Financial Assistance

Financial Aid

Perry Technical Institute offers a variety of financial assistance to eligible students. Aid in the form of grants, loans, jobs, and scholarships help offset the cost of educational expenses. Financial aid is administered in accordance with established state and federal policies and philosophies. The basis of these policies is the belief that financing a student’s education is the responsibility of the student and family.

Due to the length of the program, students enrolled in our Professional Truck Driving program do not qualify for Title IV funding. For more information regarding financial assistance, please refer to the Professional Truck Driving Enrollment Guide or contact a financial aid representative at 509.453.0374 or email financial.aid@perrytech.edu.

Eligibility

A student’s financial aid award is based on a demonstrated financial need. Need is determined from analysis of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA). These forms are analyzed to determine the expected contribution from the student and the student’s family toward the educational expenses. Financial need is the difference between total educational expenses for an academic year and the student/family contribution. Financial aid should be viewed as a supplement only after the full resources of the student and family are committed.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) holds students accountable for meeting the minimum academic standards in an eligible program of study per federal and state financial aid regulations. The Director of Financial Aid reviews SAP before financial aid is awarded and at the end of every term that aid is received.

Students must be making SAP in order to remain eligible for financial aid. To fulfill SAP requirements, students must:

1. Complete each term with a minimum GPA of 2.0 and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
2. Quantitative/credit completion rules: All students at Perry Technical Institute (PTI) attend full time in programs exceeding 12 credit hours per term. Students must successfully complete 100% of the credits associated with the full-time awards (meeting the minimum GPA 2.0) or aid will be terminated.
3. Progress in a program of study at a pace that allows completion within the maximum time frame of 150% (federal funds) and 125% (state funds) of program length.
4. Courses must be completed on time.

If a student withdraws or is dismissed, the dean’s office notifies the director of financial aid who calculates the return of Title IV funding (if applicable) and financial aid for future terms is terminated. If at the end of any term a student is not making SAP, the registrar notifies the director of financial aid and financial aid funds for future terms are terminated. If possible, a financial aid representative meets with the student to discuss termination of eligibility. If not, they will be notified regarding eligibility by mail. If a student does not make SAP at the end of the payment period and they wish to continue in the program of study, the student will need to repeat all of the coursework in that payment period based on the school’s academic policies.

If a student re-enrolls, he or she will be placed on a financial aid warning for the incoming term and will be notified via email. The warning period lasts for one term. During this time, the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

If a student fails to make SAP for a second consecutive quarter while under warning status, the student’s financial aid will be suspended and the student will be notified via email. If the student re-enrolls he or she may appeal the suspension of financial aid due to extenuating circumstances.

Appeals are completed by submitting a financial aid appeal request form located at perrytech.edu/financial-aid/forms.html. Appeals are reviewed based on a documentable extenuating circumstance impacting academic performance. Extenuating circumstances are considered to be past events that are no longer barriers to academic progress. Academic reinstatement by PTI does not constitute reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

A financial aid appeal must meet one or more of the following conditions:

1. Serious illness or injury to student or immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) that required extended recovery time
2. Death of an immediate family member
3. Drug/alcohol treatment
4. Medical/significant trauma in student’s life that impaired the student’s emotional and/or physical health
5. Withdrawal due to military service
6. Other unexpected circumstances beyond the control of the student

Note: Circumstances related to the typical adjustment to college life such as working while attending school, financial issues related to paying bills, and car maintenance/travel to campus are not considered extenuating for purposes of appealing financial aid suspension.

The appeal must include a statement from the student as to why he or she failed to make satisfactory academic progress and how the student is now in a position to be academically successful.

An appeal committee reviews appeals and all decisions are final. Students will be notified in writing of appeal decision within 10 business days. Appeals may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office, mailed to PTI, faxed to 509.453.0458 or emailed to financial.aid@perrytech.edu.

After a successful appeal, the student will be on probation for one quarter followed by an academic plan for up to three quarters for pace of completion. If the student does not meet both the minimum 2.0 GPA SAP standards by the end of the repeated quarter, and be on pace for completion after three terms following the failed term, the student’s financial aid will be suspended. Students can appeal a suspended financial aid status a maximum of two times for different extenuating circumstances.

Incompletes

If at the end of the term the student has an incomplete, no financial aid is disbursed for the following term until the term is completed and SAP can be determined.

Reinstatement of Aid

Students’ financial aid may be reinstated in one of two ways:

1. By having the financial aid appeal form approved
2. By remaining in school and re-establishing compliance with the minimum cumulative GPA (qualitative) and attendance (quantitative) standards

Withdrawals (Refunds)

Perry Technical Institute uses the student’s last date of attendance as the official withdrawal date. Up through the 60% point in each payment period or period of enrollment, a pro-rata schedule is used to determine how much FSA program funds the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. The Return of Title IV Fund Calculation is used to determine the amount that must be returned by the student and school. The amount of financial aid earned is the percentage of aid earned multiplied by the total amount of aid that was disbursed for the payment period or period of enrollment as of the day the student withdrew.

1. If the day the student withdrew occurs on or before the student completed 60% of the payment period or period of enrollment for which the assistance was awarded, the percentage earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period for which assistance was awarded that was completed.
2. If the day the student withdrew occurs after the student has completed greater than 60 percent of the payment period or period of enrollment, the percentage earned is 100%. Following federal policy using the Title IV Fund Calculation, the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment completed is determined by calculating the total number of calendar days in the payment period divided into the number of calendar days completed in that period as of the day the student withdrew.

Funds will be returned in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
3. Perkins Loans
4. Federal Direct Parent Plus Loans
5. Federal Pell Grants
6. FSEOG

Refunding Washington State Aid Funds

Passport to Careers Scholarship (PTC)

If a student withdraws and his or her last date of attendance is prior to or at 50% of the term, the PTC repayment will be based on the percent of the term not completed, following the procedures outlined in the Washington Student Achievement Council’s repayment methodology. Funds will be returned to PTC via the Washington Student Achievement Council’s secure portal, CSAW. If a student’s last date of attendance is after 50% of the term, the aid is considered 100% earned per the State Grant Aid repayment policy and no repayment is processed.

SBCTC Opportunity Grant (OG) and Worker Retraining Grant (WRT)

For refunds/repayment, the Perry Technical Institute Tuition Refund Policy will be followed.

Student Loan Advocate

PTI Foundation Scholarships

In 1992, a group of community volunteers pledged their commitment to Perry Technical Institute by forming the Perry Technical Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to raise funds for student scholarships, loans, instructional equipment, and capital improvements which enrich learning on the Perry campus.

With the support of alumni, community members, foundations, and industry, Perry Technical Foundation has established a strong scholarship program designed to assist current students working toward their career goals. Over the last five years, Perry Technical Foundation has awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships to deserving students.

Perry Technical Foundation scholarships are offered to current Perry Technical Institute students in the spring and fall of each year. The number of scholarships varies depending on available funding.

In addition to scholarships provided by Perry Technical Foundation, the Foundation Office maintains a list of outside scholarships available to Perry Tech students. Scholarship information is accessible in Student Services, the Financial Aid Office and at perrytech.edu/scholarships. Please visit the Foundation Office for more information or for assistance in completing scholarship applications.