BankMobile (BMTX) is a banking partner that Solano works with to get financial aid funds to students. All students who receive disbursements need to use BankMobile. While our office creates student BankMobile accounts, you will still need to “activate” your account before you can receive your money.
BankMobile Vibe Checking Account is the checking account offered by BankMobile to our students. It is one of the two options for students for how they would prefer to receive their financial aid disbursements, with the other being direct deposit. (BankMobile calls direct deposit “Deposit to Existing Bank Account” to differentiate it from depositing directly to a Vibe account, which is also considered technically direct deposit.) The primary advantage of the Vibe account is that it allows students to receive their disbursements up to 2 days earlier than via direct deposit.
Direct deposit is the name for when paychecks are electronically deposited into someone’s account, in contrast to the old standard where writing and cashing a physical check was required. It is the most common way that students receive financial aid refunds. It is also common for paychecks of all kinds, including tax refunds, stock dividends, and employment paychecks. All Solano students who receive Pell funds or most other forms of cash aid must choose a BankMobile refund preference. Most students choose direct deposit (BankMobile calls it “Deposit to Existing Account”) as their refund preference.
Disbursement can have a few meanings. A disbursement is both the action or process of disbursing as well as “that which has been disbursed; money paid out; expenditure” (OED). In short, it’s word we use to refer to cash aid payments and the act of paying out financial aid.
Grants are a type of financial aid that does not need to be repaid (except in cases of overpayment) and usually is based on need. They can be in the form of cash aid or fee waivers.
Fee waivers are a type of financial aid that reduces your enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. If you had previously paid your enrollment fees out-of-pocket, having a fee waiver applied will result in you being reimbursed for the amount paid.
Loans are a type of cash aid that must be repaid. Solano offers direct subsidized loans to students with need and direct unsubsidized loans regardless of need. We do not offer Parent PLUS loans. Importantly, student loans are difficult to discharge in cases of bankruptcy.
Direct subsidized loans are a type of loan offered to eligible students with financial need, in contrast with unsubsidized loans. They are subsidized because the government pays the loan servicer the interest on the loan while you are in school and during the grace period. This is a form of a subsidy: money the government uses to keep prices low or competitive. In this case, it lowers the price of your education. The other type of loan offered by Solano is the unsubsidized loan, which the government
does not pay interest on. The amount of money you save by the government paying for your loan interest is significant. However, subsidized loans have lower limits on how large they can be compared with unsubsidized loans.
Direct unsubsidized loans are a type of loan offered to eligible students regardless of their financial need. They begin accruing interest immediately once they taken out, in contrast with subsidized loans. The amount of interest students will accrue during college and the grace period is often highly significant. The Financial Aid Office strongly recommends that students educate themselves thoroughly on loan financing and carefully consider all options before taking out unsubsidized loans.
Entrance counseling is a short informational course on loan responsibilities and obligations provided for free on studentaid.gov. Along with exit counseling, it a federal requirement for all first-time borrowers. View the entrance counseling guide PDF for more information.
The Cost of Attendance (COA) is an estimate of the average student’s expenses during a year. It plays a role in determining how much aid a student receives, as it is used in the unmet need
calculation. There are a few different COAs that Solano uses. One is for students living off-campus, another for students living at-home, and a third for students attending less-than-half time.
Eligibility refers to the status of being qualified or deserving of being awarded a given form of financial aid. All forms of financial aid have certain conditions which must be fulfilled or else you will not be eligible and will not receive the aid. The most eligibility requirements are academic and financial, called SAP and need, respectively.
Red flags or red flag requirements refer to items found in the FA Requirements section of the Financial Aid Tab of your FalconNest account. They will have an icon of either a red flag or a green checkmark next to them and can be clicked to provide more information or take to to a form or submission link. Red flags will prevent you from receiving financial aid in most cases. As such, it’s important to regularly check your FA Requirements so that you can attend to red flags immediately, should they be added to
your account.
