Types of Financial Aid

The A+ Schools program provides post-secondary financial benefits for students who graduate from a participating Missouri high school designated as an A+ school by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. To learn more about the A+ program, visit the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development homepage!

The Missouri A+ Scholarship allows for payment of eligible tuition, technology, and activity/support services fees that are not otherwise paid by the Federal Pell Grant or Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG).

Students should regularly monitor their myMACC online and MACC-issued student email accounts for correspondence from the Financial Aid Office.

The Financial Aid Office does not guarantee that financial aid will be in place by the first day of class if you miss the deadlines established for each semester. Priority processing dates are: fall, June 1; spring, December 1; and summer, May 1. This means that all applications and supplemental information for each financial aid program you are applying for must be received within the Financial Aid Office by the priority processing dates. 

The State of Missouri imposes deadlines requiring MACC to submit reimbursement requests for charges incurred by A+-eligible students. Any student seeking funding to cover tuition and fees from the A+ Scholarship must have ALL the necessary documents submitted AND complete for processing by the A+ Scholarship deadline. If a student fails to submit any required documents by the A+ Scholarship deadline, he/she will not be eligible for the A+ Scholarship. Additionally, students are responsible for all charges not covered by the A+ Scholarship, including, but not limited to, course fees, lab fees, late payment fees, late registration fees, charges for tuition and fees for courses not required for the declared degree, or repeated courses previously paid for by the A+ Scholarship.

All students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for A+ funding:

1. Please request that your high school submit an official transcript with the A+ designation seal (first semester at MACC only).
2. In addition, all students must submit an official copy of all college work completed, including coursework taken as dual credit. All college transcripts must be evaluated.
3. Apply for federal financial aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A new FAFSA must be completed each academic year (fall, spring, summer). (NOTE: The summer semester is the conclusion of a financial aid award year, and the last possible date to submit the required FAFSA for the summer semester is June 30 – refer to the Summer Financial Aid Guide for the correct FAFSA for the summer semester)
4. Submit additional information if requested by the Financial Aid Office. This may include, but is not limited to, extra worksheets and tax forms.
5. Enroll and attend all courses required for your degree full-time. (Full-time is defined as twelve (12) credit hours for fall and spring semesters and six (6) credit hours for the summer semester.) Full-time status will be determined by the enrolled and attended hours after the last day to drop with a 100% refund based on the program of study in which the student is enrolled (which is the end of the second week of the regular fall or spring 16-week semester, or the equivalent ratio of other sessions).
6. Enroll in a program of study leading to a Certificate or Associate Degree at MACC.
7. Complete MACC’s A+ Enrollment Form each semester.

To maintain eligibility, an A+ student must:

1. Enroll, attend, AND COMPLETE full-time in courses required for your degree. Full-time status will be determined by the enrolled and attended hours after the last day to drop with a 100% refund based on the program of study in which the student is enrolled (which is the end of the second week of the regular fall or spring 16-week semester, or the equivalent ratio of other sessions).
2. Maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.50 or higher, including all college coursework. Fundamental courses are not included in the CGPA calculation. (Fundamental courses include: Fundamentals of English I and II, Fundamentals of Math, and Fundamentals of Critical Reading). Initial (first-time) recipients during the summer or fall must have a 2.0 GPA at the end of the fall semester; if a 2.0 is not achieved, they will not be eligible for the spring.
3. Complete the FAFSA and submit additional forms requested by the Financial Aid Office before the beginning of the academic year for which the A+ Scholarship is intended to cover.
4. Complete MACC’s A+ Enrollment Form in your MyMACC portal.
5. When enrolling in your final semester, either the degree or certificate will be completed, or A+ eligibility will expire. Complete the acknowledgement on the A+ Enrollment Form with your Academic Advisor.

Transferring Institutions:

A student may be eligible for the Missouri A+ Scholarship when transferring between/eligible institutions as long as the student meets all requirements for eligibility. Failure to meet all requirements will result in the student being ineligible for A+ funding until all requirements are met. Also see the definition for “Guest/Visiting Student (Summer Enrollment)” below. When transferring institutions, please contact the Financial Aid Office to determine which FAFSA application is required. If you transfer between participating institutions, contact MDHEWD at 800-473-6757, option 4. Failure to do so may result in reduced benefits.

Losing Eligibility:

Initial (first-time) recipients must have a 2.0 GPA at the end of the fall semester; if a 2.0 is not achieved, they will not be eligible for the spring.

Renewal – A+ students who do not maintain a Cumulative GPA of 2.50 or above will lose eligibility for A+ funding. This includes all grades earned after high school graduation, regardless of whether the student attended an A+-eligible postsecondary institution. In addition, A+ students are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress per MACC’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy; a copy of which is available from the Financial Aid Office or online from our “Financial Aid Forms” page.

