All tuition, fees and deposits must be paid at registration except in very special circumstances where payment of these expenses may be made according to the deferred payment plan which follows.

The fees listed below are those effective Fall Semester 2002.

Any student taking 7 or more credits will pay a $20.00 Activity Fee per semester.

Auditing fees are the same as those which apply to courses taken for credit.

Certain courses require the use of special facilities, non-reusable materials, special equipment or materials which require a royalty. These courses will have an additional fee which will be specified on each semester's course schedule.

Students who are granted permission to withdraw from the College after completing registration will be given a tuition refund according to the following schedule:

Before the first session of any class ..........100 percent
During the first week of the semester...........80 percent
During the second week of the semester.....60 percent
During the third week of the semester.........40 percent
After the third week of the semester............No Refund

A refund of tuition is made only when a student makes an official withdrawal from the College at the business office. No refunds are given when students reduce their class or credit loads after the first week of the semester.

Students whose tuition and fees are being paid under contractual agreement are required to make full payment on their contract, less the percentage of refund indicated above.

No fees will be refunded.

The primary purpose of the Financial Aid Program at Chief Dull Knife College is to provide advice and financial assistance to students who would be unable to pursue their education at the College without such help. Although parents and students are expected to make maximum effort to meet the cost of education, financial aid is available to fill the gap between family resources and yearly academic expenses.

Students applying for financial assistance at CDKC are considered for all programs for which they are eligible.The amount of financial aid awarded is generally a combination of scholarship, grant and employment, and is based on the evaluated financial need of the student. The evaluated financial need equals the difference between the total cost of attending CDKC (including fees, room and board, books and supplies, personal expenses, and allowable travel expenses) and the ability of the family to contribute to those educational costs. Those factors taken into consideration when evaluating the expected family contribution include parental income and assets, medical expenses and other liabilities of the family, any benefits such as those from Social Security or the Veterans Administration, awards from outside agencies, and the student's assets and expected savings from a summer job. An independent, objective, nationally recognized method of analysis is used to evaluate the family's financial circumstances.

Any offer of financial assistance made by Chief Dull Knife College is contingent upon receipt of funds from all funding sources. Although unlikely, the Office of Student Financial Aid at Chief Dull Knife College reserves the right to revise offers of financial aid at any time during the academic year based on availability of funds and / or changes in regulations and / or procedures mandated by College, State, or Federal Authorities.

In order to apply for Student Financial Aid the student must complete and for-ward a Financial Aid Application. The preferred form used is the free Application for Federal Student Aid.

In Montana, these forms can be obtained from the high school counselor. If they are unavailable, contact the Financial Aid Director, Chief Dull Knife College. Students must reapply each academic year for financial aid. Aid usually changes each year according to the students income and Federal Government appropriations. However, aid usually continues at the same level each year, unless a student's resources or his or her contribution changes.

Please note that a student should not wait for notification of admission to the College to apply for financial aid. Also, an official offer of financial assistance does not imply or insure admission to the College.

Specific eligibility requirements may vary from program to program and the student is encouraged to carefully review those requirements in the sections describing scholarship, grant, and cooperative education programs. However, there are specific criteria that apply to all federal financial aid programs administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid which are as follows:

(1) The student must be an American citizen or resident immigrant intending to become a permanent citizen.

(2) The Student must be able to demonstrate financial need according to a recognized system of needs analysis and be a regularly enrolled student.

(3) The student must maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study he or she is pursuing, according to the standards and practices of the college.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP)

A. Satisfactory Academic Progress

1. All awards from financial aid programs funded by the Federal Government are administered in compliance with the laws and regulations governing the program.

2. Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress is defined as:
    a. Achieving a 2.0 GPA on course work of 6 or more credits;
    b. Completing the course load for which the student was paid; a minimum 2.0 GPA while  receiving financial aid, and/or;
    c. Maintaining a minimum 2.0 GPA on all interim work since last receiving financial aid;
    d. A cumulative 2.0 GPA throughout completion of the degree program;
    e. A two year certificate must be achieved in 6 semesters;
    f. A student must accumulate a minimum of 30 credits in 3 semesters.

3. Degree Seeking Students
    a. Federal law requires students to make satisfactory academic progress to receive financial aid:     Students must be enrolled in a course of study leading to a degree granted by the institution.

A certificate program must be at least 30 weeks in length in order for a student to be eligible for a full Federal Pell grant. A program less than 30 weeks may be pro rated and the Federal Pell grant awarded according to that ratio. Students needing extra time to complete their degree may ask for an appeal and appear before the Financial Aid Committee with proper documentation. They must meet both the qualitative and quantitative progress policy as stated above for Satisfactory Academic Progress. This policy applies to the 150% published time period in which to obtain a degree. Students seeking a second degree must make an appeal to the Scholarship Committee. The second degree must be obtainable within 2 semesters in order to receive a Federal Pell grant.

    b. A non degree seeking student is ineligible for financial aid. A non degree seeking student is one who is taking classes for personal enhancement only.

    c. Workshops and remedial classes cannot exceed more than 6 credits for a full time student per semester. Pass/Fail credits do not carry a numerical value and therefore do not count towards a GPA and do not constitute academic progress. A student who earns a 0.00 GPA for any given term is automatically suspended from the Federal Pell grant program.