SAI is an acronym for Student Aid Index. It represents the amount the government estimates that you and/or your family can provide to pay for your college education. Your SAI is calculated with formula that uses the information you provided on the FAFSA. It is one of the most important results obtained from your FAFSA because it is used to determine your unmet need, and therefore the amount of need-based aid you are eligible for. In short, a higher SAI likely means you will be eligible for less aid.
The Pell grant is the largest federal cash aid grant. It is the official name for what most people think of as “financial aid.” For 24–25, Pell awards were up to $7,395 for fall and spring (for summer, see year-round Pell). This means you can receive up to ~$3,698 in your bank account from the Pell per term.
You can receive the Pell whether you’re taking 0.5 units or 12+ units. However, it’s important to remember the Pell is significantly reduced if you take below 6 units. You must be meeting SAP standards to receive the Pell. Most students who receive the Pell at Solano also receive the CCPG fee waiver. This means that your Pell funds may be used for whatever expenses you consider important to your educational success, whether that’s rent, medical expenses, food, school
supplies, or anything else.
The CCPG (California College Promise Grant) is a fee waiver that the state of California awards to students whose unmeet need exceeds a certain value. It reduces all enrollment fees (tuition) to $0. Importantly, it has no unit-based requirement. You can take 0.5 units or 20+ units and still have the entirety of your enrollment fees reduced to $0. If you are eligible for both the Solano Promise and the CCPG, the CCPG will take precedence and you will not receive the Solano Promise.
FalconNest is the primary website where Solano Community College students interact with the college. This is in contrast to solano.edu, which is primarily an informational website. On the FalconNest, admitted students can add or drop classes, access their school email, view and manage their financial aid, and
more. You can access the Financial Aid Tab on desktop by clicking on the “Student & Financial Aid” button on the navigation bar or, on mobile, by clicking the hamburger button (three horizontal lines) in the top left and selecting the icon of a book. The Financial Aid Dashboard under the Financial Aid Tab is where you can view FA Requirements and therefore any potential red flags you may have on your account; it is the most important place to view communications from the Financial Aid Office.
Studentaid.gov is a government website where you can fill out and submit the FAFSA, view your federal financial aid history, complete entrance counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN) for student loans, and learn about all aspects of financial aid. You may think of it as “the FAFSA website,” as it was previously found at the URL fafsa.org. It is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all things federal financial aid, and you may use studentaid.gov even after you graduate, e.g. for information about student loan repayment plans.
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an application for numerous forms of financial aid that all students who are citizens or eligible noncitizens should complete. (Undocumented students can apply for state aid through the California Dream Act Application or CADAA.) At Solano, we use the FAFSA as an application for all financial aid except scholarships. Filling out and submitting a FAFSA is the first step on your financial aid journey, so don’t wait!
The CADAA (California Dream Act Application), like the FAFSA, is an application for numerous forms of financial aid that all undocumented students should complete. The main differences between the CADAA and FAFSA is that the CADAA is available to undocumented students while the FAFSA is not, and that filling out the CADAA does not make you eligible for federal financial aid. At Solano, we use the CADAA as an application for all financial aid except federal financial aid and scholarships. Filling out and submitting a CADAA is the first step on your financial aid journey, so don’t wait!
Your award summary is a view that shows your all the financial aid you’re currently awarded at a glance. You can find your award summary on the Financial Aid Tab of FalconNest.
Need-based financial aid means that your unmet need is a factor that counts towards their eligibility. In other words, students with higher unmet need will be eligible for the program while students with less or zero unmet need will not be eligible.
Aid year refers to the period of time which is considered part of the same year for financial aid purposes. The aid year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each year. Thus, the aid year includes fall of the first year, spring of the second year, and summer of the second, in that order. At the time of writing, the aid year is 2024–25, commonly abbreviated to 24–25 or 2425. It began on July 1st, 2024, and will end on June 30, 2025. It includes the three terms Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025, in that order.
Annual award is a term used in financial aid to refer to the entirety of an award—usually Pell—before factoring in enrollment intensity or attendance. Unlike the scheduled award, the annual award cannot change unless the FAFSA information changes. It is important to remember that your annual award always reflects the maximum you could receive, and it does not show the amount you will receive. Your scheduled award shows how much you will receive and can change if you add or drop units.
