Consumer Information

Student's Rights and Responsibilities

You have the right to know:

  • What financial aid programs are available
  • The priority dates for submitting applications for each of the programs
  • How financial aid will be distributed
  • Costs of attending the University
  • How your cost of attendance is determined and how it affects your financial aid
  • What resources were considered in the calculation of your “financial need”
  • The University’s refund policy
  • What portion of the financial aid you receive must be repaid and what portion is “gift aid”
  • How much of your financial need has been met
  • Details on the programs offered in your financial aid packages.  If a loan is offered, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount that must be repaid, the length of time you have to repay the loan, when repayment is due to begin, and any deferment, forbearance or cancellation provisions.
  • The Satisfactory Progress policy for financial aid recipients and the appeal process.
  • Student has the right to know the school’s current student loan default rate

In accepting financial aid, you accept the responsibility to:

  • Review and consider all information about the University’s financial aid programs before you enroll
  • Complete all applications and forms accurately and submit them on time to the proper office
  • Provide correct information (Errors can delay your receiving financial aid. Misreporting information on financial aid forms is a violation of law and is considered a criminal offense subject to penalties under the U.S. Criminal Code.)
  • Provide all additional documentation, verification, corrections and/or new information requested by either the Office of Financial Aid or the agency to which you submitted your application
  • Read and understand all forms that you are asked to sign and keep copies of them
  • Accept responsibility for agreements you sign
  • If you have a loan, notify your lender of changes in your name, address, or school enrollment status
  • Complete Exit Interview(s) for Direct Loans, CAL, and Perkins Loans before ceasing attendance at the University
  • Perform in a satisfactory manner the work that is agreed upon in the Federal Work-Study job
  • Know and comply with the priority dates for application or reapplication for aid
  • Understand the University’s refund policy
  • Report any funds that you receive from “outside sources” (church, foundations, veteran’s assistance after your financial aid award has been made and/or accepted
  • Pay any fees, tuition, room, board, or other expenses not paid by financial aid or scholarships by deadlines.

Refund Information

A student who desires to withdraw from Howard Payne University must obtain the proper forms from the Registrar’s Office, located in Room 209 of the Packer Administration Building.  If the student has participated in the Federal Perkins Loan, or the Federal Direct Stafford Loan, the student must complete the Exit Interview process before leaving the University.
The following refund policy applies when a student completely withdraws from Howard Payne University:

TUITION AND FEES REFUND:

Prior to the end of the:                                               Long Semesters            Summer
First full week classes are offered                                    90%                           80%
Second full week classes are offered                               80%                            50%
Third full week classes are offered                                   70%                           NONE
Fourth full week classes are offered                                25%                            NONE
After the end of the fourth full week of classes             NONE                        NONE

ROOM REFUND (IF APPLICABLE):
There is no refund of room rent if occupants vacate their rooms before the end of the contract period.
BOARD REFUND (IF APPLICABLE):
Prepaid board is refunded effective with the date students turn in their meal card (I.D.) to the cashier and requests a refund in writing. There is a service deduction of $50.
PLEASE REFERENCE THE HPU CATALOG FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON HPU POLICY CONCERNING REFUNDS ON INSTITUTIONAL CHARGES.

Treatment of Federal Title IV Aid when a student withdraws

The law specifies how your school must determine the amount of Title IV program assistance that you earn if you withdraw from school. The Title IV programs that are covered by this law are: Federal Pell Grants, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grants, TEACH Grants, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOGs) and Federal Perkins Loans.

When you withdraw during your payment period or period of enrollment (your school can define these for you and tell you which one applies), the amount of Title IV program assistance that you have earned up to that point is determined by a specific formula. If you received (or your school or parent received on your behalf) less assistance than the amount that you earned, you may be able to receive those additional funds. If you received more assistance than you earned, the excess funds must be returned by the school and/or you.

The amount of assistance that you have earned is determined on a pro rata basis. For example, if you completed 30% of your payment period or period of enrollment, you earn 30% of the assistance you were originally scheduled to receive. Once you have completed more than 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment, you earn all the assistance that you were scheduled to receive for that period.

If you did not receive all of the funds that you earned, you may be due a Post-withdrawal disbursement. If your Post-withdrawal disbursement includes loan funds, your school must get your permission before it can disburse them. You may choose to decline some or all of the loan funds so that you don’t incur additional debt. Your school may automatically use all or a portion of your Post-withdrawal disbursement of grant funds for tuition, fees, and room and board charges (as contracted with the school). The school needs your permission to use the Post-withdrawal grant disbursement for all other school charges. If you do not give your permission (some schools ask for this when you enroll), you will be offered the funds. However, it may be in your best interest to allow the school to keep the funds to reduce your debt at the school.

There are some Title IV funds that you were scheduled to receive that cannot be disbursed to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements. For example, if you are a first-time, first-year undergraduate student and you have not completed the first 30 days of your program before you withdraw, you will not receive any Direct Loan funds that you would have received had you remained enrolled past the 30th day.

If you receive (or your school or parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, your school must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:
1. your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or
2. the entire amount of excess funds.
The school must return this amount even if it didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds. If your school is not required to return all of the excess funds, you must return the remaining amount.

