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A+ Program

A+ Program

The A+ Scholarship Program provides scholarship funds to eligible graduates of A+ designated high schools who attend a participating public community college or vocational/technical school.

The A+ program main goal is to assure that all students, when they graduate, are well-prepared to pursue advanced education, employment, or both.

The A+ program is funded through the State of Missouri and is administered by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD). As such, changes are often made as the program is reviewed frequently. Any changes that are made are typically retroactive, meaning that they take effect immediately and are applied to every A+ eligible student no matter when they began using their A+ benefits. You are always notified of any changes to the A+ program through email and posted information on the Crowder College website.

Please be sure to check your Crowder College email account for notices with regard to your A+ benefits.

  • Apply for admission at Crowder College
  • Send A+ Seal on your high school transcript sent to records@crowder.edu
  • Complete Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually
    Crowder College (code #002459)
  • Read and sign the A+ Agreement and Guidelines Form
  • Enroll as a full-time student
    • 12 hours in the fall/spring semesters;
    • 6 hours in the summer. (Summer classes are optional, but you must take the minimum hours for A+ to pay.)
    • A+ may not be used during a summer home from another college. (This is called a transient student).
  • Maintain a 2.50 cumulative grade point average (GPA)
  • Student must be degree-seeking.
  • A+ Scholarship funding is only open to United States citizens or permanent residents.

As an A+ student, you will have the following reimbursed by the state of Missouri (as legislative funding allows): the Institutional Support, Security and Safety, and Technology fees (common fees) and tuition up to the state’s cap.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) determines the A+ maximum reimbursement tuition rate every year. 

https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php

A+ will not pay for repeated coursework, books, supplies, lab and course fees, dropped, withdraw coursework, Housing or Meal plans.

Dropped coursework (classes where a grade was not earned or you withdrew) will not be reimbursed if you completed enough hours to remain full-time that semester. If you fall below full-time status at the end of the semester, A+ will reimburse the college for your classes, but you will not be eligible for A+ benefits until you have completed the hours needed to reinstate full-time status.

Example:

Student takes 15 hours, but only completes 12 – A+ WILL NOT PAY for the 3 hours that were dropped.

Student takes 15 hours, but only completes 9 – A+ WILL PAY for all 15 hours, but you will NOT BE ELIGIBLE for A+ until you complete at least 3 hours to meet the minimum 12-hour completion requirement.

Your eligibility expires when the earliest of the following occurs:

Student has up to 4 years from the time they graduate from high school

Or receive funding for a maximum of 105% of the credit hours required for their degree

Or completion of an Associate’s Degree.

If a student receives federal funds that do not require repayment they will be applied to their account first.  MO State A+ funding only pays after federal grant funds (including PELL) has been applied.

A+ Scholarship may be stacked with other scholarships.

The Missouri A+ Scholarship Program is only available to students who attend a participating public community college or vocational/technical school.

University A+ Scholarships ARE NOT part of the Missouri A+ Scholarship program and MAY NOT cover all tuition and common fees.

A+ Scholarship funding is provided by the State of Missouri through the Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development and is subject to change.

A+ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

Do I have to use A+ right out of high school?

A:  No, you have four years from your high school graduation to use your A+ benefits.  However, you are only eligible to receive A+ benefits until you have reached 105% of the hours required for the completion of the degree you are seeking at Crowder College no matter who paid for all of those hours.  If you attend another college out of high school and then decide to attend Crowder College to complete one of the offered degrees, your previous hours could be counted towards the 105% A+ limit.  Always check with the A+ Coordinator to verify eligibility.

Which aid is applied first…PELL or A+?

A:  PELL is federal money and A+ is state money.  As such, PELL has to be applied to your bill first.  It also must be applied in a specific order: 1st Tuition, 2nd Fees, 3rd Bookstore Charges, 4th Housing, etc.  As A+ can only pay for tuition, institutional support, safety, security and technology fees.  PELL will reduce the amount that A+ can pay.  Be sure to have your A+ in order as financial status can change from year to year.

If I drop a class or classes will I lose my A+?

