For military and previous military students needing financial support for educational expenses, the goal of the College is to help with financial support without the use of any type of loans. There are a variety of options, which include state and federal grants and numerous scholarships. In particular, the Lee College Foundation awards approximately $470,000 to students each academic year for both full time and part-time credit and non-credit courses. The College does not offer private student loans, but assists with federal loans through the financial aid application process. The following describes assistance available.
- The Veterans Counselor is an expert on the variety of educational benefits available to military personnel and their families. Before seeking loans, the student is provided individualized information to maximize resources that includes their state and federal military educational benefits as well as grants, scholarships, and tuition waivers.
- The TRiO Educational Opportunity Center, a federal program funded through the Department of Education, serves students in the application process for higher education, which includes applying for financial assistance. Specialists in this office are available to work one-on-one to meet the individual needs of the students. As an accountability factor for their federal funding, the program serves military personal as a priority.
- All advisors and academic counselors at Lee College are familiar with the financial aid process and provide information as part of the advising process.
In addition to the individualized help noted above, additional support and resources include the following:
- The Financial Aid Office has a front counter with knowledgeable employees available to answer questions and provide students with support regarding the financial aid process. The Financial Aid section of this website provides resources on the processes for applying for financial assistance. In addition, the office offers workshops to provide assistance with the financial aid application and process. These workshops are offered October through April each year. For more information on workshops contact the financial aid office at www.lee.edu/financialaid or email finaid@lee.edu.
- All students applying for federal loans are required (by federal regulation) to participate in pre-loan counseling through an online program. This provides additional information to the student in understanding the responsibility and obligations of receiving an educational loan.
For more information, contact the Veterans Center at va@lee.edu.
Cohort Default Rate Information
The U.S. Department of Education releases official cohort default rates (CDR) electronically to all schools. Cohort default rate sanctions and benefits provide an incentive to schools to work with their borrowers to reduce default. Sanctions also can prevent a school from continuing to participate in federal financial aid.
Lee College has never been sanctioned as a result of the default rates and continuously works with students on options to help pay back Department of Education loans. Schools must be above 25% three years in a row to be sanctioned. More information can be found through the Department of Education website.
Below are the most recent three-year cohort default rates.
| Year | Lee College CDR | National |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2013 | 20.8 | 11.8 |
| FY 2014 | 9.8 | 11.3 |
| FY 2015 | 13.6 | 10.3 |
Return of Unearned Tuition Assistance Funds (Department of Defense)
As required by the Department of Defense. Lee College will return unearned tuition assistance (TA) funds on a proportional basis through the 60 percent portion of the period for which the TA funds were provided. When an active military student withdraws from one or more courses, the student may not be eligible to receive the full amount of TA funds. In addition to the College District refund policy, from the day when the class reaches the 25 percent completion rate until the day it reaches the 60 percent completion rate, five percent of the TA funds will be returned to the Department of Defense. Below is this information as it pertains to different sessions of enrollment.
3-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(15 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-3 | 70% Return |
| Day 4 | 25% Return |
| Day 5-9 | 5% Return |
| Day 9 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 10-15 | 0% Return |
5-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(25 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-5 | 70% Return |
| Day 6 | 25% Return |
| Day 7-15 | 5% Return |
| Day 15 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 16-25 | 0% Return |
8–Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(40 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-8 | 70% Return |
| Day 9-10 | 25% Return |
| Day 11-24 | 5% Return |
| Day 24 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 25-40 | 0% Return |
10-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(50 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-9 | 70% Return |
| Day 10-12 | 25% Return |
| Day 13-29 | 5% Return |
| Day 30 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 31-50 | 0% Return |
13-Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(60 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-13 | 70% Return |
| Day 14-16 | 25% Return |
| Day 17-36 | 5% Return |
| Day 36 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 37-60 | 0% Return |
16–Week Course Withdraw Submitted
(76 days of instruction/ Week of instruction is counted as 5 days)
| Prior to the First Class Day | 100% Return |
|---|---|
| Day 1-15 | 70% Return |
| Day 16-20 | 25% Return |
| Day 21-46 | 5% Return |
| Day 46 | 5% Return (60% of Course is Completed) |
| Day 47-76 | 0% Return |