Enrollment Status
Enrollment Status Determination
Your enrollment status, or the number of credit hours you are taking, plays a significant role in determining your eligibility for financial aid. Starting in the 2024-2025 award year, the way your Pell Grant eligibility is calculated changed from the old system of enrollment level categories to a new approach called “enrollment intensity.” Instead of the previous classifications like “full-time,” “three-quarter time,” “half time,” and “less-than-half-time,” your Pell Grant award will now be determined based on your enrollment intensity.
What is Enrollment Intensity?
Enrollment intensity is a percentage that represents how many credit hours you are taking compared to a full-time course load. Your Pell Grant award will now be calculated based on this enrollment intensity percentage, rather than the old enrollment level categories. This new enrollment intensity system provides a more flexible and accurate way to calculate your Pell Grant, tailoring the award amount to your actual enrollment level rather than fitting into broad categories. Please keep in mind, the chart below is only for the Federal Pell Grant, other aid, such as loans and work study will still use the old system of Enrollment Level to award (Full-time, 3/4 Time, 1/2 Time, etc.)
Enrollment Intensity Chart
Units Enrolled |
Enrollment Level (Old) |
Enrollment Intensity (NEW) - % of Pell |
|---|---|---|
| 12 or more | Full Time | 100% |
|
11 |
92% | |
| 10 | 3/4 Time | 83% |
| 9 | 75% | |
| 8 | 67% | |
| 7 | 1/2 Time | 58% |
| 6 | 50% | |
| 5 | 42% | |
| 4 | 33% | |
| 3 | Less Than 1/2 Time | 25% |
| 2 | 17% | |
| 1 | 8% |
What Courses Count?
- Flex courses (Fall, Spring or Summer) will be excluded from the student's enrollment status until balance checks for the Fall, Spring and/or Summer semester have been disbursed.
- There is a 30 semester hour limit for remedial coursework for any individual student. Remedial hours attempted beyond the 30-hour limit will not be included in course load for determining enrollment status.
- Repeated courses for the third and beyond attempt will not count in enrollment status.
- Courses that do not count toward a student's degree or certificate, with the exception of remedial courses, cannot be included to determine his or her enrollment status.
- If the student enrolls in a flex course (Fall, Spring or Summer I or Summer II, or Summer C) or in a mini-mester that is included as part of a previous semester (December or May mini), the student's final enrollment status for determining grant eligibility that semester is the day after the census date for the semester of the last course taken.
- If a student drops, withdraws from or adds a class on or before the census date, the student's enrollment status will be adjusted and the student's grant aid recalculated. Recalculations will include both increases and decreases in enrollment up to the census date of the student’s last class.
- Non-attendance through official census date will result in removal of all financial aid without further notice. Students who receive federal financial aid that totally withdraw from classes or stop attending classes may be required to repay a portion of the financial aid received for that term. Please check with the financial aid office prior to withdrawing from classes.
- Students must enroll in classes that count toward an approved degree or certificate program. Financial aid will not pay for classes not on an approved degree or certificate program. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they enroll in the appropriate classes. If the student receives financial aid for a class not on their degree or certificate program, the student will be responsible for paying back those funds.
Disbursement of Awards
All grants, loans and scholarships are electronically credited to a student's account and can be applied toward the student's tuition and fees, book and dorm charges. The student may also provide written authorization to charge minor prior year institutional charges of $200 or less, or any other educationally related cost to their financial aid account. Grant, scholarship and loan balances will be disbursed by the Business Office within 30 days after the beginning of the semester. Grant, scholarship and loan balances for students enrolled in the second compressed semester (Fall, Spring and Summer) will be disbursed within 14 days after "Census day" after the beginning of that semester as per federal regulations. Generally, this means students will receive equal portions of their loan each semester, except if their loan is only one semester in length. If one semester, then generally the loan will be split into two disbursements in that semester. Also, as per federal regulations, the first disbursement of a student loan to a first-year, first-time borrower must be held for at least 30 days. For students who complete their file after the semester is completed, their award will be based upon their final enrollment status and will include only courses completed (includes earned F's, in progress and incompletes), and dropped classes or withdraws will not be included in determining enrollment status.