4. Qualitative and Quantitative progress

    a. The Chief Dull Knife College "Qualitative policy" stipulates that students must maintain a 2.00 GPA in order to receive a degree. Students transferring to other institutions must have a minimum 2.00 GPA in order to transfer earned credits. If a student is in doubt in meeting this standard, he / she should meet with their academic counselor and establish eligibility for this requirement.

    b. Quantitative progress means that a student must have earned 507o of their academic program at 677o of the completion time published for that program. A student not meeting "quantitative progress" will be placed on probation and must make up the deficiency within the next enrolled semester. A student cannot be on probation for more than one consecutive semester. If a student remains deficient at the end of the probationary semester, he / she will be suspended until which time the deficiency is liquidated.

5. Credit Load

    a. The minimum credit requirement each semester for a full time student is 12 credits. Students who register for less than 6 credits may be eligible for financial aid depending upon the length of time to earn credit hours. Students who qualify for Title IV Student Aid may receive funds based on their enrollment status.

    b. A full time student is required to maintain satisfactory academic progress on all credits attempted. A drop below the enrollment status level at which the student was paid results in the student being placed on "Financial Aid Probation". A complete withdrawal will place the student on "Financial Aid Suspension". The academic progress policy will eliminate a student from yo-yoing" back and forth in "probation" status.

6. Maximum Semester Financial Aid Eligibility

    a. Federal law states that a student is eligible for financial aid while enrolled in a degree or certificate program up to 150% of the time published to receive that degree or certificate. Chief Dull Knife College offers 2 year degree programs thus the student may receive federal aid (Federal Pell grant) up to 6 semesters while enrolled full time. If seeking a second degree, the student must appeal to the Financial Aid committee requesting need to receive financial aid. The second degree must be earned in two semesters.

A student must keep in mind that if they seek a second degree from Chief Dull Knife College, they will be using eligibility towards a Bachelors degree from a four year institution. A student is allowed up to twelve semesters of Federal Aid while seeking a four year degree. This includes time used for seeking an A.A. or A.S. degree.

    b. Prior credits earned from other institutions will be converted to semesters. Only those credits accepted in one of Dull Knife's degree programs will count towards the 1507o of the program published length. If a student attends school and does not use financial aid one semester, that enrollment is still counted as part of the 1507o of program length.

    c. Part time enrollment is defined as follows:

1-5 Credits = to less than half time status
6-8 credits = to half time status
9-11 credits = to three-quarter time status.

  A. Federal Financial Aid (Federal Pell grant) is disbursed after the ninth week of classes.

1. Chief Dull Knife College disburses all financial aid that covers "Cost of Attendance" i.e., tuition, fees, books and meal tickets, after the ninth week of attendance.

    a. During registration the student establishes a charge account for the COA items.

    b. If a student withdraws prior to the ninth week, his/her financial aid is pro-rated and disbursed according to percentage of attendance.

2. Payment Authorization

    a. When a student enrolls, he/she must sign a "payment authorization" giving Chief Dull Knife College permission to deduct all charges on account from the Federal Pell grant or other financial aid received. The payment authorization is in compliance with Federal Pell grant regulations.

    b. The student has five days prior to Pell disbursement to void the payment authorization. This request must be made in writing and in no way releases the student from his/her obligation to pay the account in full.

B. Student Status Review

1. Prior to disbursement of the Federal Pell grant, the students mid-term grades and instructor's "warning list" is reviewed and the students enrollment status is thus determined.

a. If the student has dropped below quantitative and qualitative status, he/she is counseled as to their status and conditions and paid according to that status.

APPEAL PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT FINANCIAL AID

A. A Student has the right to appeal a probation or suspension status.

1. A student must make the appeal in writing addressed to the Financial Aid Committee.

a. An appeals form can be picked up from the Financial Aid Office. The form along with documentation related to the failure of the student must be completed and turned into the Financial Aid Director.

b. A meeting is scheduled with the Financial Aid Committee to review the students appeal. If the Committee is not satisfied with the written information, they may ask for an interview with the student.

c. Within a week of that decision, the Financial Aid Officer will notify the student of the Committee's decision.

d. If needed, counseling services may be set up with the student in order to help them to restore full eligibility.

B. Time Frame Extension

1. If a student finds that he/she needs an extension in order to complete their degree, he/she must make an appeal to the Financial Aid Committee.

2. An appeals form can be picked up from the Financial Aid Office.

a. The appeals form must be completed and other documentation stating why the student is requesting additional time.

b. A student that changes his/her program of study just prior to completion of the first degree, must appeal for an extension. If the student cannot justify changing his/her field of study, the Committee may ask the student to complete the first degree and appeal for an extension for the second degree.

c. A student has one year in which to complete the second degree. A student must understand that time used to receive the second degree is time used to obtain a four year degree.

d. The entire enrollment period that a student spends in school is calculated in the 150% completion time although a student may not have received federal financial aid in anyone time frame. Thus, a student attending one semester on their own because of "suspension" will be using a portion of that 150% time period posted in order to receive a degree. This is in accordance with federal regulations.

