To be eligible for financial aid, students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward the completion of their Certificate or Associate Degree program.  The Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress calculation includes all course and credits attempted at Bay and may not result in the same GPA as the academic calculation completed by the Records Office which omits certain classes from its calculation.

The Financial Aid Office will monitor academic progress at the end of each semester and at the end of the Spring/Summer session.  This includes all attempted course work whether or not financial aid was received during the semester/session.  To maintain financial aid eligibility, three distinct criteria are monitored and must be met:

1. Quantitative Standard:  Students must pass a minimum 2/3 of all attempted credits at Bay College (Pace Progression). An example for a student to stay within the requirement is to pass at least 16 credits of 24 credits attempted.   
2. Qualitative Standard:  Students must maintain a financial aid cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher in all attempted coursework.  This GPA may be different than your academic GPA as calculated by the Records Office.
3. Maximum Time Frame Standard:  The number of attempted credits in which a student is expected to complete their degree or certificate cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the program.  Withdrawals, repeats, and failed credits are all counted toward the Maximum Time Frame.  This Maximum Time Frame standard is intended to be long enough to allow for changes in a major, transfer credits, withdrawn courses, etc.

Additional Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements and Information:

• Attempted credit hours include all courses for which a student is registered at the end of the posted term add/drop period (census date).
• At Bay College, a grade of D- or above is considered passing.
• Grades of “I,” “W,” “WP,” “WF,” “NP,” and “F” do not count as successful completion. But are counted as attempted credit hours in the Pace Progression and Maximum Time Frame calculations.
• A student may repeat a previously passed course once and receive financial aid for it.  A student may repeat a failed or withdrawn course until it is passed.  Repeated courses count toward Pace Progression and Maximum Time Frame calculations.
• Changing an academic program more than once may not be considered as the basis for an appeal.
• Students that attend Bay after completing a Bachelor’s Degree must appeal their financial aid eligibility in order to receive financial aid for an Associate Degree or Certificate.
• A student will be notified in writing sent to his/her current address as reported in Student Records.  It is the student’s responsibility to keep the Student Records Office informed of your current address.

Financial Aid Eligibility Statuses

1. Good—A student is maintaining all Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards.
2. Warning—A student is placed on one semester of financial aid Warning Status if he/she fails to maintain any or all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and has completed at least one course with a passing grade during the semester.  Performance during the warning semester determines subsequent action.  If the aid recipient completes the required 2/3 of credit hours attempted and has maintained a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, the recipient will be returned to Good status.  If the recipient fails to satisfy the standards of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, the recipient will be placed on financial aid Suspension status.
3. Suspension—A financial aid recipient is suspended from financial aid when the student on Financial Aid Warning fails to complete the minimum 2/3 of all attempted credits hours and/or does not establish a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
4. Probation—A student may be placed on probation if he/ she has successfully appealed their suspension status and demonstrates that he/she has the ability to earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA and 2/3 completion rate by the end of their next semester.  If after one semester on probation the student is not back to Good Status, he/she will be suspended from financial aid.
5. Academic Plan—A student on suspension that has successfully appealed their suspension but cannot return to a Good Status within one additional semester must meet with an advisor and develop a Financial Aid Academic Plan.  The Academic Plan must be strictly followed and the conditions set forth must be met.  The student will remain on the Academic Plan until returning to a Good Status.  If conditions are not met, the student will be placed on Suspension Status and will be responsible for paying for any additional classes needed to bring them back to the Good Status.

All students on suspension must pay for school-related costs, including tuition, fees, and books from personal resources until SAP standards are again met.  A student who does not meet the eligibility requirements due to special or extenuating circumstances may appeal.

There are two ways to reestablish eligibility for financial aid:

1. Meet standards: Complete, at a student’s own expense, enough credits to reestablish the required 2/3 pace standard and bring or maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
2. Appeal: If a student has extenuating circumstances, he/she may contact the Financial Aid Office via email financialaid@baycollege.edu or calling (906) 217-4020 to request a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form.  The appeal must include why the student failed to meet these standards, what has changed that will allow the student to meet these standards, and appropriate supporting documentation as outlined in the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form. An appeal will not be considered unless documentation supporting your request is provided. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee reinstatement. If this appeal is approved the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation Status or Academic Plan Status.

