Frequently Asked Questions
Consumer Information
How will I be notified of important financial aid information?
Please be aware that the Financial Aid Office may use electronic means to communicate with you. It is your responsibility to keep your Rollins email address current and to read messages that are sent. It is also important that you keep your mailing address and phone number current with Student Services. You may also review your financial aid information via MyRollins.
How is my need determined?
The Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC determines your eligibility for need-based aid. Items that will affect need-based aid eligibility from year to year include dramatic changes to income and/or assets, changes to the number of family members in college, changes to the number of family members residing in the household, etc.
Can my award be increased?
Need-based financial aid is awarded based on uniformly applied policies designed to distribute available resources in an equitable manner. These awards are not negotiable.
How is dependency status determined on the FAFSA?
Step three of the FAFSA poses a series of questions used to determine whether you are dependent for financial aid purposes. If you answer no to all, you are dependent. The questions address your age, marital status, degree level, whether you have dependent children, and military veteran status as well as collect information regarding students in foster care, students who are a dependent or ward of the court, emancipated minors or students in a legal guardianship and unaccompanied youth who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. Official documentation may be required to support your dependency status.
What if I have unusual family circumstances?
We recognize that the need analysis process does not always consider every family situation. If your family has experienced an unusual change in financial circumstances not considered on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, you may wish to request consideration. To do this you should request a Need Analysis Review Form from our office. Complete the form and return it with the appropriate documentation. We will make every effort to incorporate these circumstances into the need analysis calculation. A review may only be conducted for circumstances that can be documented.
What other forms, in addition to the FAFSA, will I need to complete?
Florida Residency Affidavit: Required for all undergraduate applicants to establish eligibility for all Florida aid programs
Student Loan Master Promissory Notes: Required for all applicants when accepting federal Direct and/or Graduate PLUS loans
Student Loan Entrance Counseling: Required for all applicants when accepting federal Direct and Graduate PLUS loans
IRS Data Retrieval Tool: This is a link from your FAFSA to the IRS. Required only for applicants (and parents of dependent students) selected for verification. Note: We will advise you if tax documentation is necessary for the processing of your FAFSA application. Please refer to your Student Aid Report for further information regarding verification status or to MyRollins. You may also submit an IRS Tax Transcript in lieu of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
What happens to my financial aid if I must withdraw from class or am unable to complete a semester?
When a financial aid recipient withdraws from a semester or unofficially withdraws by ceasing to attend classes, federal regulation requires a Return of Title IV Aid (R2T4) calculation to determine if any federal Title IV aid must be repaid. Federal Title IV aid includes Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG), Direct Loans, and PLUS loans.
The amount of federal Title IV aid to be repaid is calculated based on the percentage of time completed within a semester, which involves calculating the amount of Title IV aid earned by the student and the amount of institutional charges for that semester. Please contact us at finaid@rollins.edu prior to withdrawing in order to determine the impact on your financial aid.
When unearned federal Title IV funds are repaid, they are returned by the program and up to the disbursed amount for each program. Unearned federal Title IV aid will result in a reduction to each aid program in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Direct Loan
- Subsidized Direct Loan
- PLUS Loan
- Pell Grant
- SEOG
Additional reductions may be made to the Florida Student Assistance Grant, Effective Access to Education Grant (EASE), and Bright Futures according to state regulations.
You will be notified by mail no later than 45 days after the determination that you withdrew during the semester. Your notification will provide detailed information on the aid programs which were repaid. If the notification includes eligibility for a post-withdrawal disbursement, you will have fourteen days to respond to accept or decline the award. The return of these funds typically results in additional charges to your student account that is the student's responsibility to pay.
Withdrawing from the semester may impact future eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. See the section on Satisfactory Academic Progress for specific information.
What happens to my financial aid if I drop a class?
Federal, state, and institutional aid is awarded to students based on projected or actual enrollment. Subsequent monitoring is required to determine if the student remains eligible. If you drop courses after receiving federal, state, or institutional aid, you may be required to repay those funds and/or you may jeopardize your future financial aid eligibility. Prior to dropping any classes, please contact us at finaid@rollins.edu to request information on the impact to your financial aid.
In general, your Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Effective Access to Education Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grant, and Rollins awards are based on your enrollment level at the end of the last day to drop a class without penalty (approximately two weeks after classes begin). If your enrollment level drops below full-time (at least 12 credit hours) on this date, your awards will be reduced and may be removed depending upon the requirements for the specific financial aid program. Please contact our office if your enrollment will be less than 12 credit hours.
Note to Bright Futures recipients: Your Bright Futures award will adjust all semester if you drop any course. The amount of your Bright Futures Award is dependent upon the number of credit hours you complete. If you drop any courses and are a Bright Futures recipient, please review your student account for your balance due as a result of the reduction to your Bright Futures award.
No matter what the immediate impact to your financial aid is, please keep in mind that dropping courses now may have an impact on your future financial aid eligibility. See the section on Satisfactory Academic Progress for specific information.
Are there other general types of information I might want to know?
Rollins College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Please contact the Financial Aid Office for specific information relating to the cost of attendance, available financial aid programs, or financial aid policies for study abroad programs.
Graduation/Retention rates and information relating to the athletic program may be obtained by contacting the Director of Institutional Analytics at 407-646-2573.
Information on campus crime statistics may be obtained by contacting Campus Safety at 407-646-2999.