Scheduled award is a term used in financial aid to refer to an award which has been calculated using enrollment intensity and/or attendance. For example, if a student is only taking 9 units for a semester, their scheduled award for that semester will be 75% of the annual award, because 9 is 3/4ths of 12. (12
units is considered full-time.) Sometimes, students mistake the annual award, which always reflects the maximum possible they could receive, and the scheduled award, which may be much lower. It is important to remember that your Pell award changes depending on how many units you’re taking between 0.5 units, the minimum you can take, and 12 units, where you are considered full-time and your award is capped.
FA Requirements is a section of the Financial Aid Dashboard in the Financial Aid Tab in FalconNest where you can find red flag requirements. It is important to check your FA Requirements regularly as this is where most important and time-sensitive communications will be found.
The Financial Aid Tab refers to a section of the FalconNest website where you can learn about financial aid, view your awards, and attend to red flag requirements. From the FalconNest homepage, you can access the Financial Aid Tab on desktop by clicking on the “Student & Financial Aid” button on the navigation bar or, on
mobile, by clicking the hamburger button (three horizontal lines) in the top left and selecting the icon of a book.
The Financial Aid Office refers to the Solano Community College Financial Aid Department and its employees. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance with anything financial aid!
A FAFSA or CADAA’s base year refers to the year whose tax returns are used to calculate a student’s SAI. For the FAFSA and CADAA, the “prior-prior” year is used, meaning two years before. At the time of writing, the current cycle is 2024–25. The base year is 2022. That means the income you earned during 2022 and reported in April of 2023 is what will be used for your FAFSA or CADAA.
Enrollment fees or tuition refers to the fees Solano charges per unit to attend the college. For California residents, the current (25–26) fees are $46 per unit. For the average full-time student (12 units), that comes out to $552. Enrollment fees are significantly higher for out-of-state students. Enrollment fees do not cap out at 12 units; if you are enrolled in 16 units, you would pay $736, not $552. There are several smaller fees that Solano charges students (“institutional” fees) in addition to enrollment fee. Institutional fees amount to $30–40 per semester for a full-time student. If you are awarded a fee waiver such as the CCPG or Solano Promise, your enrollment fees will be reduced to $0.
The Solano Promise waives institutional fees while the CCPG does not.
Institutional fees are a collection of small fees that Solano charges to all students. They include the Health fee, Student Center fee, Transportation fee, and Student Representation fee. Their amounts vary based on enrollment intensity, but typically add up to around $34 for full-time students. Institutional fees are covered by the Solano Promise but not the CCPG.
A hold is a block applied to your account that prevents something from happening—usually preventing you from getting your money. At Solano, we usually refer to holds as “red flags” instead. This is because we have different terminology internally for different types of holds, because “hold” can be misunderstood, and because “red flag” conveys a sense of urgency.
FYSI (Foster Youth Success Initiative) is a state program that focuses on improving access and outcomes for former foster youth. There are significant amounts of aid available for former foster youth. If you think you may qualify, ask about the Chafee grant and apply for EOPS.
The Chafee grant is a state grant for current and former foster youth who were in the foster care system (or equivalent) for any length of time between the ages of 16 and 18. Unlike most forms of financial aid, the Chafee DOES have a separate application beyond the FAFSA/CADAA.
SOAR (Students Overcoming Adversity and Recidivism) is a targeted program at Solano originally designed to support formerly incarcerated people but which has since expanded to support foster youth, homeless students or students at-risk of homelessness, and other vulnerable populations. It provides counseling, support, community, and can provide access to additional financial aid funds through the HireUp program.
EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) is a large federally-supported program to promote the enrollment, retention, and success of students disadvantaged by language barriers and/or social, economic, or educational circumstances. EOPS provides many benefits to students accepted into the program, including but not limited to counseling, access to the EOPS lab & library, assistance with academic supplies, academic & career planning, and financial assistance. Note that EOPS includes CARE and NextUp for single parents and foster youth, respectively.
