The Office of Financial Aid, located on the third floor of the Joseph Henry Apple Academic Resource Center, administers federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs. Our office understands financing higher education is an important part of the college experience. We offer personalized assistance to students and families to complete the necessary steps to apply for financial aid.
Hood College offers the following types of assistance: scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time employment (work-study).
The Office of Financial Aid determines the types and amount of aid students may receive by evaluating the student's financial need and availability of funds. Awards may be made on a first come, first-served basis to eligible students. Our office highly recommends filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as it is required for most types of aid. By not filing the FAFSA, students are ineligible for need-based aid, federal loans, federal work-study, and most types of state aid.
Financial Award Package
The Office of Financial Aid creates financial award packages for eligible students. Each student's financial situation is different, so each package is unique. An award package will include one or more types of financial aid. The most common types include scholarships, grants, loans and work-study.
Students who qualify for financial aid will be sent an award notification by mail or email. New students are sent an award notification after acceptance to the college. Continuing students will receive their award notifications by email beginning in June prior to the fall semester. To prevent delays in awarding of financial aid, submit all required documentation as requested by the Office of Financial Aid in a timely manner. Check Self-Service for any requested information from our office. All financial aid forms are located on the Financial Aid page of the Hood College website as well as in the office.
Financial Need
All need-based awards require the student to be degree-seeking, demonstrate financial need and maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). The number of credit hours enrolled also affects the types and amount of need-based aid awarded.
To determine a student's financial need, the student must complete the FAFSA. Need for financial aid is determined by the following calculation:
COA - EFC = Need
COA (Cost of Attendance) is the total price of attending college. The COA consists of direct charges and indirect costs. Direct charges are what is paid directly to the college (such as tuition and fees; as well as room and meals if living on-campus). Indirect costs are expenses not paid directly to the college (such as books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses).
The EFC (Expected Family Contribution) is a formula calculated by the U.S. Department of Education upon completion of the FAFSA. Factors taken into consideration include, but are not limited to family size, number of students in college, income, and assets. For more information, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/.
Students may begin filing the FAFSA October 1 for the following academic year, this may be completed online or through the myStudentAid app. Students should list Hood College (school code 002076) on the FAFSA. The FAFSA must be submitted by our priority date of March 1 to be considered for all types of need-based aid.
Institutional Aid
Institutional aid (scholarships, grants, and awards) helps bridge the gap between a student's (family) resources and the direct charges assessed by Hood College. Institutional funds are available due to the generosity of alumni, foundations, individuals and other organizations. There are limited resources and Hood College reserves the right to make adjustments at any time.
Institutional aid is only awarded to students pursuing their first baccalaureate degree. Students must be enrolled full-time (12 or more credit hours per semester), unless specified by the donor that funds may be awarded to a part-time student(s). Institutional aid may not be used for summer or winter courses. The maximum timeframe to receive institutional aid is eight semesters for first-year students and determined on a case-by-case basis for transfer students. To receive financial assistance beyond the maximum timeframe, an appeal must be approved by the Office of Financial Aid.
Merit Scholarships
Hood College has developed an extensive merit scholarship program that recognizes the achievement, talent and potential of students. Awards are based upon the student's achievement in the classroom, ability to think analytically, talent and creativity within areas of interest and the potential to be successful at Hood College.
All students applying for admission will be considered for merit scholarships. No special application is required. Students will be informed of their eligibility upon acceptance to Hood College.
From time to time, an individual student-applicant may qualify for consideration in more than one scholarship category. In such a case, the highest scholarship amount will take precedence in Hood's awarding process. All are limited up to eight semesters. Students are notified of yearly renewal criteria, including minimum grade point average, upon receipt of their financial award notification.
Founders Scholarship - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year and new transfer students who have the highest academic profiles and have shown leadership in school and community activities. The amount is 50 percent of tuition.
Trailblazer Scholarship - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year and new transfer students with strong records of academic performance and extracurricular involvement. The amount is 33 percent of tuition.
Recognition Award - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year and new transfer students who have the potential to succeed academically and have demonstrated leadership, commitment to community service and/or demonstrated talent. The amount is 25 percent of tuition.
Chair of the Board Scholarship
This highly prestigious scholarship provides four new full-tuition awards to academically superior students in each entering class (full-time, first-year students). To be considered for this scholarship, candidates will be invited to attend Scholars' Day, which will include a scholarship interview.
Hodson Beneficial Financial Grant
Children of former Beneficial employees with two or more years of full-time service with Beneficial Corporation and its subsidiaries are potential candidates for these full-tuition scholarships (must be enrolled full-time).
Stackable Awards
BOA Leadership - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year students who demonstrate outstanding leadership. Amount varies.
Family Discount - awarded when two or more members of the same family are enrolled. The award amount is $2,000 and awarded to the second member of the family (must be an undergraduate student). Family is defined as parent, dependent child, and/or dependent child's sibling. Both members of the family must be enrolled full-time.
