SSC NEWSLETTER

As the crisp autumn air and cool temperatures arrive, so do midterm study sessions and exams. During this busy time of year, the Student Service Center is committed to making your transition to the spring semester as smooth and easy as your post-exam seasonal latte. Our SSRs, along with staff from Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, the Registrar’s Office, and International Student Ser-vices, are pleased to publish this edition, filled with important dates and useful information to keep you on track as the first semester comes to a close. We’ve done the legwork for you, so you can focus on your studies – and enjoy that latte. Best of luck with midterms!

In This Issue

• Midterms

• Course Withdrawal

• Spring 2018 Registration

• Refunds

• 2017 1098-Ts

• Spring 2018 E-Bill

• Satisfactory Academic Progress

• 2018/2019 FAFSA

• Important Dates (Oct. Nov. Dec.)

Student Service Center Newsletter: Issue 8

Happy Autumn!

October/November 2017

The Registrar’s Office acts as a “behind the scenes” facilitator for faculty, students and staff as they pursue the academic goals of the university. We assist students with the registration process after they have worked with their faculty advisor to select the appropriate courses for their program(s) of study. In addition, our staff provides many services, including maintaining student academic records, planning graduation, creating course schedules, generating transcripts, enrollment verifications, and transfer evaluations, setting final exam schedules, processing withdrawals, and recording final grades. We are committed to providing each student with the resources and information they need to make enrolling for each academic and co-op semester as easy as possible. Important dates regarding upcoming registration periods are posted both on the SSC website and sent to students via their WIT email. We look forward to partnering with you throughout your pursuit of your degree program!

Office of the Registrar

Registration for the Spring 2018 semester will open on the following dates (by class stand-ing):

Seniors/Fifth Year/ROTC/MArch: Tuesday, October 31st at 7:30 amJuniors: Wednesday, November 1st at 7:30 amSophomores: Thursday, November 2nd at 7:30 amFreshmen: Friday, November 3rd at 7:30 am

Spring 2018 Registration

If you are required to complete midterm exams for any of your courses, midterm grades will be posted to LeopardWeb on Wednesday, October 25th at 9 am.

MidtermsThe deadline to withdraw from a course with a final grade of ‘W’ is Tuesday, November 21st. Course withdrawals will not be accepted after this date.

The Course Withdrawal form can be found online, picked up in person at the Student Service Center (SSC).

Course Withdrawals

The final exam period will take place: Thursday, December 7th (12/7) through Tuesday, December 12th (12/12).

Please be sure to view the final exam schedule, available here: https://wit.edu/fall-2017-final-exam-schedule

Final grades will be posted to LeopardWeb on Wednesday, December 20th at 9am.

Final Exams

For other Registrar Office related functions visit:

https://wit.edu/registration-student-records

The application for December graduation is now available on LeopardWeb. The final date to apply for December graduation is Monday, November 13th (11/13).

For additional information, visit https://wit.edu/graduation

December Graduates

Financial ServicesRefunding Credit Balances Student Financial Services will be processing refunds to students who have a credit balance for the fall 2017 semester the week of October 16th. Students can expect their refunds sometime after October 25th.

Students can choose how they would like to receive refunds. Every student is enrolled into a refund account which is administered by Tuition Management Systems (TMS).

Returning students who already have a refund account set up can view and update their refund preferences by logging in here: https://witchoice.afford.com/

New students have been recently enrolled into the refund system, and should have received an email notification of the refund account from TMS. New students should click on the link in the email, and then authenticate their account using their Wentworth email address. Once the account has been set up, the student can change any of their refund preferences, and can opt to receive a refund via direct deposit or pre-paid debit card. Please note that the default method for refunding credit balances is a check, mailed to the permanent address on file. This must be changed by the student if they wish to receive their refund via a different method.

Spring E-BillThe spring E-Bill will be available to view on LConnect on November 16th, and will be due on December 8th. We will notify students via campus announcement when the spring bill is online, and also send a postcard to the home address to keep parents informed. The billing and due dates will also be announced via Twitter @WIT_SSC.

Once the bill is online, students can log into LConnect to view and make payments:

• Go to http://lconnect.wit.edu • Click on “Leopardweb” • Click on the “Student” tab • Click on “E-Bill” • Select “Spring 2018” from the drop-down box

and click “Go to E-Bill”

Credit card and online check payments can be made right from the E-Bill.

Tuition Management SystemsMonthly Payment Plan

Wentworth partners with Tuition Management Systems (TMS) to offer an interest-free monthly payment plan. For more information or to enroll in a spring TMS plan, please visit https://wit.afford.com/. The enrollment fee for a spring plan is $60.00.

2017 1098-TsThe 1098-T form is used to assist you in determining if you are eligible for an Education Tax Credit. Wentworth Institute of Technology is required to report information for eligible students and this includes amounts charged for qualified tuition, fees, scholarships and/or grants. Qualified tuition, fees, scholarships and/or grants are reported by the calendar year according to the date of the transaction on your student bill. A 1098-T form must be provided to each eligible student, but the form is for informational purposes only and is not filed with your taxes. The 1098-T form does not contain all the information needed to claim a tax credit. It does not mean that you qualify for a tax credit, and does not require you to claim a tax credit.