A:  As long as you are a full-time student until the end of the term you will not lose your A+ for the current semester.  However, remember, depending if you’re enrolled in 15 hours and drop a 3-credit hour class after the Financial Aid census day you will owe for the course(s) out of pocket during the same semester that the drop(s) occurred.  You then would be eligible next term enrolled.  If you were enrolled in 15 hours but only complete 9 hours, A+ will pay for all 15 hours but you will be ineligible for A+ until you have completed at least 3 hours (9+3) = 12 hours completion requirement next term. 

Do I have to take classes in the summer in order to keep my A+?

A:  Absolutely not.  If you choose to take summer classes, you must enroll as a full-time student (minimum of six hours during the summer semester) in order to use your A+ benefits.

If I take more than twelve (12) hours during a semester (fall or spring) will A+ pay for it?

A:  A+ will pay for the tuition and institutional support, safety, security and technology fees for all hours taken during a semester. 

Does A+ pay for repeated courses?

A:  No, A+ will not pay for repeated coursework if A+ was utilized to pay for the course(s) the first time.

If I’m attending another college, can I come back and use A+ for summer at Crowder College?

A:  No, you must be seeking a degree with Crowder College.  This would be called a transient student.

If it is my first summer after high school graduation, can I use A+ for the summer semester?

A:  Yes.  The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development allows you to use A+ program benefits at a community college your first summer after high school graduation, even if you plan to transfer to a four-year college or university in the fall, (as long as you have completed your FAFSA).

Is there a limit to how much A+ will pay for a class?

A: Yes, the following will be reimbursed by the state of Missouri (as legislative funding allows): the Institutional Support, Security and Safety, and Technology fees (common fees) and tuition up to the state’s cap.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) determines the A+ maximum reimbursement tuition rate every year. 

https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/grants/aplusscholarship.php

Can I transfer to Crowder College to use A+ Program Funding?

A:  A student may transfer from another college or university and utilize A+ Program funding at Crowder College contingent upon the following:

  • The student must complete steps to receive A+ Program funding
  • Cumulative grade point average established a previous institution will not impact A+ eligibility at time of transfer to Crowder College.

Crowder will calculate transfer credit into the cumulative grade point average. A new student coming in first time has initial status year.  Either from high school or transferring into Crowder from a University.  A student who initially received the A+ Scholarship in either the summer or fall term need to have at least a 2.0 grade point average at the end of the fall term.  Initial recipients that do not achieve at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA at the end of the fall term will not be eligible for a spring award. They may regain eligibility as a renewal student once they have achieved a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA.

Will A+ pay for online classes?

A:  Yes.  The A+ program covers tuition (up to the state’s cap), institutional support, safety and security, and technology fees for online classes.

Can I receive A+ funding and attend school less than full-time?

A:  Yes; if you meet on of the exceptions below:

  • Have a documented disability and an ADA letter on file with the office of Student Accessibility office.
  • Plan to graduate at the end of the semester and have applied for graduation with the Records Department.
  • A student taking any degree program including the Nursing, Occupational Therapy Assistant, Veterinary Technology programs is now afforded the option to enroll in less than full-time hours during any semester and still receive A+ benefits as long as he/she are enrolled in all of the available hours applicable to the student’s program of study in a given term.

The A+ Scholarship regulation provides allowable exceptions to full-time enrollment for students that are enrolled in all available hours applicable to the program of study for the term, are participating in a required internship, or are enrolled in prerequisite courses that do not require full-time enrollment. In addition, full-time is defined as a minimum of 6 hours for students that meet the requirements of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students in these situations now required to complete 6 credit hours each term (3 credit hours in summer).

A:  No, the definition of, and the established exceptions to, full-time enrollment still apply. However, students that enroll in less than 12-credit hours (3 in summer) as a result of qualifying for one of the exceptions to full-time enrollment or having a qualifying disability must complete all of the hours in which they enroll in a term to be eligible for an award in the next term.

If I’ve lost my A+…is it possible to get it back?

 A:  Yes, but in addition to meeting all other eligibility criteria, you must have a cumulative 2.50 grade point average or above to earn it back.  In addition, if you lost A+ due to the completion requirement, you must complete enough hours to total 12-credit hours when combined with your prior term.  For example, if you began with 12-credit hours but completed 9, you would have to complete a minimum of 3-credit hours to regain eligibility for the next period of enrollment.  The A+ program will not cover any classes taken while the student is ineligible. 

