STCC Financial Aid - Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy (Effective End of Fall 2009)
In order to receive financial aid (federal and state grants, loans, and work-study), you must be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward your degree or certificate. The following policy explains how Springfield Technical Community College measures your academic progress according to Department of Education guidelines.
POLICY
The Financial Aid Office (FAO) is required to evaluate your progress by the length of time it takes to complete your program of study, the rate of completion, and your cumulative grade point average (GPA).
Length of time
- To measure the length of time it takes to complete your program requirements, all periods of enrollment and all credits attempted are included in the evaluation
- You cannot exceed 150% of the published length of your program of study
- Credits attempted include College level courses, Remedial, ESL, Repeated classes, Transfer credits, and credits earned toward a prior degree. (See the ‘Additional Information’ section for exceptions to the number of credits attempted for Remedial and ESL credits)
- Audited classes and Challenge and CLEP exams are not included in attempted or completed credits
Example: Liberal Arts Transfer (LTTR) is a 60-credit program. You cannot attempt more than 90 credits (60 credits X 150% = 90 credits)
Rate of Completion
- To measure the rate of completion, the total number of credits attempted is compared to the total number of credits completed
- You must successfully complete at least two thirds (66.66%) of the total number of credits attempted
- Successfully completed grades are A, B, C, and D
Example: The total number of credits attempted is 48 credits. You must successfully complete at least 32 credits (48 credits X 66.66% = 32 credits)
Cumulative grade point average
- You are expected to maintain the following minimum cumulative
grade point average (GPA)
Earned Credits Minimum GPA 1 - 12 1.50 13 - 21 1.70 22 - 30 1.80 31 + 2.00 - All courses attempted with earned grades of A, B, C, D, F, and FA are included in the GPA calculation (see Additional Information for treatment of Fresh Start grades)
- Remedial, ESL, and the last grade earned in a repeated course are factored into the GPA calculation for Satisfactory Academic Progress
Please note that the treatment of grades and courses attempted for SAP is different than the college policy on academic standing and graduation requirements. Please refer to the online student handbook for additional information.
EVALUATION PROCESS
SAP is evaluated at the end of each semester
- If you don’t meet the minimum requirements for the rate of completion or cumulative GPA, you will be sent a Warning Notice
- At the end of the next period of enrollment you must successfully complete all courses attempted for the term with a minimum term GPA of a 2.50
- You will remain in a Warning status if your cumulative GPA remains below the minimum requirements but you continue to meet the term requirements
- The Warning status will be removed once you meet the minimum cumulative requirements
- Your status becomes Unsatisfactory if you fail to meet these standards
- You will be notified once you exceed 130% of your program length and will be required to submit a Plan of Study
- If you exceed the 130% and don’t meet the minimum GPA or rate of completion, your status is Unsatisfactory
You will be notified if your SAP status is Unsatisfactory. If you are currently receiving financial aid, your aid will be cancelled immediately. If your application is currently being reviewed, your application will become inactive. If you have a tuition bill for the following semester you must make your own payment arrangements.
If you are suspended from the college you are automatically ineligible for financial aid.
REGAINING ELIGIBILITY
If your SAP status is Unsatisfactory and you have extenuating circumstances that affected your grades, you may file an Appeal with the Financial Aid Office.
Explain in detail the reason(s) you were unable to complete the semester successfully. Examples of extenuating circumstances include medical, personal, or family problems, change of major, or military service. Please attach appropriate documentation of support.
If your appeal is approved for the next semester you must successfully complete all classes attempted and maintain a minimum term GPA of 2.5. You will be placed on ‘Conditional Eligibility’ for the next semester. The FAO has the right to limit your enrollment; failure to follow our restrictions may result in cancellation of your aid.
If you successfully complete all courses enrolled during the next period of enrollment and your cumulative GPA meets the minimum requirements, the Conditional status will be removed. If you successfully complete all courses attempted with a minimum term GPA of a 2.5 but your cumulative GPA remains below the guidelines, you will remain in a “Conditional Eligibility status’ until you meet the minimum cumulative requirements.
