Financial Aid Available for Some Technical Diplomas
Effective July 1, 2021, the US Department of Education made changes to how credits are calculated for financial aid for technical diploma programs that do not lead to an associate degree. Due to the changes to the federal credit conversion formula that determines enrollment status (full-time, half-time, etc.) for Federal Student Aid purposes, Wisconsin Technical College System students who are enrolled in a technical diploma that does not lead to an associate degree may not be eligible for full financial aid funding.
How does the calculation work?
Federal regulations require colleges to convert instructional credit hours for certain diploma programs based on a conversion formula. The new conversion formula will determine if the program includes the minimum number of instructional credit hours to qualify as an eligible program for Federal Student Aid purposes. The calculation of enrollment status is different for programs that have one or more courses that cannot be used toward a 2-year associate’s program. The converted financial aid credits are used to determine a student's enrollment status and Federal Student Aid award status.
The revised formula for determining the number of credit hours for each class of a program is such that each credit must include at least 30 in-class hours of instruction. This determination is made by dividing the total number of instructional hours in a course by 30. The result is the new total credit hours for the course in which financial aid will be paid. This total will be used when calculating financial aid awards. Although you may be enrolled full-time academically, your financial aid will be calculated using the converted financial aid credit hours.
Mid-State Technical College has determined the programs of study below are required to apply the new federal conversion formula. Students enrolled in these programs may not be eligible for full financial aid funding based on the program’s credit hours. Feel free to review other funding options, like scholarships, to help you pay for college.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact the financial aid office at 715-422-5611 or email Financial Aid.
Affected Programs of Study & Courses
- Medical Assistant
- Sterile Processing Technician
