Allegany College of Maryland shares the following consumer information with you relating
to our educational processes and services in accordance with the Federal Higher Education
Act of 1965, as amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 1965.
This consumer information webpage is updated periodically. If you have any questions
or would like a paper copy of any of this information, please contact Ms. Vicki A.
Smith, Director of Student Financial Aid Programs at vsmith@allegany.edu.
General information about the college, including tuition, fees, and miscellaneous
costs, financial aid, refund policies, withdrawal policies, federal law regarding
the return of certain grants and loans, and information about the college’s academic
programs may be found in the official ACM College Catalog.
General Institutional Information
- Accreditation, Approval, and Licensure of ACM and its Programs – A comprehensive list of the associations, agencies, and governmental bodies with
which ACM holds an accreditation and/or approval, along with the corresponding contact
and complaint filing information, can be found in ACM's Digital Catalog or National Center for Education Statistics
- Academic Programs – A description of all the programs of study offered at ACM
- Student Diversity - ACM makes available to you information pertaining to our student body diversity, which
includes the percentage of enrolled, full-time students in the following categories:
- Male
- Female
- Self-identified members of a major racial or ethnic group
- Federal Pell Grant recipients
- Student Handbook – Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct
- Student Complaints and Grievances - ACM provides students and parents with information on how to file various appeals
- Student Activities
- Disability Resources - Facilities and Services for Student with Disabilities (Americans with Disabilities
Act ADA)
- Class Schedules
- Career and Job Placement Services - For information regarding placement in employment, please refer to the specific program
in our College Catalog.
- Cost of Attendance - This is the average total amount of money it will cost to attend ACM for one academic
year, made up of direct costs - billable charges such as tuition and fees - and indirect
costs- non-billable expenses such as books and supplies; room and board; transportation;
and miscellaneous personal expenses.
- Net Price Calculator
- Dropping A Class vs. Withdrawing from All Classes – Dropping a class or classes is different than officially withdrawing from the College.
Both require additional paperwork through our Registration Office.
- Refund Policy for Withdrawal
- Return of Title IV Funds – Calculation performed when a federal financial aid recipient officially or unofficially
withdraws from Allegany College of Maryland. An unofficial withdrawal happens when
a student stops attending all classes without completing the official withdrawal paperwork.
- Academic Calendar
- Textbook Information – View our online Textbook Lookup site, which includes the prices and the ISBN information
- Institutional Facilities – Information regarding instructional, laboratory, and physical plant facilities associated
with ACM’s academic programs.
- Faculty
- Transfer of Credit Policy – ACM has established criteria which students must meet in order to successfully transfer
credits to us which have been earned at another institution.
- Approved Articulation Agreements - Agreements between ACM and other institutions for the pre-approved transferability
of credits between the institutions.
- Written Arrangements – The ACM Student Financial Aid Office will serve only at the Host Institution for Consortium
Agreements.
- Copyright Infringement Policy – ACM’s policy and sanctions related to copyright infringement, the civil and criminal
penalties for individuals involved in such actions and disciplinary action that will
be taken against students engaged in unauthorized distribution of copyrighted materials
through ACM’s information technology system
- Education Instruction and Leadership Department Page – plans for improving academic programs
- Study Abroad – ACM does not currently have any study abroad programs
- GED Options
- Constitution Day – ACM commemorates Constitution Day every September 17 by holding various educational
programs, unless it is on a day when school is not in session, in which case it will
be celebrated the preceding week.
FERPA
- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act/Privacy of Student Records – FERPA was
implemented in 1974 as a federal law to protect the privacy of student education records.
FERPA gives students the right to review their education records, seek to amend inaccurate
information in their records, provide consent for the disclosure of their records
and file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office concerning potential
violations. This law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable
program of the U.S. Department of Education. ACM’s policy regarding FERPA can be accessed
at:
Notification of Rights under FERPA
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords eligible students certain
rights with respect to their education records. (An “eligible student” under FERPA
is a student who is 18 years of age or older or who attends a postsecondary institution
at any age.) These rights include:
1. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45 days after
the day Allegany College of Maryland receives a request for access. A student should
submit to the Director of Admissions, Advising, and Registration a written request
that identifies the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The school official will
make arrangements for access and notify the student of the time and place where the
records may be inspected. If the records are not maintained by the school official
to whom the request was submitted, that official shall advise the student of the correct
official to whom the request should be addressed.
2. The right to request the amendment of the student’s education records that the student
believes is inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy
rights under FERPA.
