Admin building at the Lambert Campus, green grass, oak trees

Policies

 

Attendance:

All instructors report attendance after the first class session each quarter. Prior to release of financial aid funds, attendance must be confirmed. Students unable to attend the first session of the quarter, need to contact the Office of Financial Aid . All loan funds will be returned to the U.S. Department of Education if attendance cannot be confirmed.

Change of Address:

It is each student’s responsibility to make sure the Registrar’s Office, the Office of Financial Aid , and the U.S. Department of Education Servicer have the most current and correct address, phone number, and e-mail information. If this information changes, the respective representatives must be notified. Visit the National Student Data System at https://nslds.ed.gov to find the contact information for each loan holder/servicer.

Course Registration:

The student is required to register for coursework each quarter. All loan funds will be returned to the U.S. Department of Education if a student is not registered for coursework.

Dissertation PhD Enrollment:

Students enrolled in the PhD dissertation phase may be eligible for financial aid during the initial nine-quarter PhD dissertation enrollment period. The PhD dissertation fee is equal to one year’s tuition at the time the student entered the program of study. Students enrolled in the PhD dissertation extension may be eligible for aid for up to 4 quarters with an approved proposal on file.  All pending financial aid will be cancelled once the final draft has been approved. The final draft approval date is considered the separation date from Pacifica and is the effective date in notifying the Department of Education. Refer to the Dissertation FA Fact Sheet for Financial Aid Recipients or contact the Financial Aid Office for complete details.

Dissertation Extension for PsyD Enrollment:

Students enrolled in the PsyD Clinical Dissertation Extension phase may be eligible for financial aid for up to 3 quarters with an approved proposal on file. Refer to the PsyD Dissertation Extension Handout for Financial Aid Recipients or contact the Office of Financial Aid for complete details.

Leave of Absence:

Students must submit to the Registrar’s Office a completed Leave of Absence form. If a student finds it necessary to interrupt the program of study the student may request a leave of absence from Pacifica. Refer to the Student Accounts Office for details regarding the dissertation fee. During this period, the student will not be considered enrolled. If the leave exceeds six months, the loan(s) received while enrolled at Pacifica will enter the repayment phase. Any prior or consolidated loans may enter repayment immediately; consult the loan holder and/or U.S. Department of Education Servicer for details.

Loan Deferments:

Previously borrowed and current student loans may be deferred (post-pone repayment) while the student is enrolled at least half time. Pacifica has partnered with the National Student Clearinghouse to verify enrollment for loan deferment purposes. Students should contact the loan servicer to determine if a deferment form is required by the loan servicer. If required, complete the Borrower Section then send the deferment form to Pacifica’s Registrar Office.

Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Students must maintain financial aid satisfactory academic progress in order to remain eligible for federal financial aid. Please refer to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress page for complete details.

Student Loan Counseling:

Students borrowing from the Federal Loan programs, are required to complete an Entrance Counseling session prior to receiving the first loan disbursement and an Exit Counseling session upon leaving Pacifica. The loan counseling sessions are to inform the student of the rights and responsibilities of being a student loan borrower and about student loan indebtedness.

Traineeship or Internship (PhD) Only Status:

Students who register for Traineeship or PhD Internship Only Status are not considered to be enrolled and are not eligible for financial aid or in-school deferments on student loans.

PsyD Clinical Internship:

PsyD Internship Handout – Students enrolled in the Internship phase of the PsyD Clinical Psychology program will be eligible for aid only during the first three quarters of the initial three-quarter Internship enrollment period.

Unusual Enrollment History

The U.S. Department of Education has established new regulations to prevent fraud and abuse in the TITLE IV Programs by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. Some students who have an unusual enrollment history (UEH) have legitimate reasons for their enrollment at multiple institutions. However, such an enrollment history requires our office to review your file in order to determine future federal financial aid eligibility. If selected by the Department of Education (via the FAFSA), this must be resolved before you will receive financial aid. Unusual Enrollment History

Verification:

If a student’s FAFSA application is selected by the Department of Education for verification or if Pacifica discovers conflicting financial information on an application, Pacifica will request that the student complete, sign and return a verification worksheet and signed copies of the federal tax transcript.

Withdrawing, Dropping, or Canceling Classes:

It is extremely important that students speak with the Financial Aid Office before reducing or changing enrollment status. Awards may be reduced or canceled if the student fails to maintain required enrollment status. Based on the date of notification, the student may receive a pro-rated refund.

Withdrawing from the Institute

Student Withdrawals — Students who find it necessary to withdraw or take a leave of absence from Pacifica must notify the Registrar’s Office in writing. The following policy has been set by the Department of Education for all federal financial aid recipients.

