Yes. If the student is enrolled as degree-seeking and the courses are credit-bearing. Subsection 18-303(a)(1) states that a student must be accepted in the regular undergraduate program at an eligible institution or be enrolled in a 2-year associate degree program in which the coursework is acceptable for transfer credit for an accredited baccalaureate program in an eligible institution. Therefore if the community college defines a student enrolling in a summer course (enrichment) as a degree seeking student, the summer semester would count as the students first academic year of enrollment because the institution has defined the student as a degree seeking . The only way the student’s summer courses would not count as an academic year is if the institution does not define the student as a degree seeking student or the coursework that the student is completing during that summer session is not transferable into an accredited baccalaureate program.
A student’s year of Enrollment in the Educational Excellence Award (EEA) program will be defined as the years in which the student received the award. Meaning the student must have received (disbursed) an EEA award at least once during each academic year for at least two years before adhering to the credit completion requirements.
Yes. A dually enrolled student taking college courses while still enrolled in high school is excluded from the credit completion requirements. A high school student is ineligible to receive the grant, per § 18-303(b)(1). Since the student is still a high school student the college courses the student takes and completes while in high school will not be counted when determining the students’ academic year of enrollment, nor counted during the credit completion requirements after the student graduates from high school and begins college.
The institution will not have to return/cancel the student’s award from the prior year if no documentation was readily available at the time the award was certified and paid to confirm the students ineligibility, or during the academic year no information/documentation was available to the institution to verify that the student was ineligible for the award. However, the institution is responsible for canceling the award if documentation is provided during the academic year confirming that the student is ineligible for the award.
The accepting institution should verify the credit completion requirement based on the number of credits the student successfully completed. The accepting institution does not need to analyze which credits were accepted for purposes of determining credit completion.
The credit completion requirement is applicable to all students enrolled in an eligible institution on or after August 31, 2015, and has received an EEA award for at least two years.
**Note: OSFA will identify all applicable students and they will appear on the newly developed “Credit Completion” roster in MDCAPS.**
Repeated course work shall be counted in accordance with the institutions established policies and procedures.
No. Credits earned while a student is enrolled in a certificate program are not included in the credit completion requirements. A student enrolled in a certificate program is ineligible for an EEA award.
Successfully completed courses means a course in which a student received any grade higher than an “F” regardless of any school or program policy.
Yes. The student can provide an unofficial or official transcript to verify the credit completion requirement.
If a student previously attended an out-of-state institution and completed at least two years of enrollment, and is now attending an in-state school, and is a recipient of the EEA state award, the credit completion requirements will not apply until the student has received the EEA award for at least two years.
No. Since the third year is the student first year of receiving the EA award the number of credits successfully completed at the end of the students second year of enrollment has no bearing on the student award amount in the third year. The student will not have to adhere to the credit completion requirements until the end of the student’s second year of receiving the award, which in this case would occur at the end of the student’s fourth academic year if an award was received. Therefore, if the student enrolled for a fifth year, the credit completion requirements would apply to their eligibility of the fifth year award.
No. Institutions are required to report the number of credits successfully completed at the end of the student’s second academic year and thereafter in which the student received the award only.
Yes. If a student fails to meet the credit completion requirement at the end of their second year of receiving the award, eligibility can be regained at the end of the subsequent year and thereafter, if the student successfully completes at least 24 credits and has remaining eligibility.
Yes. The student is eligible for the CB-EAG award in Year 3 if the student met the credit completion requirement at the end of their second year of receiving the award and the institution chooses to award the student.
