A+ Schools Program

The A+ Schools Programs is designed to provide students who have graduated and successfully met the requirements from a designated A+ high school the opportunity to continue their education at a community college.

Students who have graduated and successfully met the requirements from a designated A+ high school are eligible to receive A+ benefits at any public community college or technical school in the state of Missouri.

A+ Benefit Guidelines

Please read the information below and note the critical dates!

• You must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours each semester (full-time). A+ benefits will cover tuition expenses only. Lab fees, private music lesson fees, telecourse fees and other miscellaneous fees are excluded. These fees will be YOUR responsibility. 
• You are required to meet with an academic counselor each semester to enroll. The counselor will verify that the courses you have chosen are required for your degree program. Students will have to pay for any courses that are not approved. 
• Remedial courses at SCC qualify for A+ funding; however, in order to establish a grade point average (GPA) for a given term, you must take at least one college-level course.
• Your benefits expire when the earliest of the following occurs;
  
  • 48 months after the completion of high school coursework (Students providing service to any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces can defer their eligibility beyond the 48 months if they return to full-time status within 12 months of the end of their military service)
  • Completion of 105% of the hours required for the program in which you are currently enrolled
• A FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is required each academic year.
• Any federal and/or state grants that you are eligible for will be applied to your account prior to A+ funding.
• Students transferring to SCC must forward transcripts from all colleges previously attended. You must complete a Request for Evaluation of Transfer Credit form.
• Students receiving A+ funding are required to maintain a minimum 2.50 cumulative gpa as well as meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards established by SCC. A cumulative 67% completion ratio is required to maintain eligibility. 
  
                  Completion Ratio = number of completed hours divided by number of attempted hours.
• The number of credit hours dropped in a term will be deducted from your eligibility during your next term of enrollment. Students will be responsible for any costs not funded by the A+ program.
  
  For example: you are enrolled in 12 hours in a semester and withdraw from 6 hours. In your next semester of enrollment - 6 hours will be deducted from your A+ eligibility and you will be required to pay those tuition costs.

Students who fail to meet A+ eligibility requirements will no longer be processed by the Enrollment Services Department for A+ funding. It is your responsibility to notify the A+ coordinator for reinstatement after you have again met the minimum requirements.

• If you are currently attending a four-year institution or plan to attend a four-year institution and want to used A+ benefits for the summer term, this is not permitted.  You  must be degree seeking at SCC to be A+ eligible.
• You may be concurrently enrolled at another community college and still be eligible for A+ benefits under the following conditions:
  
  
  • It is your last term of A+ eligibility.
  • The course work is required for your chosen degree program.
  • SCC is not offering the course during the given semester.

SCC Important Dates to Remember

Students planning to use A+ benefits at SCC must have their A+ financial aid file completed by the following deadlines to avoid having to prepay tuition and fees:

A completed A+ financial aid file consists of the following documents:

• A completed FAFSA application sent to SCC from the Department of Education. In order for SCC to access your FAFSA, you must include SCC's school code of 017027.
• All requested documents if you are selected for verification by the Department of Education. (We will notify you by mail if your application must be verified prior to processing).
• Official college transcripts if you are transferring to SCC from another institution. Transcripts must be evaluated for credit.

Students whose A+ financial aid files are not completed by the above deadlines will be required to pay their tuition and fee charges by the payment deadline for a term but will be considered for reimbursement if their files are completed by the following deadlines:

Class schedules must also be finalized by these deadlines. Any files that are not completed prior to these dates or classes added after these dates will be at the expense of the student.

For more information or questions, contact the A+ coordinator at 636-922-8269.

The A+ Benefits Program is administered by the Missouri Department of Higher Education.