Rights & Privacy

The University of the Arts complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) regulations and fully supports and adheres to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) Statement of Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct for Instructional Financial aid Professionals.

FERPA

Confidentiality and Privacy of Financial Aid Information

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

Under FERPA, educational privacy and access rights accrue to the student when she/he turns 18 OR enrolls in a post-secondary institution. The University of the Arts is a post-secondary institution.

Persons who have applied to but who have not attended the University as an enrolled student are not covered under FERPA. Under institutional policy, applicants are extended the same privacy and access rights to their financial aid information as students.

Applicants, students and parents should be aware of the following institutional financial aid privacy policies. The financial aid staff is permitted to discuss or otherwise disclose a student's financial aid information to the following parties:

  1. the student.

  2. the student's parent(s) whose information appears on the FAFSA.

  3. other University officials having a legitimate educational reason to know the student's financial aid information (e.g. staff in the billing office so that they can manage the student's account).

  4. external agencies and organizations such as guarantors, lenders, state grant agencies, and auditors that have a legitimate reason to know the student's financial aid information (i.e. staff at such agencies authorized to process loans and grants for the student).

  5. external federal agencies granted such rights under FERPA e.g. DOE, INS, CSPCA, et cetera).

Under FERPA, institutions are required to disclose a student's information (sometimes without notification to the student) in response to commands from the courts (typically subpoenas) and demands from specific federal agencies. The Financial Aid staff will comply with all lawfully issued demands for information from the entities identified in the FERPA regulations and will (or will not) notify the student as required.

Students and parents should be aware that their signatures on the FAFSA and other financial aid documents (e.g. loan applications) authorize the release of their information to certain federal and state agencies. Please read the FAFSA and other financial aid documents for more information.

Depending upon the scope of the information requested by the student or other authorized parties, the Financial Aid Office may require time to present the records requested. When the information requested cannot be produced immediately the Financial Aid Office may require such time as is permitted under FERPA regulations to retrieve and present the records requested.

The Financial Aid staff is not permitted to discuss or otherwise disclose a student's Financial Aid information to others including but not limited to:

  1. the student's parent(s) or stepparent(s) whose information does not appear on the FAFSA (the non-filing parent) without written permission from the student and the filing parent.

  2. the student's parent(s) or stepparent(s) whose information does appear on the FAFSA when the parents have separated or divorced and the other parent has been identified as the custodial parent, without written permission from the student and the custodial parent.

  3. high school guidance counselors and teachers.

  4. the student's spouse.

  5. interested relatives, neighbors, and friends.

The Financial Aid Staff is not permitted to discuss or otherwise disclose academic information (which includes but is not limited to scholarship eligibility, financial aid eligibility, grades, grade-point average, academic standing, or probationary status) to anyone (except the federal and state agencies responsible for processing the student's financial aid or having authority under FERPA to access such information) other than the student (whether or not the student is dependent, whether or not the parent pays the invoice) without the student's written authorization.

Rights & Responsibilities

Information Release

When extraordinary circumstances prevent the student from accessing and understanding financial aid or account information the Student Financial Services staff may discuss normally confidential information with the individual(s) the student designates on the information release form. Students may pick up the form in the Office of Student Financial Services and students must complete and sign the information release form in the office in the presence of a staff member.

Due to the highly sensitive nature of financial and academic information, facsimiles, photocopies or mailed information release forms will not be accepted. Students can rescind the information release at any time by notifying the office at finaid@uarts.edu from their university email.

Rights and Responsibilities

The receipt of financial aid is a privilege, which creates both rights and responsibilities.

Students have the right to know the method used to determine their need; the right to have access to information and records used in determining need; and the right to be awarded aid as equitably as funds permit.

Students applying for financial aid are responsible for accurately portraying financial resources and circumstances and notifying the Financial Aid Office of any changes in status; for applying in a timely manner; and for maintaining satisfactory academic progress and good standing.

Students who fail to maintain adequate progress will be placed on probation. Failure to correct academic deficiency will result in the loss of financial aid until the required credits and grade-point average have been earned.

Students, parents, or others who knowingly provide false information on any financial aid form (financial aid forms include but are not limited to the FAFSA, verification forms, Work Study time cards and loan applications) will be denied financial aid and will be refused for all subsequent years without the possibility of appeal. Additionally, students so identified will be billed for all aid disbursed and may face prosecution by the Department of Education, which may result in fine, imprisonment, or both.

While the Financial Aid Office staff is available to assist students through the application process, it is the student's responsibility to see to the correctness and completeness of his or her application. If a student receives notification that his/her FAFSA or loan application is incomplete, the student must determine what is necessary to complete the application(s) and submit the required information. An application for financial aid will have no effect on the decision concerning admission. The admission decision is made without access to financial aid data.

Drug Conviction

Eligibility After Drug Conviction

A federal or state drug conviction can disqualify a student from federal financial aid funds.

Convictions apply if they were for an offense that occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving Title IV federal financial aid; convictions do not count if the offense did not occur during such a period. A conviction that was reversed, set aside, or removed from the student's record does not count toward federal financial aid eligibility. In addition, a conviction received when the student was a juvenile does not apply, unless that student was tried as an adult.

The following chart illustrates the period of ineligibility for federal financial aid programs.

Please note that eligibility is dependent upon the nature of the conviction and the number of prior offenses.