Examples of acceptable extenuating circumstances may include:

• Illness that prevented the completion of coursework (provide documentation from your doctor indicating the onset, duration, severity of your illness and whether you are healthy enough to return to school).
• Major illness in the IMMEDIATE (spouse, child/stepchild, parent) family (provide documentation from the doctor indicating the onset, duration, and severity of the illness).
• Death of an IMMEDIATE family member (spouse, child/stepchild, parent). Provide copies of a death certificate or obituary notice.
• Other family emergencies that prevent completion of coursework.

Maximum Time Frame Standard
A student’s financial aid will be terminated upon reaching the maximum credit hours allowed. Please note: withdrawals, repeats, and failed, course work are counted toward the maximum time frame.  

A student has the right to request an extension of aid eligibility should they exceed or expect to exceed the 150% maximum attempted credits. The student will need to complete the Financial Aid Maximum Time Frame Appeal Form and follow a plan for completion based on a degree audit.  Submission of an appeal does not guarantee approval.

If the student’s Maximum Time Frame Appeal is approved, the student will be limited to courses REQUIRED for the completion of his/her degree or certificate, must maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.0, and successfully complete every course listed on their degree audit in the first attempt (100% completion of attempted credits instead of 2/3). No repeats, withdrawals, failures, or incompletes will be allowed. Failure to meet these requirements will result in suspension of financial aid eligibility.

Submitting the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal or Maximum Time frame Appeal Form
A student with extenuating circumstances who wishes to appeal his/her financial aid denial status must complete either the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form or the Maximum Time Frame Appeal Form. 

Incomplete appeal forms or appeals submitted without required documentation will be denied. 

Appeals for students owing a repayment of financial aid due to withdrawal, whether official or unofficial, will not be reviewed until the outstanding balance is resolved.

You will be notified in writing of your appeal decision. You may appeal your Failure to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards twice during your academic career at Bay College.  You may submit a request for additional time only once during your academic career at Bay College. 

An appeal based on a specific special circumstance will only be considered once for that circumstance.  For example, your appeal for failure to meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards is based on a specific chronic medical condition.  You may not base any other appeal on that specific medical condition again.

Review of Financial Aid Appeals
Financial Aid appeals will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.  This review could take up to 15 working days.  Appeals not received before the start of a semester will not be considered for that semester but will be considered for the following semester. 

Denial of an appeal does not stop a student from taking courses at Bay College.  However, the student must pay school-related costs, including tuition, fees, and books, from personal resources.

If you withdraw from school during the semester, the law requires the Financial Aid Office to determine the amount of the federal financial aid (grants or loans) that you have earned. If you received more aid than you earned, the excess funds must be returned. The amount of aid that you have earned is based on the amount of time that you spent in academic attendance; it has no relationship to the institutional charges that you may have incurred. For example, if you completed 30 percent of the semester, you earned 30 percent of the aid you were offered. Once you have completed 60 percent of the semester, or approximately 65 days of attendance, you are considered as having earned all of your financial aid. If no date is recorded for your last date of attendance, the Financial Aid Office will assume that you have completed 50 percent of your coursework, and your eligibility for aid will be calculated using the 50 percent figure.

The Financial Aid Office will calculate the return of funds and notify you of the amount of aid that you are now eligible to receive. We will tell you what arrangements you must make to repay any funds that you are no longer eligible to receive. If you withdraw from classes after you are mailed an overage check, you may need to return some of those funds. If you have borrowed any loan funds, they must be repaid in accordance with the terms of your promissory note. That is, you make scheduled payments over a period of time to the holder of the loan.

Bay de Noc Community College will return Title IV funds to the programs from which you received aid during the payment period, in the following order, up to the net amount disbursed from each source:

• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford loan
• Subsidized Federal Stafford loan
• Federal PLUS loan
• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

Federal regulations allow a student to receive financial aid to repeat previously passed courses once that were paid with federal funds. At Bay College, a passing grade is a D- or better.

The Higher Education Opportunity Act conditions the eligibility of educational institutions to participate in Title IV programs on the development of and compliance with a code of conduct prohibiting conflicts of interest for its financial aid personnel [HEOA § 487(a)(25)]. Bay de Noc Community College's officers, employees and agents are required to comply with this code of conduct. The following specific provisions bring Bay de Noc Community College into compliance with the federal law [HEOA § 487(e)].