Hodson- Gilliam Scholarship - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year students and new transfer students from ethnic backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in higher education. Applicants must have demonstrated high academic achievement. Amount varies.
Honors - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year students and new transfer students who have been admitted to the Honors Program. Amount is $2,000.
Legacy- awarded to full-time, first-year and new transfer students whose parent, sibling or grandparent received a Hood bachelor's or master's degree. Amount is $1,000.
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship - awarded to incoming full-time transfer students who are Phi Theta Kappa members and have earned an A.A. or A.S. degree. Must be a Phi Theta Kappa member at the time of admission. Amount is $2,000.
Teacher Academy of Maryland Scholarship - awarded to incoming full-time, first-year students majoring in education who have successfully fulfilled required criteria for TAM program completion. In addition to the monetary scholarship, three (3) credits will be awarded to fulfill EDUC 204, a prerequisite education course. Amount is $3,000.
Hood Grants
Awarded to full-time undergraduates who demonstrate financial need. Funding is limited. Students must be pursuing their first baccalaureate degree. Hood Grants may be replaced with named funds. See "Endowed and Annual Funds" for a list of named funds.
Financial Aid Programs
Campus Employment
This institutionally funded employment program enables eligible undergraduate students (who are not eligible for federal work-study) to earn money for miscellaneous expenses while gaining practical experience. Limited number of positions are available.
Employee Educational Benefits
Tuition remission benefit. Please see staff manual for policy details and program rules.
Federal Aid
To be eligible for federal aid programs students must be citizens, nationals of the United States, or permanent residents and have a valid FAFSA on file. All eligibility criteria are available at
https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/. Funding depends on federal approval and subject to change.
Federal Pell Grants
Awarded to undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need. Prorated awards may be made to eligible part-time students. Students must be pursuing their first baccalaureate degree.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant- FSEOG
Awarded to undergraduate students with the greatest demonstrated financial need. Students must be pursuing their first baccalaureate degree and be a Pell Grant recipient. Limited funding available.
Federal Work-Study Program
This federally funded need-based employment program enables eligible undergraduate students to earn money for miscellaneous expenses while gaining practical experience in on- and off-campus jobs. Limited funding available.
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
A need-based student loan program offered to undergraduate students. The interest rate is fixed. No interest accrues and generally no payments are due while a student is enrolled on at least a half-time basis. Repayment generally begins six months after the student’s enrollment status drops below half-time. For more details, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/.
Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
A non-need-based student loan program offered to undergraduate students. The interest rate is fixed. The six-month deferment applies only to repayment on the principal. Interest accrues when the loan is disbursed. Students are sent quarterly interest statements by their Loan Servicer and may elect to pay the interest. For more details, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/.
Federal Direct PLUS Loan
Parents may borrow a loan (if approved based on credit check) up to the cost of education, minus any financial aid received. The interest rate is fixed. Repayment of principal and interest begins when the loan is disbursed, however deferment options are available. For more details, visit https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/
Maryland State Scholarship Program
The Maryland Higher Education Commission offers several need-based grants, scholarships, and loan repayment programs for Maryland residents. The scholarships and grants most frequently awarded to Hood students include, but are not limited to, the Howard P. Rawlings Educational Assistance Grant, the Howard P. Rawlings Guaranteed Access Grant, Senatorial Scholarships, and Delegate Scholarships. In order to be considered for Maryland State aid, students must file the FAFSA by March 1. In addition, some state scholarships may require a separate application. For more information regarding the State aid programs, please contact the Maryland Higher Education Commission-Office of Student Financial Assistance at 800-974-0203 or https://.mhec.state.md.us.
Veterans’ Educational Benefits
Hood College serves as a liaison/informational resource to veterans by providing Veterans Administration forms and certifying military students for benefits. Hood College Office of Financial Aid provides services to veterans and dependents of veterans eligible for education benefits. To initiate or continue benefits, veterans must contact the Office of Financial Aid, 301-696-3411, at the beginning of each semester to complete the required paperwork, in compliance with the policies and procedures established by the Office of Financial Aid and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Information and application forms may be obtained from the Office of Financial Aid or via the Hood College Financial Aid web page, under forms. Educational benefit programs include:
- Chapter 30, Montgomery GI Bill
- Chapter 31, Vocational Rehabilitation
- Chapter 33, Post-9/11 GI Bill [Forever GI Bill]
- Chapter 35, Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance
- Chapter 1606, Selected Reserve
Hood College participates in the Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon Program. The Yellow Ribbon GI Educational Enhancement Program (Yellow Ribbon Program) is a provision of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Participating students remain in the Yellow Ribbon program throughout their enrollment at Hood College and remain eligible for Yellow Ribbon program scholarship as long as each of the following applies: Hood College continues to participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program, the students remain in good academic standing, and the students have remaining VA Educational Benefits entitlement.
For information on each of these programs, current payment rates, availability of benefits or approvals call the local Regional VA Office at 1-888-442-4551.