CARE (Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education) is a program under the umbrella of EOPS which benefits single parent students who also receive CalWORKs/TANF. There is an additional grant and specialized support for CARE students.
CalWORKs (California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids) is California’s implementation of the federal TANF program (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families). It gives cash aid and other services to eligible families. Receiving CalWORKs and being a single parent filing as head-of-household makes you eligible for the CARE program.
Dependent students are those who are assumed by the federal government to be being supported by someone else. The majority of Solano students are dependent, as students under 24 years old are categorized as dependent. They are required to submit their parents’/contributors’ information on their FAFSA, unlike independent students who only report their own and, if applicable, their spouse’s income. Because there are more people contributing to the student’s educational budget, dependent
students tend to have higher SAIs than independent students and consequently tend to receive less financial aid. To be clear, dependent students with need will receive the same amount of financial aid as independent students; they only receive less on average.
Independent students are those who are assumed by the federal government to not be being supported by someone else. They are only required to submit their own and, if applicable, their spouse’s information on their FAFSA, unlike dependent students who must report their parents’/contributors’ information. Independent students tend to have lower SAIs than dependent students and consequently receive more financial aid.
Provisionally Independent is a temporary classification of a student’s dependency status that the FAFSA assigns when a student answers a question on the FAFSA in such a way that it requires their school’s Financial Aid Office to make the final dependency status determination. In other words, there are unusual circumstances where a Financial Aid Officer must meet with the student (usually in-person) to determine their dependency status.
An eligible noncitizen is someone who has been authorized to receive federal financial aid despite not being a citizen of the US. Most commonly, eligible noncitizens are Lawful Permanent Residents and holders of a green card. Being authorized to work in the US or possessing a Social Security Card are NOT sufficient to authorize you to receive federal financial aid. The rules for determining eligible noncitizen status are complex and there are exceptions. If you want to know if your documentation qualifies you as an eligible noncitizen, we recommend you refer to the Federal Student Aid Handbook’s section on US Citizenship and Eligible Noncitizens. This is the same rulebook that Financial Aid Officers use to process your documents.
The $200 Textbook Grant is one of the components of the Solano Promise. Students are awarded $200 via check each semester to pay for textbooks. If you are concerned about your $200 check, please verify that your address is correct in your FalconNest and reach out to the Cashier’s Office.
“First Two Years of College Are Free”: It’s true! This is the heart of our Solano Promise. Even students who are not eligible for any other financial aid can still go to Solano without paying any tuition or fees as part of our Solano Promise program. In fact, because most degrees at Solano are intended to be completed in two years, you could argue that Solano itself is free! However, it’s critical that you remember that you must be a full-time student to receive the Solano Promise program and the program does not cover the summer term. You also must be a California resident (or have an approved AB540 affidavit) and be meeting SAP standards.
Pace of Progression is one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. It means that you must complete 67% or 2/3rds of the units you attempt for your pace of progression to be considered satisfactory. However, for the CCPG, you only need to complete 50% or 1/2 the units you attempt to remain eligible. Full SAP policy.
Maximum Timeframe is one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. It means that you must complete your academic program (i.e. degree or certificate) within 1.5 times the intended number of units. Most Associate’s degrees from Solano are intended to take two years, or 60 units. This means that, for most students, they cannot go above 90 attempted units. Unlike for the other two SAP criteria, there is no warning semester for maximum timeframe. You will become Ineligible immediately after passing 1.5 times the intended number of units for your program without completing it. Full SAP policy.
GPA (Grade Point Average) is the average of your grades and one of the three criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress. This is done by assigning a number value to each letter grade and then dividing the total number of grade points earned by the total units attempted (excluding credit/no-credit courses and those in which W or I grades are earned. For example, if you have 36 grade points and are taking 12.0 units, your GPA would be 3.0. This is equivalent to a B average in letter grade terms. For SAP, you must maintain a 2.0 GPA or better for your GPA to be considered satisfactory. Full SAP policy.
