Financial Aid Glossary of Terms

Listed below are common financial aid terms and their meanings. Understanding these terms will help you communicate with the office.

Appeals: Appeals are written petitions to request exceptions to financial aid policies. Generally appeals are limited to certain specific areas such as Satisfactory Academic Progress and Selective Service registration.

Contract: A financial aid document used to inform a student of the conditions regarding the approval of a satisfactory academic progress appeal.

Cost of Attendance Budget: aka COA; How much it will cost the average student to attend Salt Lake Community College. This takes into account: Tuition and Fees, Books and Supplies, Transportation, Room and Board and Personal Expenses. In some cases it may also include dependent care expenses and, on a one time only basis, computer costs.

Drop: A drop is not a withdraw A drop is done for students who have not attended or who for unusual circumstances are no longer able to attend. Drops are done through the Enrollment Services Office prior to the drop deadline or by appeal. A tuition refund is granted and the courses do not appear on the students transcript. Students who drop may be required to repay financial aid funds.

Estimated Family Contribution: aka EFC; A number calculated by the federal government base on all of the information on the financial aid application. The EFC is the amount the student and/or the students family is expected to contribute to the students education. It also determines whether or not a student qualifies for the Federal Pell Grant.

FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

ISIR: Institutional Student Information Record. The electronic document sent to the school by the federal processor in response to a FAFSA.

Probation: A Satisfactory Academic Progress status. Students who are in danger of loosing financial aid eligibility because of a failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are placed on probation for one term. Failure to get back in to compliance will result in the termination of financial aid eligibility.

SAR: Student Aid Report. A document created by the federal government and sent to the student in response to the students FAFSA.

Satisfactory Academic Progress: aka SAP; A set of policies which measure the acceptable academic standing of students. See our Satisfactory Academic Progress page.

Selective Service Registration: All males between the ages of 18 and 25 living in the United State are required to register with the selective service. Males who are not registered may not be eligible to receive financial aid. See the Selective Service System for details on who is required to register.

Subsidized Loan: A loan on which the government pays the interest while the student is in College.

UHEAA: The Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority. The student loan Guarantee Agency for Utah. UHEAA provides a variety of services to students, lenders and schools.

Unmet Need: aka need; The difference between the cost of attendance budget and the students estimated family contribution is the students need. This is the maximum amount that a student may receive in grants, scholarships, Work Study, and subsidized student loans. Also, the amount left after deduction of all received aid from the above calculation.

Unsubsidized Loan: A loan in which the student is responsible for the interest payments while the student is in college.

Withdraw: A withdraw is not a drop. Withdraws are granted prior to the withdraw deadline when a student has attended class for part of a term. To officially withdraw from classes a student must notify the Enrollment Services Office. A "W" is place on the students transcript in place of a letter grade. Tuition must be paid for classes from which a student withdraws. Students who totally withdraw from all courses in a term may be required to repay financial aid.