You must be enrolled at least half-time in a degree program, be meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements, and meeting general eligibility requirements for the Federal Student Aid program to be considered for aid under the Direct Loan Program. You can find more information about these requirements in Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid which can be accessed at Federal Student Aid.
- Certificate Programs
- Non-degree Studies
- Course-Based or Executive Education Graduate Programs
- Co-operative Education Programs (Exceptions Apply - Please contact us for clarification)
- Nursing
- Distance Education (even if only one of your courses is a distance course)
- Programs with an internships/practical component (Exceptions Apply - Please contact us for clarification)
- Programs that are administered in modules
- International Academic Exchanges
The Higher Education Act of 1965 (as amended) specifies that a program offered by a foreign school through any use of a telecommunications course, correspondence course, or direct assessment program is not an eligible program. As such, any student taking even one distance education course at the University of Windsor is not eligible for funding through the Direct Loan Program.
A student must remain in good academic standing to continue receiving funds under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. Students on academic probation are not eligible to receive Federal Student Aid.
Federal financial aid applies only to classes that apply to your degree program. It does not apply to continuing education courses, English as Second Language courses, courses you take after finishing degree requirements, etc. Courses which are for personal/professional enrichment are NOT ELIGIBLE for federal financial aid.
Students may not receive federal aid twice for a course for which they have already received credit. This means that if a student receives a “D” in the course and gets credit for it, but retakes the course to get a better grade, the student is not eligible to receive aid for the class taken the second time. Learn more about Satisfactory Academic Progress.
If a student drops from Full-time (minimum 80% of a full course load) to Half-time (60% of a full course load) enrollment, the student’s Direct Loan eligibility must be reassessed, taking into consideration any changes to tuition and fees charged. If it is determined that an overaward exists, the student may be required to return a portion of Direct Loan funding to the Department of Education. Consult with the Student Awards and Financial Aid Office if your enrollment status changes after receiving your Direct Loan funds.
A student must be enrolled at least half time (60% of a full course load) to receive aid from the Direct Loan Program. Student borrowers who drop below half-time attendance in any semester will have their Direct Loan eligibility reassessed and may be required to return a portion of Direct Loan funding to the Department of Education. A student who drops below half-time enrollment may be required to begin making loan payments.
Title IV funds are awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend school for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV funds that the student was originally scheduled to receive. If a recipient of Title IV loan funds withdraws from a school after beginning attendance, the amount of Title IV grant or loan assistance earned by the student must be determined. If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, unearned funds must be returned. If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a Post-withdrawal disbursement of the earned aid that was not received. Learn more about the Return of Title IV Funds (R2T4) Policy.
