Alabama Administrative Code
Title 300 - ALABAMA COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Chapter 300-4-9 - APPALACHIAN YOUTH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM REGULATIONS
Section 300-4-9-.03 - Definition Of Terms

Universal Citation: AL Admin Code R 300-4-9-.03

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024

(1) Academic Qualifications and Satisfactory Progress of Eligible Students: A student is considered to be academically qualified if he/she is enrolled and matriculated in an eligible program at an eligible institution and is maintaining satisfactory academic progress in the course of study he or she is pursuing according to the standards and practices of the institution in which the student is in attendance.

(2) Alabama Resident: An Alabama resident is a person who has established residence within the State of Alabama for at least a 12-month period prior to the beginning of the term for which financial assistance is requested, and is in the State of Alabama for other than a temporary purpose.

(3) Appalachian Region: The following counties are located in Alabama's Appalachian region: Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, Dekalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lawrence, Lauderdale, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston. Classified as distressed counties are Bibb, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Lawrence, Pickens, Randolph, and Talladega.

(4) Eligible Institution: An eligible institution is an accredited, private nonprofit or public higher education institution that is located in Alabama's Appalachian region, submits a complete application to the Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program for financial assistance to its students, agrees to match any Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program funds with institutional grant, scholarship or work awards, and complies with all reporting requirements of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education.

(5) Eligible Program: An eligible program is any program (except theology, divinity, or other program of preparation for a religious profession) that is separately identifiable and leads to a degree or certificate, and meets the requirements for eligibility at a particular type of institution. An eligible program must admit as reqular students only persons who have a high school diploma, have a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, or who are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance and have the ability to benefit from the education or training offered. An eligible program must lead to an associate or bachelor's degree, or be a program which is at least a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward a bachelor's degree, or be a program which is at least a one-year program leading to a certificate or diploma that prepares a student for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

(6) Eligible Student: An eligible student is an applicant who completes an annual AYSP application and

(a) Is classified as an undergraduate student as defined in .04(16);

(b) Is a citizen or is in this country for other than a temporary purpose;

(c) Is a resident of a county located in Appalachian region of the State of Alabama, as defined in .04(03);

(d) Is enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student as defined in .04(10), in an eligible program within an eligible institution;

(e) Submits a 500-word essay on either "how I plan to serve my community" or "what I plan to do with my college education".

(f) Is making satisfactory academic progress as defined by the eligible institution;

(g) Is not in default on a student loan or owes a refund on a student grant from the federally-funded student aid programs;

(h) Has established financial need for a scholarship by means of a federally approved need analysis system for the academic year;

(i) Has graduated from high school or is scheduled to graduate from high school within 3 months of the date of the award or has received a certificate of high school equivalency for successfully completing the Test of General Education Development (GED); and

(j) Ranked in the top third of his or her high school class or received GED test scores recognized by the State to be equivalent to ranking in the top third of the high school graduates in the State, or nationally, in the academic year for which the eligibility determination is being made.

(7) Family Contribution: The family contribution of a dependent student is the sum of the amount which reasonably may be expected from the student and spouse, plus the amount which reasonably may be expected to be made available to the student by the parents or legal guardians to meet the student's cost of education. The family contribution of an independent or self-supporting student means the amount of money which reasonably may be expected from the student and spouse to meet the student's cost of education.

(8) Financial Need: An applicant's financial need is the difference between the applicant's available financial resources, as defined in .04(9), and the applicant's anticipated educational cost, including tuition and fees applicable to such student together with the institution's estimate of other expenses reasonably related to cost of attendance at such institution, including, but not limited to, the cost of room and board, transportation costs, and costs for books and supplies. An approved institution may not charge students fees for processing data or determining student eligibility for Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program awards.

(9) Financial Resources: Financial resources must include, but may not necessarily be limited to, family financial support, anticipated awards under all federally-supported financial aid programs, veterans educational benefits, plus other benefits, and scholarship, grant, work or loan assistance of which the institution has knowledge.

(10) Full-Time Student: A full-time student is defined as an individual who is carrying a full-time academic workload, other than by correspondence, measured in terms of (a) course work or other required activities, including any combination of courses, work experience, research, or special studies which the institution requires of the student in order to be considered as being engaged in full-time study, and which amounts to the equivalent of a minimum of 12 semester hours or 12 quarter hours per academic term, or a minimum of 24 clock hours per week, and (b) is charged the tuition and fees customarily charged for full-time study by the institution.

(11) Over-Award of Established Need: If a student receives other gift aid awards, loans, scholarships, or work-study that are non-adjustable and meet the student's financial need as defined in .04(8) the student is not eligible to receive an Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program award.

(12) Public Institution of Higher Education: A private institution of higher education is an educational institution which (a) is in Alabama; (b) is a nonprofit institution; (c) admits as regular students only persons who have a high school diploma, or have the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, or are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in Alabama, and have the ability to benefit from the training offered; (d) is legally authorized to provide an educational program beyond secondary education and is physically located in Alabama (e) provides an educational program for which it awards an associate, baccalaureate, or professional degree or at least a two-year program which is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, or at least a one-year training program which leads to a certificate or diploma and prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation; and (f) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association.

(13) Public Institution of Higher Education: A public institution of higher education is an educational institution which (a) is in Alabama; (b) admits as regular students only persons who have a high school diploma, or have the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma, or are beyond the age of compulsory school attendance in Alabama, and have the ability to benefit from the training offered; (c) is legally authorized to provide an educational program beyond secondary education and is physically located in Alabama; (d) provides an educational program for which it awards an associate, baccalaureate, or professional degree or at least a two-year program which is acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, or at least a one-year training program which leads to a certificate or diploma and prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation; and (e) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association.

(14)

(a) Refunds: If a student becomes ineligible for a scholarship during the academic year of the award, and prior to the delivery of Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program funds to the student, the institutional financial aid administrator will not disburse Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program funds to the student.

(b) Whenever an institution refunds monies to the Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program, the institution must provide to the Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program the refund amount maintain with the student's records documentation listing (a) the date the student withdrew, (b) the net institutional charges to the student for the period of the student's attendance, (c) the amount of the student's scholarship award, and (d) the amount of refund due the Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program.

(15) Selection Criteria: To receive an award, a student must meet the following criteria: be a resident of a county in Alabama's Appalachian region, graduate in the top third of his or her high school class, have a financial need as determined by a federally-approved need analysis system, attend an institution located in Alabama's Appalachian region, and submit a 500 word essay on either "how I plan to serve my community", or "what I plan to do with my college education". Weighted scores will be given to the following criteria: 10% for residing in an ARC county, 15% for residing in a distressed county, 15% for high school GPA, 25% for financial need, 15% for attending an institution located in Alabama's ARC, 10% for attending an institution located in a distressed county, and 15% for a completed essay.

(16) Student Application Procedure. Each Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program applicant must submit to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education an application for an Appalachian Youth Scholarship Program award. Award priorities will be given to completed applications received in the Commission office by July 1.

(17) Undergraduate Student: An undergraduate student is defined as a person who is in attendance at an eligible Alabama postsecondary educational institution and who has not earned a baccalaureate or first professional 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.

Author:

Statutory Authority: Alabama Act 300-4-9.

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