Policies and Resources

Do I Have to Provide My Parents’ Information on the FAFSA® Form?

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report when you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form.

If you’re a dependent student, you will report your and your parents’ information.
If you’re an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you’re married, your spouse’s).

A dependent student is assumed to have the support of parents, so the parents’ information must be assessed along with the student’s to get a full picture of the family’s financial resources. If you’re a dependent student, it doesn’t mean your parents are required to pay anything toward your education; this information is simply used to determine the student’s maximum eligibility for federal student aid.

Dependent or Independent

Your answers to questions on the FAFSA^® form determine whether you are considered a dependent or independent student.

Personal Circumstance Questions to Determine Dependency Status on the 2026–27 FAFSA^® Form

Here are the questions that determine your dependency status for the 2026–27 school year.

Were you born before Jan. 1, 2003?	Yes	No
As of today, are you married? (Answer “No” if you are separated but not divorced.)	Yes	No
At the beginning of the 2026–27 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an M.A., MBA, M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., graduate certificate, etc.)?	Yes	No
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training? (If you are a National Guard or Reserves enlistee, are you on active duty for other than state or training purposes?)	Yes	No
Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces? *	Yes	No
Do you have children or other people (excluding your spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you now and between July 1, 2026, and June 30, 2027?	Yes	No
At any time since you turned age 13, were you an orphan (no living biological or adoptive parent)?	Yes	No
At any time since you turned age 13, were you a ward of the court?	Yes	No
At any time since you turned age 13, were you in foster care?	Yes	No
Are you or were you a legally emancipated minor, as determined by a court in your state of residence?	Yes	No
Are you or were you in a legal guardianship with someone other than your parent or stepparent, as determined by a court in your state of residence?	Yes	No
At any time on or after July 1, 2026, were you unaccompanied and either (1) homeless or (2) self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?^**	Yes	No

Answered “Yes” to One or More of the Questions Above

If so, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered to be an independent student and will not be required to provide information about your parents on the FAFSA form.

Answered “No” to Every Question

If so, then for federal student aid purposes, you’re considered a dependent student, and you must provide information about your parents when you fill out the FAFSA form.

Which Parent’s Information to Report on the 2026–27 FAFSA^® Form

If your legal parents (biological or adoptive parents) are married to each other, or are not married to each other and live together, you should report information about both of them on your FAFSA form. However, we recognize that many situations are a little more complicated, so we’ve provided information on how to figure out which parent(s) should provide information on the 2026–27 FAFSA form as a contributor.

Don’t Live with My Parents

You still must answer the questions about your parents if you’re considered a dependent student.

My Parents Refuse to Provide Information on My FAFSA^® Form

You can’t be considered independent of your parents just because they refuse to help you with this process. If you do not provide their information on the FAFSA form, the application will be considered “rejected,” and you may not be able to receive any federal student aid. The most you would be able to get (depending on what the financial aid office at your college or career/trade school decides) would be an unsubsidized Direct Loan. The FAFSA instructions will tell you what to do if you are in this situation.

No Contact with My Parents

If you have no contact with your parents and don’t know where they live, or you’ve left home due to an abusive situation, select “Yes” to the “Do unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parents or would contacting their parents pose a risk to the student?” question on the 2026–27 FAFSA form. You’ll be considered provisionally independent. To complete your application, you should contact the financial aid office at the college or career/trade school you plan to attend to find out what supporting documentation you’ll need to submit directly to the school.

Changes to My Personal Circumstances

If your personal circumstances change after you submit your 2026–27 FAFSA form, contact your school’s financial aid office to ask if they have a policy that allows you to update your dependency status. The financial aid staff will tell you what to do.

Federal Student Loan Cohort Default Rate

Goldey-Beacom College’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 Cohort Default Rate is 0% compared to the national cohort default rate of 0%.