If you do not file an appeal or if your appeal was denied, you may be able to regain eligibility by attempting at least 6 credits at your own expense. If you successfully pass all attempted courses with a term GPA of 2.5 or better, we will review your status at the end of the enrollment period for the following term.
If you attempted too many credits, you must submit a Plan of Study (POS) with your Appeal. You will be notified when you reach 130% of your maximum program length. Remember, we are evaluating all of the courses attempted, not just the courses required for your current program. Please have your Faculty Advisor complete the POS with the courses required to graduate in your current program and indicate your expected date of graduation. The POS must be signed and dated by both you and your Faculty Advisor.
If your appeal was approved based on a POS, you must follow the POS in order to continue to receive financial aid. Financial aid will not cover the cost of courses not required for graduation in your current program. Financial aid eligibility ends at your expected date of graduation.
You will be notified once your appeal is reviewed. Turn around time is approximately 2 weeks; however, due to the limited time between the fall and spring semesters (and between spring and summer) you may not receive notification prior to the start of the following semester. You must make your own financial arrangements to pay your bill.
Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in a loss of financial aid eligibility. If the Financial Aid Office determines that it is no longer possible for you to meet the minimum standards by graduation, you become ineligible for financial aid.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
ACADEMIC STANDING: If you are suspended from the college you are not eligible to receive financial aid. Academic Standing is administered through the Student Success Center.
CHANGE of MAJORS: If you transfer into a new program or graduate from STCC and return in a new program, credits attempted toward your previous program are counted when calculating the length of time it takes to complete your new program requirements. As a result, you may not be able to complete your new program within the 150% limit. You will be required to submit a Plan of Study once you reach 130%.
If you graduated from STCC and are enrolling in a new program, you must submit a POS. If you do not have the entrance requirements for a new program and must enroll in General Studies to complete prerequisites, you may not be eligible for financial aid. Please notify the FAO once you are accepted into your program of choice. You cannot graduate from the college and return in the same program.
Example: You graduated from STCC with a degree in Liberal Arts Transfer and are now applying for the Nursing program. You are not accepted into Nursing because you need certain prerequisites and are instead, accepted into Liberal Arts General Studies – Pre Health core. You are not eligible for financial aid.
ENGLISH as a SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL): Additional consideration is given to students enrolled in ESL courses. You may attempt up to 45 additional credits in ESL. All ESL courses are included in the cumulative GPA and rate of completion. ESL credits in excess of 45 credits are included in the total number of attempted credits.
Example: Liberal Arts Transfer (LTTR) is a 60-credit program. You can attempt up to 135 credits; 90 credits of college level courses plus 45 credits of ESL coursework.
You are not eligible to receive financial aid for ESL coursework above the 45-credit limit. If you attempted 45 ESL credits, and need to enroll for additional ESL coursework, it will be at your own expense.
FRESH START: The FAO has revised its SAP policy to follow the college policy and will recognize your Fresh Start status. Courses accepted under this forgiveness clause will not be included in the cumulative GPA but are counted toward total credits attempted.
INCOMPLETES: If your SAP status was unsatisfactory in part due to an Incomplete Grade, please contact the FAO immediately upon receiving your grade change. We will recalculate your SAP based on the grade change.
REMEDIAL COURSEWORK: You may receive aid for remedial coursework up to a maximum of 30 remedial credits in addition to the 150% maximum program length. All remedial courses are included in the GPA and rate of completion. Remedial credits in excess of 30 credits are included in the total number of attempted credits.
Example: Liberal Arts Transfer (LTTR) is a 60-credit program. You can attempt up to 120 credits; 90 credits of college level courses plus 30 credits of remedial coursework
You are not eligible to receive financial aid for remedial coursework above the 30-credit limit. If you attempted 30 remedial credits, and need to enroll for additional remedial coursework, it will be at your own expense.
REPEATED COURSES: The SAP policy will follow the college policy on repeated courses. Students may repeat a course but only the last grade will be used to calculate the GPA. All repeated courses are included in attempted courses.
TRANSFER CREDITS: Transfer credits are included in number of credits attempted but are not calculated in the GPA or rate of completion.