Financial Aid Eligibility

The cost of your education includes more than tuition and fees. When a student’s financial aid eligibility is calculated, a Cost of Attendance Budget is assigned. This budget includes cost of books, supplies, transportation and miscellaneous personal expenses. Students may not receive financial aid that would exceed their cost of attendance.

If you are participating in a Study Abroad program, Consortium Agreement, or have other school related expenses that you feel is not reflected in your COA, you may be able to increase your COA budget. Please speak to the Office of Financial Aid Services to find out more information.

To be considered for any type of student aid you must be officially admitted to the City University of New York, or matriculated in a degree program, and be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward degree requirements.

Part-time students (fewer than 12 credits per semester, but at least 6 or more credits) may be eligible for a Federal Direct Loan or a Federal Direct PLUS Loan, but they must also maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. Undergraduate students may also be eligible for Pell Grants or for Aid for Part-Time Study (APTS) (New York State Residents Only).

Students enrolled in Advanced Certificate Programs, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Programs and Non-Degree Programs are not eligible for Federal Financial Aid, including Federal Direct Loans. However, these students may apply for alternative student loans and institutional aid, such as Queens College Scholarships.

Queens College recognizes that special circumstances may occur after submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which may affect a student’s eligibility for Federal financial aid. 

Income Adjustment

If the income reported on your FAFSA does not reflect your current family’s situation, for you, your spouse, or your parent(s), and you have experienced a significant decrease in income for the following reasons, you may be eligible for an Income Adjustment.

Reasons for Request:

• Loss or Reduction of Income
• Disability
• Loss of Untaxed Income (SSI, Child Support, Etc.)
• Divorce/ Separation
• Death
• Excessive Medical/ Dental Expenses
• Excessive Property Loss/ Damaged due to a declared natural disaster
• Roth IRA Conversion
• Other

Unusual Circumstances – Dependency Override

Students who do not meet the federal criteria to be considered independent based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) may submit a Dependency Override with supporting documentation for review to determine if unusual circumstances exist for granting a dependency status override. Dependency overrides are reviewed case-by-case for students with extenuating circumstances and evaluated each award year.

The following circumstances will not be considered:

• Parent(s) refusal to contribute to the student’s education;
• Parent(s) did not claim student on their tax returns;
• Parent(s) unwillingness to provide information on the FAFSA;
• The student demonstrates total financial self-sufficiency.

Appeal determinations must be completed within 60 days of your enrollment or submission. Each student will experience a different hardship, so we encourage you to contact the Office of Financial Aid Services and schedule a meeting to speak to a counselor. We will then be able to determine whether or not you qualify to file an appeal. You may submit a Fresh Service Ticket to briefly explain your extenuating circumstance or schedule a virtual Navigate appointment to discuss.

Please Note: The Office of Financial Aid Services will determine if a student’s professional judgment request meets the criteria to make data element changes to their FAFSA. Appropriate changes will be made to the student’s FAFSA and submitted to the Department of Education if approved. The Department of Education will then recalculate the Student Aid Index (SAI) and the student’s eligibility for need-based aid. We will notify you of the decision via e-mail. In many cases, an adjustment does not increase the student’s eligibility for grants or the total amount of aid awarded. The Office of Financial Aid Services reserves the right to deny any appeals that would not increase a student’s eligibility for aid. Students who submit a special or unusual circumstance appeal must respond to our document request in a timely manner. Students lack of response to provide requested documentation will cause appeals to be denied.

Financial aid awards are not automatically renewed each year. Students must apply for aid each year to renew their eligibility for all types of assistance, continue to demonstrate financial need, and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward degree requirements.

Federal Grants and Scholarships

Queens College students must satisfy qualitative and quantitative federal financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education in order to remain eligible for federal financial aid (§CFR668.34). All students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as well as those who receive any type of financial assistance are evaluated for SAP. Financial aid recipients and applicants (upon submission of the FAFSA) who are not found to be in satisfactory academic standing will be notified.

New York State Grants and Scholarships

Students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress towards their degrees, as defined by New York State, in order to continue to receive New York State aid including APTS and TAP. For New York State aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress consists of two elements: academic progress and pursuit of program. Academic progress is a measure of earning credits toward a degree with a specified grade point average. Pursuit of program is a measure of the student’s degree completion. Students will be measured against the Satisfactory Academic Progress standard at the end of each term to determine eligibility for receipt of New York State student financial assistance for the upcoming year. This is a complete review of all semesters with attendance, whether or not any New York State student aid was received.

More About Maintaining SAP

The federal government will confirm that the Social Security number on the FAFSA application matches other data in their files. Students whose records do not match will be required to verify their Social Security number. If you have changed your name you must notify the Social Security Administration before financial aid can be disbursed.

It is not necessary to submit copies of your tax returns or any other family financial records or supporting documentation to the Office of Financial Aid Services unless you are specifically asked for additional information. Unsolicited material will be destroyed without review. If you have unusual financial circumstances that may increase your eligibility for financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid Services after you have received your award letter. You may also be required to provide appropriate tax records if your application for financial aid is selected by the U.S. Department of Education for income and asset verification. You will be notified if this is necessary. The verification process may result in an adjustment to your financial aid award, and can occur at any time throughout the year. If you do not provide tax documents when requested, your financial aid may be revoked.

Once you register for a course it becomes part of your permanent record. If for any reason you do not attend, you must officially withdraw from the course online at your CUNYfirst Account before the term deadline date recorded in the Academic Calendar. If you withdraw after the third week of classes, the following applies:

• PELL: Your Pell award is based on your Student Aid Index (SAI), the cost of attendance at Queens, and the number of credits for which you are enrolled. Awards will be adjusted accordingly.
• TAP: If you are originally enrolled for 12 credits and change your enrollment status to less than 12 credits after the end of the refund period, you will be eligible for that portion of your TAP which covers your tuition. However, you will have used up one semester of eligibility.
• SEEK: You must maintain at least 12 credits to be eligible for SEEK. SEEK students may only drop below full-time with the permission of the SEEK department.
• Federal Direct Loans: If you drop below 6 credits, you may not be entitled to the funds even if you have an outstanding balance owed to the college. With 6 credits or more, you are still eligible for the monies, however, you may go into repayment if you have used your grace period. If you were awarded a Direct Loan you must conduct an Exit Interview.

If you withdraw completely from classes, your aid will be affected as follows:

• PELL, SEOG, and Direct Loans: Federal student aid regulations specify that students “earn” their federal financial aid awards according to the number of days they attend classes each semester. The amount of aid that a student may keep is in direct proportion to the length of time the student attends classes during the semester. The college must determine whether a portion of that student’s federal aid must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education or disbursed to the students.
• TAP: If you withdraw, you will forfeit your next TAP payment. If you want to enroll next semester, you must pay for your tuition with funds other than TAP. Students may be eligible for a one-time TAP waiver.
• SEEK: You will become ineligible for any funds as of the date you withdraw.
• Federal Work-Study (FWS): You must stop working the day you withdraw, and will be paid only for the hours worked up to your official withdrawal date.
• Federal Direct Loans: If you drop below 6 credits, you will go into immediate repayment unless you have not used up your grace period. If you were awarded a Direct Loan you must conduct an Exit Interview.

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