Federal Verification Policy

Verification uses a student’s documentation to confirm that the data provided on a student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is accurate. The Federal government requires all colleges and universities participating in Title IV aid programs to verify or confirm the data reported by a student and their contributors on the FAFSA. The verification process ensures that eligible students receive all the Federal financial aid to which they are entitled and prevents ineligible students from receiving financial aid for which they do not qualify.

The Federal government randomly chooses students. If the FAFSA a student submits is incomplete or inconsistent with other documentation provided to the Financial Aid Office, the student and their contributors will be asked to update the data on the FAFSA. Verification is a federal regulation, and the items to be verified may change each award year. The Financial Aid Office may request additional supporting documentation should questions arise after a review of the Student Aid Report (SAR).

The Financial Aid Office will notify the student if selected for verification. Before finalizing financial aid awards, a student must submit all federal verification documents. Students who have yet to complete the verification process before the start of a given semester must contact the GBC Business Office at (302) 225-6268 to receive direction on how to proceed with making an out-of-pocket payment.

The Financial Aid Office encourages students and their parents to speak with a Financial Aid Counselor to learn more about this critical step in the financial aid awarding process.

Financial Aid Appeals

As a friendly reminder, the Financial Aid Office at Goldey-Beacom College would like to remind you of our office’s professional judgment tool when reviewing your financial aid package. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines eligibility for financial aid using financial information from two years before estimating a household’s current circumstances. Due to the pandemic’s disruption to the economy, the Financial Aid Office at Goldey-Beacom is mindful that your household may have experienced changes in come or other finances that no longer reflect the information submitted on your FAFSA form.

When some unique situations or circumstances impact your federal student aid eligibility, federal regulations give a financial aid administrator discretion or professional judgment on a case-by-case basis and with adequate documentation to make adjustments to the data elements on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts your Student Aid Index (SAI) to gain a more accurate assessment of your family’s ability to contribute to your cost of education.

As you prepare for the 2026-27 academic year, please note that the Financial Aid Office remains committed to ensuring the best financial aid package possible to help make your education affordable at Goldey-Beacom College. If your household’s income level or financial situation has changed, don’t hesitate to contact the Financial Aid Office to discuss your next steps in the professional judgment process.

Still, trying to figure out what your next steps are? The Financial Aid Office understands the federal aid process can be nerve-wracking; that said, do not hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your next steps. We aim to help you in any way we can to make your education as affordable as possible. You can reach us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 302-225-6264.

Financial Aid Freeze Date

A financial aid freeze date is when a student’s enrollment status for financial aid “freezes.” Most institutions pair this date with the Registrar’s Office census date. The financial aid office “locks” a student’s enrollment status for the term at this date. So, students with full-time registration status will receive their financial aid awards at that level for the remainder of the term and, likewise, for students who are in a part-time registration status (i.e., three-quarter time, half-time, and less-than-half-time).

After the financial aid freeze date, no further modifications will happen to a student’s financial aid package. Essentially, the freeze date locks in an enrollment status for the term.

Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have questions regarding the financial aid freeze date or the implications with your financial aid package.

How Do I Review and Accept My Financial Aid Awards?

The Financial Aid Office created a resource guide to assist students with the financial aid portal. Please click the link below to learn more about the financial aid portal. If you have any questions, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or calling 302-225-6264.

Student Financial Aid Portal Instructions

Outside Scholarships

You can deduct outside scholarships from your tuition balance. To do so, you will need to provide the Business Office with a copy of the scholarship letter. The Financial Aid Office will post your outside scholarships to your account after the Business Office receipts the scholarship.

Student Withdrawals

When a student does not complete their enrollment in a term, the Financial Aid Office must review the student’s financial aid package. During this review, the Financial Aid Office will determine if the student is withdrawing from the College (officially or unofficially) and make the appropriate adjustments to the student’s financial aid package.

Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to determine if a federal aid recipient completed 60% or more of the term. If the federal aid recipient completed 60% or more of the term, they may keep their federal financial aid awards. Suppose the federal aid recipient completed fewer than 60% of the term. In that case, a required Return of Title IV Aid Calculation takes place to ensure the appropriate amount of federal aid credits to the student’s account. Reviewing the section below, you can learn more about the Return of Title IV Aid process.

State agencies may require the Financial Aid Office to return grant or scholarship funding if a student fails to complete most of the term. Institutional aid may also require adjustments in course drops that change the student’s credit hour enrollment. Please review the census date section of this webpage to understand how the census date data determines financial aid packaging.

What about when the Registrar’s Office determines a student did not initiate enrollment in any of their courses in a term? In that case, the Financial Aid Office must return all aid proceeds to the respective student aid program. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Return of Title IV Funds

Upon a Title IV financial aid recipient’s withdrawal from the College, the following will apply:

When Title IV funds were disbursed to a student who withdraws from the College during the institutional refund period according to the drop/add policy, the following rules apply to both new and returning students:
- The institutional refund, which is calculated according to the refund schedule in the drop/add policy will be used to restore money to all or some of the financial aid programs from which the student received funds. Federal law defines a distribution formula for restoring funds to aid programs.
- The student receives a cash refund only when a negative balance exists after the financial aid programs are fully funded.
The College is required by federal regulations to determine how much financial aid was earned by students who cease attendance in all Title IV eligible classes in a payment period prior to completing 60% of the given period of enrollment. The calculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:
- Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total number of days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term). This percentage is also the percentage of federal aid earned.
- Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula: Aid to be returned = 100% minus the percentage of aid earned, then multiplied by the total dollars of aid that was or could have been disbursed.
- If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the College is required to return the amount of unearned aid to each respective Title IV aid program. This may result in a balance owed to the College.
- If a student earned more aid than was disbursed, the College is required to offer a post-withdrawal disbursement. This only applies if the student had Title IV aid award originated that was not disbursed prior to withdrawing.
- The College must return the amount of Title IV funds that were unearned within 45 days of the date of determination that the student withdrew.
For a student who withdraws after the 60% point-in-time of a given payment period or term, there are no unearned funds. This means that no funds are required to be returned to the respective Title IV aid programs, however a calculation is required to document and determine the following:
- The student did, in fact, complete at least 60% of the payment period or term and;
- The student is eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement (only applies if the student has federal aid awards that were packaged and were not disbursed to their student account).
Return of funds to the Department of Education are made in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loans
- Subsidized Federal Direct Loans
- Federal Direct Grad PLUS Loans
- Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loans
- Federal Pell Grant
- FSEOG
- TEACH Grant
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Financial Aid Counselor will notify the student when the R2T4 process has been completed with the outcome of the calculation (for example a balance is owed, or a refund is due). The written notification will be sent to the student’s GBC Email within ten (10) business days of completing the R2T4 process.
Students who have questions about the R2T4 refund calculation are directed to the Financial Aid Coordinator.

Items to note: (1) The SAM License is non-returnable and non-refundable. Therefore, it is counted as an excludable cost in the R2T4 calculation, so it is assessed as a 100% charge. (2) Online bookstore purchase charges for books that are required for students to purchase and are sold exclusively by GBC’s online bookstore will be included in the R2T4 calculation. The Business Office maintains a list of courses in which this would be applicable. (3) This Title IV Refund Calculation Policy supersedes the housing cancellation fee established by the Office of Residence Life.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

2026-27 SAP Undergraduate Policy

Annual Review and Definition of Good Standing

Goldey-Beacom College is required by the Department of Education (DOE) under CFR 34 § 668.34 to establish a Standards of Academic Progress Policy (SAP). An annual review of each student’s academic progress will occur at the conclusion of every Spring semester. In order to be considered in good standing, Undergraduate students must:

Achieve at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). (This is the College’s requirement for degree conferral at the Undergraduate level).
Earn at least 75% of the student’s cumulative attempted credits. (This satisfies the maximum timeframe to complete requirement).