A student who wishes to ask Allegany College of Maryland to amend a record should
write to the Director of Admissions, Advising, and Registration, clearly identify
the part of the record the student wants changed, and specify why it should be changed.
If Allegany College of Maryland decides not to amend the record as requested, Allegany
College of Maryland will notify the student in writing of the decision and the student’s
right to a hearing regarding the request for amendment. Additional information regarding
the hearing procedures will be provided to the student when notified of the right
to a hearing.
3. The right to provide written consent before Allegany College of Maryland discloses
personally identifiable information (PII) from the student's education records, except
to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent.
Allegany College of Maryland discloses education records without a student’s prior
written consent under the FERPA exception for disclosure to school officials with
legitimate educational interests. A school official typically includes a person employed
by Allegany College of Maryland in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research,
or support staff position (including law enforcement unit personnel and health staff);
a person serving on the board of trustees; or a student serving on an official committee,
such as a disciplinary or grievance committee. A school official also may include
a volunteer or contractor outside of Allegany College of Maryland who performs an
institutional service or function for which the school would otherwise use its own
employees and who is under the direct control of the school with respect to the use
and maintenance of PII from education records, such as an attorney, auditor, or collection
agent or a student volunteering to assist another school official in performing his
or her tasks. A school official typically has a legitimate educational interest if
the official needs to review an education record in order to fulfill his or her professional
responsibilities for Allegany College of Maryland.
4. The right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education concerning alleged
failures by Allegany College of Maryland to comply with the requirements of FERPA.
The name and address of the office that administers FERPA is:
Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202
[NOTE: In addition, a school may want to include its directory information public notice,
as required by § 99.37 of the regulations, with its annual notification of rights
under FERPA.]
Below is a list of the disclosures that Allegany College of Maryland may make without
consent.
FERPA permits the disclosure of PII from students’ education records, without consent
of the student, if the disclosure meets certain conditions found in § 99.31 of the
FERPA regulations. Except for disclosures to school officials, disclosures related
to some judicial orders or lawfully issued subpoenas, disclosures of directory information,
and disclosures to the student, § 99.32 of FERPA regulations requires the institution
to record the disclosure. Eligible students have a right to inspect and review the
record of disclosures. A postsecondary institution may disclose PII from the education
records without obtaining prior written consent of the student -
- To other school officials, including teachers, within ACM whom the school has determined
to have legitimate educational interests. This includes contractors, consultants,
volunteers, or other parties to whom the school has outsourced institutional services
or functions, provided that the conditions listed in § 99.31(a)(1)(i)(B)(1) - (a)(1)(i)(B)(3)
are met. (§ 99.31(a)(1))
- To officials of another school where the student seeks or intends to enroll, or where
the student is already enrolled if the disclosure is for purposes related to the student’s
enrollment or transfer, subject to the requirements of § 99.34. (§ 99.31(a)(2))
- To authorized representatives of the U. S. Comptroller General, the U.S. Attorney
General, the U.S. Secretary of Education, or State and local educational authorities,
such activity on their behalf. (§§ 99.31(a)(3) and 99.35)
- In connection with financial aid for which the student has applied or which the student
has received, if the information is necessary to determine eligibility for the aid,
determine the amount of the aid, determine the conditions of the aid, or enforce the
terms and conditions of the aid. (§ 99.31(a)(4))
- To organizations conducting studies for, or on behalf of, the school, in order to:
(a) develop, validate, or administer predictive tests; (b) administer student aid
programs; or (c) improve instruction. (§ 99.31(a)(6))
- To accrediting organizations to carry out their accrediting functions. (§ 99.31(a)(7))
- To parents of an eligible student if the student is a dependent for IRS tax purposes.
