Student Athlete Information

Steps the Student-Athlete MUST complete to receive Athletic Scholarships for tuition/fees and on-campus housing:

Return the Athletic Financial Aid Agreement by the date indicated.

Make sure you are enrolled in 12 credit hours or more. Full-time enrollment for financial aid purposes, including athletic scholarships, is 12 or more credit hours (although full-time tuition and fees are assessed for 10 or more credit hours).

Verify your enrollment online. Verification of enrollment is available as early as two weeks prior to the start of each semester. Verification must be completed before tuition and/or on-campus housing aid will credit to your student account.

Go to the Pitt State home page. Select "Login" (located at the top of page), then select "GUS" and sign in using your PSU Student ID number and your GUS password. If you do not have a GUS password, you can obtain one at 109 Whitesitt Hall with a photo ID, such as a driver's license, or a PSU ID card.

Select "VERIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT FOR DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS". ALL HOLDS MUST BE RESOLVED, or you will need to allow your financial aid funds to pay your holds through the verification process (allowable up to a certain amount).

Select the semester you are verifying and read the regulations listed.

Review your class schedule to make sure you are enrolled in the correct courses. Make any changes as needed.

Update your email address and other personal information, then select "End Verification".

Accreditation: Information regarding the associations, agencies, and/or governmental bodies that accredit, approve, or license the school and its programs can be found in the University Catalog.

Facilities: Information regarding the special facilities and services available to disabled students can be found in the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Cost of Attending: Information regarding the costs of attending the school (tuition and fees, books and supplies, room and board, and applicable transportation costs, such as commuting) and any additional costs of the program in which the student is enrolled, or has expressed an interest, can be found in the Tuition and Costs page.

Degree Programs, Training, and Personnel: The academic degree programs, training, availability of a GED program, instructional, laboratory, and physical plant facilities associated with the academic programs and other education offered, as well as a list of faculty and other instructional personnel can be found in the University Catalog.

Financial Assistance, Satisfactory Academic Progress, FFEL/Direct Loan Deferments: Information regarding student financial assistance available, including the rights and responsibilities of receiving Title IV and other financial aid, the different types of financial aid available among different departmental programs, awarding policies, and the satisfactory academic progress standards that must be maintained, can be found in the Student Financial Aid Homepage. Also found within the OSFA are the terms and conditions of FFEL and Direct Loan deferments for those in the Peace Corps, Domestic Volunteer Service, or comparable volunteer services.

Withdrawing From School: A statement of the requirements for the return of student financial assistance program funds when a student totally withdraws from school, information about any refund policy with which the school must comply, and the requirements for officially withdrawing from the school can be found in each University Semester Class Schedule under General Information.

FERPA: The rights under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which includes the right to and procedures for reviewing student's education records, can be found in the Office of the Registrar.

Completion/Graduation Rates: Detailed information regarding the completion or graduation rate of full-time undergraduates who graduated or completed their program within 150% of the normal time for graduation/completion, as well as the transfer-out rate, can be found in the Office of the Registrar.

Crime Report: The school's campus crime report, which includes statistics of offenses reported to campus security for the three most recent calendar years, can be found in the Office of University Police.

Athletic Participation: A report on the campus athletic program participation rates, including the number and gender of participants that compete in intercollegiate athletic competitions for each semester as well as campus coaching staff information, can be found in the Athletic Department.

*NOTE: Students who totally withdraw from PSU after receiving financial assistance need to be strongly cautioned that, in the majority of cases, they will have to repay at least a portion of the funds they have received.

All athletes receiving scholarships from sources outside Pittsburg State University must abide by the following guidelines to ensure eligibility for athletic participation.

For ALL athletes (whether or not applying for federal financial aid), all scholarship donors must provide written notification to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) of the amount to be given to the recipient for both the Fall and Spring semesters, as well as certification of the criteria for awarding the scholarship. If the scholarship is renewable (for future academic terms), that should also be stated within the notification letter.

If your donor does not provide a notification letter with the scholarship funds, you may provide a blank criteria form for your scholarship donor(s). Donors may mail or fax the signed, completed form to the OSFA. Contact information is listed on the form.

The scholarship funds should be payable to both the University and the student-athlete, or to the University, and may be included with the notification letter and/or criteria documentation. However, if the scholarship is made payable to only the student and mailed directly to the student, the student must bring the check to the OSFA, along with the criteria documentation; then the student may sign the check and allow Financial Assistance personnel to deposit the funds directly to the student's University account.

When a student-athlete receives a renewal scholarship, the criteria provided during the first year of receipt will suffice and further documentation will not be necessary unless the criteria for the initial scholarship have been revised.

Outside scholarships will not be applied to the student-athlete's University account until all criteria information is received by the University as outlined above. If scholarship funds are sent directly to the University without adequate documentation regarding criteria for awarding the scholarship, these funds will be held until said documentation is received at the OSFA.

If you have questions or require clarification of these guidelines, please contact Jamie Rink at the Office of Student Financial Assistance, 620-235-4236; or submit an email to jrink@pittstate.ed.

Policy

A student who wishes to appeal any decision related to his/her athletic scholarship shall submit a written request (Student Appeal Form for Athletic Aid) that includes the following information:

• the student's name, student identification number, year in school and sport;
• the type and amount of the aid that has been/will be canceled or reduced;
• the reason(s) for believing that the decision was unfair, including names of institutional staff members (e.g., coach, financial aid officer) with whom the student has discussed the aid; and
• copies of any relevant documents regarding the athletic aid.

The student should submit these materials to the Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) within 14 days of receipt of the notification letter that specifies the award is being canceled, reduced or not renewed.

The student may request an in-person hearing before the PSU Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee (also referred to as the Appeals Committee). The appeal is reviewed by the Appeals Committee, and its decision is final. There is no appeal beyond the Appeals Committee. The student shall receive a written response within three weeks after the appeal has been submitted.

Committee

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee consists of four faculty members and the Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Auxiliary Services. The Committee Chairperson is selected from the membership of the Appeals Committee; the faculty members are selected from the University colleges they represent.

In addition, the Athletic Faculty Representative, the Assistant Director/Academics and Compliance, the Athletic Director, the OSFA Director, and the Financial Aid Counselor responsible for NCAA Compliance may attend, as non-voting members, to provide regulatory information to the Appeals Committee.

Procedures

The student submits the Student Appeal Form for Athletic Aid to the Director of Student Financial Assistance as his/her request for a hearing before the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee. A hearing is scheduled, and the student-athlete and the coach, or Athletic Director, are notified of the time and place. Each side presents their argument to the Appeals Committee.

Action Taken

• If the Appeals Committee finds that the decision to reduce, cancel, or not renew aid is not a violation of laws, regulations or institutional policies, and no extenuating circumstances are present, the appeal is immediately denied.
• If the Appeal Committee finds that the decision to reduce, cancel, or not renew aid is a violation of laws, regulations or institutional policies, the appeal is immediately approved. The financial aid is then made available to the student as soon as possible.

In either case, the Director of Student Financial Assistance shall notify each party, in writing, within ten working days of the appeal hearing. If the student wishes to discuss the result of the appeal, a meeting will be arranged with the Director of Student Financial Assistance or a designated member of the Appeals Committee.