Ala. Admin. Code r. 300-4-4-.02 - Definition Of Terms
(1)
Academic Excellence Benefits: Additional funds for guard members who are
enrolled undergraduate students who graduated from high school with a
cumulative GPA greater than 3.5 and, while enrolled in an institution of higher
education in this state, have maintained a 3.0 collegiate cumulative GPA. These
funds can be used for tuition, fees, or ancillary costs.
(2) Academic Year: The academic year for
Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance Program purposes is from October
1 of one year to September 30 of the next year.
(3) Active Member: A member of a federally
recognized unit of the Alabama National Guard meeting the minimum requirements
for satisfactory membership as defined in the Department of the Army and
Department of the Air Force regulations.
(4) Alabama National Guard: Federally
recognized units of the Alabama National Guard.
(5) Ancillary Costs: Expenses associated with
enrollment in an educational program that are not included withing the standard
assessment of tuition and fees. Ancillary costs may include books, supplies,
and professional fees and are typically included within the calculation for
cost of attendance. For the purposes of the ANGEAP tuition and fees
reimbursement, ancillary costs are not an eligible expense. ANGEAP recipients
who qualify for the Academic Excellence Benefits can utilize funds to cover
these expenses.
(6) Cost of
Attendance: As defined by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Federal
Student Aid, cost of attendance is an estimate of that student's educational
expenses for the period of enrollment, which is used in calculating the total
federal student aid a student may receive. Cost of attendance includes tuition
and fees, as well as ancillary costs and personal expenses, such as room and
board. For the purposes of ANGEAP, not all cost of attendance expenses are
considered eligible.
(7)
Differential Tuition: A supplementary charge amount added on top of base
tuition rate to support additional services and programming for a subset of
students enrolled in a particular college or program. Program-specific
differential tuition is often charged for those academic programs that have
high operating costs. For the purposes of ANGEAP, differential tuition is not
considered an eligible expense.
(8)
Distribution of Funds: Reimbursement shall be made to the institution promptly
at the end of each academic term (quarter or semester) for all certified
invoices/vouchers. Should funds appropriated to the Alabama National Guard
Educational Assistance Program be insufficient to provide each eligible student
with a full grant payment for any term(s) during an academic year, then the
awards will be prorated equally among the institutions on a percentage basis of
the total invoices/vouchers received and paid accordingly.
(9) Educational Grant: A grant is defined as
a financial award by the State of Alabama to an Alabama National Guard
Educational Assistance Program applicant who is designated to be an eligible
student enrolled in or accepted for enrollment in an eligible program at an
eligible institution, and is awarded on a per academic term basis to the
student to defray direct educational-related expenses: tuition and cost of
instruction fees, not to exceed the median cost of tuition per academic term of
all state-supported Alabama four year institutions for classes or courses that
count towards the individual's degree or certificate plan as designed and
approved by the college or institution attended for the individual's declared
program of study, less any Alabama Student Grant Program proceeds for which the
student may be eligible and after all federal benefits have been applied to the
account of the student. The median tuition amount per academic term will be
determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education based on its Tuition
and Fee Report, which will be prorated according to academic term. Payments to
recipients shall not extend beyond twelve (12) years after the date of the
first grant payment issued to the student through this program.
(10) Eligible Program: An eligible program is
any program leading to a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, master's, or
doctorate degree in an accredited institution of higher learning, technical
college, or community college within the State of Alabama.
(11) Eligible Institution: An eligible
institution is a public or private institution of higher education which:
(a) is in Alabama;
(b) admits as regular students only persons
who have a high school diploma, or who are beyond the age of compulsory school
attendance in Alabama; and who have the ability to benefit from the training
offered;
(c) is legally authorized
to provide an educational program beyond secondary education;
(d) provides an educational program for which
it awards a certificate, associate, baccalaureate, master's, or doctorate
degree,
(e) is accredited by a
nationally-recognized accrediting agency or association; and
(f) executes an agreement with the Alabama
Commission on Higher Education to participate in the Alabama National Guard
Educational Assistance Program.
(12) Eligible Student: An eligible student is
an applicant who completes an application for an Alabama National Guard
Educational Assistance Program application, and
(a) Is classified as a student enrolled in a
certificate, associate, baccalaureate, master's, or doctorate degree
program;
(b) Is making satisfactory
academic progress as determined by the eligible institution;
(c) Is at least seventeen years of
age;
(d) Is an active member in
good standing with the Alabama National Guard;
(e) Is an active member of a federally
recognized unit of the Alabama National Guard;
(f) Has completed basic training, unless
excluded from this requirement by military regulations;
(g) Is enrolled in an accredited college,
university, community college, or technical college within the State of
Alabama; and
(h) Is not receiving
100% of covered expenses from federal veterans' educational benefits available
to members of the National Guard during the term(s) ANGEAP payments are
received.
(i) Has completed a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), except for high school students
dually or concurrently enrolled in high school and an institution of higher
education.
(j) Is maintaining at
least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average at the end of each academic
term;
(k) Is classified as one of
the following:
1. Is a student dually or
concurrently enrolled in high school and an institution of higher
education;
2. Is a postsecondary
student who is enrolled in an institution of higher education; or
3. Is a postsecondary student who is dually
or concurrently enrolled in more than one institution of higher education and
is enrolled in a program leading to a qualifying academic pathway, including a
short certificate or long certificate, or associate, baccalaureate, master's,
or doctorate degree in an accredited institution of higher learning, including
a community or technical college withing the State of Alabama.