The business office processes refunds at least weekly. Financial aid refunds will be place on the student's Ranger ID Card unless student has designated a different direct deposit account. Students who do not have a Ranger ID card or who do not designate a direct deposit account will be mailed a check. Any financial aid awards will first be applied to the balance due Ranger College before being issued to the student. Students who fail to establish eligibility, don't begin attendance in each class or don't attend their classes thru count day, will have their financial assistance reduced or canceled. Students employed through the work-study program are paid monthly. Time sheets must be submitted on the appropriate dates each month in order to receive a paycheck. Students who fail to submit their time sheet by the designated date, will not receive payment until the following pay period.
Return of Title IV Funds Policy
Ranger College returns unearned funds received from Federal student assistance programs to the proper program accounts or lenders in accordance with Federal Title IV student assistance regulations, as amended, under 34 CFR, section 668.22(a) of the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965, with rules of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and with district board policies. The student receiving assistance from Federal Title IV programs is required to complete a minimum number of hours for which aid was received. If the student completely withdraws from school during the semester, or quits attending, but fails to officially withdraw, the student may be required to return the unearned part of the funds which were received to help pay educational expenses for the semester.
Liability for return of Federal Title IV funds will be determined according to the following guidelines:
- If the student remains enrolled and attends class beyond the 60% mark of the semester in which aid is received, all federal aid is considered earned and not subject to this policy.
- If the student completely withdraws from all Title IV eligible classes before completing 60% of the semester, a pro-rated portion of the federal aid received must be returned to the federal aid programs equal to the percentage of the semester remaining.
- If all eligible aid was not already disbursed to the student before the student withdrew, the earned portion of aid will be paid to the student as a post-withdrawal disbursement within 30 days of the Date of Determination that the student has withdrawn.
- If the student does not officially withdraw from classes, and stops attending all classes, a pro-rated portion of the federal aid received, based on the documented last date of attendance, must be returned to the federal aid programs. If the college is unable to document the last date of attendance, one-half of all federal aid received during the semester must be returned to the federal aid programs.
- If a student withdraws from all classes prior to disbursement of funds, a post withdrawal calculation will be conducted to determine the actual amount of earned funds. In some instances, students will be asked to provide confirmation to accept of return some or part of the earned funds. Return of Federal Title IV (R2T4) funds will be distributed according to statutory regulations with 45 days of the Date of Determination on the R2T4 worksheet. The funds will be returned to the appropriate federal programs in the order mandated by the regulation in section 34 CFR 668.22(i). The current order of distribution occurs with money returned to Unsubsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans, Subsidized Federal Direct Stafford loans, Federal Perkins loans (RC does not participate in the Perkins loan program), Federal Direct Parent Plus loans, Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), and Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants. Worksheets provided by the U.S. Department of Education or calculations produced through the Poise Student Information System and Return of Funds (ROF) program will be used to determine the amounts and order of return. If a student's share of the return amount exists, the student will be notified and allowed 45 days from the date of determination to return the funds to the business office of the college for deposit into the federal programs accounts. If the student does not return the amount owed within the 45-day period, the amount of overpayment will be reported to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) via the National Student Loan Database (NSLDS) and the student will be referred to the USDE for resolution of the debt.
Examples of how this policy is applied are available upon written request to Ranger College, Office of Financial Aid, 1100 College Circle, Ranger Texas, 76470.
For the purposes of this policy, withdrawal refers to a total withdrawal from all course work at the College.
Ranger College does not offer a Leave of Absence at this time.
Important Notice: If you have been awarded any scholarships or other financial aid, you must notify the Financial Aid Office. Your total aid package (from all sources) cannot exceed your need as figured by the Dept. of Educ., and adjustments to your aid package will be made if you receive any other aid through different sources not specified on this form.