(§ 99.31(a)(8))
- To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena. (§ 99.31(a)(9))
- To appropriate officials in connection with a health or safety emergency, subject
to § 99.36. (§ 99.31(a)(10))
- Information the school has designated as “directory information” under § 99.37. (§
99.31(a)(11))
- To a victim of an alleged perpetrator of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex
offense, subject to the requirements of § 99.39. The disclosure may only include the
final results of the disciplinary proceeding with respect to that alleged crime or
offense, regardless of the finding. (§ 99.31(a)(13))
- To the general public, the final results of a disciplinary proceeding, subject to
the requirements of § 99.39, if the school determines the student is an alleged perpetrator
of a crime of violence or non-forcible sex offense and the student has committed a
violation of the school’s rules or policies with respect to the allegation made against
him or her. (§ 99.31(a)(14))
- To parents of a student regarding the student’s violation of any Federal, State, or
local law, or of any rule or policy of the school, governing the use or possession
of alcohol or a controlled substance if the school determines the student committed
a disciplinary violation and the student is under the age of 21. (§99.31(a)(15))
- Student Handbook
- ACM FERPA Point of Contact: Jennifer Engelbach
Student Financial Aid Information
- Contact Information for Assistance in Obtaining Financial Aid information
- Financial Aid Available at ACM from Federal, State, Local, Private, and Institutional Programs
- Application Process - Procedures and Forms Required
- Eligibility Criteria, Determining Award Amounts, and Fund Disbursement Information - ACM provides information on how to qualify for federal, state, and institutional
financial aid, as well as how awards are determined and when money will be paid
- The College Financing Plan (Formerly the Financial Aid Shopping Sheet)
- Rights and Responsibilities of Students Receiving Financial Aid
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) - Policy for Maintaining Federal Financial Aid
- Process for Pell-eligible Students to Get Textbooks and Supplies
- Financial Aid Non-Discrimination Statement
- Federal Work-Study Terms and Conditions
- Federal Student Financial Aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations – ACM must provide each student information on the penalties associated with drug-related
offenses
- Student Loan Information
- National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) - Click on Financial Aid Review – ACM will submit Federal Direct Loan information to
NSLDS, where the information will be assessable to guaranty agencies, lenders, and
schools determined to be authorized users of the system.
- Private Loan Information
- Preferred Lender Lists
- Allegany College of Maryland does not use a preferred lender list
- Preferred Lender Arrangements
- Allegany College of Maryland does not participate in preferred lender arrangements
Computer Policies and Procedures
Health and Safety
- Annual Security Report – The Annual Security Report is published and distributed to current employees and students
by October 1 of each year. The report includes statistical date on the incidence
of crime over the past three years and measures taken to ensure safety and security
of ACM’s facilities, employees, students, and visitors
- Annual Fire Safety Report
- Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Program - ACM will make a good faith effort to maintain a drug-free workplace and campus, focusing
primarily on prevention through education, early intervention, and providing referral
services to employees and students with substance abuse problems. Students will receive
an annual notice of the Drug and Alcohol policy which includes the penalties for violating
the policy
- Vaccination Policies – Students living in Willowbrook Woods must provide documentation of receipt of the
Meningococcal Vaccine. Students in certain Health Programs may need to have certain
vaccines, as well. Please check the specific program information in the ACM College Catalog.
- Title IX, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and Campus Sexual Violence
- Campus Safety and Special Police
Student Outcomes
- Placement of, and types of employment obtained by, graduates of ACM - Please check the specific program information in the ACM College Catalog.
- College Navigator Website - The Department of Education is required to post data about ACM on this website annually.
- Graduation, Transfer-Out Rates, and Retention Rates (Student Right to Know Act) – Graduation rate of first-time, full time students who completed their program of study
within 150% of the normal projected timeframe, transfer-out rates, and retention rates
as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
- Intercollegiate Athletic Program Participation Rates and Financial Support Data (Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act - EADA) – Information regarding participation rates, completion/graduation rates, transfer-out
rates, financial support, and other data related to ACM’s student athletic program.
- Voter Registration - Students are encouraged to vote in all elections. Paper forms are available in our
Admissions and Registration Office or online at: https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote for federal elections and at: https://elections.maryland.gov/ for Maryland State elections.
CARES Act Funding - Grants to Student
- President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act), which includes the Education Stabilization Fund, as part of his March 13, 2020
declaration of a national pandemic. Part of this fund, $13.95 billion, will be given
to colleges and universities to award to its students. The allotment given each college
is based on the full-time equivalent enrollment of Pell Grant recipients (75% of calculated
award) and the full time equivalent of our non-Pell eligible population (25% of calculated
award). Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) has been granted a total of $1,494,165;
of which, 50% is earmarked specifically as Emergency Financial Aid Grants to Students
- $747,083. ACM fully intends to disburse to students at least this 50% amount.
The Department of Education (ED) has provided the following statement as the basis
for awards: “At least 50 percent must be reserved to provide students with emergency
financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations
due to coronavirus (including eligible expenses under a student’s cost of attendance,
such as food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and child care).”
Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) is charged with distributing these emergency cash
grants to our college students whose “lives and education were disrupted” by the coronavirus
as quickly as possible. ED released additional guidance for awarding these emergency
grants, stating that only students who are or could be eligible to participate in
programs under Section 484 of the Title IV Higher Education Act of 1965 can receive
these funds. ACM will make awards to students under the award name “COVID.”