Lifetime Eligibility Usage (LEU) refers to the amount of total Pell that a person can receive over their educational career. It is equivalent to 600% (6 years) of Pell for one year. If you decline Pell or do not receive the entirety of your annual award (i.e., your scheduled award is less because you were not full-
time/took fewer than 12 units, see enrollment intensity), the remaining percent will be “refunded” to your LEU. Funds you were awarded but did not actually use will not count against your LEU. Between 400% and 500% of your LEU, you will be warned by a red flag on your FalconNest. Once you reach 600%, we cannot award you additional Pell funds and there is no appeal process. To view your LEU, you must log into your studentaid.gov account.
In financial aid contexts, “budget” usually refers to the Cost of Attendance (COA). There is also a Budget Increase form.
Cal Grants are a set of state-funded cash aid grants available to both FAFSA and CADAA eligible students. The Cal grant is the main source of cash aid available to undocumented students. The
deadline for the Cal grant is much earlier than the deadline for the FAFSA and CADAA. As such, it is one of the primary reasons you may want to complete your FAFSA/CADAA many months in advance. You can view your Cal grant awards and status on the website WebGrants 4 Students. Cal grants have several types with different requirements. For more information on eligibility, look at the How Do I Qualify For a Cal Grant? FAQ page.
FERPA stands for Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It protects students’ privacy by requiring their educational records from being disclosed to third parties without their or their parents’ consent. If a student is below the age of 18, their legal parents have the privilege of making FERPA decisions regarding the student’s privacy. Once a student turns 18, all rights and privileges transfer to the student and the parents are now considered a third party. This means that most Solano students must give their written permission for their parents to be able to interact with their financial aid records. For more information, visit ED’s Guide on FERPA.
UEH (Unusual Enrollment History) is a red flag which occurs when students receive financial aid at multiple institutions within a few years. If you have a UEH red flag, contact the Financial Aid Office.
Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a program where the federal government agrees to pay 50% of the wages of eligible student workers. This allows more students to get part-time work experience while in college. It’s one of the few programs at Solano available to students who already have degrees. Work-study jobs can be on- or off-campus.
Verification is a process the federal government requires of both students and colleges’ Financial Aid Offices to maintain the integrity of the financial aid process. Verification has different forms and may require you to fill out forms and/or submit documentation to verify the accuracy of the financial information reported on the FAFSA. Most students selected for verification are chosen at random. However, students are sometimes chosen due to conflicting or unusual information on their FAFSA. If you’re selected for verification, follow the instructions on the red flag in your FA Requirements. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions.
Solano is fortunate to be included in the HireUp pilot program. HireUp provides a significant amounts of money to students who need the most support in achieving their educational goals. Specifically, HireUp awards a stipend equivalent to working a full-time minimum wage job in California. For Fall 2024, this is $2,304 per month. Current and former foster youth and SOAR students who have been released from incarceration within the last 3 years recipients may be eligible to receive HireUp.
The Student Success Completion Grant (SSCG) is a grant designed to support the persistence and success of hardworking students. It is a state grant offered to Cal grant B or C recipients who are also enrolled at least full-time (12 or more units). The grant offers significantly more money if you enroll in 15 or more units per semester ($4,000/semester vs. $1,298/semester). Unfortunately, funds are limited and so the SSCG cannot be guaranteed to all full-time Cal grant B or C recipients.
NextUp is a program administered by EOPS targeted towards current and former foster youth. Being accepted into the NextUp program makes you eligible for the NextUp and HireUp grants, as well as specialized services. Students must be enrolled in 9 units (or have an SEP in place with the goal of enrolling in 9 units) and below the age of 26 to apply for the NextUp program.
The FAFSA uses the term contributor to refer to people whose information needs to go on your FAFSA. For most students, this means one or more of their parents. The FAFSA uses “contributor” because spouses can also be required, and so “parent” is not sufficient; also, “parent” can cause confusion because, in this case, it would refer to anyone legally determined to be your parent(s), including both biological and adoptive parents. Contributors have a slightly different FAFSA form which they fill out to supplement the student’s. It is important to make sure your contributors fill out the correct form, as sometimes contributors mistakenly fill out their own FAFSA and not a supplemental contributor FAFSA.