If I withdraw all classes, will A+ pay?

A:  Yes, but the student will not be eligible next term.  If student wants to pay for the withdrawn classes, and contacts A+ Coordinator, they will need to decline to use A+ for this term, the student then would be A+ eligible next term. 

Are students that are not enrolled in/do not receive A+ reimbursement for a term eligible for an award the next term?

 

A: The requirement that students complete 12-credit hours in a term (6-credit hours in summer) only applies to students who are enrolled in the term and have a positive net disbursement for that term. A positive net disbursement occurs when the disbursement amount less any returned funds is greater than zero.

Students that do not enroll in any coursework in a term will be eligible for an award in the next term, provided the student meets all of the program’s other eligibility criteria.  For example, mid-year high school graduates may receive a spring award even though they were not enrolled in the fall term.

Students that have a zero-net disbursement for a term also will be eligible for an award the next term. There are many circumstances in which these situations could occur, including but not limited to:

  • The student is not eligible for an A+ award because the student is not enrolled full time and does not meet one of the allowable exceptions for full-time enrollment.
  • The student opts to pay the term’s tuition and fee bill out-of-pocket. This would include situations where the student did not complete 12 credit hours as a result of withdrawn coursework and would apply whether the withdrawal was partial or complete.
  • The student is a renewal student that is ineligible for an award because he/she did not meet the 2.5 cumulative grade point average, or any other renewal requirement.
  • The student is eligible for an award, but the award is reduced to zero when the Pell Grant is applied to tuition and general fees.

Students that complete less than 12-hours in a term but choose to receive A+ reimbursement for the remaining coursework will have a positive net disbursement for that term. As a result they will be ineligible for an award in the next term.

 

Are all students required to meet the 12-credit hour completion requirement, or is it limited to initial students like the 2.0 grade point average requirement?

 

A: The 12-credit hour completion requirement applies to all students, both initial and renewal. The 2.0 grade point average requirement applies to initial students only. An initial student is one that is eligible for A+ reimbursement and has not received reimbursement in any prior award year (July 1 to June 30).

 

Is the 2.0 grade point average based on the student’s grade point average for the fall term only, or do students have to achieve a cumulative 2.0 grade point average?

A: Initial students must achieve a cumulative 2.0 grade point average at the end of the fall term. In addition to the fall term GPA, the cumulative GPA may also include the summer GPA; any coursework the school accepts in transfer, as included in the cumulative GPA per institutional policy; and any postsecondary coursework completed prior to high school graduation included in the cumulative GPA per institutional policy. The student’s cumulative GPA at the end of the summer will not affect the student’s eligibility for a fall award. Some examples follow.

Example 1: Student A attends an A+ institution for the first time in fall, has never attended any other institution, and did not take any dual credit courses in high school. Student A’s cumulative GPA at the end of the fall term will be calculated based on the coursework taken in the fall term.

 

Example 2: Student B attends an A+ institution for the first time in summer, has never attended any other institution, and did not take any dual credit courses in high school. Student B does not enroll in the fall term but plans to enroll in spring. Student B’s cumulative GPA at the end of the fall term will be calculated based on the coursework taken in the summer term.

 

Example 3: Student C attends an A+ institution for the first time in summer, has never attended any other institution, and did not take any dual credit courses in high school. Student C enrolls in the fall term. Student C’s cumulative GPA at the end of the fall term will be calculated based on the coursework taken in both summer and fall.

 

Example 4: Student D transfers to an A+ institution from a four-year institution in summer and has never received A+ before (an initial student). Student D took three dual credit courses in high school. Student D subsequently enrolls in the fall term. Student D’s cumulative GPA at the end of the fall term will be calculated based on the coursework taken in both the summer and fall terms, and may include the transfer and dual credit coursework, if it is the institution’s policy to include such coursework in the cumulative GPA calculation.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Amber Lewis | A+ Coordinator

Phone: 417.455.5657
Email: APlus@Crowder.edu

For more information visit the

Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development website:

dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/grants/