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) assures the confidentiality of your educational record. This Act also allows you access to the information contained in your educational record. Please contact the appropriate office if you would like access to any information held. Rollins College's policy regarding confidentiality can be found in the College Catalogue. The policy permits the release of directory information without the student's consent unless specifically requested in writing not to disclose. Students who wish to have their directory information withheld must make this request no later than September 1st of each year. If a request is received, all directory information will be withheld since the College cannot release selected information. Requests for withholding of directory information should be made to Student Services.
If you are a financial aid recipient you have certain rights and responsibilities.
You have the right to:
- Confidentiality, the privacy of your file is protected.
- Appeal financial aid decisions about your application. Written appeals should be submitted to the Student Aid Appeals Committee in care of the Office of Financial Aid.
- Information about the terms and conditions of financial aid programs. This information is provided in the Rollins College Catalogue and in the Student Aid Award Notice enclosures.
- Inspect your education records and request amendment of those records, if you believe them to be inaccurate, by contacting the Dean of your program.
- File a complaint with the Department of Education if you believe your right to confidentiality has been compromised.
- Defer Direct Loan payments for Peace Corps or certain other types of volunteer service after you graduate.
You are responsible for:
- Submitting accurate applications and forms before the deadlines.
- Following instructions for application, renewal of aid, or resolving problems.
- Providing the Hamilton Holt School with accurate permanent and local addresses and telephone numbers.
- Notifying the Office of Financial Aid if a change in your family financial situation occurs, or if you receive assistance from an outside source.
- Reading the provided information about the terms and conditions of all aid programs.
- Requesting special assistance when it is needed.
- Maintaining satisfactory academic progress according to the policies established for financial aid recipients.
What happens to my financial aid if I must withdraw from class or am unable to complete a semester?
If you must withdraw from class you may be required to repay a portion of your financial aid. Eligibility for financial aid is based on the costs involved with attending for an entire semester. Please read the following Return of Title IV Aid policy carefully.
Repayment Requirements for Federal Aid Recipients who fail to complete a semester
In the event that a student who received Title IV funds completely withdraws, is expelled, drops out, or otherwise fails to complete a period of enrollment for which charges are incurred, the College will first determine whether:
- The student did not attend any class and therefore overpayment provisions apply. In this situation 100 percent of the aid funds would be returned to the Title IV, State, or Institutional programs; or
- The student attended at least 1 class and regulatory repayment requirements apply. In this situation, the College must calculate the amount of aid that was unearned at the time of departure from the College.
Unearned Title IV funds, other than Federal College Work Study, must be returned to the appropriate financial aid program. A student earns Title IV funds in direct proportion to the length of time he or she remains enrolled. The percentage of time during the period that the student remained enrolled is the percentage of aid for that period that the student earned. For example, if a student remains enrolled in 50 out of 100 calendar days for a semester, that student has earned 50 percent of his or her aid. Therefore, using this example, 50 percent of the aid must be returned to the appropriate aid program(s). A student who remains enrolled for at least 60 percent of the semester earns all of his or her aid for that semester.
A student who abandons (drops out) his/her classes without officially notifying the college will have a portion of aid canceled and returned to the appropriate program. The midpoint of the semester will be used as the withdrawal date for students who fail to provide official notification.
According to Federal Guidelines, the responsibility for repaying unearned aid may be shared by the College and the student in proportion to the aid each is assumed to possess. The College share is the lesser of: a) the amount of unearned aid or b) institutional charges multiplied by the percentage of aid that was unearned. The student's share is the difference between the total unearned amount and the institutions share.
Unearned Title IV aid will result in a reduction to each aid program in the following order:
- Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan
- Federal Subsidized Direct Loan
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal Direct PLUS/Grad Loan
- Federal Direct PLUS Loan
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Reduction of the above programs may create a balance that will be due from the student to the College. The student's share of a grant will be reduced to half per federal law. The student's share of a returned loan will be paid according to the terms of the promissory note. Aid from Rollins sources will be reduced by the same percentage of credit given against tuition. The percent of credit given against tuition is dictated by the college refund policy. Rollins College's policy does not include state programs in the return of Title IV aid. State of Florida grant and scholarship programs will be finalized at the end of the drop/add period.
What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Federal regulations governing financial aid programs require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress. A minimum of a 2.0 GPA is required at all times. GPAs are checked once a year at the end of the spring term. Aid recipients must also complete at least 67 percent of the courses for which they are enrolled. A student who does not meet either the GPA or completion rate requirement will be placed on Financial Aid Termination for the next year. A withdrawal from a class constitutes a class that was not completed and will affect a student’s completion standard. An “F” grade constitutes a class that was not completed and will affect the GPA and the completion standard. Incompletes will not be treated as a completed course until a grade has been recorded for the class and will affect the completion standard. Repeated courses may be used to improve the GPA and will be counted for the GPA and completion standard in a given year. Transfer courses will not affect the Rollins GPA and will be used simply to determine the grade level of the student.
Additional Consumer Information
As a member of the Rollins community, it is important that you have the necessary information to be an informed consumer of the College’s services.
For additional categories and more detailed information, please visit the Office of Institutional Analytics’ Consumer Information Page.
- Accreditation
- Graduation/Retention Rates
- Campus Crime Statistics
- FERPA/Confidentiality