To be considered for any federal or state programs at Eastern Shore Community College, you must:
- Have a high school diploma or GED.
- Be enrolled in an approved program of study consisting of a minimum of 16 credit hours.
- Be a U.S. citizen or current resident.
- Have a valid Social Security Number. Exceptions to this rule are students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau.
- Register for Selective Service (males only). Students between the ages of 18 and 25 who were assigned male at birth must be registered.
- Not be in default of a Federal Student or Parent loan, or owe a refund to a postsecondary institution.
- Not have a drug conviction. Federal regulations prohibit student aid eligibility for students convicted under federal or state law for possession of or sale of illegal drugs (not including alcohol or tobacco).
- Maintain minimum requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress to remain eligible for any grant, loan, or work assistance.
Please note that students must register for at least 12 credit hours each semester in order to receive the full financial aid award package. Students who register for less than 12 credit hours will have their financial aid award reduced proportionally to remain in compliance with federal regulations and institutional policies.
Enrollment Requirements for Common Types of Financial Aid
Pell Grant
Students who are eligible for the Pell grant will have their award prorated based on the number of credits enrolled per semester.
Commonwealth Award (COMA)
Students eligible for the Commonwealth Award must be enrolled in 6 or more credits per semester.
Virginia Guaranteed Assistance Program (VGAP)
Students eligible for the VGAP grant must attend full-time (12 credits per semester).
G3 Grant
Students eligible for the G3 grant must be enrolled in 6 or more credits per semester.
Federal Work-Study
Students receiving Pell may be eligible for Federal Work-Study and are based on their financial need. The student must be enrolled in at least six credits per semester.
Dropping vs. Withdrawing
Dropping a Course:
- No grade letter will be issued.
- Does not impact your GPA.
- Dropping a course may impact financial aid eligibility if it reduces your enrollment status.
Withdrawing from all courses:
- Must have completed work in the class but have withdrawn before the Last Day to Withdraw with a Grade of “W”.
- You may receive a “W” (withdrawal) notation on your transcript for each withdrawn course.
- Does not impact your GPA.
- Withdrawing can impact your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
- Withdrawing can impact your financial aid eligibility.
- Withdrawing before a certain timeline may require you to return to Title IV (pay back partially or totally any financial aid received).
Financial aid is awarded to a student under the assumption that the student will attend college for the entire period for which the assistance is awarded. When a student withdraws (officially or unofficially) from ALL classes after beginning attendance, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of aid that he/she was originally scheduled to receive.
The College is required to determine the earned and unearned portions of Federal (Title IV) and/or State aid as of the date the student ceased attendance based on the amount of time the student spent in attendance.
If the amount disbursed to the student is greater than the amount the student earned, THE STUDENT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAYING THE UNEARNED FUNDS.
If the amount disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a post-withdraw disbursement of the earned aid that was received.
For financial aid purposes:
Official Withdraw means dropping ALL classes on-line via the MYESCC Student Information System or requesting assistance from the registrar’s office.
Unofficial Withdraw means the student ceases to participate in educational related activities for ALL classes or stops attending ALL classes WITHOUT completing the official withdrawal process.
View the Return to Title IV funds policy in its entirety.
Financial Aid Office
Academic Building Room 159
financial_aid@es.vccs.edu