The Student Service Center and Student Financial Services staff members are not tax professionals and given the complexity of the tax code, we cannot provide tax advice or determine your eligibility for education tax benefits.

We can provide you with information about your account, which you may need to determine your eligibility for tax benefits. Any questions about your eligibility should be directed to the IRS or a tax professional.

The forms are generated and available online the last week of January, and a paper copy will be mailed to your permanent address January 31st.

Financial Aid2018/2019 FAFSA*The staff of the financial aid office wants to remind all students and families that the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) went live on October 1st! You can start now, using your 2016 income tax information. In most cases, you’ll be able to utilize the IRS data retrieval tool to import your tax data directly into the FAFSA, saving you time and relieving you of the hassle of estimating your income. Beginning with the 2018–19 FAFSA form, the information transferred from the IRS will no longer be displayed, but you will get a confirmation message letting you know that the transfer was successful. You’ll also know which items have been transferred from the IRS because you’ll see “Transferred from the IRS” in place of the answer fields. You’ll still need to answer all other required questions.

Keep in mind that newly admitted students can expect to receive their financial aid packages beginning in mid-March and returning students in late May.

This information published by the U.S. Department of Education is a very helpful resource:

*Free Application for Federal Student Aid

https://blog.ed.gov/2017/09/the-parents-guide-to-filling-out-the-fafsa-form/

Satisfactory Academic ProgressAs you pass the midpoint of the first semester, it’s a good time to consider how your academic performance may affect your eligibility for need and merit-based financial aid. In order to receive any federal and/or institutional aid, you must be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP for short. You are considered to be making SAP if you meet both the qualitative and quantitative standards described below:

Qualitative Standard

Minimum cumulative grade point average required for SAP for students enrolled in undergraduate Baccalaureate Day programs and receiving federal financial aid:

Total Credits Earned.........0-31 GPA....................................1.75 Total Credits Earned.........32+ GPA....................................2.0

Quantitative Standard

You must successfully complete at least 66.67% of the total credits attempted for the semester. In general, coursework that is taken while in attendance at Wentworth and applies to your academic program is taken into account when reviewing satisfactory academic progress.

If you’re concerned about your academic progress or if you’re struggling in classes, see your advisor and seek support from our Center for Academic Excellence.

International Student Services

Monday 2:00pm to 3:00pm Wednesday 1:30pm to 3:00pm Friday 10:30am - 12:00 pm

Jeanmarie Ambrose, DirectorPhone: (617)989-4391Email: ambrosej@wit.edu

Dena Reuben, Assistant DirectorPhone: (617)989-4680Email: reubend@wit.edu

International Student Walk-In Hours

All F-1 visa students are required to update International Student Services with any changes to their U.S. address or their home country address

To fulfill this requirement, log into your Lconnect account and change your address online.

Please inform International Student Services of the address change with an email to ISS@wit.edu from you Wentworth email or visit the Student Service Center and complete the International Student Information Update form.

Important Reminder for International Students!

Within 10 days of the change!

I-20 Travel SignatureInternational Students, if you are planning on traveling outside the United States, you will need the following documents to return:

• Valid Passport• Valid F-1 visa• Current I-20 signature, signed within six months

before your return to the United States.• Financial Documents showing that you have enough

money to live and study in the United States without working.

Please allow at least two business days for your request to be processed.

Important!

Important Dates!

OctoberSunday, October 1stMonday, October 16th Tuesday, October 31st

NovemberWednesday, November 1stThursday, November 2ndFriday, November 3rdMonday, November 13th

Thursday, November 16thTuesday, November 21st

Friday, December 8th

December

2018/19 FAFSA Available Refund Processing BeginsRegistration Begins (Seniors/Fifth Year/ROTC/MArch)

Registration (Juniors)

Registration (Sophomores)

Registration (Freshman)

Last day to apply for December graduation

Thursday, December 7th

Wednesday, December 20thTuesday, December 12th

Spring 2018 E-Bill Available Last Day to Withdraw From Classes with a “W”

Final Exam Period BeginsSpring 2018 E-Bill DueFinal Exam Period EndsFinal Grades Posted

The 2018/2019 FAFSAAvailable Now !

https://blog.ed.gov/2017/09/7-things-need-fill-2018-19-fafsa-form/Source:

1. Your FSA ID*2. Your Social Security Number* 3. Your drivers license number4. Your 2016 tax records*5. Records of your untaxed income6. Records of your financial assets*7. List of school(s) your are interested in attending in the 2018/2019 Academic Year

*If you’re a dependent student, you will need this information for your parents as well.

Contact Us

Wentworth Institute of TechnologyStudent Service Center550 Huntington AvenueBoston, MA 02115(617) 989-4020

ssc@wit.edu

Visit us on the web atwww.wit.edu/ssc

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