1. Neither Bay de Noc Community College as an institution nor any individual officer, employee or agent shall enter into any revenue-sharing arrangements with any lender. As referenced in the Bay de Noc Community College Personnel Policies and Procedures section 809.
2. No officer or employee of Bay de Noc Community College who is employed in the financial aid office or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans, or agent who has responsibilities with respect to education loans, or any of their family members, shall solicit or accept any gift from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of education loans. For purposes of this prohibition, the term "gift" means any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, or other item having a monetary value of more than a de minimus amount.
3. An officer or employee of Bay de Noc Community College who is employed in the financial aid office or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans, or an agent who has responsibilities with respect to education loans, shall not accept from any lender or affiliate of any lender any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including the opportunity to purchase stock) as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating to education loans.
4. Bay de Noc Community College shall not request or accept from any lender any offer of funds to be used for private education loans, including funds for an opportunity pool loan, to students in exchange for the institution providing concessions or promises regarding providing the lender with: A specified number of loans made, insured, or guaranteed under Title IV; A specified loan volume of such loans; A preferred lender arrangement for such loans. As referenced in the Bay de Noc Community College Personnel Policies and Procedures section 809
5. Bay de Noc Community College shall not request or accept from any lender any assistance with call center staffing or financial aid office staffing. As referenced in the Bay de Noc Community College Personnel Policies and Procedures section 809.
6. Any employee who is employed in the financial aid office, or who otherwise has responsibilities with respect to education loans or other student financial aid, and who serves on an advisory board, commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, shall be prohibited from receiving anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors, except that the employee may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in serving on such advisory board, commission, or group.

2023 - 2024 Disbursement Schedule

Beginning with the Winter 2024 semester, Bay College will no longer split your federal financial aid into four equal disbursements. Your financial aid will be disbursed based on the schedule listed below. Please note that students who are only borrowing a federal student loan for one semester or required to have their funds disbursements in two portions. Financial aid will first be applied toward the charges on your account, which may include tuition, fees, books, meal plans and/or housing. Any remaining funds will be sent to you either via direct deposit or a check to your home address within 14 days of the disbursement date.

IMPORTANT: Any student who drops, withdraws, or stops attending classes may not be eligible for disbursements from federal financial aid and may be liable to repay all or part of the financial aid funds received. It is the student's responsibility to discuss any potential effect on financial aid eligibility before dropping or withdrawing from courses.

Your enrollment status directly affects the amount of most federal and state financial aid you are eligible to receive. All initial awards are offered based on the assumption that you will enroll full time. Below is a list of the enrollment status requirements:

• Full-time: 12 or more semester credits
• Three-quarter time: 9 to 11 semester credits
• Half-time: 6 to 8 semester credits
• One-quarter time: 5 or less semester credits

If you enroll for less than full time you may see a reduction to your award(s). You must enroll for at least six credits which are required for your program of study to receive either work-study, a student loan, and/or institutional scholarships. For financial aid purposes, summer sessions are combined and treated as one semester.

If you have a credit balance on your student account, you may charge books and required supplies at the Bay Bookstore or you may complete a request to receive funds to purchase books elsewhere.  You will be allowed to charge books at the bookstore on the dates posted on myBay.

Students have the right to ask:

• What the deadlines are for submitting applications.
• How the cost of attendance is determined. The process includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc. are considered in a budget.
• What criteria are used to select financial aid recipients. This includes what resources (such as family contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) are considered when calculating financial need.
• What financial assistance is available, including information on federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs.
• For an explanation of the various funds in their financial aid package. What portion of the aid received must be repaid and what portion is grant aid.
• What the policies are for students who withdraw.
• How academic progress is determined and what happens if they are not making progress.
• If you want to allow a third party (parent, spouse, etc) to receive confidential financial aid information FERPA Release forms are available.

It is the financial aid recipient's responsibility to:

• Review and consider information about Bay de Noc Community College's programs before enrolling.
• Complete a financial aid application accurately and on time. Intentional misreporting on the application forms for federal financial aid is a violation of law and is considered a criminal offense subject to penalties under U.S. Criminal code.
• Submit all additional documentation requested, and/or any corrections or new information.
• Read, understand, and keep copies of all forms that you are asked to sign. Accept responsibility for all agreements signed.
• Perform any Federal Work-Study job in a satisfactory manner.
• Know and comply with withdrawal procedures.
• Know and comply with refund procedures.
• Notify the Financial Aid Office of any change in status. Failure to do so could jeopardize future aid eligibility.
• Notify us if an agency is paying your tuition and/or fees; or if you are receiving a scholarship, fellowship, assistantship or traineeship.