Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAP measures academic performance based on three standards: 

1. Qualitative SAP Standard: This utilizes a student's cumulative GPA (CGPA) across all coursework and requires a student to maintain a 2.0 CGPA.
2. Quantitative SAP Standard: This utilizes a student's pace of completion (PACE) across all coursework and requires a student to maintain a 66.67% or greater cumulative credit completion rate. PACE is calculated to exact decimal precision; no rounding is applied. (See example below for how PACE is calculated.)
3. Maximum Timeframe (MTF): This calculates that all required coursework should be completed in 150% of the published length of the student's program of study (see the example below for how MTF is calculated).

Meets SAP: All three standards are met and the student will be eligible to receive financial aid in the following term (quarter).

Financial Aid Warning: This status will be given to any student who fails CGPA or PACE standards after their first term or any term where they go from meeting SAP to failing a standard:

• CGPA falls below 2.0 at the end of a quarter and/or
• PACE falls below 66.67% at the end of a quarter
• Students on Financial Aid Warning are eligible to receive financial aid the following term (quarter).
• Financial aid will be suspended if all SAP standards are not met by the end of the Warning term (quarter).
• Students who return to good standing at the end of the Warning term (quarter) will be updated to Meets SAP.

Financial Aid Suspension: This status will be given to any student who fails to meet qualitative or quantitative standards for more than one term (quarter) in a row:

• CGPA falls below 2.0 at the end of a term (quarter) and/or
• PACE falls below 66.67% at the end of a term (quarter)

Students on Financial Aid Suspension may appeal their status. If approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and may be required to follow an Academic Plan if they are unable to mathematically regain SAP standards within one payment period.

Financial Aid Probation: This status will be given to students who successfully appeal their Financial Aid Suspension status. Students placed on Financial Aid Probation may be required to meet specific conditions established through the appeal process. Students who are unable to mathematically regain SAP standards within one payment period may be required to follow an approved Academic Plan. Students remain eligible for financial aid as long as they successfully meet the requirements of their probation period and/or Academic Plan.

Maximum Timeframe (MTF)

Warning MTF: MTF 125%*

Dismissal for MTF: MTF 150%

*Warning MTF is a notification to the student that they are approaching the 150% maximum timeframe threshold; aid eligibility is not affected at this stage.

• A student may be placed on MTF Suspension at any point a Financial Aid Advisor determines it is mathematically impossible to complete the degree within the 150% timeframe, even if they have not reached the Warning MTF percentage.
• Students placed on Maximum Timeframe Suspension may appeal in accordance with the SAP Appeal procedures outlined in this policy.
• See "Consecutive Degree" for how credits will be evaluated for a 2nd program of study.

Timeline

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee reviews all SAP Appeals submitted to the Financial Aid office. Students will receive an email which communicates the committee's decision or requests additional documentation after their appeal is reviewed. If a student did not submit supporting documentation which directly relates to their appeal statement, the committee may request the student submit additional supporting documentation before review of the appeal can be completed.

• Typical processing for appeals is 10 business days once grades post for a term (quarter).
• Appeals submitted prior to grades posting will not be reviewed until grades post for the current term (quarter) unless the student withdrew from all of their course(s) in a given term (quarter).
• When/if appeals are approved, financial aid is not retroactive to previous quarters. Rather, students will be awarded starting the term (quarter) the appeal is approved.

Requirements

Appeals must be submitted in writing via the Financial Aid Forms portal* found in the mySPSCC Quick Links menu or Navigate360 and should respond to the following questions:

• Why the student failed to make Satisfactory Academic Progress?
• What has changed in the student's situation that will allow them to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress at the next evaluation?
• What is the student's plan going forward on how they will maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress?
• If this is not the student's first appeal, the appeal should include what has changed since the last time the student submitted an appeal.

*We strongly encourage students to submit appeals via the Financial Aid Forms portal either found in the mySPSCC Quick Links menu or Navigate360. If this is inaccessible, appeals can be submitted in-person at the One-Stop.

