FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION

A student who does not meet one or all of the established standards for satisfactory academic progress will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. This “Suspension” is separate from overall academic standing and in no way prevents subsequent enrollment by a student at LIT. A student on Financial Aid Suspension is not eligible for any type of financial assistance until such time as his/her cumulative statistics meet or exceed previously defined criteria (PACE, MAX, GPA), or until specific terms and conditions of any Financial Aid Probation agreement are satisfied.

APPEALING THE LOSS OF FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY: (also see Appeal Guidelines)
A student who has been placed on Financial Aid Suspension based on failure to meet one or all of the established standards may file a Letter of Appeal for any of the following reasons:

• The death of a relative
• An injury of illness of the student, or
• Other special circumstances

To determine if he/she qualifies to present “special circumstances” as the basis of appeal, a student must determine that mitigating circumstances existed which were so significant in nature as to have caused an entire semester(s) of academic performance to fall below acceptable standards.  Any such circumstances must be supported by separate written documentation. Acceptable forms of documentation required to accompany a Letter of Appeal include: death certificates, court documents, affidavits, physician statements. Financial Aid personnel cannot be responsible for deciphering and/or interpreting large volumes of random medical records, bills, insurance statements, depositions or irrelevant paperwork.

All appeals and supporting documents must be submitted to the LIT Student Financial Aid office within ten business days of the most recent denial notice. 
Student appeals will be considered by reviewing overall academic performance, previous appeal status, and any mitigating circumstances. Failure to present sufficient special circumstances or to provide written documentation to support the basis for an appeal will result in denial of the request.

APPEAL DEADLINES:
Fall - July 19th through November 1st
Spring - December 11th through April 1st
Summer - May 15th through July 18th

If the appeal deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, you should submit no later than the following business day.

FINANCIAL AID PROBATION

If a Letter of Appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. The terms of Financial Aid Probation will involve an Academic Plan designed assist the student in his/her efforts to achieve appropriate academic standing; allowing the student to maintain some or all of the previously awarded financial assistance while demonstrating that he/she can satisfy a set specific performance related criterion. The student will be required to acknowledge the conditions of their probation, and must abide by all conditions. Academic Plans can be viewed on Self-Service Banner.

FINANCIAL AID APPEALS PROCESS
Academic progress decisions are made at the school level and cannot be appealed to the Department of Education. Deadline for submitting financial aid appeals are set on a semester basis and letters and or supplemental documentation will be accepted on a case-by-case basis after the established dates. Appeal deadlines are listed in the catalog each year.

Students desiring to submit a Letter of Appeal should do so within ten (10) business days of their most recent denial. A Letter of Appeal and all supporting documentation should be addressed to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee; Lamar Institute of Technology; P.O. Box 10043; Beaumont, Texas 77710. Decisions regarding student eligibility will be made by the Financial Aid Appeal Committee based on information provided by the student. All decisions made by the Appeal Committee are final.

Students with approved appeals who fail to meet their academic plan will be placed on suspension and must pay out of pocket until they are meeting overall Satisfactory Academic Progress.