PURPOSE: This rule sets forth policies of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education regarding student eligibility and application procedures for tuition grants under the Financial Assistance Program section of Chapter 173, RSMo.

1. (1) Definitions.

   1. (A) Applicant means a student who qualifies under section 173.215, RSMo and has filed an accurate and complete application for financial assistance under that section.
   2. (B) Coordinating board means the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE) created by the Omnibus State Reorganization Act, Law, 1974 p. 530.
   3. (C) Department means the Department of Higher Education created by the Omnibus State Reorganization Act, Law, 1974 p. 530.
   4. (D) Dependent student means one who does not qualify as a self-supporting student.
   5. (E) Full-time student means a student who is enrolled in at least twelve (12) semester hours, eight (8) quarter hours or the equivalent of either, but not less than the respective number sufficient to secure the certificate or degree toward which the student is working in no more than the number of semesters or their equivalent normally required by the institutions for the program in which the student is enrolled.
   6. (F) His, him or he shall apply equally to the female as well as the male sex where applicable in this rule.
   7. (G) Nonrenewal applicant means a student who qualifies under sections 173.200– 173.230, RSMo and who has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline for financial assistance but did not receive a grant of financial assistance the prior academic year, under the Missouri Financial Assistance Program sections 173.200– 173.230, RSMo.
   8. (H) Renewal applicant means a student who was awarded and who received a grant of financial assistance in the prior academic year pursuant to sections 173.200–173.230, RSMo, who qualifies under section 173.215, RSMo and who has filed an accurate and complete application by the deadline for renewed financial assistance under that section.
   9. (I) Residency, for the purpose of this rule, shall be determined by reference to the standards set forth in the residency rule for higher education, 6 CSR 10-3.010.

   10. (J) Satisfactory academic progress means that a student is maintaining a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least two and one-half (2.5) on a four-point (4.0) scale, or the equivalent on another scale, and is successfully completing sufficient courses in his/her course of study to secure the certificate or degree toward which s/he is working in no more than the number of semesters or their equivalent normally required by the institution in which the student is enrolled, by means such as suggested in the following table:

       By End of of Program Semester

Program Semester Requirements (or) Hours One-year One-year One-year Two-year Two-year Two-year Two-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year Four-year

Students at institutions on the quarter system must meet at least the equivalent standard of satisfactory progress in terms of quarter hours. Institutions also shall report their own standards for satisfactory academic progress to the department by July 1 of each year as they are to be applied by that institution in the subsequent academic year. Calculation of CGPA shall be based on the approved institution’s policies as applied to other students in similar circumstances.

1. (K) Self-supporting student means a student who meets those self-supporting criteria set forth annually for federal Title IV programs.
2. (L) Student Financial Assistance Program and Financial Assistance Program means the program of financial assistance as set forth in sections 173.200–173.230, RSMo.

1. (2) Basic Eligibility Policy. To qualify for initial or renewed financial assistance, an applicant, at the time of his/her application and throughout the period during which s/he receives that assistance, must meet the requirements set forth in section 173.215.1, RSMo.

2. (3) Application and Evaluation Policy.

   1. (A) The CBHE annually shall prescribe the form of and the time and method for filing applications for financial assistance under the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program. It shall make announcement of its action in these respects and make available the application form.
   2. (B) An application for financial assistance under the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program shall be made upon the form prescribed by the CBHE. In order to Completed Percentage Completed

1 20% 2 60% 3 100% 2 25% 3 50% 4 75% 5 100% 2 12.5% 3 25.0% 4 37.5% 5 50.0% 6 60.0% 7 70.0% 8 80.0% 9 90.0% 10 100.0% (or) 6 (or) 18 (or) 30 (or) 15 (or) 30 (or) 45 (or) 60 (or) 15 (or) 30 (or) 45 (or) 60 (or) 72 (or) 84 (or) 96 (or) 102 (or) 120 receive a Missouri Student Grant, an applicant first must have applied for the federal Pell Grant Program.

1. (C) Applications for a grant of financial assistance will be evaluated according to nationally accepted standards used by any multiple data entry (MDE) processor approved by the United States Department of Education and the student budgets (allowable costs associated with attendance at an institution of higher education) including:

   1. 1. Actual tuition and fees normally

charged by the institutions for a full-time student (twelve (12) hours or the equivalent);

1. 2. An allowance for room and board

costs incurred by the student which—

1. A. For a student without dependents

residing at home with parents shall be, a standard amount published annually by the CBHE per academic year;

1. B. For students without dependents

residing in institutionally owned or operated housing shall be, the amount charged by the institution; and

1. C. For other students, shall be a stan-

dard amount published annually by the CBHE to reflect expenses reasonably incurred by these students;

1. 3. An allowance for books and supplies

costs determined by the institution; and

1. 4. A standard amount published annual-

ly by the CBHE for transportation and other miscellaneous educational expenses incurred by the student. Student expense budgets developed by institutions and used in determining need will be evaluated for compliance with these provisions annually by the department.

