The Federal Pell Grant is a program designed to provide financial aid to undergraduate students working towards their first degree. The U.S. Department of Education administers the Pell Grant and determines the funding amount available to the student. The purpose of the Pell Grant is to provide funding for educational expenses. Pell Grants are disbursed to students in one payment within the semester for those students that have completed their file in the financial aid office and have met all requirements. Financial Aid disbursements are made after the 7th week of classes. Federal Pell Grant will pay for only one (1) repeated course; if a student does not pass a course the first semester and repeats the course the second semester it is payable, however, after the second semester, Federal Pell Grant will not pay for the repeated course. Students are allowed up to two Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), or Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees at Little Big Horn College. After acquiring two degrees at LBHC, students are encouraged to go on to a four-year institution so that they will not exhaust their Federal Pell Grant at Little Big Horn College. Pell Grant will provide funding for only twelve (12) semesters of study. Students pursuing a second Associate degree at Little Big Horn College will be asked to appeal their Federal Pell Grant so that they understand they may exhaust their federal funding at Little Big Horn College. Federal Regulations require that students establish attendance/participation in coursework each term to be eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Federal Pell Grant recipients, Pell Grant award amount will be based on the courses he/she is registered AND in attendance. The grant is disbursed based on the number of credits for which attendance has been confirmed. The student will not be eligible for Pell Grant for courses that he/she does not attend and for the full-time Pell amount. Students must be enrolled in a program of study in order to be eligible for Pell Grant.  The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds students may receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six year or 12 semesters of Pell Grant funding. Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award you can receive each award year is equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%.

Little Big Horn College uses the verification process to verify the accuracy of the information the applicant provided on the FAFSA application

The purpose of verification is to make certain students provide accurate information pertaining to their need for financial aid.  If students do not provide accurate information, they face the possibility of not receiving any funds.  With accurate information, Little Big Horn College will be able to provide a more precise and equitable distribution of federal funds.

All information provided on the student financial aid application is subject to verification.  Verification is the term applied to the review process.  A percentage of all applicants will be selected for this review process.  If selected for verification the student, spouse and parent(s), if applicable, must provide documents (such as Federal Income Tax Returns Transcript for the previous year and verification  verifying the number of household members enrolled in post-secondary schools) to prove that the information provided on the application is correct.

Tuition Refund Policy

A portion of the tuition charges may be refunded to students who officially withdraw before the 15th day of instruction. To be eligible for a tuition refund, the student must complete the Little Big Horn College Withdrawal Form and return the completed form to the Registrar’s Office before 5:00 p.m. on the 15th day. No refund for student fees will be made unless they have copy of an official Withdrawal Form. A refund on books is credited to the student's account based on the condition of the book and a copy of an official Withdrawal Form . No refund will made to students who do not officially withdraw or whose misconduct results in suspension or dismissal from the college.

Refund Schedule;  The refund schedule is based on instructional days, not including weekends and holidays. Day 1 is the first day of classes as published in this catalog.

Refund Charged:  Prior to first day of classes 100% refund    1-5 instructional days 90% refund x6-10 instructional days 75% refund   11-15 instructional days 50% refund   After  the  15th  day  of  classes  NO  REFUND  IS MADE TO STUDENTS

Grants and scholarships are paid to students by crediting their student billing account in the Business Office first and then the remaining amount will be disbursed to the student once all bills are paid.

The majority of scholarship assistance is allocated to students working towards their first AA degree.  Some scholarship programs may allow scholarship assistance to students holding an AA degree.

