Financial Aid - Policies & Application

Tuition Payment Information
Tuition payment in full and/or outstanding balance is due by the second Friday of each Quarter.  Each quarter, the payment deadline date is posted in the Student Accounts Office and the Academic Quarterly.

If you are not receiving financial aid and/or cannot have your balance paid in full by the deadline date, please contact Student Accounts prior to the tuition deadline.

If you have any questions, you can contact Student Accounts at 770.426.2626. 

Financial Aid Policies

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Effective 07/11/05

The United States Department of Education and most agencies providing financial assistance require that students maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their course of study to continue receiving funding. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of Federal Title IV financial aid as well as State and other aid. Federal Title IV financial aid includes Pell Grant, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Perkins Loan, Subsidized Stafford Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS) and Federal work-study. State aid includes Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant (GTEG), HOPE Scholarship and Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP). [Please note that HOPE Scholarship has grade point average requirements over and above those listed below. They are outlined in the HOPE Brochure, available in the Financial Aid Office.]

Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and undergraduate (UG) students' progress will be evaluated at the end of each spring quarter. Since the Master's Degree program is just four quarters in length, master's students (GR) will be evaluated at the end of each quarter. All students not making SAP will be notified in writing. If there are mitigating circumstances, students have the right to appeal their SAP determination. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Director of Financial Aid. They should be detailed in nature and include any existing supporting documentation. The Financial Aid Advisory Committee (FAAC) will consider each appeal on its own merits. The FACC reserves the right to restrict students' subsequent enrollment, should it grant an appeal. Students who choose not to appeal or have their appeal denied may regain their eligibility for financial aid by enrolling using their own resources or alternative non-federal funding and bringing their academic performance into compliance with this policy.

SAP is measured in three ways:

1. Qualitative Standard (grade point average -GPA)
   1. Undergraduate students (UG): See chart below.
      
      

      Academic Class Level Quarter Hours Attempted Minimum Cumulative GPA Freshman 0-45 1.50 Sophomore 46-90 1.75 Junior 81-135 2.00 Senior 136+ 2.00

   2. Graduate students (GR): Must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.
   3. Doctor of Chiropractic students (DC): Must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
2. Quantitative Standard
   All students (UG, GR, DC) are expected to complete at least 67% of all courses attempted. Attempted courses are defined as those for which one has registered and been charged in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, I, P, SP, NP, WNP or IP are given. Completed courses are defined as those in which grades of A, B, C, SP, or P are given.
   
   Example
   At the end of spring quarter 2006, Joe Smith, an undergraduate student, has attempted 45 credit hours. He has earned grades of "C" in all 45 hours. He has met the quantitative standard because his completion rate is 100%. He has successfully completed all of the courses he attempted. He has met the qualitative standard because his cumulative GPA is 2.00.

3. Time Frame
   All students (UG, GR, and DC) are expected to finish their degrees after having attempted coursework not to exceed 150% of their program requirements (measured in credit hours attempted).
   1. UG: Students seeking an associate degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 189 credit hours. Students seeking a bachelor's degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 282 credit hours.
   2. GR: Students seeking a master's degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 78 credit hours.
   3. DC: Students seeking a doctor of chiropractic degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 525 credit hour

Repeated Courses: It is an academic policy of Life University to count only the most recent grade for courses that are being repeated. For SAP purposes, the most recent grade will be counted when determining the qualitative standard. When determining the quantitative standard, both attempts will be counted. For example: Sue Williams failed "anatomy and physiology" the first time she took it. It was a 5-hour class. She repeated it and passed it with a "C." When determining her qualitative SAP, the 5-hour "F" will be ignored. When determining her quantitative SAP, these two attempts will count as 10 attempted hours.

Changing Degree Programs: For SAP purposes, students who change from one degree program to another will be permitted to "start over" regarding the qualitative standard. For the quantitative standard, courses accepted as credit toward the new degree will be counted as hours attempted and earned.

Obtaining a Second Degree at Life: For SAP purposes, students who have earned one degree at Life and wish to work toward a second degree will start over again, just as if they were new students.

Transfer Courses: For SAP purposes, transfer courses accepted as credit toward the Life University degree will be counted in the quantitative standard, but not the qualitative standard.

Timing of SAP: Student will not be evaluated with regard to SAP until they have attended Life University for at least two quarters.