ACM signed and returned to the Department of Education the required Certification
and Agreement document on April 14, 2020, which is the initial step to receiving these
funds.
- Criteria to Determine Awards to Student
- ACM students took their scheduled spring break March 9 through 13, during which time
the decision was made to extend that break until March 20. Beginning March 23, 2020,
all ACM classes moved to 100% on-line learning and remained in that vein for the remainder
of the spring semester. Every ACM student who was not already 100% on-line was immediately
faced with hardships because of the disruption of ACM campus services – increased
technology issues, additional course materials due to moving
on-line, increased household utility expenses, increased food expenses, and changes
in childcare and health needs. Based on this and ED’s statement to award these emergency
grants to Title IV eligible applicants, ACM elects to consider all recipients for
this funding who meet the following criteria:
1. Student completed the FAFSA for 2019-2020 as of May 1, 2020.
2. Student has been awarded any type of Title IV funds (and having been awarded, meets
all the remaining Title IV eligibility criteria), even if the student declined to
accept the award.
3. Student is enrolled for at least one credit hour as of March 13, 2020, removing credits
that are currently marked as “audit” and removing credits that were dropped before
March 13, 2020.
4. Student is not enrolled in 100% of credits on-line before March 13, 2020.
5. Student is not enrolled as “early college.”
6. Student is currently not in termination status for Title IV financial aid.
- Amount of Award to Students
- Awards to students will be categorized according to total credits for the spring 2020
semester, realizing that more credits require more utilities, more resources, more
time away from children, etc. There will be three (3) credit tiers: Tier 1 - 1 to
5 credits; Tier 2 - 6 to 11 credits; and Tier 3 - 12 or more credits. Based on the
current eligible applicant report for this award provided by the Office of Institutional
Research, the average credit hours for Tier 1 is 3; the average credit hours for Tier
2 is 9; and the average credit hours for Tier 3 is 14.
ACM wishes to grant students this emergency award in relation to the number of weeks
remaining in the semester that were moved to on-line, which is seven (7) weeks. Using
the in-county tuition rate of $125 per credit hour divided by 15 weeks in the semester
times 7 weeks on-line, we will award $58 to each credit tier.
The criteria to determine the award gives the following information:
1. There are 1,100 eligible students to award.
2. Tier 1 has 38 students.
3. Tier 2 has 399 students.
4. Tier 3 has 663 students.
| TIER |
CREDIT HOUR AVERAGE |
AWARD PER CREDIT AVERAGE |
ELIGIBLE STUDENTS |
TOTAL AWARD PER TIER |
| 1 |
3 |
$174 |
39 |
$6,612 |
| 2 |
9 |
$522 |
399 |
$208,278 |
| 3 |
14 |
$812 |
663 |
$538,356 |
| TOTAL |
|
|
1101 |
$753,246 |
| |
- Instructions and Communications to Students
All eligible students will first receive the letter shown below at their home address:
May 1, 2020
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT ADDRESS
STUDENT ADDRESS
STUDENT ADDRESS
Dear “Student Name”,
At Allegany College of Maryland, we are dedicated to providing the resources you
need to be successful. To directly show our support during these challenging times,
the College will be sending you an emergency assistance check. You must accept these
funds through WebAdvisor by June 1, 2020 to receive your check.
President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act) into law on March 27, 2020. We have been tasked by the U.S. Department of Education
to award emergency funds to our students to help with expenses related to the disruption
of campus operations due to the coronavirus outbreak. Following the federal guidelines
of the CARES Act, funds will be distributed to every student who was deemed eligible
by the United States Department of Education. Eligibility includes students who were
awarded Title IV funds (federally funded financial aid) and who have at least one
course credit that was not online at the start of the spring semester. You are receiving
this emergency funding because you meet the above criteria and were enrolled in classes
at ACM as of March 14, 2020.
How to accept your award:
- Log in to WebAdvisor
- Go to Financial Aid
- Go to "My Awards"
- Select Award Year 2019-20
- Complete the Award Certification
- Accept Your Award
In accepting your award, you certify that you have incurred expenses at least equal
to the amount of this award that are as a direct result of the disruption of campus
operations due to COVID-19; and that your expenses were in one or more of these areas:
food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and/or child care.
We are working to get this relief money into your hands as quickly as possible.
When your check is ready to be mailed, you will receive an email notification in your
student email account.
If you have any questions, please reach out to us at info@allegany.edu. I wish you the best and pray that you and your family are safe and well.
