Express Classes
Taking Express Classes
For students who are enrolled in express classes, also called mini-sessions, your financial aid money WILL NOT DISBURSE until approximately ten days after the class has started. This is generally applicable regardless of the type of aid you are receiving.
- For example: If a student registers for 12 hours or 4 classes at the beginning of the semester, but only 3 of those classes start at the beginning of the semester and the final class begins two months later, the student would only receive his financial aid grant for the 3 classes that started at the beginning of the semester when the first refund date occurs. The money for the last class would disburse on the first disbursement date AFTER the census date of that mini-session provided the professor verifies the student's attendance.
- Using the same example above, if the student was receiving student loan funds, the first disbursement would
go out on time because students only need to be enrolled half-time in order to receive
student loan funds. So, in this case, the late starting class would not affect the
student loan funds.
- Let's look at one more example: If a student enrolls in only 2 classes, or 6 hours, and one of those classes starts at the beginning of the semester, but the other one doesn't start until a month and a half later and the student is receiving student loan funds, the first disbursement would NOT go out until after that second class begins. This is because the student would not be half time until that mini-session begins.
Generally speaking, student's can enroll in mini-sessions at any point in the semester. If the student still has aid eligibility remaining (meaning, they were not enrolled full-time at the beginning of the semester), they should be able to get their Pell grant for the express class. Realize, however, that most of the other grant programs have limited funds and money for those funds may not be available any longer if the student enrolls in an express class close to or after the start of the regular semester. For loans, students must be enrolled and attending at least half-time to receive their loan. These students would not get additional loan money for adding hours over and above the half-time.