Student Rights & Responsibilities

As a student, you have the following rights and responsibilities regarding your financing.

You have the right to:

  • Know what financial aid programs are available at Southern State;
  • Know the deadlines for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available;
  • Know how financial aid will be distributed, how decisions on that distribution are made and the basis for these decisions;
  • Know how your eligibility was determined (this includes the costs for Tuition & Fees, food and housing, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc. are considered in your budget);
  • Know what resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) were considered in the calculation of your eligibility;
  • Request an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package;
  • Know the college’s Refund Policy and how it affects your financial aid package;
  • Know what portion of the financial aid you receive must be repaid and what portion is grant aid (if the aid is a loan, you have the right to know what the interest rate is, the total amount that must be repaid, the payback procedures, length of time you have to repay the loan and when repayment is to begin); and
  • Know how the college determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress and what happens if you are not.

You have the responsibility to:

  • Complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the right office;
  • Provide correct information (in most instances, misreporting information on financial aid application forms is a violation of law and may be considered a criminal offense that could result in indictment under the U.S. Criminal Code);
  • Return 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 as requested;
  • Read and understand all forms that you are asked to sign and to keep copies of them;
  • Accept responsibility for all agreements that you sign;
  • Request an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package;
  • Perform the work that is agreed upon in accepting a federal Work Study award;
  • Be aware of and comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid;
  • Repay, according to the repayment provisions of the loan fund, all loans that you accept and use for educational expenses;
  • Be responsible for maintaining a minimum registration of 3 credit hours if you are a student employee or 6 credit hours if you are a student loan borrower (you must notify the Office of Financial Aid if you drop below the full-time status); and
  • Comply with the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (outlined below) to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid.

Additional Regulations

Be sure to read through the college's Financial Policies to learn about more financial regulations.