R618 – 1. Purpose: To provide Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA) policy and procedures for administering the UHEAA Grant (“Program”)
R618 – 2. References
2.1. Board of Higher Education Policy R601, Board of Directors of the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority.
2.2. Memorandum to the UHEAA Board of Directors from Chalmers Gail Norris, Executive Director of UHEAA (UHEAA Board Meeting Agenda, November 30, 1999).
2.3. Memorandum to the UHEAA Board of Directors from Chalmers Gail Norris, Executive Director of UHEAA (UHEAA Board Meeting Agenda, September 4, 2003).
2.4.UHEAA Board of Directors’ Agenda Action Item, Board Report No. 4. (March 16, 2004).
2.5. Letter to Chalmers Gail Norris, Executive Director of Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority from William T. Evans, Assistant Attorney General, Chief, Education Division of the State of Utah (March 16, 2004).
R618 – 3. Effective Date
3.1. Effective Date of Policy: These policies and procedures are effective as of fiscal year 2008.
R618 – 4. Policy
4.1. Program Description: The UHEAA Grant is a need-based grant awarded to qualified students who have demonstrated substantial financial need and are making satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the institution. Program funds can be awarded by the participating institution to a qualified student as an institutional packaging of need based financial aid or emergency awards for students experiencing unanticipated personal or family financial difficulties which threaten their ability to continue enrollment during the remainder of the academic year.
4.2. Award Year: The award year for the Program is the twelve-month period designated by an eligible institution, coinciding with the state fiscal year beginning July 1 and ending June 30.
4.3. Institutions Eligible to Participate: Eligible institutions include the ten institutions of the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) and private nonprofit postsecondary institutions which are accredited by a regional accrediting organization recognized by the Board of Higher Education Policy (“Board”). These are the only institutions eligible to participate. For purposes of this section the Board recognizes the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges. Utah private nonprofit postsecondary institutions accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges are: Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University Idaho, Brigham Young University Hawaii, LDS Business College and Westminster College.
4.4. Students Eligible to Receive UHEAA Grants: To be eligible for the UHEAA Grant, a student must:
4.4.1. Have demonstrated need for financial assistance.
4.4.2. Be certified by the institution to be enrolled and in good standing and making satisfactory academic progress, as formally defined by the institution, towards a program objective (degree, diploma or certificate).
4.5. Program Administrator: The program administrator for the UHEAA Grant is the Associate Commissioner for Student Financial Aid or a person designated in a formal delegation of authority by the Associate Commissioner, under executive direction of the Commissioner of Higher Education.
4.6. Determination of Funds Available for the Program: UHEAA Grants are funded in total from UHEAA’s Loan Purchase Program’s (LPP) Short Term Note Fund’s (STNF) net operating revenues. Each fiscal year the UHEAA Executive Director recommends for action by the UHEAA Board of Directors a UHEAA Grant funding commitment.
4.7. Allotment of Program Funds to Institutions: Allotment of program funds shall be determined by multiplying the total amount available by the ratios of 3rd week headcount enrollment of participating institutions to total. Utah College of Applied Technology (UCAT) allocations are determined by contingency reserve amounts and are not based on head count enrollment. (Approved UHEAA Board of Directors, March 29, 2005)
4.8. Institutional Participation Agreements: To receive UHEAA Grant funds for an award year, a participating institution is required to submit a master “letter of agreement”, signed by the chief executive officer, certifying that the program funds provided by UHEAA will be used in accordance with the following terms and conditions.
4.8.1. Use of Program Funds Received by the Participating Institution
4.8.1.1. The financial aid director of the institution will determine what portion of the UHEAA Grant allotment will be utilized for awards to qualifying students as part of the institutional packaging of need-based aid and what portion will be reserved for emergency awards to students experiencing unanticipated personal or family financial difficulties which threaten their ability to continue enrollment during the reminder of the academic year.
4.8.1.2. The institution may retain and carry-forward up to 10% of the current year UHEAA Grant fund allotments(s) to the next fiscal year. However, the institution shall inform the program administrator immediately if it determines that it will not be able to utilize all program funds allotted to it for the award year. The institution may return excess funds before April 1 of the current fiscal year to the program administrator for re-allotment to other institutions.
4.8.1.3. All earnings on UHEAA Grant funds, which are held by the institution in an interest bearing account, are to be disbursed to students in the form of a UHEAA Grant.
4.8.2. Determination of Awards to Eligible Students
4.8.2.1. The maximum amounts of the UHEAA Grant that may be awarded to an eligible student during a fiscal year are $2,800 for an undergraduate student and $4,500 for a graduate student. The minimum amount is $300, except that a smaller amount may be awarded when the unused remainder of the allotment is less than $300.
4.8.2.2. All awards under the program will be made without regard to an applicant’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, childbirth, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, age, or status as a person with disabilities, disabled veteran, or veteran of the Vietnam era or otherwise provided by law.
4.8.3. Notification and Reports: The institution will submit a midyear report in December of the fiscal year and an annual report within 30 days after completion of the fiscal year, providing information on individual awards and such other program-relevant information as UHEAA may reasonably require.
4.8.4. Records Retention and Cooperation in Program Reviews: The institution agrees to maintain adequate documentation of the basis for the selection of recipients and of delivery of the grant funds for audit by UHEAA for a period of three years after the applicable fiscal year.