Reinstatement of A+ Eligibility:

Students who have lost eligibility for funding may be reinstated if they enroll in subsequent terms and earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50. In addition, if a student loses eligibility because he did not complete 12 credit hours, he will also have to complete the hours he was deficient in the subsequent term to regain eligibility for the following enrollment period. For example, a student completes 9 hours in the fall semester and loses eligibility for the spring semester; they must complete at least 3 hours in the spring to regain eligibility in the next enrollment period (the summer or fall following that spring).

Students are responsible for all costs incurred during the term of enrollment in which reinstatement is being sought.

The A+ Scholarship will be reinstated once the requirements have been satisfied. In addition, A+ students are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress per MACC’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy; a copy of which is available from the Financial Aid Office or online from our “Financial Aid Forms” page.

Timeline of Eligibility:

Benefits expire 48 months from the date of high school graduation. A student called to Active Duty (National Guard and/or Reserve) will have their eligibility extended for the duration of their Active Duty status if they return to full-time status within 12 months of the end of their military service. Contact MDHEWD for a deferment at 800-473-6757, option 4. Benefits expire once the student has completed their first Associate Degree or Certificate Program (unless the student continues in a related degree upon completion of the Certificate Program). Benefits expire once the student has completed 105% of the credit hours required for the program in which the student is enrolled, regardless of whether the student has completed the degree.

Eligible Charges:

The A+ Scholarship pays for eligible tuition and common student fees, such as activity and technology fees. It will also pay for developmental courses; however, in accordance with college policy, grades from these courses will not be used to calculate the cumulative GPA for eligibility. A+ students are responsible for reporting all schedule changes (adds, drops, total withdrawals). Failure to report changes may result in fees due by the student. MACC cannot guarantee reimbursement of allowable charges for students failing to report schedule changes.

Non-Eligible Charges:

The A+ Scholarship does not pay for course fees, lab fees, textbooks, supply items, meal plans, dorm charges, late fees, parking fees, or graduation fees. The A+ Scholarship will not pay for repeated courses (any course previously paid for by the A+ Scholarship) or non-required courses (including courses satisfactorily completed and being retaken to improve CGPA). The A+ Scholarship will not pay for high school dual college credit courses. The student is responsible for these costs.

Dropping courses/completed courses:

A+ will only cover the cost of completed courses. A completed course is one in which the student remains enrolled and in attendance through the end of the semester and for which a grade is assigned (A, B, C, D, or F). If an A+ student establishes the full-time enrollment status criteria, and then voluntarily or involuntarily drops a course/they will be responsible for paying for the course. Payment for the dropped courses will be due immediately to MACC. Students should always discuss the consequences of dropping a course with an academic advisor, financial aid staff, or business office staff. An exception may apply if the student’s tuition and fees were fully funded through another financial aid program. Other consequences may include: Failure to make financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress – which impacts future eligibility for A+ and other federal and state financial aid programs; If payment for the dropped course is not made, before the end of the semester in which the course was dropped, the student will not be allowed to enroll in subsequent semesters; If payment for dropped course(s) is not made the balance may be referred for collection activity. If a student is reported as never attending (NA) a course and that course reduces the student’s status to less than full-time, the student will lose all A+ funding for the semester.

*The reimbursement paid for coursework for which a standard grade was not assigned (dropped coursework), including coursework from which you officially or unofficially withdrew, will not be reimbursed if you complete 12 semester credit hours (6 in summer). Dropped coursework will be refunded if you complete fewer than 12 semester credit hours (6 in summer) because you will be ineligible for A+ until the dropped hours are completed. For example, if you enroll in 15 hours but complete only 12, A+ will not pay for the 3 hours you dropped. If you enroll in 15 hours but only complete 9, A+ will pay for all 15 hours, but you will be ineligible for A+ until you have completed at least 3 hours (9+3=12 hour completion requirement).

Guest/Visiting Student (Summer Enrollment):

Students wishing to use A+ during the summer must be registered as degree-seeking at MACC, be enrolled in the required number of hours (6), and take courses required for the degree they are seeking at MACC.

Students using A+ during the summer session ARE REQUIRED to have any eligible Pell Grant funds applied to their charges before A+ is considered. If you transfer to another institution, you must advise them if you used Pell Grant funds for summer enrollment. Students may not use A+ benefits during the summer if they have attended and intend to return to a 4-year institution. A complete transfer to MACC is required. “Visiting students” attending MACC for the summer semester only are not eligible for A+ benefits. A “visiting student” is any student who attends an ineligible post-secondary institution other than the institution granting their certificate or degree.