Appealable Reasons

Extenuating Circumstances

SAP appeals are typically considered when a student's academic progress is negatively impacted by unforeseen and documented circumstances. Students should submit an appeal even if they do not have a reason that is outlined in the circumstances below.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Medical Emergency
• Death or illness of a family member
• Severe Illness or accident
• Catastrophic event
• Natural disaster

Note: Lack of awareness of the SAP or withdrawal policies, lack of understanding of the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), challenges with technology and/or instructors, and/or general unpreparedness for college coursework will not be considered acceptable reasons for the purpose of an appeal and may be denied.

Documentation

If/when able, students should submit relevant documentation with an appeal. However, students should still submit an appeal if they do not have documentation available. The committee reviewing the appeal may ask the student to submit additional documentation if not previously provided.

Examples include (but are not limited to):

• Medical records
• Letter from mental health counselor
• Doctor's release to return to school
• Medical bills
• Police report
• Obituary

Tips for Writing an Appeal Statement

Practice Accountability, Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, Decision-Making, and Self-Advocacy Skills

Taking accountability ensures that students are willing to be honest about issues that may be impacting their academic success, and are willing to think critically about the steps they will take to ensure, to the best of their ability, that those issues will no longer impact their academic progress. Seeking help for challenges such as time management and/or study skills, or scheduling a meeting with a tutor or counselor for support are all good examples of ways to practice accountability as well as take proactive steps for continued success in school.

Students should be mindful of long-term and short-term issues and whether or not attending school is the right decision at the particular time a student may be facing challenges. When in doubt, meeting with a Financial Aid Specialist can support students in understanding potential impacts to financial aid and clarify whether to stay in school or take a break to address challenges and return once these challenges are resolved.

Finally, the Financial Aid office strongly suggests that students review the Financial Aid SAP policy on an ongoing basis to ensure a thorough understanding of the requirements under which students are accepting financial aid funds. Students should reach out to the Financial Aid office if they have questions about the policy or how their specific situation would be impacted by lack of progress in any particular quarter.

Outcomes

One-Quarter Probation

If a student's appeal is approved, they will be on "Probation" for the next quarter of attendance with financial aid. Probation means the student must successfully meet the conditions established through the appeal process and any approved Academic Plan. If a student successfully meets the requirements of their probationary quarter, they will be back in good standing for the following quarter.

Student example for one-quarter probation:

Must earn at least a 2.123 GPA to reach target within 7 credits.

GPA required to reach target: 2.123 or higher.

Academic Plan

Some students are unable to mathematically regain SAP standards within one payment period. In these situations, students may be required to follow an approved Academic Plan following a successful SAP appeal. An Academic Plan outlines the specific requirements a student must meet to regain SAP standards or successfully complete their program within an approved timeframe.

Students remain eligible for financial aid while following an approved Academic Plan provided they continue to meet the conditions of the plan. Academic progress will be reviewed at the end of each payment period (quarter). Students who successfully complete the requirements of their Academic Plan and return to meeting all SAP standards will be returned to Meets SAP status. Students who fail to meet the requirements of their Academic Plan may be returned to Financial Aid Suspension.

Student example for Academic Plan:

Must earn at least a 3.52 GPA each quarter to reach target within 22 credits.

GPA required to reach target: 3.52 or higher.

Denials

If a student's appeal is denied for lack of supporting documentation, these are their options:

1. A student can submit documentation and have their appeal re-reviewed, and/or
2. A student can pay their tuition and successfully complete all of their credits (while keeping their CGPA above a 2.0) to earn reinstatement.

If a student's appeal is denied because the circumstances in their personal statement were not considered "unusual or extraordinary," these are their options:

1. A student can submit a new appeal statement and relevant supporting documentation to include circumstances they may have left out in their initial statement, and/or
2. A student can pay their tuition and successfully complete all of their credits (while keeping their CGPA above a 2.0) to earn reinstatement.

