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A clock hour program measures progress by hours of instruction rather than credit hours. Each scheduled hour of instruction counts as one clock hour. SF offers clock hour programs mainly in Career and Technical Education fields. Financial aid for a clock hour student is calculated and paid out differently from credit hour aid.
How Aid Is Calculated
Clock hour aid is based on the total length of the program (clock hours and weeks) and the student's FAFSA data, not on credits per semester. A student earns aid by completing scheduled hours and weeks. Aid pays out after the student has both attended and progressed through a payment period, so it arrives after the work is done rather than at the start.
Payment Periods
A clock hour program is divided into payment periods. Each payment period has an hours requirement and a weeks requirement, and a disbursement releases only when the student has met both. A student who finishes the hours early still waits until the weeks are satisfied.
Programs of 900 clock hours or more. Payment periods are typically 450 clock hours and 13 weeks. A new disbursement releases at the end of each payment period once both thresholds are met. Eligibility is reviewed again at the end of the following payment period.
Programs shorter than 900 clock hours. Payment periods are half the total program length. The first disbursement releases if the student has completed half the required hours by the end of the first payment period. The second releases once the remaining hours are completed in the second payment period.
Early Pell Grant Disbursement
A Pell-eligible clock hour student may qualify for a partial Pell disbursement at the start of the program once the instructor confirms initial attendance. This helps cover immediate costs while the student earns the first full payment period.
Keeping Aid
A clock hour student has to meet satisfactory progress to stay eligible:
- Attend consistently and complete scheduled hours
- Meet the hours-and-weeks threshold at the end of each payment period
- Stay on track to finish within federal time limits
Eligibility is reviewed at each payment period boundary. A student who falls behind on hours may not qualify for the next disbursement, and aid can be suspended until the student catches up. If a student won't complete enough clock hours for another disbursement, aid already received needs to cover tuition and fees for the next stretch of the program.
Withdrawal and Return of Title IV
A student who stops attending or officially withdraws from a clock hour program may owe a return of federal aid under the Return of Title IV calculation, which uses clock hours actually completed rather than calendar days as with credit hour programs.
Timing Against the Academic Calendar
Clock hour programs don't follow the standard semester calendar. Payment periods can cross semester boundaries. Disbursement dates depend on when each payment period ends, not on the standard SF credit-hour disbursement calendar.
Loans in Clock Hour Programs
Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans are available to eligible clock hour students on the standard federal loan terms. Annual loan limits may be prorated when a program, or the remaining part of a program, is shorter than a standard academic year (24 credit hours or equivalent).