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
- Non-Discrimination Policy
- 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.
Contact Information
The following employees of Allegany College of Maryland have been designated to assist
enrolled or prospective students in obtaining information on our school, financial
assistance, graduation and retention rates, security policies, and crime statistics:
Nondiscrimination Policy – The Student Financial Aid Office of Allegany College of Maryland offers free financial
aid counseling services to all persons who request such help. All students attending
the College are awarded all of the student financial aid for which they are eligible.
Students have the right to cancel/decline some or all of any student financial aid
award. ACM’s Student Financial Aid Office does not discriminate on the basis of curriculum,
race color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender religion, disability, age, veteran
status, or citizenship status (except in those circumstances permitted or mandated
by Federal law) when awarding or disbursing student financial assistance.
