Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation (BVR)
Also called the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). The Institute operates under contracts with most states.

Scholarships
HIWT awards three scholarships each year for the Structural Welding Program. The scholarships are: The Robert Bercaw Scholarship – application deadline April 1; The Howard B. Cary Scholarship – application deadline August 1; The Raymond C. Dunlavy Scholarship – application deadline December 1. Contact HIWT at 800-332-9448 or http://www.welding.org for application forms and further information.

Financial Aid Continued
After a determination of which programs you are eligible for, the following forms will require your signature:
1.     If selected for verification, shown by an asterisk (*) after the EFC# - tax forms and the verification form.
2.     For loans – the entrance and exit interview forms.
*If the amount of a grant and/or loan exceeds the cost of training, HIWT refunds the overage to the appropriate person or agency as required by law.

Cost of Education
Before applying for financial aid, students should assess all of the costs of attending this institution. The financial aid office establishes standard budgets, which reflect average costs for students during a typical term of enrollment. Actual expenses vary among student’s life styles, priorities and obligations. To assist applicants in determining their need to meet all costs of education, direct and indirect, a schedule of tuition and fee costs may be obtained by calling the Financial Aid office at 800-332-9448.

 Funds Disbursement
All financial aid funds are disbursed by the Business Office and students are given receipts for all monies applied to their tuition account. Normally, one-half of each financial aid award is disbursed after 30 days of the student’s training and after completion of half of the clock hours. Refunds will be distributed at the student or parent’s request

in writing after each disbursement and only if a credit balance exists after all fees and tuition have been paid on account until the next distribution. The student must maintain satisfactory progress in order to receive the second disbursement.

EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer)
All Pell Grant monies and most Federal loans are disbursed by EFT. For loan disbursements received in check form the following procedure will be used.
1.     The Institute will receive a check payable to the student or parent and the Institute. Both parties must endorse the check.
2.     The check will be applied to the students account and any excess will be distributed in check form to the appropriate party.
Any student who has terminated his/her training without notifying the school and has an outstanding tuition amount due, and has failed to endorse their financial aid check for the amount owed the school, will be sent a letter explaining the outstanding tuition charges owed and the amount credited to their account from the financial aid program they received. Only the amount owed the school will be disbursed and applied to their outstanding balance.

Financial Aid Probation
1.  Students receiving a course grade of less than 2.0 will be required to repeat the course at the individual course tuition rate. Students receiving financial aid will be placed on financial aid probation and will lose their eligibility for financial aid for the repeated course. Students repeating a course must score a 2.0 or better in the repeated course or will be terminated because of unsatisfactory progress.
Example: If a student is required to repeat a course, the period of financial aid probation is for the entire course. The student must achieve a passing score of 2.0 or better to be removed from financial aid probation and continue with the training program.
2.             Students placed on financial aid probation for attendance reasons will have to meet the terms of probation as established by the Vice President/General Manager of HIWT. The terms will include make-up time or repeat time.

3.  Courses that are repeated will count in the calculation of hours attempted and completed hours earned if the student receives a grade for that course. The grade received for that course will be included in the student’s final grade average for the course, i.e., the prior semester grade which results in repeating that semester will be replaced with the repeated semester grade.
4.  Students may only repeat a course in which their attendance or grades were unsatisfactory according to this policy.

Course Incomplete/Withdrawal
The student is required to contact the school Scheduler for withdrawal procedures when dropping a course or withdrawing from the school. Students will not receive financial aid funds for the course in which credit for prior training is granted.  Should a student withdraw during a course, re-entry would be at the beginning of the course. Financial aid eligibility will not be granted for that course when the student retakes it.  Any student placed on financial aid probation for failure to meet the satisfactory progress standards established by the Institute due to mitigating circumstances may submit a written appeal describing the circumstances to the Vice President / General Manager of HIWT. The Vice President / General Manager, in conjunction with the financial aid officer, will notify the student within two weeks of acceptance or rejection of the appeal.

The Return to Title IV Funds Rule
Our Institute is required to determine the earned and unearned portion of Title IV aid when a student ceases enrollment prior to the planned completion date.  Unearned Title IV funds that are the responsibility of the Institute must be returned to the Title IV programs no later than 30 days after the date of determination that the student withdrew. HIWT calculates this date as the last date of attendance.

Rights & Responsibilities for Receiving Financial Aid
As a recipient of Federal student aid, you have certain rights you should exercise, and certain responsibilities you must meet. Knowing what they are will put you in a better position to make decisions about your educational goals and how you can best achieve them.