Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
According to Federal and State regulation, students receiving financial aid must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the termination of financial aid. Eligibility may be regained by re-establishing satisfactory academic progress. The Financial Aid office at Southeastern Community College monitors a student's academic progress as a condition of eligibility when a student applies for financial aid and also at the end of each enrollment period (semester). These requirements are applied to a student's cumulative enrollment at Southeastern Community College, including transfer hours from other schools and including periods when financial aid was not received. A student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress when the following three requirements are met:
- Qualitative Standard (Cumulative Grade Point Average) - A student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
- Quantitative Standard (Completion Rate) - Students must complete at least 67% of all coursework attempted with a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or P. This includes every course (a cumulative history) on their Southeastern Community College transcript. Transfer courses accepted by the college are included in addition to all courses taken at Southeastern Community College. Hours for each attempt of a repeated courses will be included.
- Maximum Time Frame - Students must successfully complete their program of study within its time frame. Federal regulations specify that the time frame may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program. For example, if a degree requires 64 credit hours to graduate, the student is eligible to receive financial assistance until they have attempted 96 credit hours. Additional time needed to complete the degree beyond the maximum stipulated time is an expense that the student may incur. Once a student exceeds the time frame for their program of study, they will no longer be eligible to receive financial aid; however, the student can complete an appeal request to have their eligibility extended. Course withdrawals, incomplete grades, and course failures count as hours attempted. Repeated courses and transfer credit hours received from another college will be counted in hours attempted. All remedial classes are counted towards maximum time frame (150%).
Financial Aid Warning
To determine a student's academic progress status and eligibility for financial aid, the student's academic record will be evaluated at the end of each term. Following the first term of failure to maintain cumulative satisfactory academic progress, the student will be granted one term to regain satisfactory academic progress. This term is known as the “Warning” term. During the Warning term, the student may continue to receive financial aid provided the student is otherwise eligible.
Participation in the following success strategies while on warning may positively impact students’ performance as well as positively impact any appeal due to the loss of financial aid. It is recommended that students do the following.
- When offered, complete an “Academic Success Workshop” during the semester on warning.
- Meet with the assigned success coach or academic advisor twice during the semester on warning.
- Consider repeating failed courses within a program of study.
- Consider limiting enrollment to nine hours or less for the semester.
- Consider the mode (face-to-face, hybrid, online) and length (16 weeks, 12 weeks, 8 weeks, other) of courses for the semester.
- Visit or access student success services such as the computer lab, free tutoring services, or workshops provided by an instructor or success coach.
If a student is able to regain satisfactory academic progress during your warning term, the warning status is lifted. If the student as not regained satisfactory academic progress, the student is placed on financial aid suspension and is no longer eligible for financial aid at SCC until the student's cumulative progress is again satisfactory.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students who fail to meet the conditions of a warning (maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and complete 67% of classes attempted) are placed on suspension. Once on suspension, the student will be notified of the termination of financial aid. Students who are placed on suspension forfeit their financial aid. Students may either appeal to have their financial aid eligibility reinstated or may notify the financial aid office once they are meeting the satisfactory academic progress policy for students receiving financial aid so that their financial aid eligibility can be reconsidered.
Financial Aid Probation
Students who are suspended may appeal to the financial aid office to have their financial aid eligibility reinstated. The reinstatement is for one probationary payment period (semester). (See the appeal process outlined below). A student on probation may not receive financial aid for the subsequent payment period unless:
- The student is meeting the financial aid satisfactory academic progress policy at the end of the probation period (semester).
- The financial aid office determines that the student met the requirements specified in the appeal which is maintaining a 2.0 GPA and a 75% completion rate for each semester while on probation. This is a Financial Aid Success Plan to help students regain satisfactory academic progress.
Continued Probation
As long as the student continues to make progress as identified by the Financial Aid Student Success Plan, the student will remain eligible for financial aid on continued probation until the expiration date of their Financial Aid Student Success Plan. Students will be notified of their status at the end of each payment period (semester) or when they first apply for financial aid.
Financial Aid Appeal Process
Students who are suspended for failure to make satisfactory academic progress standards may appeal to the financial aid office for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility for one semester if they have extenuating circumstances which are generally beyond their control such as a death in the immediate family or serious illness or injury. The procedure for appeal is:
- Complete and submit the appropriate Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Request form with all required documentation by the designated deadline. Appeal forms may be obtained from the financial aid website or the financial aid office.
- The student will indicate to the financial aid office the reasons why he/she did not make satisfactory academic progress and why his/her financial aid should not be suspended.
- Documentation to support the appeal is required and must be attached to the appeal form. Appeals submitted without documentation will not be reviewed.
Approved Appeals
If a student's appeal is approved, the student will be placed on “Probation with Appeal” and will be expected to follow the Financial Aid Student Success Plan as implemented by the financial aid office until the completion of the current program of study or expiration of the Plan.
Students who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress during the probationary semester or as designated in the Financial Aid Student Success Plan may be denied for future financial aid. At that point, students may be referred to the Satisfactory Academic Appeals Committee. The Satisfactory Academic Appeals Committee (SAP Committee) will review the appeal and documentation to determine whether or not the students’ financial aid eligibility will be reinstated. Students will be able to view the decision on their Self-Service account under Financial Aid Information. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reinstatement of eligibility for financial aid. Each appeal is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Paying out of pocket for classes or sitting out a semester is not grounds for reinstatement of aid. Students must bring their academic progress back into compliance or have an appeal approved to have aid reinstated.
Subsequent appeals may be requested for consideration, but the student will not be allowed to submit an appeal for the same issue that led to the first appeal, such as the same medical condition. A student must have very unusual circumstances to warrant a second appeal.
Denied Appeals
If a student’s appeal is denied or if the student does not meet the conditions of an approved appeal, the student will be asked to attend at his/her own expense to correct the deficiency either in the hours, GPA, or both. (A student cannot make up a deficiency if his/her appeal was due to exceeding the maximum timeframe to earn a degree.) If a student did not maintain SAP due to a deficiency in credit hours, a student may take the credit hours at another institution as long as SCC accepts the transfer hours. After the student completes the semester (or semesters), he/she must submit an appeal form to the financial aid office so his/her progress can be reevaluated.
The decision of the Satisfactory Appeals Committee is final.
NOTE: All notices regarding students’ academic progress for financial aid purposes will be available through the Financial Aid section of students’ Self-Service account. Students are responsible for monitoring this information.