Satisfactory Progress

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?
Each institution of higher education that receives federal Title IV funds is required by the U.S. Department of Education to define and enforce standards for satisfactory academic progress. Satisfactory academic progress measures a student's performance in the following three areas/criteria: grade point average (GPA), completion rate, and maximum time frame. The Financial Aid Office is responsible for ensuring that all students who receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid are meeting these standards. The Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress apply for all applicable financial assistance programs including Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Family Education Loans (Stafford and PLUS), as well as assistance from the state and the institution.

Purpose
Each institution will review the academic progress of students, enrolled in an eligible degree and/or certificate program, who apply for and/or receive financial aid. The purpose of this review process is to determine whether a student is making satisfactory progress towards his or her educational goal in both qualitative and quantitative measurements. The qualitative measurement consists of the grade point average and the quantitative measurement is the completion rate of credit hours attempted. The maximum timeframe allowed in which a student is expected to complete his or her certificate or degree program is 150% of the number of credit hours required for the specific program.

Federal regulations require that a student’s entire academic record be reviewed for satisfactory academic progress, whether or not financial aid was received. This includes those institutions that offer academic amnesty programs that exclude previous grades from being calculated into their current GPA. If you have attempted credits at the college but have never applied for financial aid before please see the “Determination of Eligibility - First Time Applicants for Financial Aid” section at the end of this brochure.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Criteria
In order to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements for terms in which assistance was received, financial aid recipients must:

1. Maintain a minimum term grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 or above for all classes attempted; and

2. Successfully complete a minimum of 75% of attempted credit hours for the term. Students taking less than 3 credit hours must complete all hours attempted (see the chart below).

Hours successfully completed result in the following Satisfactory Progress status:
Hours Attempted	Hours Completed (Satisfactory Progress)	Hours Completed (Unsatisfactory Progress)	Hours Completed(Immediate Suspension)
18	14	3 thru 13	Less than 3
17	13	3 thru 12	Less than 3
16	12	3 thru 11	Less than 3
15	12	3 thru 11	Less than 3
14	11	3 thru 10	Less than 3
13	10	3 thru 9	Less than 3
12	9	3 thru 8	Less than 3
11	9	3 thru 8	Less than 3
10	8	3 thru 7	Less than 3
9	7	3 thru 6	Less than 3
8	6	3 thru 5	Less than 3
7	6	3 thru 5	Less than 3
6	5	3 thru 4	Less than 3
5	4	3	Less than 3
4	3	N/A	Less than 3
3	3	N/A	Less than 3
Less than 3 credits	Number of attempted credits	N/A	Less than number of attempted credits

Review of Satisfactory Academic Progress will be done shortly after the stated due date for grades at the end of each term. Credit hours attempted through consortium agreements will be included in the review of this criterion. Students who fail to meet either the term GPA or 75% attempted vs. completed credit hours criterions will be placed on financial aid probation or suspension and will be notified in writing of their status.

Grade symbols of A, B, C, D earned will be considered acceptable for courses completed. S and P (credit) grades will be assigned the equivalent value of a 2.0 GPA.

Grades of W, U, WF, F, I, Z, IP, OE, and AU earned will not be considered acceptable for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Maximum Time Length
Federal regulations require that institutions establish a maximum time period or maximum number of credit hours in which a student should complete an educational degree and/or certificate if financial aid is received. Financial aid recipients will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if they complete their educational degree and/or certificate by the time they have attempted 150% of the number of credit hours required for the specific program. If a student changes a course of study, the attempted hours under all courses of study are included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours. Transfer credit hours are also included in the calculation of allowable maximum time length. All attempted credit hours, whether or not financial aid was received for the credit hours, must be evaluated when determining the maximum time length for financial aid consideration.

Up to 30 credit hours of remedial coursework or English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are allowed when determining enrollment status. However, these credit hours will not be counted toward the students’ maximum time length.

Payment of aid is allowed for repeated courses. However, these courses will be counted toward students’ maximum time length.

Financial Aid Probation & Suspension
The Financial Aid Office monitors your academic progress if you are a recipient of federal, state, or institutional financial aid. We monitor progress in three areas:

If you do not attain the minimum grade point average or completion rate, we will place you on probation or suspension. If you are on financial aid probation, you may continue to receive financial aid subject to approval. If you are on financial aid suspension, you are no longer eligible for financial aid.

Note: Financial aid probation/suspension is different from Academic probation/suspension. Please see the Academic Regulations page for more information about Academic probation/suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension Appeals
Each institution is required to have a Financial Aid Appeal Committee and a secondary process for students to appeal the primary decision of the Financial Aid Appeal Committee. All decisions made at the secondary level are final.

These appeals must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office with supporting documentation attached. Appeals may be filed for mitigating circumstances, such as medical problems (family illness), family emergency (death of a family member), or other documented extenuating circumstances beyond the student's control.

A student appealing for an extension of the maximum allowable credit hours for the currently enrolled program, or funding for an additional degree and/or certificate, may be required to meet with an academic advisor or counselor to discuss the accumulation of attempted hours beyond the degree requirements and/or the educational purpose of a subsequent degree and/or certificate.

An appeal form can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. The student is responsible for presenting sufficient information and documentation to substantiate the existence of mitigating circumstances.

The Financial Aid Appeal Committee will initially review and make a decision about the appeal. If the student wishes to appeal that decision, he/she may make a written request to have the appeal reviewed at a secondary level. The college determines the structure for the secondary review level.

Students with approved appeals will be notified in writing and will be placed on Probation for the term in which the appeal was approved. Students with denied appeals will be notified in writing of the committees’ decision and of the reinstatement process.

Reinstatement
A student who has been suspended may request reinstatement of eligibility after completing one term of a minimum of 6 credit hours at his or her own expense, (without the assistance of federal, state or institutional money) meeting the satisfactory academic progress requirements, and repaying any overpayment that he or she may have received. Once these criteria are met, the student must submit a written Financial Aid Suspension Appeal to the Financial Aid Office for a review of their satisfactory academic progress eligibility status.

Determination of Eligibility - First Time Applicants for Financial Aid.
Occasionally students have attempted credits at the college prior to requesting consideration for financial aid. In those instances, the table below will be used to determine the students’ status when they are being considered for assistance.

*After Attempting the Following Credits*	*Must have at least a 2.0 Cumulative G.P.A.*	*And must Have Completed the Following Percentage of Attempted Credits*
1 – 23	Less than 2.0 GPA, student will be on probation	N/A
24 – 44	Less than 2.0 GPA, student will be on probation	50% (Less than 50% completed credits, student is not eligible without an approved appeal)
45 – 59	Less than 2.0 GPA, student will be on probation	66% (Less than 66% completed credits, student is not eligible without an approved appeal)
60+	Less than 2.0 GPA, student will be on probation	80% (Less than 80% completed credits, student is not eligible without an approved appeal)

If the above percentage of attempted to completed is met but the Cumulative G.P.A. is less than a 2.0 – the student will be placed on financial aid probation for the initial term.