Full-time status requirement:

• A+ students are required to enroll, attend, and COMPLETE full-time in courses that are required for their declared degree; exceptions are made for students with disabilities and for students who do not have enough courses available in their degree program in which to enroll.
• Full-time status will be determined by the enrolled and attended hours after the last day to drop, with a 100% refund based on the student’s program of study. (This is the end of the second week of each regular fall and spring 16-week semester, or the equivalent ratio of other sessions.)
• If a student is reported as never having attended a course at any point in the semester, and that course reduces the student’s status to less than full-time, the student will lose all A+ funding for the semester.

Value of A+ Scholarship:

The scholarship will reimburse, within the limits described in the following paragraph, the unpaid balance of your tuition and general fees after all available, non-loan federal financial assistance, such as the federal Pell grant, has been applied to your account. If your Pell Grant covers all tuition and general fees, this may result in a zero award. General fees are fees charged to all students and do not include fees specific to an individual program or group of students.

Tuition Cap: The tuition amount eligible for reimbursement is capped at the published standard per credit hour tuition rate charged by State Technical College of Missouri. The reimbursement cap is subject to change annually as tuition rates change. The maximum reimbursement rate is announced each year in late spring or early summer.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, the maximum tuition rate set by the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) is $225.00 per credit hour (the cap does not include the Student Activity/Support Service, Technology Fees, or Course Fees assessed by MACC).  

The amount reimbursed may be reduced if state appropriations are insufficient. The following factors may also affect the amount you are eligible to receive:

• Reimbursement will be made for completed coursework, including remedial coursework, for which a standard grade was assigned and for which your school requires it for the completion of the degree or certificate. For A+ Scholarship purposes, a grade of Incomplete is considered a standard grade.
• Coursework taken after receipt of a certificate, as part of a higher-level certificate or degree program, will be reimbursed if it relates to the original certificate.
• The reimbursement paid for coursework for which a standard grade was not assigned (dropped coursework), including coursework from which you officially or unofficially withdrew, will not be reimbursed if you complete 12 semester credit hours (6 in summer). Dropped coursework will be refunded if you complete fewer than 12 semester credit hours (6 in summer) because you will be ineligible for A+ until the dropped hours are completed. For example, if you enroll in 15 hours but complete only 12, A+ will not pay for the 3 hours you dropped. If you enroll in 15 hours but only complete 9, A+ will pay for all 15 hours, but you will be ineligible for A+ until you have completed at least 3 hours (9+3=12 hour completion requirement).
• Repeat coursework, which includes courses for which you have already received a grade (including a failing grade), will not be reimbursed.

Length of eligibility:

The limit will expire at the earliest of the following:

• 48 months from high school graduation,
• Receipt of an associate’s degree, or
• Completion of 105% of the credit hours required for the program in which the student is currently enrolled.
• If a degree requires 64 credit hours, then 105% = 67 credit hours. Once the student reaches 67 credit hours, he/she will no longer be eligible for A+ funding.
  • The A+ Scholarship will pay for all eligible courses during the semester in which the student has reached the 105% limit. For example, a student is 3 hours away from the 105% limit, but enrolls in 12 hours required for the student’s degree, the A+ Scholarship will pay for all 12 hours.
  • The percentage shall be calculated using all known credit hours completed at any institution, including remedial courses, if those hours are accepted for transfer.
  • The calculation will exclude any credit hours earned before high school graduation.
  • If a student completes a Certificate program and then enrolls in a related, higher-level degree (i.e., ADN or AAS), the hours required for both the original certificate and the higher-level degree shall be combined when calculating the percentage.Example #1: A student attempted 50 credit hours while seeking an AA degree, and was then accepted into the A.D.N. program. The ADN program is 75 credit hours. (105% = 79) The student used 50 of the 79 hours while seeking the AA; therefore, the student has 29 hours of eligibility remaining on the A+ Scholarship. Example #2: A student attends MU the first year after high school graduation, then decides to make a full transfer to MACC and seek an AA degree; the hours earned at MU and accepted in transfer at MACC are computed when calculating the percentage.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

A+ students are now expected to meet the institution’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)policy standards(as applied to all other students receiving federal and state financial aid programs) and maintain a 2.50 Cumulative Grade Point Average. Students who are on Financial Aid Suspension are no longer eligible for A+.

• The 2.50 Cumulative Grade Point Average requirement does not apply to students during their first year of A+ eligibility.
  • The first year of eligibility may apply to a new high school graduate or a transfer student who has not previously had the option to use A+ because they attended an ineligible institution.
• The CGPA will be as it appears on the MACC transcript.
  • Includes dual credit grades in the CGPA.
  • Does not include courses that are not accepted for transfer.

Students who are on Financial Aid Suspension are no longer eligible for A+.

Example: A student withdraws from all classes and goes on financial aid suspension. In the past, if the CGPA was 2.50 or higher, the student would still be eligible for A+. The suspension status will make the student ineligible for A+ and other federal and state financial aid programs.

For questions, please contact:

Financial Aid Office 

660.263.4100, ext. 11301

finaid@macc.edu