Subject: YCCC NATIVE AMERICAN TUITION WAIVER POLICY

Purpose: To provide guidelines and procedures for the Native American tuition waiver.

Introduction

The colleges of the Maine Community College System have a long tradition of waiving certain costs of attendance for qualified Native American students.  Over time, the colleges’ practices have varied depending upon their unique regional, financial and operational demands and resources. Despite these variances and despite the fact that such waivers are not required by law, YCCC has remained committed to assisting Native American students. 

Eligibility

The tuition waiver provided by this procedure shall be available to any student who has:

1. Resided in Maine for the twelve consecutive months preceding enrollment for which the waiver is sought, and meets the YCCC residency requirement;
2. Qualified to matriculate in a degree or certificate program and enrolled in credit-bearing courses at YCCC;
3. Completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) annually and, if the student qualifies for a Pell or other grant(s) (as opposed to loan(s)), apply for such grant(s); and
4. Submit a YCCC Native American Tuition Waiver Application along with documentation that the student is a person whose name, or whose parent’s or grandparent’s name, is on the current tribal census of: 

1. 1. the Passamaquoddy Tribe
   2. the Penobscot Nation
   3. the Houlton Band of Maliseet
   4. the Aroostook Band of Micmac
   5. a state, federal, or provincial North American Indian Tribe, or held a band number of the Maliseet or Micmac Tribes.

This documentation shall include an original tribal verification letter sent directly from the pertinent tribal enrollment office to the YCCC Financial Aid Office no later than two weeks prior to the start of the semester for which the student seeks the waiver.

Tuition Waiver

The waiver available under this procedure is for the cost of tuition not met by grant(s) awarded to a student who meets the eligibility criteria set forth in Section B above.  The waiver may not, either alone or in combination with other aid received, exceed the total cost of attendance as determined by federal standards and the college’s financial aid office.

The tuition waiver available under this procedure applies to all credit hours that a student attempts after August 1, 2008.  The waiver is also limited to the number of credit hours required for graduation from the one degree or two certificate program(s) in which the student first matriculates after August 1, 2008.  A college may waive tuition for additional credit hours attempted after August 1, 2008 for a student who presents exceptional circumstances, provided that any such additional waivers do not result in a total waiver of more than 90 credit hour attempts per student.  These are System-wide limits, meaning that all of a student’s credit hour attempts at one or more MCCS college(s) will be counted toward these limits.

The tuition waiver provided by this procedure does not apply to book or tool costs, academic or program fees, or other student fees. The waiver does not apply to courses identified with NS (No Show).

Maintaining a Waiver

To maintain a waiver under this procedure, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by federal and college guidelines, and otherwise remain in good academic and disciplinary standing.

Transferring between Maine’s Community Colleges

Students transferring between Maine’s community colleges must apply anew for a waiver from the new college, provided that a student’s credit hour attempts at one or more MCCS college(s) will be counted toward the limits set in section C above.

Effective Date

To the extent that this procedure, which memorializes existing college practices, changes any such practices, this procedure takes effect for the fall, 2010 semester.

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REFERENCES:  MCCS Policy 707

DATE(S) REVISED:  February 2015