(l) Is in pursuit of his/her first
undergraduate or graduate degree. Students may continue to receive ANGEAP if
they obtain an associate degree and then transfer to a senior institution in
order to complete a baccalaureate degree. ANGEAP will not pay for multiple
degrees at the same degree award level (i.e. certificate, associate degree,
baccalaureate degree, master's degree or doctoral degree).
(13) False Statement or Misrepresentation:
Any person who knowingly makes or furnishes any false statement or
misrepresentation, or who accepts such false statement or misrepresentation
knowing the same to be false, for the purpose of enabling an individual or
institution to obtain monies wrongfully under this program, shall be guilty of
a Class A misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be subject to a fine
or to imprisonment, or to both, as such misdemeanor is defined in Act No. 607,
S. 33 of the 1977 Regular Session (Acts 1977, Vol. 11, p. 812).
(14) Graduate Student: A graduate student is
defined as a person who has already earned a baccalaureate degree and is
enrolled in a master's or doctorate degree program at an eligible institution
as defined in .02(11).
(15)
Mandatory Instructional Fees: Fees that are assessed to all students within a
given degree level (undergraduate or graduate) as a condition of enrollment for
a given term, regardless of the specific program of instruction. Such fees may
include mandatory student fees, technology fees, or academic facilities fees.
For the purposes of ANGEAP tuition and fees reimbursement, mandatory
instructional fees are considered an eligible expense.
(16) Qualifying Academic Pathway: A
postsecondary program at an institution of higher education in the state that
is one of the following:
(a) A program that
has been identified as a Pell Grant eligible program for which the student
earns credits required for a postsecondary degree at the undergraduate
level.
(b) A graduate program that
is the individual's first degree sought at that level.
(17) Professional Fees: Non-instructional
expenses that are specific to a subset of students enrolled in particular
college, academic program, or academic classification (freshman, sophomore,
junior, senior) and do not apply to all students enrolled in a given degree
level (undergraduate or graduate). Examples include but are not limited to
graduation fees, examination fees, and clinical/practicum fees. For the
purposes of ANGEAP tuition and fees reimbursement, professional fees are not
considered an eligible expense. ANGEAP recipients who qualify for the Academic
Excellence Benefits can utilize funds to cover these expenses.
(18) Program-Specific Fees: Additional fees
specific to certain academic programs or courses of study. These fees are
charged in addition to the standard tuition fees and are meant to cover the
costs associated with offering specialized programs or courses. For the
purposes of ANGEAP tuition and fees reimbursement, program-specific fees are
not considered an eligible expense. ANGEAP recipients who qualify for the
Academic Excellence Benefits can utilize funds to cover these expenses.
(19) Refund Policies and
Procedures:
(a) If a student transfers,
withdraws, or becomes ineligible for an educational grant during the academic
term of the award year, the institutional-financial aid administrator will not
disburse Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance Program grant funds to
the student.
(b) If a student
withdraws from school or reduces his/her course-1oad after receiving Alabama
National Guard Educational Assistance Program grant funds, but before the end
of the academic term, and is not entitled to a refund in accordance with the
institution's refund policy, the Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance
Program will not require a refund of any portion of the grant award which was
utilized by the student toward payment of the institution's net charges to the
student for the period of actual attendance. However, if the grant award
payment to the student exceeds the amount of the educational cost to the
student, the institution must return to the Alabama National Guard Educational
Assistance Program the refund amount and the institution must maintain with the
student's records documentation listing (a) the date the student withdrew, and
(b) the net institutional charges to the student for the period of the
student's attendance, (c) the amount of the student's grant award, and (d) the
amount of refund due the Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance
Program.
(c) In the event the
individual's service in the Alabama National Guard is terminated or his service
becomes unsatisfactory while receiving or for four (4) years after receiving
the benefits afforded by this program the benefits will be terminated and
repaid by the individual on a pro rata basis. Any participating member of the
Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance Program shall sign a promissory
note or similar document with provisions for the collection and repayment of
benefits in the event that the member is disqualified or otherwise becomes
ineligible to continue to receive benefits. If the individual's National Guard
service is terminated because of military medical disability with a Veterans
Administration disability rating of 40 percent or greater, mandatory removal
date, or death, the member and heirs are exempt from the repayment
provision.
(20) Student
Application Procedure: Each Alabama National Guard Educational Assistance
Program applicant must submit to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education an
application for a grant. Awards will be issued for completed applications
submitted to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education by the application
deadline date and as long as funds remain available.
(21) Tuition and Fees: The per term cost of
instruction and mandatory instructional fees to the public or private
postsecondary student not to exceed the median cost of tuition per term, such
as quarter or semester, of all public four-year institutions of higher
education in this state, as reported to the Alabama Commission on Higher
Education by state-supported institutions of higher education and appearing on
the Tuition Plus Required Fees Report of the Commission, for classes or courses
that count towards the individual's degree or certificate plan as designed and
approved by the college or institution attended for the individual's declared
program of study. Differential tuition is not included. The median cost of
tuition per term will be prorated according to academic term.
(22) Undergraduate Student: An undergraduate
student is defined as a person who is in attendance at an accredited Alabama
postsecondary educational institution and who has not earned a baccalaureate
degree. A student who is enrolled in a program of study designed to extend for
more than four academic years shall not be considered an undergraduate student
in that portion of the program that involves study beyond the fourth academic
year, unless the program leads to a first degree and is designed to extend for
a period of five academic years.
Notes
Author: Tim Vick; Stephanie C. Dolan
Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, ยงยง 31-10-1, et seq.
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