Keeping Aid

Unfortunately, financial aid is an ongoing process. Not only must you reapply for financial aid every year, but the financial aid office continually monitors your eligibility for aid. Please review the policies below.

In order to receive financial aid, you must make progress toward your degree as defined by Lone Star College System. There are three parts to academic progress:

1. Grade Point Requirement: Students must achieve and maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average on all coursework attempted.
2. Completion Requirement: You must complete at least 70% of all coursework attempted.
3. Time Frame Requirement: A student must declare an educational objective and must be taking courses that apply to that degree or objective. A student may apply for, and if otherwise eligible, receive financial assistance for no more than a cumulative total of 150% credit hours ATTEMPTED beginning from the date that the student first enrolled at Lone Star College System.

A complete copy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available by clicking here:

Your final eligibility for aid will be based on the number of hours for which you are enrolled on the Official Day of Record listed in the class schedule. If you register and then drop class(es) prior to that date, your eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED on your remaining hours as of the Official Day of Record. Since financial aid is released prior to the Official Day of Record, students who receive a financial aid payment based on more hours than those remaining as of the Official Day of Record may be responsible for repaying a portion of any financial aid received. Dropping classes may affect your eligibility for future aid. You should consult the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to determine if dropping classes will affect your eligibility for aid.

If you register and then totally withdraw from all classes, your eligibility for aid will be RECALCULATED based on the number of days you attended class. If you withdraw on or after the first class day, you may have to repay a portion of any cash financial aid received. See Return of Title IV Funds below. If you totally withdraw, you should consult the definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress to determine if your withdrawal will affect your eligibility for future aid.

Students who totally withdraw from all classes prior to completing 60% of the semester will have their eligibility for aid recalculated based on the percent of the semester completed. For example, a student who withdraws completing only 30% of the term will have "earned" only 30% of any Title IV aid received. The remaining 70% must be returned by the school and/or the student. If you are thinking about withdrawing from all classes PRIOR to completing 60% of the semester, you should contact the financial aid office to see how your withdrawal will affect your financial aid.

Federal regulations allow that only the first thirty (30) hours of remedial/developmental coursework be used to determine your eligibility for financial aid. Once you have attempted thirty (30) remedial hours, only non-remedial college credit courses can be used to determine your eligibility for aid.

You are required to report to our office any aid received from a source other than Lone Star College System. Types of aid that should be reported include, but are not limited to: scholarships not awarded by Lone Star College System, tuition assistance from an employer or agency such as the Texas Rehabilitation Commission, Veterans' Benefits, tuition waivers under Texas Education Code or private educational loans (e.g., Norwest Collegiate, PLATO). Failure to report such assistance could result in a reduction or cancellation of your financial aid.