Developing an Academic Plan

Students approved for a probation period that extends beyond one payment period (academic plan) are required to develop and follow an Academic Plan that outlines how they will meet SAP standards or successfully complete their program within a specified timeframe. Students approved for a one-quarter probation period may also be required to complete an Academic Plan at the discretion of the Financial Aid Office:

• An Academic Plan will need to be developed with and approved by an Academic Advisor.
• Once an Academic Plan has been completed, it should be reviewed by the student. If this plan satisfies the SAP requirements and meets the student's needs, the student should upload a copy of their Academic Plan to Financial Aid Forms for review.

Deadlines

• Priority Deadline: Submit by the 1st day of the next quarter for priority processing. Students who meet this deadline will be held in class(es) while appeal review is completed.
• Final quarter deadline: Submit by the 7th week of each quarter. Failure to submit and/or complete your appeal by the end of the 7th week of classes will result in your appeal review being completed the following quarter of attendance.
• Deadline for the Academic Year: Submit by the 1st business day of June. Appeals for the current academic year will not be accepted after this point.

SPSCC uses many grading methodologies; therefore, an explanation of grading types and how these are used in the calculation of SAP are listed below. All attempted credits, with the exception of courses taken for audit, will count toward PACE and Maximum Timeframe.

• Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F are included in the CGPA calculation.
• Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, P, and S are considered both attempted and successfully completed.
• Grades of Y, F, N, W, V, and U are considered attempted but not successfully completed.
• An Incomplete (I) grade is not included in the CGPA calculation. It counts as attempted but not successfully completed until the coursework is graded and the permanent grade is granted (then it will be judged based on the grade explanation above, depending on the final grade).
• Withdrawal (W) grades received after the add/drop period are not included in the CGPA calculation but count as attempted and not successfully completed.
• Withdrawal/Incomplete grades (W/I) are not counted in the CGPA calculation but count as attempted and not successfully completed until coursework is graded and a permanent grade is granted (then it will be judged based on the grade explanation above, depending on the final grade).
• Credits for which an enrolled student receives grades of all W's due to an approved personal or medical leave of absence and/or otherwise officially withdraws during the semester count as attempted but not successfully completed.
• Repeated courses count as attempted and completed credits.
• Accepted transfer credits are attempted and successfully completed.

Exceptions

• Transfer credits are not included in the CGPA requirements.
• Courses taken for audit are not eligible for financial aid and, therefore, are not included in the SAP calculation.
• Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and/or any courses taken through the SPSCC Transition Studies program do not count toward CGPA, PACE, or MTF.

Repeated Courses

• Students may receive financial aid for repeating previously passed courses (D or better) only once. A retake will not be approved if the student previously earned an A.
• Students may receive financial aid for repeating a failed course until a passing grade (D or better) is earned.

Program of Study

Program Changes: If a student chooses to stop pursuing one program of study and switch to another one, the attempted credit count will not start over. All previously attempted credits will count toward the maximum allowed for your new program of study. Therefore, it is very important that you discuss your changes with Student Financial Services so you can become informed about how many attempted credits you have remaining.

Students who are within 20 credits (including credits currently enrolled in) of completing their current program of study will not be permitted to change programs with the benefit of financial aid until their current program is completed.

Concurrent vs. Consecutive Programs

Concurrent programs mean that a student is pursuing two programs simultaneously. At SPSCC, students may only pursue and receive financial aid for one program of study at a time. "Program of study" means either an associate's degree program, BA program, or a financial aid approved certificate program.

Consecutive programs mean that after completing one program, the student begins working towards a second program. Financial aid for the second program will not be awarded until the completion of the first program appears on the student's academic transcript. An education plan and degree audit are required and credits from the first program of study must be evaluated by an academic advisor for transferability to the second program. Financial aid will only fund remaining credits to complete the second degree per the education plan.

Note: All prior warning and suspension statuses will be carried forward to the new program of study.