Possession of Illegal Drugs Sale of Illegal Drugs

1st Offense - 1 year from date of conviction 2 years from date of conviction

2nd Offense - 2 years from date of conviction Indefinite Period

3+ Offenses - Indefinite Period

Pursuant to federal law, a conviction for the sale of drugs includes convictions for conspiring to sell drugs. Moreover, those students convicted of both selling and possessing illegal drugs will be subject to ineligibility for the longer period as prescribed under the circumstances.

A student regains eligibility the day after the period of ineligibility ends or when the student successfully completes a qualified drug rehabilitation program. Further drug convictions will make the student ineligible again for federal financial aid programs.

Students denied eligibility for an indefinite period can regain it only after successfully completing a rehabilitation program as described below. Furthermore, eligibility can be regained if a conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from the student's record so that fewer than two convictions for the sale or three convictions for the possession of illegal drugs remain on the student's record. In such cases, the nature and dates of the remaining convictions will determine when the student regains eligibility. It is the student's responsibility to certify to the University that a qualified drug rehabilitation program has been completed.

For purposes of financial aid eligibility, a qualified drug rehabilitation program must include at least two unannounced drug tests and must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:

  • Be qualified to receive funds directly or indirectly from a federal, state, or local government program.

  • Be qualified to receive payment directly or indirectly from a federally or state licensed insurance company.

  • Be administered or recognized by a federal, state, or local government agency or court.

  • Be administered or recognized by a federally or state-licensed hospital, health clinic, or medical doctor.

For more information regarding illegal drug convictions and financial aid eligibility, please visit the Frequently Asked Question section of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website or visit the Office of Student Financial Services, room 270, Hamilton Hall.

Scholarship Renewal

Merit-Based Scholarship Terms & Conditions

Any University merit-based award will be awarded and renewed under the following terms and conditions:

  1. You must be admitted to the University of the Arts.

  2. You must not have received a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent.

  3. With the exception of the International Presidential Scholarship you must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen.

  4. You must enroll as a full-time undergraduate at The University of the Arts. Full-time is defined as completing between 12 and 18 credits each semester. If you complete fewer than 12 credits each semester, your merit award may be revoked.

  5. The Presidential Scholarship, Promising Artist Award, Director's Talent Scholarship, Artist Grant, and Named and Endowed Scholarships will not be granted for more than 8 semesters. If you transfer to The University of the Arts, your scholarship will be pro-rated based on the number of semesters you have remaining to complete your degree after your transfer credits are evaluated.

  6. You must maintain satisfactory academic progress in accordance with University regulations.

  7. Your merit award may be revoked should you withdraw from or take a leave of absence from The University of the Arts. The University reserves the right to terminate this merit award if your enrollment is not continuous from the date of your original entry.

  8. Should you be subject to disciplinary action, academic probation or dismissal while enrolled at The University of the Arts, your merit award may be revoked.

  9. The University of the Arts reserves the right to reduce this merit award to eliminate any cash refund to you should your merit award, when combined with other financial aid, outside scholarships, or benefits, exceed the cost of attendance.

  10. The merit scholarship is a tuition scholarship, which cannot be combined with other University sponsored grants, scholarships, or benefits (which include, but are not limited to, tuition remission, tuition exchange, or tuition discounts) to be used toward dormitory fees or other non-tuition expenses.

  11. Should you decline a merit award, the offer becomes void and is canceled. If your merit award is canceled, you may reapply, but you will then be considered on a funds-available basis and may not be awarded the same amount.

Title IV Loan Program Code of Conduct

In order to ensure transparency in the administration of the student financial aid program and to avoid the harm that may arise from actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest, the University of the Arts has adopted the following code of conduct:

The University of the Arts shall not enter into a revenue-sharing arrangement, which is defined as an arrangement between a school and a lender under which the lender pays a fee or provides other material benefits, including revenue or profit sharing to the school, an officer or employee of the school, or an agent and in exchange, the school recommends the lender or the lender’s loan products and the lender makes Title IV loans to the student attending the school.

Any officer or school employee who is employed in the Office of Student Financial Services or who has responsibilities with respect to student loans is prohibited from soliciting or accepting any gift from a lender, guarantor, or servicer of educations loans.

An officer or employee of the Office of Student Financial Services or who has responsibilities with respect to education loans or an agent who has responsibilities with respect to education loans shall not accept any fee, payment, or other financial benefit (including the opportunity to purchase stock) as compensation from any lender or affiliate for any type of consulting arrangement or other contract to provide services to the lender or on behalf of the lender with regard to education loans.

The University of the Arts shall not request or accept funds from any lender for private education loans including funds for an opportunity pool loan to its students in exchange for the school providing concessions or promises to the lender regarding the number or volume of Title IV loans or a preferred lender arrangement.

The Office of Student Financial Services personnel will not assign, deny or otherwise impede a borrower’s right to choose a particular lender or guarantor.

Requests or acceptance of any assistance from any lender with call center or Office of Student Financial Services staffing is prohibited.

Any school employee, in the Office of Student Financial Services or with responsibilities regarding the education loans or financial aid, who serves on an advisory board commission, or group established by a lender, guarantor, or group of lender or guarantors shall be prohibited from receiving anything of value from the lender, guarantor, or group of lenders or guarantors. However, the employee may be reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in serving on the advisory board, commission, or group.