Origination refers to the act of beginning a loan or grant by formally requesting that money from ED. It is the first step in disbursement.
Lifetime Eligibility/Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU): “The maximum amount of Federal Pell Grant funds you can receive over your lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of about 12 school terms (roughly six years). Since the amount of a scheduled Pell Grant award you can receive each award year is typically equal to 100%, the six-year equivalent is 600%. The U.S. Department of Education tracks your Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) by adding together the percentages of your Pell Grant scheduled awards that you received for each award year. You’ll receive a notice if you’re getting close to your limit. You can also check your LEU by logging in to StudentAid.gov and navigating to ‘My Aid.'”
Scholarships refer to financial aid grants usually awarded on the basis of merit or achievement. This is different from most forms of federal and state financial aid, which are awarded on the basis on need (e.g., Pell) or other circumstance (e.g., being the dependent of a veteran).
Unusual circumstances refer to situations in which a dependency override may be granted. In general, situations in which the student cannot contact their parent(s) are considered unusual circumstances, while situations in which the student will not contact their parent(s) are not.
While Pell is awarded at Solano under the assumption of a standard two-semester academic year, Pell can cover the summer term. This is called year-round Pell and is simply an extension of Pell. It multiplies the annual award by 3/2 or 150%; in other words, you can receive the same amount for summer that you would for spring or fall. In practice, however, Pell in the summer term is often less than fall and spring. This is because you still need to take 12 units or more to receive max Pell in summer. Full-time in the summer term is considered differently by different departments. For Admissions & Records, 6 units is full-time. For Counseling, 9 units is considered full-time. To receive max Pell in the summer, the requirements are the same as fall and spring: 12 units.
The grace period is the length of time in which students who have graduated do not have to pay back their loans. It also applies for students who have left school or become ineligible for loans due to <6 units of enrollment. It is typically six months. For subsidized loans, interest is paid by the government during the grace period, while for unsubsidized loans, interest accrues while enrolled in school and during the grace period. Both types of loans need to start being paid back at the end of the grace period. The full details of your grace period will be found in your MPN.
MPN stands for Master Promissory Note and it is the contract you sign with the exact details of your student loan. It is important to read carefully to understand the terms of the loan. Signing an MPN is one of the requirements to request a loan.
Family size is the amount of people you report as being in your family on the FAFSA. It is a factor in determining your SAI and consequently your financial aid.
Exit Counseling is a short guidance course on loans which must be completed when you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment. It is designed to prepare you for paying back your student loans.
The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is a smaller grant program targeted towards students with exceptional need. FSEOG funds are limited, so it’s important that you submit your FAFSA early. There is no guarantee you will receive a FSEOG in one aid year if you previously received it in the prior aid year.
There are several kinds of enrollment status, such as full-time, half-time, three-quarters time, graduated, have withdrawn and so on. This is used for Cal Grant primarily, as the Pell uses enrollment intensity instead.
Three-quarters time is a enrollment status classification for students between 9 and 11.5 units.
Half-time is an enrollment status classification for students between 6 and 8.5 units. Many financial aid programs, such as loans and FWS, require students to be enrolled half-time or more. If you are a half-time student and considering dropping below 6 units, we strongly advise that you contact the
Financial Aid Office first, as you may be at risk for significant overpayment.
Less-than-half time is an enrollment status classification for students between 0.5 and 6 units. Less-than-half time students are ineligible for many forms of financial aid, such as loans and FWS. While less-than-half time students are eligible for Pell, the rules for Pell change when awarded to a less-than-half time student resulting in a significant reduction in the award. This applies when students drop from 6 or more units to below 6 units during a term. If you are considering dropping below 6 units, we
strongly advise that you contact the Financial Aid Office first.
Merit-based, as opposed to need-based, are forms of financial aid based on achievement. Most competitive scholarships are merit-based.