VETERAN ENROLLMENT
Per Public Law 115-407 (Section 103), veterans who have submitted and been approved for education benefits may enroll in, attend, and participate in courses while payment for those courses is still pending.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Financial Aid (SAP)
Process Overview and Responsibilities
In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education, the Office of Financial Aid at Hood College monitors undergraduate students after the spring semester each academic year for successful completion of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards. For financial aid eligibility, terms are defined as fall, winter, spring and summer. All students are measured on qualitative (grade-based) and quantitative (time-based) standards. Students who fail to meet SAP standards are not eligible for any financial aid unless an appeal is approved. Students are not limited to one appeal.
Programs affected by the SAP standards include: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), Parent PLUS Loans, Federal SEOG, Federal Work-Study, state aid, and institutional aid, and outside/private financial assistance.
Qualitative Standards (Grade-based)
Qualitative standards measure a student’s quality of performance in terms of GPA, including basic skills courses (reading, writing, mathematics).
Each semester a student must meet the following cumulative GPA standard:
|
Total Hours Attempted
|
Minimum GPA Requirement
|
|
1-25
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1.50 GPA
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26-38
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1.60 GPA
|
|
39-50
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1.70 GPA
|
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51-63
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1.90 GPA
|
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64-124
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2.00 GPA
|
In order to graduate, a student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0. If a student fails to meet the above GPA requirements, the student will be suspended from financial aid but will have the opportunity to submit an appeal.
Quantitative Standards (time-based also referred to as pace)
In order to maintain financial aid eligibility, the U.S. Department of Education requires a student to successfully complete 67 percent of the credits attempted as shown in the example below:
Hood College Office of Financial Aid calculates the pace at which a student is progressing by dividing the cumulative number of credits successfully completed by the cumulative number of credits attempted. All periods of enrollment count when assessing quantitative standards, even periods in which the student did not receive financial aid.
Pace= Cumulative number of credits successfully completed
Cumulative number of credits attempted
Grades of W, F, INC, and U do not count as completed courses and are not included in the GPA but will count as attempted credits. A satisfactory grade (S) grade is treated as attempted credits earned but is not included in the GPA calculation. An audit (AU) grade is not considered attempted coursework, is not included in the GPA calculation or pace and not counted in enrollment status for financial aid eligibility.
Repeated courses are counted as attempted hours for financial aid eligibility. The highest grade received will be included in the GPA calculation. Students can only receive financial aid for a repeated, previously passed course one additional time. If the student registers for a previously passed course the third time, the course is ineligible for financial aid.
Students are eligible up to 30 attempted hours for basic skills courses (reading, writing, mathematics) which are not counted in the quantitative standards (but are counted qualitatively). If a student exceeds 30 attempted hours without successful completion, the student becomes ineligible for financial aid and must pay for those courses prior to continuing at Hood College.
Transfer credits that count toward the student’s current program count as attempted and completed for financial aid eligibility. Transfer credits are not included in the GPA calculation.
Due to flexibility provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), attempted courses will be excluded from the qualitative component if the credits not completed was a result of the COVID-19 national emergency.
Quantitative Standards (maximum timeframe)
Students must be making progress toward a degree. To quantify academic progress, Hood College must set a maximum timeframe in which you are expected to finish a program. A student must complete their program of study within 150% of the length of the program. If a student needs additional time to complete the degree, the student may submit an appeal for financial aid. Students at Hood College are expected to complete 124 credit hours to earn an undergraduate degree. Students are eligible to receive financial aid up to 186 attempted hours at Hood College (not including 30 credit hours for basic skills courses). If additional time is needed, students can submit an appeal to the Director of Financial Aid.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students are placed on financial aid suspension if they do not meet one or both of the SAP standards. Hood College monitors SAP annually at the end of spring semester and students are notified accordingly. Students are not given a warning period since the process is monitored once per academic year. Students have the option to appeal for financial aid once they are on suspension.
Appeals Process
Students on financial aid suspension may appeal in writing to the Office of Financial Aid. Appeals must be submitted by August 1 in order to review for the upcoming fall semester. Students must provide in writing the extenuating circumstance(s) why SAP was not made and submit any supporting documentation. The student must state how the situation has changed and what action will be taken in order to meet SAP standards at the next evaluation period (end of spring semester). If the appeal is for maximum timeframe, the Office of Financial Aid may request the student to submit an academic plan signed by the student's academic advisor. The Office of Financial Aid will notify the student if such documentation is needed for the appeal.
The Office of Financial Aid will review the appeal and notify the student in writing within ten business days. All decisions made by the Office of Financial Aid are final.
If the appeal is granted, students will be placed on financial aid probation for one semester and are expected to meet SAP standards by the end of the semester. If, at that time, the student does not meet SAP standards, the student will be suspended from financial aid and may appeal based on extenuating circumstances. If the student is successful, the student will be removed from probation and placed in good standing for financial aid eligibility. In order to be successful, the student must meet cumulative GPA standards and maintain a 67% cumulative passing rate. If the student is placed on an academic plan as a condition of the appeal and is following the plan, the student shall remain on probation until program completion and will be eligible for financial aid.