2003-2004 Undergraduate Catalog

The mission of the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services is to improve access to higher education by providing comprehensive financial assistance and information to all students and the NMSU community. Although primary responsibility for educational costs rests with the student and his or her family, NMSU, the federal government, and the state of New Mexico all contribute to assist students pursuing higher education.

The financial aid office administers a broad spectrum of loans, grants, jobs, and scholarships in an attempt to meet the financial needs of the university's students.

The Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services awards financial aid to students according to their individual needs. Parents of students are expected to contribute to their child's education according to their ability, taking into account their income, assets, number of dependents, and other relevant information. Students themselves are expected to contribute from their own assets and earnings, including appropriate borrowing against future income. All information provided to the Office of Student Financial Aid is regarded as confidential.

Students applying for financial aid complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid designed to determine, in accordance with state and federal guidelines, the difference between what the student or family is expected to contribute and the cost of attending NMSU. Among the factors that determine the family's expected contribution are (1) annual adjusted gross income as reported to the Internal Revenue Service; (2) savings, stocks, or bonds; (3) other assets in the form of a business, farm, or real estate; (4) nontaxable income and benefits; and (5) student's prior year income and assets.

Students applying for financial aid should complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available at NMSU campus or by visiting www.nmsu.edu/finaid or www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

Please refer to the NMSU Financial Aid web site for more information on financial aid available in the financial aid office. A complete listing of programs and policies is available online. Visit us at www.nmsu.edu/finaid.

General Eligibility Requirements

To receive financial aid a student must

• Have financial need, except for some loan and work-study programs.
• Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, pass a test approved by the U.S. Department of Education, meet other standards your state establishes that are approved by the U.S. Department of Education, or complete a high school education in a home school setting that is treated as a home school or private school under state law. See your financial aid administrator for more information.
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student working toward a degree or certificate in an eligible program. (You may not receive aid for correspondence or telecommunications courses unless they are part of an associate, bachelor's, or graduate degree program.)
• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen.
• Have a valid Social Security number. If you don't have a Social Security number, you can find out more about applying for one at www.ssa.gov.
• Make satisfactory academic progress.
• Sign a statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) certifying that you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes.
• Sign a statement on the FAFSA certifying that you are not in default on a federal student loan and that you do not owe money back on a federal student grant.
• Register with the Selective Service, if required.

Sources of Financial Aid

Grants--The foundation for financial aid is the Federal Pell Grant, a federal grant available to undergraduate students with documented financial need. Pell Grants range from $400 to $4000, though these figures are subject to change each year. If a Pell Grant is insufficient to pay educational expenses, the student may be eligible to receive other types of aid, including a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant or Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership Program (LEAP) Grant. These grants are awarded to undergraduate students who show exceptional financial need. Typically, all three types of grants do not have to be repaid.

Loans--Available to undergraduate and graduate students with financial need, Federal Perkins Loans are long-term, low-interest loans that must be repaid to the university according to federal guidelines. Repayment begins six or nine months after graduation or after enrollment drops below six credits.

Subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans are need-based, long-term loans available to undergraduate and graduate students. Students receiving a subsidized or unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan or a Perkins, must complete a debt-management session before NMSU will issue a check. In addition, students must complete an exit interview upon graduation or withdrawal from the university. Repayment of a Stafford loan begins six months after graduation or six months after enrollment drops below six credits. The interest rate is variable but will not exceed 8.25%. More information will be available at the time the loan is made.

Work-Study Programs--The Federal Work-Study Program provides employment opportunities for selected undergraduate and graduate students with demonstrated financial need. The New Mexico Work-Study Program also provides employment opportunities for students; however, only New Mexico residents are eligible to participate in the program.

For more information on the U.S. Department of Education student aid programs, look on the Internet at www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide (for financial aid) or on the NMSU Financial Aid web page at www.nmsu.edu/finaid.

Awards

All financial aid awards are based on information provided by the student and parents, availability of funds, and eligibility requirements. Any award may be revised based on changes in enrollment, cost of attendance, family contribution, or failure to meet satisfactory academic progress. Withdrawals or reductions in enrollment may affect an award or any future awards. The regularly scheduled dates of disbursement of financial aid checks are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Financial aid and scholarships will not pay for courses in which an I or RR grade is received, or for audited courses or third time repeats.

Scholarships and Other Aid

State, institutional, and federal scholarships may also be available. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility requirements vary. For more information and a complete scholarship list, contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarship Services or visit the university's scholarship web site at www.nmsu.edu/finaid/scholarships/. Many students finance part of their education with scholarships, which may be awarded for academic achievement, special skills, talent, or because of the recipient's financial need.