Impact of Grading Scale on Academic Progress

In accordance with the College’s Undergraduate grading scale, the following grades are considered passing and add to the student’s earned credits and factor into the student’s cumulative GPA: A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, P

In accordance with the College’s Undergraduate grading scale, the following grades are considered not passed and impact the student’s academic record adversely as follows:

F – Failing grade which results in a negative impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count.
W/X – Withdrawn grade which results in no impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count.
I – Incomplete grade which results in no impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count. This grade is subject to change based on reporting by the faculty member to the Registrar’s Office, at which time it impacts the student’s cumulative GPA and credit hour count according to the new grade.

In accordance with the College’s Undergraduate grading scale, courses that are repeated and subsequently passed with a higher final grade remove the original course’s assigned grade from the cumulative GPA and attempted credits.

Outcomes of SAP Review

The following outcomes are possible after the annual review of the student’s academic performance:

Good Standing – The student has met both the cumulative GPA and cumulative earned credit requirements and is considered in good standing.
Financial Aid Warning – The student has not met the cumulative GPA and/or earned credit requirements and is placed on Academic Warning. The student is placed on an academic plan that defines the academic expectations of the student in the subsequent semester. Students on Financial Aid Warning are able to receive forms of financial aid assistance, both federally and institutionally.
Financial Aid Probation – A student on Financial Aid Warning who did not meet the terms of their academic plan and are still not meeting the cumulative GPA and/or earned credit requirements. The student is no longer eligible for any form of financial aid assistance.

Depending on the outcome of each academic year and/or semester, students may shift from one status to another.

Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility

Students who were placed on Financial Aid Probation are able to regain eligibility for financial aid assistance by petitioning for reinstatement of financial aid through the Financial Aid Office. Once a petition of reinstatement is received by the Financial Aid Office, a review of the student’s academic transcript occurs. If the student is meeting the minimum cumulative GPA and earned credit requirements, the student may regain eligibility under Financial Aid Warning statuses.

2026-27 SAP Graduate Policy

Annual Review and Definition of Good Standing

Achieve at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). (This is the College’s requirement for degree conferral at the Undergraduate level).
Earn at least 75% of the student’s cumulative attempted credits. (This satisfies the maximum timeframe to complete requirement).

Impact of Grading Scale on Academic Progress

In accordance with the College’s Graduate grading scale, the following grades are considered passing and add to the student’s earned credits and factor into the student’s cumulative GPA: A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, P

In accordance with the College’s Graduate grading scale, the following grades are considered not passed and impact the student’s academic record adversely as follows:

F – Failing grade which results in a negative impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count.
W/X – Withdrawn grade which results in no impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count.
I – Incomplete grade which results in no impact to the student’s cumulative GPA and is considered unearned in the student’s cumulative credit count. This grade is subject to change based on reporting by the faculty member to the Registrar’s Office, at which time it impacts the student’s cumulative GPA and credit hour count according to the new grade.

In accordance with the College’s Graduate grading scale, courses that are repeated and subsequently passed with a higher final grade remove the original course’s assigned grade from the cumulative GPA and attempted credits.

Outcomes of SAP Review

The following outcomes are possible after the annual review of the student’s academic performance:

Good Standing – The student has met both the cumulative GPA and cumulative earned credit requirements and is considered in good standing.
Financial Aid Warning – The student has not met the cumulative GPA and/or earned credit requirements and is placed on Academic Warning. The student is placed on an academic plan that defines the academic expectations of the student in the subsequent semester. Students on Financial Aid Warning are able to receive forms of financial aid assistance, both federally and institutionally.
Financial Aid Probation – A student on Financial Aid Warning who did not meet the terms of their academic plan and are still not meeting the cumulative GPA and/or earned credit requirements. The student is no longer eligible for any form of financial aid assistance.

Depending on the outcome of each academic year and/or semester, students may shift from one status to another.

Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility

Student Aid Recipient Rights and Responsibilities

Goldey-Beacom College students have the right to:

Know the types of aid programs available to you.
Confidentiality of all personal, family, and financial information.
Know how your financial need is being met.
Know the deadlines for submitting applications for all available financial aid programs.
Request a financial aid appeal when your financial situation changes.
Understand all loan conditions.

As a Goldey-Beacom College student, it is your responsibility to:

Reapply for financial aid every year by the specified deadlines.
Review your financial aid package annually.
Report all outside scholarships or grants that you receive to the Financial Aid Office.
Repay any loans you receive.
Remain in good standing with Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Submit verification documents in a timely manner.

Code of Conduct for Education Loans

Goldey-Beacom College is committed to providing students and their families with the best information and processing alternatives available regarding student loan borrowing. In support of this and to rule out any perceived or actual conflict of interest between Goldey-Beacom College officers, employers or agents and private education loan lenders, Goldey-Beacom College has adopted the following code of conduct:

Goldey-Beacom College does not participate in any revenue-sharing arrangements with any private lender.
Goldey-Beacom College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any gifts of greater than a nominal value from any lender or servicer.
Goldey-Beacom College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including a stock purchase option) from a lender or affiliate of a lender as compensation for any type of consulting arrangement or contract to provide services to a lender or on behalf of a lender relating education loans.
Goldey-Beacom College does not permit any officer, employee or agent of the school who is employed in the financial aid office or is otherwise involved in the administration of education loans to accept anything of value from a lender, guarantor, or group of lenders and/or guarantors in exchange for service on an advisory board, commission or other group established by such a lender, guarantor group of lenders and/or guarantors. Goldey-Beacom College does allow for the reasonable reimbursement of expenses associated with participation in such boards, commissions or groups by lenders or groups of lenders.
Goldey-Beacom College does not assign a private lender to any first-time borrower through financial aid packaging or any other means.
Goldey-Beacom College recognizes that a borrower has the right to choose any private lender from which to borrow to finance an education. Goldey-Beacom College will not refuse to certify or otherwise deny or delay certification of a loan based on the borrower’s selection of a private lender.
Goldey-Beacom College will not request or accept any offer of funds to be used for private education loans to students from any lender in exchange for providing the lender with a specified number or volume of Title IV loans, or a preferred lender arrangement for Title IV loans.
Goldey-Beacom College will not request or accept any assistance with call center or financial aid office staffing.

Conditions of Financial Aid Awards

Students who receive financial aid awards at Goldey-Beacom College must abide by the following terms and conditions of their financial aid package. The Financial Aid Office can answer any questions or concerns regarding these conditions.

All financial aid packages are for the current academic year. Students must re-apply for financial aid on an annual basis. Renewal of financial aid awards is contingent on maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and any renewal required for that award.
Outside scholarships and funds from other sources, such as state agencies, may require recalculating your financial aid package.
The Financial Aid Office authorizes financial aid disbursement throughout the academic year on pre-determined dates. Additional financial aid authorizations of disbursements may occur on other dates as necessary.
A student must begin enrollment at the College to have their financial aid funds transferred to their account.
Graduate and Undergraduate students must maintain a half-time enrollment status to receive federal student loan assistance.
All students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress to receive continued funding through the federal student aid programs.
All financial aid packages require review when a student officially or unofficially withdraws from the College. According to federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies, a recalculation of financial aid awards may be necessary.
Students may only receive federal financial aid at one institution for the same enrollment period.
Students may only use federal financial aid once to repeat a course with a passing grade. Students who repeat a course a third time with a passing grade will not receive federal financial aid, nor will it count as credit hours in the semester’s enrollment total.
The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to review, modify, or cancel financial aid awards at any time due to changes in a student’s financial aid status, eligibility for financial aid, or changes in federal, state, or institutional funding availability. Adjustments may also occur if the College or the student makes an error.

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