave Miles College, through graduation or you decided to stop attending, you are required to complete an exit counseling if you are a Federal Direct Loan borrower. This is important for you to understand your responsibilities and right as a borrower. Please log on to http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/  to complete your exit counseling. If you have any questions about your loans after your exit counseling, you can contact Miles College Office of Financial Aid at 205-929-1665

If you have taken out any student loan, when you graduate or leave school, you must complete an exit counseling exam at the Office at Financial Aid in Brown Hall. It is essential that you log into the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS®) to get information about all of the federal student loans received.

If you have selected or assigned a payment plan when you first begin repaying your loan, you can change it at any time by contacting your loan service provider. To learn more about all Federal Student Loan repayment options visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand/plans for complete information. A summary of the repayment option is here.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Congress created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) to encourage individuals to enter and continue to full time in public service jobs. Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance due on their eligible federal student loans after they have made 120 payments on those loans under certain repayment plans while employed full time by certain public service employers. Learn more about the PSLF program at http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/charts/public-service#what-is-the-public

Loan Deferment or Forbearance

A deferment is a period during which repayment of the principal and interest of your loan is temporarily delayed. A deferment or forbearance allows you to temporarily postpone making your federal student loan payments or to temporarily reduce the amount you pay. Log on to http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/deferment-forbearance to learn more about deference and forbearance.

Loan Default

Defaulting on a loan is failing to make payments on your student loan on schedule as agree to in the terms of your promissory note. The terms are legally binding, and you are held accountable if you are not making payment or have an arrangement with your lender to reschedule the payments.

Remember student loans cannot be bankrupted and must be repaid. You need to have a clear understanding of your repayment options so that you can be properly manage your repayment. To learn more about managing your student loan log on to http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/understand. Loan providers report all delinquencies to the three credit agencies after 90 days (TransUnion, Equifax and Experian).

Consequences of Default

1. You can be sued for the entire balance of the loan, and you will be responsible for the interest, the loan, court cost and, attorney fees
2. Your wages may be garnished
3. Your Federal and State Income Tax will be taken
4. Your defaulted loans will appear on your credit history for up to 7 years after the default claim is paid, making it difficult for you to obtain an auto loan, mortgage, rent an apartment and obtain a credit card.
5. You will not receive additional federal financial aid until you repay the loan in full or make arrangements to repay what you already owe and make at least six consecutive, on-time, monthly payments. (You will also be ineligible for assistance under most federal benefit programs.)
6. You may not be able to get or renew a professional license (teacher, social workers, CPA etc.)
7. You may be prohibited from enlisting in the Armed Forces

If you are having trouble making payments on a loan from the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, immediately contact your loan servicer, the agency that handles the billing and other services for your loan. Find more about avoiding default management at http://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/default/avoid

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

MEASUREMENT OF SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

Financial Aid recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress as one of the criteria for receiving Federal/State Financial Aid. The requirements for making satisfactory progress are:

Quantitative – the amount of course work students are required to complete (67% of  attempted hours)

Qualitative – the grade point average students are required to maintain

Hrs. Attempted     =    Min GPA

0-31                      =       1.60

32-63                    =       1.80

64-above               =       2.00

In addition to the cumulative grade point average requirements indicated above, a full-time or part-time student is expected to have completed 67% of the hours for which he/she has enrolled/attempted. By the end of the second year of enrollment, without regards to the number of hours attempted or earned, the student must have earned the grade point average which is consistent with the graduation requirement of a ―C. All Transfer and Re- Admitted students must meet the minimum grade-point standards as well as complete the percentage of work required in order to be eligible for financial aid.

Length of Time/Time Limit

Students are allowed 150% of the published College Catalog number of hours required to complete the academic program of study.

Example:  If an academic program or major requires 120 hours to complete the degree, the maximum time frame established by Miles College for the student to complete the program and remain eligible for Title IV Federal financial aid cannot exceed 180 attempted credit hours.

Incomplete Grades. An incomplete grade of ―I does not count towards course work completed, but is counted with course work attempted. An ―I grade is intended to be only an interim course mark.

Withdrawals. If a student officially withdraws from a course on or before the last day to withdraw for the semester, he/she will receive a grade of ―W. A grade of ―W is also counted among the hours attempted.

Repeats. Repeated courses are counted each time the student reenrolls in the class and counts each time among the hours attempted. The U.S. Department of Education does place a limit on the length of time a student has to complete a remedial/developmental course which takes more than one year to complete. Successfully passed course may be paid for using Title IV aid on additional time after the initial taking of the class/course. Courses not successfully passed (received a failing grade) may be paid for using Title IV aid as many times as are required to pass the course. However, incompletes, withdrawals and repeats may cause the student to exhaust the allotted time for completing a degree program using Federal/State Aid before he/she can complete the program of study. If this occurs, students will not be allowed to receive additional State/Federal Student Financial Aid Funds.