Major Scholarships for Entering Freshmen 2003

For primary consideration, students must be admitted to NMSU by March 3, 2003. Students must enroll in the first regular semester directly following high school graduation. A student is required to be a New Mexico resident graduating from a New Mexico high school or to have passed a New Mexico GED (except for the Alumni Out-of-State Scholarship). Recipients must enroll in at least 12 credit hours (full-time) of degree seeking courses offered at the Las Cruces main campus of NMSU. Some scholarships may be funded in part by the New Mexico Lottery Success Scholarship beginning the second semester.

President's Associates Honors Scholarship: Tuition and Fees plus $1,750/Semester--NMSU scholarship application and brief essay required. Students applying for this scholarship must apply and be admitted to NMSU by March 3, 2003. High School Requirements: 26 ACT (1170 SAT) and 3.5 GPA or 28 ACT (1240 SAT) and 3.0 GPA. Renewable 1st semester: 3.5 GPA and completion of 14 graded credits (freshman year). Thereafter: 3.5 cumulative GPA and 12 graded credits each semester.

New Mexico Scholars Scholarship: Tuition and Fees and Book Stipend--Qualifying family income, if 1 student in college, $30,000 AGI or less, if 2 students in college, $40,000 AGI or less. High School Requirements: 25 ACT (1130 SAT) or top 5% of high school class. Renewable: 3.0 GPA and completion of 12 graded credits each semester.

NMSU Regents Plus Scholarship: Tuition and Fees plus $250/Semester--High School Requirements: 24 ACT (1090 SAT) and 3.8 GPA. Renewable: 3.4 GPA and completion of 12 graded credits at the end of the first semester. Thereafter, renewable based on a 3.5 cumulative GPA and completion of 12 graded credits per semester. If the Regents Plus renewal criteria is of concern to a recipient, prior to the first day of class, a student can decide to accept the Regents scholarship instead. (See criteria below.)

Regents Scholarship: Tuition and Fees--High School Requirements: 23 ACT (1050 SAT) and 3.5 GPA. Renewable: 3.0 cumulative GPA and 12 graded credits each semester.

Opportunity Scholarship: One Semester $800 Award--High School Requirements: 21 ACT (970 SAT) or 3.0 GPA

Alumni Out-of-State Scholarship: Reduction to In-State Tuition and Fees plus $100/Semester--Non-NM Residents. High School Requirements: 23 ACT (1050 SAT) and 3.5 GPA or 26 ACT (1170 SAT) and 3.0 GPA. Renewable: 3.25 GPA and completion of 14 graded credits each semester. Scholarship is competitive and number of awards granted are limited.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Federal regulations require that financial aid recipients meet certain academic standards to be eligible for federal financial aid. To ensure that financial aid recipients are making satisfactory academic progress, academic transcripts are reviewed at the end of each term to determine eligibility for the next term. All terms of attendance are reviewed, including periods in which the student did not receive financial aid. All transfer work is taken into account when satisfactory progress is reviewed.

• Qualitative Progress: Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 (a C average). Graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (a B average). Grade point values are: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0. Grades of I, CR, RR, PR, NC, W, AU are not calculated in the GPA.
• Completion Rate: Students must complete a minimum of 70 percent of all course work (registered credit hours) attempted at NMSU. Any course with a grade of withdraw (W), incomplete (I), repeats (RR), failure (F), audit (AU), or no credit (NC) is not considered completed course work. Repeated courses are included in the calculation.
• Maximum Time Frame: Students must complete their program within 150 percent of the credit hours required by the program. Students who have reached the maximum allowable time will be suspended from receiving financial aid. Developmental/remedial hours are excluded from this calculation. Total attempted hours including repeated courses and transfer course work are included in the student's maximum time frame calculation.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students are suspended from receiving financial aid if they do not meet satisfactory academic progress standards. Students on financial aid suspension will not receive any form of federal or state financial aid (grants, loans, work study). Financial aid eligibility is reinstated when all standards of satisfactory progress are met.

The Appeals Process

Students suspended from financial aid may appeal the suspension if there are mitigating circumstances affecting their progress. Students who would like to appeal the suspension must submit an appeal form and all required documentation to the Office of Student Financial Aid . A committee will review the appeal and may grant reinstatement of financial aid based on mitigating circumstances that directly contributed to deficient academic performance. Appeals are usually evaluated on a term-by-term basis.

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