West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 133 - Higher Education Policy Commission › Title 133 - LEGISLATIVE RULE WEST VIRGINIA HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY COMMISSION › Series 133-42 - West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program › Section 133-42-3 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
3.1. Academic
				Year. A period of time in which a full-time student is expected to complete the
				equivalent of at least two semesters or other approved academic term.
3.2. Commission. The West Virginia Higher
				Education Policy Commission as defined in W. Va. Code §
									18B-1-2.
3.3. Cost of Attendance. The estimated total
				amount it will cost a student to attend college during an academic year,
				including tuition and fees; housing and food for the period of enrollment;
				books and supplies for education; travel costs directly related to attendance;
				childcare expenses; costs related to a disability; and other costs determined
				by the educational institution to be educationally related.
3.4. Council. The West Virginia Council for
				Community and Technical College Education as defined by W. Va. Code §
									18B-2-1.
3.5. Dependent Student. A student who is
				required to provide parental information on the free application for federal
				student aid because the student does not meet the criteria established by the
				U.S. Department of Education to be classified an
				independent
.
3.6.
				Student Aid Index (SAI). The amount that a family is expected to contribute
				toward a student's education costs under the federal need analysis. For an
				independent student, SAI is the same as student contribution. For a dependent
				student, SAI is the same as the total of student and parent
				contributions.
3.7. Financial Aid
				Package. The total amount of financial aid a student receives during an
				academic year.
3.8. Financial Need.
				The demonstrated need of an applicant for financial assistance to meet the
				actual costs of attending the eligible institution of choice. It is the
				calculated difference between a student's cost of attendance and his or her
				SAI.
3.9. Fiscal Year. The State
				fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30.
3.10. Free Application for Federal Student
				Aid (FAFSA). An application that students must complete in order to apply for
				most forms of financial aid, including the West Virginia Higher Education
				Grant. The filing of a FAFSA by an individual who indicates West Virginia as
				his or her state of legal residence will be treated as an application for the
				West Virginia Higher Education Grant.
3.11. Full-time Student. A student enrolled
				in a minimum of 12 undergraduate credit hours per semester or other comparable
				period at an institution with a non-traditional calendar.
3.12. Grant. Financial aid awarded to
				students that does not have to be paid back. For purposes of this rule,
				scholarships are included within the definition.
3.13. Higher Education Grant Program or Grant
				Program. Financial aid program established in W. Va. Code §
									18C-5-1, et seq. that provides
				grants to West Virginia residents based on financial need.
3.14. Independent Student. A student who is
				not required to provide parental information on the free application for
				federal student aid (FAFSA) because the student meets the criteria contained in
				the Higher Education Act of 1965 to be classified an independent
				student
.
3.15.
				Participating Institution. An institution that is eligible to participate in
				the West Virginia Higher Education Grant Program and for which a participation
				agreement is in place.
3.16.
				Participation Agreement. A contract entered into between a participating
				institution and the Vice Chancellor for Administration that specifies the
				rights and responsibilities of the institution and the Vice Chancellor as they
				relate to participation in the Grant Program.
3.17. Title IV. The section of the Higher
				Education Act of 1965, as amended, that pertains to federal student financial
				aid programs.
3.18. Undergraduate
				Student. A student who has not yet met the requirements for a bachelor's degree
				and who is deemed an undergraduate student by the institution.
3.18.1. A student who is enrolled in a
				program that results in the awarding of a bachelor's and master's degree
				simultaneously and continues to meet the eligibility guidelines for the federal
				Pell Grant program is considered an undergraduate student if he or she is in
				his or her first four years of full-time postsecondary education and has not
				previously received a bachelor's degree.
3.18.2. A student who is enrolled in a doctor
				of pharmacy program is considered an undergraduate student if he or she has not
				previously received a bachelor's degree and is deemed an undergraduate student
				by the institution.