1. (D) Renewal applicants shall be given priority over nonrenewal applicants in the consideration of applications for the awarding of grants. Notwithstanding, a renewal application must show a continuing need by the applicant and the amount of a grant responsive to a renewal application shall be determined independent of any prior grant to the student under the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program.
2. (E) Nonrenewal applicants shall be ranked in order by financial need from highest to lowest for the awarding of grants. If sufficient funds are unavailable to award to all eligible nonrenewal applicants, nonrenewal applicants with the highest financial need shall be given priority in the awarding of grants over nonrenewal applicants with lower financial needs.
3. (F) For purposes of section 173.220.2, RSMo, in the case of an institution which charges an hourly tuition rate, tuition shall be determined as the product of the hourly tuition rate and number of hours enrolled in by an applicant, so that the amount of an award to a student attending that institution, subject to other limitations of section 173.220, RSMo, shall be determined in part by the sum of hours enrolled and hourly tuition rate.
4. (G) Exceptions to the procedures of the department applicable to the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program and reconsideration of need, will be made only in unusual circumstances, such as death or disability of a wage earner, illness or other economic reversal and will be considered on an individual basis only upon written request, submitted to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, Missouri Student Grant Program, 101 Adams Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

1. (4) Award Policy.

   1. (A) A student may continue to receive a grant under the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program so long as s/he shows satisfactory academic progress, otherwise meets the criteria of the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program, but not for more than—

      1. 1. Five (5) semesters at a two (2)-year

institution; or

1. 2. Ten (10) semesters or fifteen (15)

quarters at a four (4)-year institution.

1. (B) Satisfactory academic progress shall be determined as that term is defined in this rule, but—

   1. 1. If an institution requires a more rig-

orous standard, students must meet that institutional standard in order to be or continue to be qualified for a grant of financial assistance and in the event an institution requires a more rigorous standard and a student fails to meet this standard, but otherwise meets the standard of satisfactory academic progress as provided in this rule, the student may qualify or continue to qualify for financial assistance if the institution grants the student a waiver of its requirement for satisfactory academic progress; provided, however, that the student shall not be deemed qualified or to continue to qualify for financial assistance if s/he does not meet the more rigorous standards of the institution for more than one (1) semester; and

1. 2. A student who has been denied the

grant for lack of satisfactory academic progress may not receive financial assistance again until the enrollment period after that in which satisfactory progress is attained.

1. (C) No financial assistance will be granted to a student after—

   1. 1. A baccalaureate degree has been

granted to the student; 6 CSR 10-2

1. 2. The required hours for a baccalaure-

ate degree have been completed by a student; or

1. 3. The student has completed one hun-

dred fifty (150) semester hours or two hundred twenty-five (225) quarter hours of coursework.

1. (D) Grants of financial assistance will be awarded for use during the normal academic year but no funds for financial assistance will be granted for use for summer school.
2. (E) Financial aid from all sources, including public and private grants and loans, other than the family contribution, must not exceed need as determined by the institutional need analysis by more than one hundred dollars ($100), except in the case where the student is receiving College Work-Study funds, in which case total financial assistance may not exceed need by more than two hundred dollars ($200). The institution attended by a student receiving financial assistance under the Missouri Student Financial Assistance Program shall report the total financial aid package for each Missouri Student Grant recipient to the department annually to ensure that no overaward is made. If no institutional aid is involved, the Missouri Student Grant Program need may be used, otherwise the limit is the need established by the institutional system.
3. (F) No financial assistance grant will be made retroactive to a previous semester, except to correct an error made in departmental procedures and then only upon the sole discretion of the department.
4. (G) Individual student financial assistance checks will be issued only after certification of full-time attendance of the student by the institution two (2) weeks after the first day of classes.
5. (H) Only one-half (1/2) the annual award of financial assistance will be issued in a semester of that year.
6. (I) A student who does not enroll for fall term or who withdraws only for the fall semester must notify the department of his/her intent to enroll in the spring semester before the deadline for spring semester changes or an award paid in the spring semester will be forfeited.
7. (J) Failure to provide required information by the established deadlines may result in loss of the grant.
8. (K) The minimum grant awarded to qualified applicants is one-half (1/2) the base year tuition and fees at the eligible institution having the lowest tuition and fees in the state.
9. (L) The CBHE has the discretion to withhold payments of any grant awards after initiating an inquiry into the eligibility or the continued eligibility of a full-time student or into the approved status of an institution.

1. (5) Information Sharing Policy. All information on an individual application will be shared with the college financial aid office to provide for verification of the data submitted. Information may be shared with federal financial aid offices if necessary to verify data furnished the state or federal governments as provided for in the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. Section 552, 552a.

AUTHORITY: section 173.210, RSMo 2000.* Original rule filed Aug. 7, 1978, effective March 17, 1979. Emergency amendment filed Sept. 13, 1979, effective Sept. 23, 1979, expired Jan. 11, 1980. Amended: Filed Sept. 13, 1979, effective March 13, 1980. Amended: Filed Dec. 16, 1988, effective April 1, 1989. Amended: Filed Jan. 10, 1990, effective April 16, 1990. Amended: Filed Jan. 12, 2007, effective July 30, 2007. *Original authority: 173.210, RSMo 1972. Missourians for Separation of Church and State v. Robertson, 592 SW2d 825 (Mo. App. 1979). A taxpayer may sue in his/her county of residence on a declaratory judgement action to have an administrative rule declared invalid on first amendment grounds.