 

3. A student transferring to Chief Dull Knife College and on suspension for federal financial aid from another institution, will be placed on "probation" when attending Chief Dull Knife College for the first semester. If SAP is not made in the first semester, the student will be on "suspension" from Chief Dull Knife College for one semester and or until SAP is met.

The desire of a student or their parents to claim financial independence for the student does not necessarily release the parents from the responsibility of providing financial assistance to meet the student's College expenses., This policy is consistent with financial aid practices at most colleges and universities throughout the United States. Any student who claims financial independence must document that claim.

All students will be notified of the outcome of their application for financial aid regardless of whether or not they receive an award. Many factors make it unwise to name a specific date on which award notices will be sent to student applicants. All students will be advised as to the type and amount of aid offered if they qualify for financial assistance.

Students receiving financial aid from Chief Dull Knife College are responsible for notifying the Office of Financial Aid in writing about: (1) any change in the number of credit hours enrolled for, (2) any change in name, address or telephone number, (3) any change in marital status, and (4) withdrawal from college.

Listed below is a brief description of the programs administered by the Student Financial Aid Office. Students should bear in mind that regulations governing federal programs are subject to frequent change.

Grants are available to Indian students who are enrolled members of a federally recognized tribe. A student must complete and forward to his/her tribe the application along with an acceptance letter and needs assessment from the college of his/her choice.

Eligible part-time students receive funds for tuition, books and fees. Eligible full-time students receive funds for these purposes as well as living expenses if need is documented. All students applying for tribal BIA assistance must apply for campus - based aid programs.

Each tribal office or BIA agency has different application deadlines so students are encouraged to check with their individual agency to insure funding consideration.

The Federal Pell Grant is a federal aid program designed to provide undergraduate students with a "foundation" of financial aid to help defray the costs of post-secondary education. To be eligible to receive a Federal Pell Grant, a student must be a U.S. citizen or be in the United States for other than a temporary purpose and demonstrate a need for financial assistance to continue his or her education (academic performance has no bearing on eligibility). The financial need of the student is determined by a formula developed by the U.S. Department of Education and is reviewed annually by Congress. From this formula is determined the 'EFC" or Expected Family Contribution, which is for the purpose of determining the amount of aid for which a student is eligible. The award is to be used solely for educational expenses which include tuition and fees and other educational expenses such as books, supplies, room and board.

First time students receiving a Federal Pell Grant are subject to repaying the grant award if they should drop out of school prior to using 607o of the cost incurred. A pro-rata formula is used to figure the amount to be repaid and is based upon the last day of attendance. Returning students may be subjects to repayment also should they not complete the standards set forth by the Department of Education and CDKC.

These grants cannot exceed one-half of the actual cost of attendance. The amount of the grant also depends upon the amount of funds actually available for the program in a given year. Further information concerning the program is available at high schools, post offices and the CDKC Office of Student Financial Aid

Honor Student Scholarships:

Honor Scholarships are awarded during graduation ceremonies to returning students who have successfully completed their freshman year, and were enrolled at 12+ credits, maintaining full-time status and a 3.5 GPA or better for those previous two semesters. This scholarship will provide payment of tuition and fees. Students will be notified of the award by mail and will be required to sign a letter of acceptance outlining conditions of the award.

It is expected that students recipients of the Honor Scholarship will enroll with a full-time course load and maintain that full-time status in the semesters they receive the award. Dropping below full-time status during an award semester will terminate eligibility for the coming semester.

Payment of the scholarship is limited 12-18 credits per semester. Classes taken above 18 credits will be the financial responsibility of the student.

A student subject to graduation during a semester for which the award is made with verifiable and documented extenuating circumstances, will be examined on an needed case by case basis, by the Financial Aid/Scholarship Committee. They will review the justification and if warranted, grant an exemption to the student regarding the 12+ credit standard to keep the award. As a general procedure, this exemption will be granted to only those student who may need less than 12 credits to graduate successfully by the end of the semester in which the award has been made and are seeking work in the community during that semester.

Dr. John Woodenlegs Scholarship

An award of $500.00 presented to a graduating sophomore. Recognizes academic excellence, citizenship and leadership.

Edwin Dahle Memorial Scholarship:

An award of $500.00 presented to a full-time freshman student who has demonstrated academic excellence, commitment to completing a degree program and will continue at CDKC during the ensuing academic year.

American Indian College Fund:

Amounts vary each semester as per the AICF foundation. Particular guidelines attached to each grant or scholarship are set by the donors and may establish eligibility when awarding funds.

Tuition waivers for up to two CDKC classes per semester are available for board members and those staff members who are employed 1/2 time or greater on the date of registration. Spouses and children of these individuals are similarly eligible for tuition wavers.