Time Frame (Length of Time). Under federal regulations, students are allowed 150 percent of the published length (per the Miles College catalog) of the Program (measured in credit hours attempted) to complete the academic program of study. For instance, if an academic program requires 120 credit hours to complete the program, the maximum time frame established by Miles College for the student to complete the program cannot exceed 180 attempted credit hours. Since different majors require a different number of hours to complete a program, the maximum number of credit hours required to remain eligible for aid will differ based upon the major.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Determination. The Measurement of Satisfactory Academic Process is determined at the end of the academic year prior to the beginning of the next or subsequent year. If the evaluation yields that a student is not making positive movement towards a degree, the student is notified of the evaluation and given an opportunity to appeal

Appeal Process. Any student who feels that he/she was unable to maintain satisfactory academic progress due to mitigating or extenuating circumstances beyond his/her control (i.e. personal illness, death in the immediate family or other documented hardships) should contact the Financial Aid Director about an appeal. The student must be prepared to provide written documentation to substantiate their situations. In addition to these requirements, the student must also meet the new requirements put into place by the U.S. Department of Education effective July 1, 2011.

Financial Aid is cancelled when a student is on academic suspension or has been dismissed from the College. To again secure Title IV Federal Aid and/or State Aid, the student must appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.

New Component for Standards of Measurable Academic Progress. As part of the appeal, you must submit information regarding why you failed to make satisfactory academic progress, and what has changed.

Appealing SAP Suspension

Reinstatement Request Type
Below please indicate which situation contributed to your failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress:     

o   <!--[endif]-->Medical: Personal medical problem requiring extensive follow up or care or accident/injury requiring hospitalization and recovery.  Attach documentation from a medical professional. 

o   <!--[endif]-->Death/Illness: Death or illness of an immediate family member.  Attach medical records, death certificates, obituary, etc.

o   <!--[endif]-->Legal Problems: Personal legal problems. Attach documentation from a legal professional.

o   <!--[endif]-->Catastrophic Event:  Fire, Tornado, Flood, etc. Attach documentation from a disaster relief professional.

o   <!--[endif]-->Military Service: Call to Military Active Duty with short response time.  Attach Military documentation.

o   <!--[endif]-->Second Undergraduate Degree: Attempted more than 150% credit hours due to working on a second degree. Provide a personal letter explaining when you will graduate with your second degree.  You must have graduated with first degree.  Attach Advisor’s signed audited degree plan.

o   <!--[endif]-->Other Circumstances: Circumstances beyond your control that occurred during the term for which you lost eligibility.  Clearly state the circumstance (not listed above) in your appeal letter and provide appropriate documentation. 

Note: Circumstances related to the typical adjustment to college life such as first-time away from home, academic transition from high school to college, working while attending school, child rearing, financial issues related to paying bills, or car maintenance/travel to campus are not considered as extenuating for purposes of appealing suspension of financial aid.           

Directions for Appeal Submission                                                                                         

Submit a SAP Appeal form to appeal the suspension decision of your financial aid.

<!--[endif]-->Submit a detailed letter explaining (1) the circumstances that prevented you from maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress, (2) the specific semesters that you experienced academic problems and withdrawals, (3) how your circumstances have improved in order that you now can be academically successful, and (4) what corrective action has taken place or will take place to correct the past deficiencies.

<!--[endif]-->Submit the appropriate documentation that supports your situation/circumstance described in your letter. All documents are the property of the Appeals committee and will not be returned. 

<!--[endif]-->Submit an Educational Degree Plan signed by you and your advisor outlining the course schedule for your declared major.  You must declare a major.  UND Undecided is not a degree plan for appeal purposes.

<!--[endif]-->Apply for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid via www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Have the results sent electronically to the College by adding Miles College school code 001028.

Incomplete packets will not be reviewed by the committee and receive an automatic denial.

SAP Appeals must be completed and submitted by:

Semester of Enrollment            SAP Appeal Deadline

Fall 2013                                      June 30, 2013

Spring 2014                                  November 15, 2013

Summer 2014                               April 5, 2013

Submit SAP Appeal completed documents to Financial Aid, Brown Hall 1st Floor, fax to 205-929-1668, Email to finaid@miles.edu, or Mail to

Miles College
Office of Student Financial Aid
P.O Box 39800
Birmingham, AL 35208

Financial Aid Resource Links

Veterans’ Benefits

Monthly benefits tuition and/or required fee awards are available to eligible veterans and their dependents. VA Educational Benefits are designed to assist our enrolled military, veterans and their dependents in meeting his/her educational costs and may result in an adjustment to Federal Title IV, Institutional and/or State aid.

The College Veterans‘ Benefits Certifying Official (SCO) is located in the Financial Aid Office. Should a veteran or dependent of a disabled/deceased veteran need further information, contact the Veterans Administration at www.va.gov or 1-888-442-4551.

Miles College does not participate in the Alabama Veterans G.I. Scholarship Program; please contact the State of Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs for eligible schools.

Resources

For Direct Loan Entrance counseling (new borrowers only)
www.studentloans.gov

To access and sign Master Promissory Note (Stafford and PLUS loans):
www.studentloans.gov
1-800-557-7394

To determine who is servicing your Federal Direct Loans and to access your personal account information
www.nslds.ed.gov
1-800-4-FED-AID

For more information about loan consolidation under the Federal Direct Loan Program:
www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov
1-800-557-7392

For more information about your previous federal loans, including FFEL program loans:
www.nslds.ed.gov
1-800-4-FED-AID