Return of Federal Funds policy — Pacifica Graduate Institute has implemented the Return of Federal Funds policy as required by federal regulations (Sect. 668.22 Higher Education Amendments of 1998). For those students who are eligible and receive federal financial aid and find it necessary to withdraw from all courses at Pacifica prior to the completion of the current quarter, the following federal policy applies. The focus of the policy is to return the unearned portion of the federal financial aid for the enrollment period. Only the amount of financial aid that has been earned (based on the number of calendar days completed in the period of enrollment) will be retained on the student’s behalf. Any aid unearned will be returned to the U.S. Department of Education. The Return of Federal Funds will be calculated based on the date the student begins the official withdrawal process (by notifying the Registrar’s Office), the last date of documented attendance or for an unofficial withdrawal, the mid-point of the term or the last documented date of attendance. If a student withdraws from school on or before the 60% point in the term, then the school and possibly the student shall return the percentage of unearned Title IV federal financial aid. The distribution of returned funds is as follows:

  1. Federal Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
  2. Federal Subsidized Stafford Loan
  3. Grad PLUS Loan
  4. State, Private, or Institutional Aid
  5. The Student

Refundable Tuition Policy:

Refunds— refers to the calculation of institutional charges and is a separate calculation from the Return of Federal Funds calculation. The amount of refundable institutional charges (tuition and residential/non-residential fees) will be prorated based on school policy (see below). If there is a balance due by the student as a result of the unearned financial aid being returned, the student will be responsible for payment of the difference.

Students dropping or withdrawing from a course:

To be eligible for a refund, a completed Request to Drop a Class Form must be received by the Registrar Office. The date of withdrawal will be determined by the date written notification is received. Students dropping or withdrawing from a course will receive a pro-rated refund based on a “per unit tuition calculation”*.

Refundable Residential/Non-Residential Fee Policy:

To be eligible for a full refund, written notification must be submitted to the Guest Services Department at least five (5) days prior to the beginning of on-site instruction. if a student attends any portion of the quarterly on-site session then withdraws, takes a Leave of Absence, or drops courses from Pacifica, a Residential/Non-Residential refund will only apply to subsequent sessions in that quarter and not the session during which the student withdraws, takes a Leave of Absence, or drops courses. If the school cancels or discontinues an on-site session, the student will receive a pro rata refund of the fee.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (FSAP)

All students who apply for and receive financial aid must be making FSAP toward completion of degree requirements. For all students enrolled in coursework. Annual evaluation of FSAP will occur after summer grades are posted each year (in August or September depending on the summer track end dates). For PsyD Clinical Psychology program the FSAP review will occur after spring grades are posted each year.

A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 must be maintained AND a minimum of 67% of attempted units must be successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better (grade of “B” or better required for Clinical students). Transfer credit (“TR”) will be considered as both attempted and completed units. Incomplete grades (“I”), failing grades (“F”, “NP”), withdrawn grades (“W”), repeated courses (“R”) and courses in progress with grades pending (“J”) will be counted as attempted units and excluded from completed units until successful grades are posted to the transcript. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure FSAP is maintained. PhD Dissertation students completing dissertation coursework are considered to be in progress and will be counted as attempted credits and will not receive a grade until the student is able to complete his/her PhD dissertation. Students who are completing their PhD dissertation demonstrate FSAP by having a committee formed and submitting acceptable written work to their dissertation committee chair by the end of the first year. The committee chair must confirm that such progress has occurred. At the end of the 9-quarters of dissertation, in order to be making FSAP, a student must have a committee approved proposal to receive aid during a third year of dissertation work. Federal financial aid is not available beyond the third year of dissertation work. Students will not receive prior FSAP warnings. Students who fail to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and/or fail to successfully complete a minimum of 67% of attempted units each year will lose eligibility for Federal Stafford and Grad Plus Loans. These students will be notified in writing if/when their eligibility for federal aid is suspended. Students, for whom federal aid has been suspended, may appeal if extenuating circumstances (such as a death in the family, injury, illness, or other special circumstances) has hindered academic performance. Students are strongly encouraged to submit a written appeal two weeks after receiving notification that financial aid has been suspended. Appeals must be in writing, include an explanation of why FSAP was not maintained and what has changed that would allow them to demonstrate FSAP at the next evaluation. In addition, a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is a requirement of the appeal process. The corrective action plan should include a detailed explanation of how and when deficiencies will be resolved and may include a proposed academic plan for completion of the degree requirements. The appeal and the CAP must be submitted in writing to the Director of Financial Aid. Refer to the FSAP flyer from the Financial Aid Office for complete details along with breakdown of the maximum number of units a student may attempt to complete their program listed by program.

Dissertation Ph.D. Students SAP:

Ph.D. program students are eligible for financial aid during the nine-quarter dissertation phase of the PhD program. During the first year students must be actively engaged in the dissertation process by submitting written material and have on-going communication with the committee. If a student does not meet this requirement, any further aid will be suspended until progress is made & confirmed by the committee. Students whose financial aid is suspended will be notified in writing. Following the completion of the inital 9-quarter dissertation phase, students must have an approved proposal on file to remain eligible for financial aid during an extended one-year period. Students are not eligible for aid during quarters approved at No-Fee. Contact the Office of Financial Aid for complete details. Please note that once the final PhD dissertation draft is approved by committee, all pending financial aid will be canceled. The final draft approval date is considered the separation date from Pacifica and is the effective date reported to the Department of Education. Dissertation Processing Fees are not eligible for financial aid.