If you receive (or your school or parent receive on your behalf) excess Title IV program funds that must be returned, your school must return a portion of the excess equal to the lesser of:
1. your institutional charges multiplied by the unearned percentage of your funds, or
2. the entire amount of excess funds.

The school must return this amount even if it didn’t keep this amount of your Title IV program funds.
Any loan funds that you must return, you (or your parent for a PLUS Loan) repay in accordance with the terms of the promissory note. That is, you make scheduled payments to the holder of the loan over a period of time.

Any amount of unearned grant funds that you must return is called an overpayment. The maximum amount of a grant overpayment that you must repay is half of the grant funds you received or were scheduled to receive. You do not have to repay a grant overpayment if the original amount of the overpayment is $50 or less. You must make arrangements with your school or the Department of Education to return the unearned grant funds.

The requirements for Title IV program funds when you withdraw are separate from any refund policy that your school may have. Therefore, you may still owe funds to the school to cover unpaid institutional charges. Your school may also charge you for any Title IV program funds that the school was required to return. If you don’t already know what your school’s refund policy is, you can ask your school for a copy. Your school can also provide you with the requirements and procedures for officially withdrawing from school.

If you have questions about your Title IV program funds, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FEDAID (1-800-433-3243). TTY users may call 1-800-730-8913. Information is also available on Student Aid on the Web at https://studentaid.gov.

State Financial Aid Funds

State funds include (but are not limited to): Tuition Equalization Grant, and state loan programs.  State funds are to be refunded in the following manner:
First full week of classes          90%
Second full week of classes     80%
3rd full week of classes            70%
4th full week of classes            25%
5th full week of classes            NONE

Institutional Funds

Institutional scholarship funds that are restricted to tuition only will be refunded based on the percentage of tuition refunded.  (For example:  If tuition is refunded at 80%, the student may keep 20% of the scholarship.)  Scholarships that are not restricted to tuition will be refunded based on the percentage of the semester completed up to the 60% point of the semester.  After the 60% point, the student may retain all of the scholarship.

College Financing Plan

The College Financing Plan is a consumer tool that is designed to simplify information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid so that they can make an informed decision about which postsecondary institution to attend.

Students may access the College Financing Plan/Financial Aid Disclosure by clicking here or the link below to log in into Gateway. Then click on “View/Accept Financial Aid”.  On the next screen, click on “Menu” (upper left hand corner).  From the drop down menu, click on Financial Aid Disclosure to access your information.

Notification of Rights under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. These records are:

  1. “The right to inspect and review the student’s education records within 45 days of the day the University receives a request for access.” Students should submit to the registrar, dean, or head of the academic department (or appropriate official) written requests that identify the record(s) they wish to inspect. The University official will make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the University official to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct official to whom the request should be addressed.
  2. “The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student believes is inaccurate or misleading.”Students may ask the University to amend a record that they believe is inaccurate or misleading. They should write the University official responsible for the record, clearly identify the part of the record they want changed, and specify why it is inaccurate or misleading. If the University decides not to amend the record as requested by the student, the University will notify the student of the decision and advise the student of his or her right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right to a hearing.
  3. “The right to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.” One exception, which permits disclosure without consent, is disclosure to school officials with legitimate educational interests. A school official is defined as a person employed by the University in an administrative, supervisory, academic, or support staff position (including law enforcement unit and health staff); a person or company with whom the University has contracted (such as an attorney, auditor, or collection agent); a person serving on the Board of Trustees; or assisting another school official in performing his or her tasks. A school official has a legitimate educational interest if the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional responsibility. [Optional] Upon request, the University discloses education records without consent to officials of another school in which a student seeks or intends to enroll. [NOTE: FERPA requires an institution to make a reasonable attempt to notify the student of the records request unless the institution states in its annual notification that it intends to forward records on request.]

 

“The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged failures by the University to comply with the requirements of FERPA.” The name and address of the Office that administers FERPA is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U. S. Department of Education
400  Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C,   20202-4605

HPU Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

A student must make satisfactory academic progress in order to remain eligible for federal and state programs of financial aid. Click here for the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

The Financial Aid Booklet provides helpful information regarding the financial aid programs at Howard Payne University. Please click here to view the Financial Aid Booklet.

Funding Your Education: The Guide to Federal Student Aid

This guide is provided by the U.S. Department of Education and provides information on the financial aid programs provided by the federal government. Click here to view this guide.

HPU Copyright Infringement Policy

Click here for the HPU Copyright Infringement Policy.

Federal Student Financial Aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations

A student who is convicted for any drug offense while receiving Federal Title IV aid* will lose eligibility for any Title IV, HEA grant, loan, or work-study assistance.

*Title IV aid includes Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study, Federal Direct Student Loans and Federal Direct Parent Loans.

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid or the Office of Student Life for additional information, or click here.

Student body diversity based on gender and ethnicity

Click here for information on the diversity of Pell Grant recipients at HPU based on gender and ethnicity.

Howard Payne University current default rate is 9.4%

Click here or below to view default information from the Federal Student Aid office.