Out-of-state students pay more tuition than California residents. Occasionally, in-state students are reported as out-of-state because they do not realize they need to confirm their CA residency with Admissions. It is important to check your MySolano periodically so you are able to fix this early on, if it occurs.
Overpayments occur when a student is paid more financial aid than appropriate. In most cases, this results in the student having to pay the money back. The most common causes of overpayments are reducing your units after being paid Pell (or Cal grant) and dropping or withdrawing from all your classes (i.e., an R2T4). We strongly recommend you contact the Financial Aid Office if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from any number of classes to learn how it may or may not affect your financial aid.
Reimbursements (not to be confused with refunds) occur when students are owed money. This is uncommon and usually only occurs when students pay enrollment fees out-of-pocket and are subsequently awarded a fee waiver. The fee waiver reduces the enrollment fees to $0 and so the student is owed back the money which they had paid out-of-pocket.
Refunds (not to be confused with reimbursements) refer to disbursements, i.e., money that you are paid as part of a financial aid program. This term can be easily confused with other common financial aid terms, such as “reimbursement,” and so the Financial Aid Office will often try to use less ambiguous terms such as “disbursement” or “payment.”
Refund preference: See “What do I do after I activate my BankMobile account?”
SAP (Satisfactory Academic Progress) refers to the academic eligibility standards at Solano. It affects almost all forms of financial aid with the important exception of the CCPG, which has very slightly different requirements. You must maintain a 2.0 GPA, pass 67% of the classes you attempt, and complete your degree in a maximum of 1.5 times the intended duration (i.e., 3 years for a 2 year Associate’s degree).
The AB 540, officially the California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Application, is a form you can fill out to receive in-state tuition and be eligible for state aid such as the Cal grant. It does not have any requirements regarding documentation status and is a requirement to submit the CADAA. However, the
AB 540 can also benefit students who submitted a FAFSA. For example, students who are recently moved from another state and are not yet California residents, but who had previously gone to school in California, may be able to submit an AB 540 and receive in-state tuition again.
Stafford loan is a deprecated term that was used to refer to subsidized and unsubsidized loans made under the auspices of the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. The FFEL has not made any new loans since 2010.
The William D Ford Federal Direct Loan Program is the formal name for the program where students borrow directly from the Department of Education. Solano participates in this program and all our loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) are through it.
An excused withdrawal occurs when a student withdraws after submitted an accepted excused withdrawal petition. Excused withdrawals occur when their are severe extenuating circumstances which prevent the student from continuing the term. The main differences between excused withdrawals and unofficial withdrawals are that excused withdrawals do not count towards the number of attempts a student may make for a given course and still receive financial aid. Depending on the last date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back financial aid.
Unofficial withdrawals occur when a student exits the school and does not file an excused withdrawal petition. Depending on the last date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back financial aid.
R2T4 stands for Return 2 Title 4. R2T4s occur when students drop, withdraw from, or fail all their courses for a term. Depending on the last date the student attended class, they may or may not have to pay back federal financial aid (Title IV funds). R2T4s are complex and can result in significant overpayments.
Title IV refers to the federal programs (or funds earmarked for or drawn from these programs) authorized by the fourth title (section) of an act of Congress called the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA). Title IV programs include subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, Pell grant, Federal Work-Study (FWS), FSEOG, and PLUS loans. Solano does not offer PLUS loans. State, institutional, and outside financial aid, such as Cal grants, the CCPG, Solano Promise, and scholarships, respectively, are not Title IV. There are additional rules and regulations for Title IV programs and their funds which may not apply to other forms of aid.
HEA is an acronym for the Higher Education Act of 1965. It is the most significant financial aid law in the country.
Parent PLUS loans are a type of loan offered by the Department of Education. Solano does not offer Parent PLUS loans. For more information, visit the studentaid.gov Types of Federal Loans page.
ED is an acronym referring to the Department of Education. ED is the highest authority on education in the US and is ultimately responsible for—and the source of—federal financial aid.