Home Financial Aid Office Student Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights 

Students have the right to obtain from the College the following:

  • Names of its accrediting or licensing organizations
  • Information about its programs; its instructional, laboratory and other physical facilities
  • Information about its faculty and staff
  • College’s rates for Graduation, Transfer-Out and Retention
  • Cost of attending and procedure for paying
  • College’s policy and the Financial Aid Office’s policy on refunds for students who drop out
  • Special facilities and services available to persons with disabilities
  • Types of financial assistance available, including information on all federal, state, local, private and institutional financial aid programs
  • How to apply for financial aid, deadlines, and criteria used to select financial aid recipients
  • Process used to determine student financial need.  This process includes how the cost of attendance budget was developed at VGCC (tuition/fees, books and supplies, room and board, personal and miscellaneous, transportation, etc.)  It also includes how resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, assets, etc.) are considered in calculating student need.
  • Amount of student financial need, as determined by the institution, that has been met
  • Type and amount of assistance in a student financial aid package and an explanation of each award
  • Portion of the financial aid award that is grant aid and what portion must be repaid.  If the aid is a loan, information available includes interest rate on any loan, the total amount for repayment, repayment procedures, the length of time to repay the loan, and when repayment begins.
  • Reconsideration of an aid package, if they believe that a mistake has been made or if enrollment of financial circumstances have changed
  • How and when financial aid will be disbursed
  • Information about the College’s Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress
  • Process used by the College to determine whether students are meeting standards of academic progress and the consequences if not

Student Responsibilities

It is the responsibility of students to:

  • Review and consider all information about a college’s program before enrolling
  • Notify the College of any change in name, address, telephone number, major, attendance status or any other changes that may affect your financial aid award(s)
  • Complete accurately and submit by the deadlines the application for student financial aid.  Errors can delay or prevent students from receiving aid.
  • Provide all additional documentation, verification, corrections and/or new information request by the Financial Aid Office.
  • Notify the Financial Aid Office of any financial assistance received from sources outside of the college to prevent over-awards of financial aid
  • Read, understand and keep copies of all forms which they are asked to sign
  • Understand the college’s withdrawal and refund policy
  • Understand the Financial Aid Office’s Return to Title IV refund policy and the consequences of withdrawing