Enrollment Intensity: Beginning with the 2024-2025 aid year, the Pell Grant, Washington College Grant, and College Bound Scholarship will no longer be based on enrollment status. Instead, disbursement amounts will be calculated using Enrollment Intensity – which is a percentage value based on the number of credits a student is enrolled in (rounded to the nearest whole percent) at Census. The table below illustrates how enrollment intensity is determined based on credit load:

*Audit status, Running Start, high school completion, ESOL, ABE, Tech Prep, continuing education credits, and prerequisite credits required to transfer to another school (if a student does not have elective room in their program) are not financial aid eligible and do not count towards a student's enrollment level and funding amounts.

R2T4: Return of Title IV

Overpayments: If a student's aid was disbursed at an incorrect enrollment level or the student did not attend classes, they will owe a repayment of financial aid to the college and will be billed accordingly. Repayment balances will be displayed on the Student Account in ctcLink.

Students that owe a balance due to repayment: Term Transfer payments can only occur in the same academic year and with a Pell grant award in a sum large enough to cover the repayment balance due. State aid and/or loans cannot be used to pay a prior quarter balance. In order to qualify, students must have enough financial aid remaining after their repayment balance is paid to cover their current quarter balance.

*Students must pay their prior quarter balance to be able to register and receive additional aid.

Census

SPSCC's Census date is the tenth business day of the quarter. On this day, we will take a "snapshot" of a student's enrollment for the quarter. This snapshot determines what financial aid a student will receive for the quarter.

It is very important that students finalize their schedule by the Census date. This will ensure their awards are accurate. While students' financial aid amounts are initially awarded assuming a full-time enrollment level (12+ credits), a student's financial aid will be re-calculated if they are enrolled less-than-full-time (1–11 credits) on or before this date.

Changes to a student's schedule after this date can result in an increase of financial aid with the exception of Pell grant. If a student's aid was disbursed at an incorrect enrollment level, paid toward classes that were not required to complete the student's degree with SPSCC, or the student did not attend classes, they will owe a repayment of financial aid to the college and will be billed accordingly. It is the student's responsibility to check with the financial aid office to verify how schedule changes may affect their financial aid.

Amnesty: Courses removed or changed as a result of an institutional academic amnesty policy must still be counted for SAP purposes since SAP is a cumulative process and factors in all coursework applicable to a program of study.

Consortium Agreements: Students who must take a required class at another college (the host college) must complete a Consortium Agreement which is signed by the host college's financial aid office. Consortiums are only allowed once a student has met with an academic advisor and the advisor has determined that this is the only option for the student to meet their program requirements. The agreement and a copy of the registration from the host college must be submitted to our office. At the end of the quarter, grades from the host college must be submitted for our evaluation before any future financial aid will be disbursed.

Grade Changes: SAP is evaluated at the end of each term (quarter). SAP may be re-evaluated when a grade change or program change occurs between scheduled SAP evaluations. Upon receipt of a Change of Records SAP Appeal, the Financial Aid Office will review the updated academic record and re-determine SAP eligibility for the affected term. Students will be notified of any change in SAP status via email. Students whose SAP eligibility is restored through a grade change will normally be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one payment period. Any retroactive award or disbursement of Federal Pell Grant, FSEOG, or other Title IV funds resulting from the grade change is subject to all applicable federal late-disbursement requirements and deadlines. Restoration of SAP eligibility does not guarantee retroactive payment of aid when federal disbursement deadlines have passed.

Federal Aid – Refers to Pell grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Direct Loans, and Federal Work Study.

State Aid – Refers to SPSCC Grant, Washington College Grant, College Bound, Washington Bridge Grant, Passport to College, National Guard Grant, and State Work Study.

Term Transfer – Refers to Pell grant for current quarter enrollment being applied to a repayment balance in a prior quarter within the same academic year. The student must have enough combined financial aid (Federal, State, and/or Institutional aid) remaining to cover their current quarter tuition and fee balance once Pell grant has been applied toward the repayment balance due in a prior quarter. Students are eligible for up to one term transfer during their period of study with SPSCC. Professional judgements can be made on a case-by-case basis.

Assessment Credits – Assessment credits refer to credits from Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), Advance Placement (AP), Standardized test credits (CLEP), or Portfolio credits accepted by the college toward your degree of study.