Policies and Guidelines

Admissions & Financial Aid

Outside Scholarships

Scholarship funds received from other sources other than Assumption University must be reported to the Assumption University Financial Aid Office. The receipt of outside scholarships may have an impact on your financial aid package as they are considered “resources” to assist you in paying for your educational expenses while in university.

If your full financial need* was not met with financial aid funds, then in most cases, outside scholarship funding can go “on top” of your current financial aid package. Once you report your outside scholarship funds to Assumption University, we will notify you of any changes to your financial aid award.

If you want your outside scholarship funds to appear as a credit on your student bill, you will need to forward these funds to our Student Accounts Office.   

*Financial Need = Assumption University COA (College Cost of Attendance) – FAFSA EFC

Course Load Requirements

All aid awarded is subject to verification of enrollment status. Changes in registration status may result in an adjustment or cancellation of financial aid awards. All undergraduate students must be enrolled full time in order to receive Assumption scholarships or grants. To qualify for certain federal assistance, students must be registered for six credits or more. Recipients of state scholarships must be full time students, registered for twelve credits or more.

Verification Process

Financial aid applicants can be selected by either the Department of Education or Assumption University to verify the accuracy of the information provided on the FAFSA form. Students will be notified by the Financial Aid Office if you have been selected. If you are a new student, your financial aid offer letter will be estimated until the verification process is complete. If you are a returning student, you will not receive a financial aid award until the verification process is complete.

Those selected for verification may be asked to remit a completed verification worksheet, complete IRS Data Retrieval (or provide copies of IRS tax transcript(s)) and/or additional documentation regarding taxable and untaxed income. Please refer to the Forms and Documents section for more information.
Awarding Policies

After aid eligibility is determined, students will be sent a financial aid award letter detailing aid available for the specified award year. We will assume that you accept the entire award package offered unless you specifically notify us that you wish to decline all or part of your award. If you are declining aid, you must do so in writing via e-mail to fa@assumption.edu. Each aid recipient is also responsible for informing the Office of Financial Aid in writing of:

  • Changes in anticipated credit load
  • Changes in housing status
  • Changes in family financial circumstance as reported on the FAFSA
  • Receipt of outside aid/scholarships

Eligibility Criteria

We presume that financial aid recipients meet all tests of eligibility (listed below) established by the federal government and Assumption University. If at any time the student ceases to be eligible, awards will be canceled and any remaining balance due will need to be paid.

We presume that each student meets all of the following criteria:

  • has been accepted to and enrolled /will enroll in a program of study at Assumption University
  • is a United States citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • maintains a full time registration status (with the exception of several federal and state programs)
  • maintains Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the university
  • is free from default on any previous student loan or refund obligation
  • is eligible in terms of computed need
  • is in compliance with draft registration requirements

Study Abroad

Students who are planning to study abroad must be approved through the Dean of Studies. Generally, the financial aid award does not change with participation in the internship program. Additional costs can include round-trip airfare, student visa fees (if applicable) and weekend travel. In nearly all instances your financial aid status remains the same, just as if you were living on campus. There are a few exceptions to the transfer of aid policy and students may contact the Financial Aid Office for complete details.

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence from the University

If you withdraw or need to take a Leave of Absence from Assumption University, we recommend that you meet with the Dean of Studies to discuss your circumstances and complete the paperwork necessary to determine the end date of your enrollment. You may call 508-767-7486 to schedule an appointment. If you wish to take a Leave of Absence, you will need to pay the per semester fee to maintain your enrollment in an upcoming semester.

If you are receiving federal financial aid and withdraw or take a leave of absence from the University, any federal or state aid you are receiving is subject to recalculation to determine how much aid can be applied to your incurred charges and how much aid needs to be returned to the applicable Federal and State agencies. These calculations occur under the Federal Return of IV Aid, State, financial aid and university policies.

Return of Title IV Funds (Federal and some state financial aid)

Title IV fund rules assume that a student earns his or her aid based on the period of time he or she remained enrolled for the term. Unearned aid, other than work-study, must be returned to the U.S. Department of Education up until the 60% point in the term. At the 60% point in the term, the student is considered to have earned all of his or her aid.

Return of Institutional Financial Aid

Students are allowed to retain institutional (Assumption grants and scholarships, including academic scholarships) financial aid at the same rate that the credit to tuition (refund) policy is calculated. (This policy is subject to change at the discretion of the University).
Renewing Your Financial Aid

The federal government has a formula that considers a number of factors including income, assets, number in household and number in university to determine your expected family contribution. This figure assists us in determining your eligibility for grants and loans. Without the completion of the FAFSA we cannot fully determine your eligibility. Please note that the FAFSA is not required for merit scholarship consideration.

It is expected that your financial aid will remain approximately the same as long as:

  • your family’s financial situation does not change
  • the number of siblings in university does not decrease
  • and/or the number of family members in your household does not decrease.

Financial aid is granted for one academic year only. Aid for subsequent years is offered only if all renewal application materials are filed by respective deadlines.

Students are limited to eight undergraduate semesters of institutional (Assumption University) financial aid (summers sessions are excluded), unless otherwise approved by the Director. Appeals should be addressed to the Director of Financial Aid.

For merit scholarship renewals, please contact the Financial Aid Office to obtain the minimum GPA requirements for your scholarship.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

What is Financial Aid SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress)?

Students who receive federal financial aid must, in accordance with federal regulations, be in good standing and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward their degree. Under Federal Title IV law, the school’s SAP requirements must meet certain minimum requirements, and be at least as strict as the institution’s established standards for Good Academic Standing. This policy applies to students receiving federal financial aid for semester/periods of enrollment that begin on or after July 1, 2011. The standards used to evaluate academic progress are cumulative and, therefore, include all periods of the student’s undergraduate enrollment, including periods during which the student did not receive financial aid funds.

