Maricopa Community Colleges

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid Eligibility
 

Federal regulations (CFR 668.32(f) and 668.34) require a student to move toward the completion of a degree or certificate within an eligible program when receiving financial aid. Specific requirements for academic progress for financial aid recipients are applied differently than Scholastic Standards. Federal regulations state that Academic Progress Standards must include a review of all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not aid was received. The student must meet the following minimum standards in order to receive financial aid.

I. Evaluation of Financial Aid Eligibility

A.     Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) are applied once per year, beginning on or about June 1^st to determine the eligibility for the following academic year.

B.    The evaluation period will be based on attendance in the immediate prior Spring, Fall, Summer term (example: for 2002-2003 academic year, academic progress will be evaluated on Spring 2003, Fall 2002, and Summer 2001).

C.     Credits evaluated will include credits attempted at the evaluating school and courses funded through consortium agreement.

D.     Students who do not meet the SAP will be notified. The student may follow the appeal process or the reinstatement procedures as outlined in V and VI.

IV. Repeated, Audited, Consortium, Remedial Courses, Summer

A.     Financial aid may be used to cover the cost of       repeated courses.

B.     Audited courses, non-credit courses, credit by examination, and any credit for prior learning option (as outlined in the catalog) are excluded when determining eligibility for financial aid.

C.     Courses funded through a consortium agreement are included in determining academic progress.

D.     All attempted remedial credits will be included when evaluating SAP. (A maximum of 30 remedial credit hours, excluding ESL courses may be funded.)

E.     Enrollment in any or all Summer sessions within the same calendar year will be considered one term.
 

II. Eligibility

A.       Students must meet the following criteria:

1.     Students who have attempted at least 6 credit hours in the last evaluation period must complete with a passing grade 2/3 of all credits attempted within that evaluation period, OR

2.     Students who have NOT attempted at least 6 credit hours in the last evaluation period must complete with passing grades 2/3 of ALL credits attempted at EMCC.

                                        AND

B.     All students must meet the following minimum credit hour/cumulative GPA requirement

Credits Attempted*              Min GPA

         12-15                              1.60

         16-30                              1.75

         31-45                              1.90

         46 +                                 2.00

*for which grade points are computed.

Note: Grades of F,I,N,W,X,Y,Z, and courses not yet graded are considered attempted but not meeting progress standards for the purposes of financial aid.

V. Appeal Process

A student who has lost financial aid eligibility due to extenuating circumstances may appeal.

A.    Extenuating circumstances that may be considered include: personal illness or accident, serious illness or death within immediate family, or other circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the student.

B.      All appeals must be in writing to the Financial Aid Office where the student is applying for aid and include appropriate documentation.

C.     Examples of documentation could include an obituary notice, divorce decree, or a letter from a physician, attorney, social services agency, parole officer, etc.

D.    The condition or situation must be resolved which will allow the student the ability to complete course work successfully or an appeal will not be granted.

E.     The outcome of an appeal may include approval, a probationary period, or denial.

F.     A student will be notified in writing of the results of the appeal and of any restrictions or conditions pertaining to their appeal.

VI. Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

A.     A student who has lost financial aid eligibility may be reinstated after the student has taken (without federal funds) at least six credit hours in a semester, passed all attempted credit hours, and meets minimum cumulative GPA requirements.

B.     If the student attempts more than six hours, the student will be evaluated on all attempted credit hours within that term.

C.     Classes taken at other colleges will not be taken into consideration for reinstatement purposes.

D.     It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when this condition has been met.

III. Maximum Timeframe Eligibility

A.     Students who have attempted more than 150% of the credits required for their program of study are not considered to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress and therefore, are ineligible for financial aid funds.

B.     All evaluated transfer credits will be included when determining maximum timeframe eligibility.

C.     A student with a Bachelor’s degree or higher will be considered to have exhausted maximum timeframe eligibility.

D.     A student may appeal maximum time frame.