Sincerely,
Cynthia S. Bambara
President
Students are directed to their WebAdvisor account to officially certify that they
meet the conditions to accept the award and then must officially accept it. Following
is the statement of Conditions for Accepting this Award:
“By accepting this award, I certify that I have incurred expenses at least equal
to the amount of this award that are a direct result of the disruption of campus operations
due to COVID-19; and I certify that my expenses were in one or more of these areas:
food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and/or child care.”
Eligible students who do not accept their award by June 1 will then receive an
email to their ACM Student Email account as a reminder to accept the award:
President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES
Act) into law on March 27, 2020. We have been tasked by the U.S. Department of Education
to award emergency funds to our students to help with expenses related to the disruption
of campus operations due to the coronavirus outbreak. Following the federal guidelines
of the CARES Act, funds will be distributed to every student who was deemed eligible
by the United States Department of Education. Eligibility includes students who were
awarded Title IV funds (federally funded financial aid) and who have at least one
course credit that was not online at the start of the spring semester. You are receiving
this emergency funding because you meet the above criteria and were enrolled in classes
at ACM as of March 14, 2020. You must accept these funds through WebAdvisor immediately to receive your check.
How to accept your award:
- Log in to WebADvisor
- Go to Financial Aid
- Go to "My Awards"
- Select Award Year 2019-20
- Complete the Award Certification
- Accept Your Award
In accepting your award, you certify that you have incurred expenses at least equal
to the amount of this award that are as a direct result of the disruption of campus
operations due to COVID-19; and that your expenses were in one or more of these areas:
food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and/or child care.
Upon receipt of the signed acceptance of the award, payments will be paid to students
and the emergency grant award will be mailed in the form of an ACM check to the student’s
home address. The student will also receive an email confirmation on the day the check
is mailed. Below is the email notice of the mailed check:
Dear FIRST.NAME,
A financial aid payment from the CARES ACT has been made to you and a check has been
mailed to your home address.
Student Financial Aid Office
Allegany College of Maryland
12401 Willowbrook Road, SE
Cumberland, MD 21502-2596
- Administrative Process to Distribute Funds to Students
- ACM will use their FAMS (Ellucian’s Colleague) to award and disburse the CARES Act
grants. The Director of Accounting will set up a special Accounts Receivable code
called “CV” which will allow the award to be disbursed in full without passing through
the outstanding balances form. The Director of Student Financial Aid will create a
special award code called “COVID.” The Office of Institutional Research will provide
a spreadsheet of eligible students, including their ACM Student ID and eligible credit
hours to the Director of Student Financial Aid. The Director of Student Financial
Aid will calculate the correct award for each student and add the award to the AIDE
form for each eligible applicant with a status of “Pending.” Once the student officially
accepts the award, the status will turn to “Accepted” and paid through the normal
Financial Aid Transmittal procedure on a weekly basis.
- It is the goal of Allegany College of Maryland to as quickly as possible get these
emergency grant funds into the hands of our students. We realize not all students
will be able to certify that they meet the conditions to accept this award; and therefore,
we will use those remaining funds to assist students during the summer 2020 semester
who have expenses related to the disruption of ACM campus operations. As of the first
revised date of this document, a total of 901 students have received their CARES Act
funds, totaling $682,982.00.
Students who had not yet accepted their award on May 26, 2020 were sent the reminder
email below through the Communications Management system of Colleague. The email
document name is FAECORE (Financial Aid Email COVID Award Reminder). 140 students
received this email. The Director of Student Financial Aid sent the email and maintains
the list of students who received it. A confirmation was received that all 140 emails
were sent successfully.
Dear @LR.FIRST.NAME ,
You should have received a letter at your home address around May 1, 2020 stating
you were awarded a federal grant from President Trump's CARES Act law. This letter
stated you have until June 1, 2020 to officially confirm COVID-19 expenses and accept
the award. This email is a reminder to accept your award before June 1.
You are receiving this award because you were awarded Title IV funds (federally funded
financial aid) for the spring 2020 semester and had at least one course credit that
was not online at the start of the spring term.
HOW TO ACCEPT YOUR AWARD:
Log in to WebAdvisor
Go to Financial Aid
Go to "My Awards"
Select Award Year 2019-20
Complete the Award Certification
Accept Your Award
In accepting your award, you certify that you have incurred expenses at least equal
to the amount of this award that are as a direct result of the disruption of campus
operations due to COVID-19; and that your expenses were in one or more of these areas:
food, housing, course materials, technology, health care, and/or childcare.
Sincerely,
Cynthia S. Bambara
President
Allegany College of Maryland
As of May 26, 2020, one student declined to receive the award, stating no additional
expenses. The award was cancelled.