What is Assumption University’s Financial Aid SAP Policy for undergraduate students?

To continue receiving federal, state, and institutional aid at Assumption University, undergraduate students must demonstrate satisfactory progress toward their academic objectives. Federal regulations require three measurements to determine SAP; qualitative, quantitative and timeframe.

1). Qualitative – Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) A student must be in good academic standing to receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid. This means a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid funding.

2). Quantitative (Pace) – Minimum Completion Rate for Attempted Credit Hours Each academic year, the Registrar’s Office in consultation with the Office of Financial Aid, will evaluate all students’ academic progress by comparing the number of successfully completed courses with the number of courses attempted during the academic year. A student must demonstrate progress by accumulating academic credits at a rate that indicates graduation in a timely manner. A student who is not progressing towards graduation at the defined completion rate will not receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid regardless of GPA. A student must successfully complete at least 67% of all cumulative attempted credit hours in order to be eligible for all sources of federal, state, and institutional financial aid funding at Assumption University. The cumulative, attempted credit hours includes all transfer credit accepted by Assumption University and noted on the academic transcript.

3). Quantitative (Maximum Timeframe) – Degree Completion Maximum time frame is the maximum number of years after first enrollment that a student may complete Assumption University courses in the pursuit of a degree. The maximum time frame for completing a program cannot be longer than 150% of the published length of the program or the required number of credits of the student’s degree program. For a full-time student pursuing a 4-year undergraduate degree, the student is allowed up to 6 years or 180 attempted credits of financial aid eligibility to earn the 120 credits required for degree completion. All semesters the student is enrolled will count towards the maximum time frame, even if the student did not receive aid for each of those semesters. If it becomes apparent that the student will be unable to meet SAP standards within the maximum time frame, the student will become ineligible for financial aid. The qualitative, quantitative, and maximum timeframe review will be completed on an annual basis by the Office of Financial Aid to determine if the student has exceeded the maximum years in which courses are attempted.

Treatment of Courses

Audited Classes: Audited classes will not be counted as attempted or earned credit Incomplete credit: Courses with an “I” designation will be counted as credit attempted but not earned.

Repeat Coursework: Students may receive financial aid funding for the repeat of a failing grade or withdrawal of any class or classes. Repeat of the same course may only be funded one additional time. Every attempt of a repeated course counts as attempted towards completion, rate but it only counts once as completed.

Transfer Credit: Transfer credits accepted by Assumption University will be counted as attempted and earned credit and count towards the quantitative (pace and maximum timeframe) but not the qualitative SAP review.

Withdrawal from Course: Courses with a “W” designation will be counted as credit attempted but not earned.

Grades Earned: Students who earn the following grades in a course will be counted as credit attempted and earned: A, B, B- C+, C, C-, D+, D, D

Students who earn the following grades in a course will be counted as credit attempted but not earned: F, I, and W

Leaves of Absence: The period of time for which a student received an approved, institutional leave of absence will be excluded from the maximum time frame required to complete their program.

How often is Federal Financial Aid SAP Reviewed?

The Office of Financial Aid will review the Satisfactory Academic Progress of all undergraduate, day students at the end of each academic year (end of spring semester). If students take summer classes, the SAP policy will be conducted again at the end of the summer session. Evaluations will be made on both a qualitative and quantitative basis.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students who fail to meet the required Financial Aid SAP standards will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and become ineligible for continued financial aid funding beginning with the term immediately following the term in which the SAP requirements were not met. The Office of Financial Aid will notify the student in writing of their aid status and the appeal process.

Academic Dismissal or Withdrawal

Students who are academically dismissed or who withdraw from Assumption University will no longer qualify for any source of financial aid funding (federal, state, and institutional).

Appeal Process

Students not meeting Assumption University’s Financial Aid SAP requirements may appeal to the Office of Financial Aid for review by completing the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Form. A student who is ineligible for financial aid due to not meeting Financial Aid SAP requirements may appeal his/her ineligibility. Some examples of reasons for such a request may include, but are not limited to:

1. Serious illness (physical or mental) for which the student needed to withdraw from all classes in order to recover, or remained enrolled at the University and did poorly in his/her class.

2. Death or serious illness or injury to an immediate family member.

3. An injury to the student which prevents the student from attending classes and completing academic requirements.

Appeal Procedures

A Financial Aid SAP Appeal Form must be submitted by the student to the Office of Financial Aid for review.
1. The appeal should explain in detail the reason(s) for not meeting the standards for academic progress.
2. The step(s) the student plans to take to correct his/her academic progress.
3. List in detail any extenuating circumstance(s) of which we should be aware.
4. Appeals must be submitted and approved by the deadline date indicated on the Financial Aid Appeal Form.

Financial Aid Probation

If a student’s Financial Aid SAP appeal is approved, they will be moved from Financial Aid Suspension status to Financial Aid Probation status and allowed to receive financial aid for the designated timeframe indicated in the appeal letter.

Academic Education Plan

A student’s appeal may be approved with the condition they follow an Academic Education Plan, standards of which will be set forth by the Director of Financial Aid. At the end of the timeframe in which the student is allowed to receive financial aid while on Financial Aid Probation status, the student will be reviewed to ensure they are meeting the terms of their plan.

If the student chooses not to appeal or the appeal is denied, the student may continue to enroll in classes (without the assistance of financial aid) if they are still academically eligible to do so.

Payment plans and some private loans are available to assist the student during the semester(s) in which the student remains ineligible for aid. A student may regain eligibility by meeting Financial Aid SAP standards in future semesters.

Consumer Information

In compliance with Federal student aid regulations, the following consumer information is provided to current and prospective students.