Return of Federal Student Aid, Title IV Funds

When a student withdraws before completing 60% of the semester, the college must return to the Department of Education any unearned Federal Financial Aid funds up to the unearned percentage of institutional charges for the portion of the period the student did not complete. If a student leaves without officially withdrawing, the college will attempt to determine a last day of attendance through instructors’ attendance records or a review of academically related activity. An academically related activity includes, but is not limited to, an exam, a tutorial, academic counseling and turning in class assignments. The calculation for the Return of Title IV Funds may result in the student owing a balance to either the college and/or the federal government. A Return of Title IV calculation determined the percentage of Title IV aid earned by the student by taking the calendar days completed in the payment period, divided by the total  days in the payment period  (excluding breaks of 5 days or more and days the student was on an approved LOA. Determine the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student by multiplying the percentage of Title IV aid earned times the total of the Title IV aid disbursed plus the Title IV aid that could have been disbursed for the payment period.  If this percentage is greater than 60%, the student earns 100% of the disbursed Title IV funds.  If this percentage is less than 60%, then the percentage earned is equal to the calculated value. Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the Percentage of aid earned using the following formula:
 Aid to be returned = (100% minus the percent earned) multiplied by the amount of aid disbursed toward institutional charges.  If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution may be required to return a portion of the funds and the student may be required to return a portion of the funds.  All Title IV funds to be returned by the institution must be made no later than 45 calendar days after the date the school determines that the student withdrew. When Title IV funds are returned, the student may owe a balance to the institution.  The funds will be returned in the following Order:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplement Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Work opportunities are available to qualified students in the form of work-study. There are two types of Work-Study:

Federal College Work-Study (FCWS) is a federally funded need-based program. Students who answered “yes” to question 28 on the FAFSA form and have need may be awarded FCWS. FCWS is available in various areas on campus and with off-campus community service jobs as reading and math tutors. Although every effort is made to provide students with FCWS jobs, the College cannot guarantee a student will be able to earn the amount of money initially awarded. FCWS will be part of the student’s financial aid package if they are awarded.

Institutional Work-Study is for those students who do not qualify for any federal assistance is available. Students are placed in various job positions on campus. As they work their student bill is credited.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students are expected to maintain certain academic standards and make satisfactory progress toward completion of their declared program of study. The Financial Aid Office determines if applicants are eligible for financial aid assistance based on their prior academic records, whether or not they have previously received financial aid. Satisfactory academic progress is measured in two categories:

• A qualitative academic standard minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 must be maintained each semester for Pell Grant, SEOG and FWS
• A quantitative rate of progression or PACE.  Pace is measured in two increments:  
• Completion of Attempted Credits:  Students must successfully complete two-thirds 67% of the cumulative credits attempted in the degree each term.
  • Maximum Time Frame: The student must be on track to graduate within the maximum timeframe for their declared degree program within 150% of their total program attempted credits.  Percentage is calculated for the cumulative pace by dividing the total number of successfully completed credits by the total number of credits attempted. 
  • Change of major – the credits earned under the new major will be applied in the calculation of attempted, earned, and maximum time frame.
  • Student may appeal the 150% period limit and be allowed to complete the degree.
  • Transfer of College Level Credits -  Students transferring to Little Big Horn College from another institution of higher education must inform the Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Office is required by federal law to make adjustments to prevent or correct over awards. When a student transfers from another college/ university, the student will start out on good academic status at Little Big Horn College, regardless of the student’s academic status at the previous college/university.  Grades for courses transferred must be A, B, C, or D, and courses transferred must be above 100 level.  Transfer credits are not used in calculating GPA.

Financial Aid Probation & Suspension

• Probation:  A student is placed on probation if he/she does not complete the attempted credits for that particular term and/or does not maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.00. A student placed on probation IS still eligible for federal and state aid funding.

• Suspension:  A student is placed on suspension if they do not complete attempted credits and/or does not maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.00 for two consecutive terms of enrollment. 

Incomplete Grade

Students placed on probation or suspension because they received an incomplete grade(s) will be removed from such status if the “I” is made up and a passing grade is earned. 

Every student has the right to appeal if he/she is on suspension, has repeated courses or has exceeded his/her duration of eligibility. Students may obtain the Financial Aid Appeal Form from the Financial Aid Office. The complete Financial Aid Appeal Form should be submitted with a copy of the student’s transcripts and all other necessary documents to the Financial Aid Office. Students are allowed one appeal. The appeals committee will make the final decision on the appeal; the committee is comprised of the Dean of Students, Dean of Academics, Dean of Administration, Chief Finance Officer, Registrar, President, Department Heads, and Financial Aid Staff. 

Reinstated students will be placed on “academic probation.”  The student must make arrangements with the Dean of Academics prior to enrollment and make regular appointments with Student Services Staff.  When students achieve a term and cumulative GPA of 2.00 and above, the “academic Probation” designation is removed.