All students must meet certain standards of satisfactory academic progress as stated in the institution’s policy regardless of whether or not the students receive federal financial aid. If a student does not achieve the minimum standards of academic progress required by this policy, the student will no longer be allowed to continue as a regular student at the school and will no longer be eligible to receive Title IV student aid funds (unless the student is on financial aid warning or financial aid probation or following an Academic Plan as set forth by the institution). Standard rounding rules will apply.
All students attending this institution shall be bound by the following standards:
- Payment Period. A student’s progress in a diploma or degree will be evaluated at the end of each quarter. A student must have earned a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and have successfully completed 67% of the credits attempted. Failure to meet either of these standards will result in being automatically placed on financial aid/academic warning for one quarter. For the purposes of this policy, the completion percentage will be rounded to the nearest whole number.
- Maximum Program Length. A student must successfully complete his or her program of study within a timeframe not to exceed 150% of the normal program length, in which the educational objective must be successfully completed. For the purposes of this standard, credit hours attempted shall mean any credit hours for which a student has incurred a financial obligation at this Institution and any credit hours a student has successfully transferred in from another institution that are included in the student's program of study. If at any point it becomes mathematically impossible for the student to complete his or her program, the student will be withdrawn from the school and become ineligible for Title IV funds.
- Financial Aid and Academic Warning. If a student fails to earn a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and/or a 67% rate of progression percentage at the end of an evaluation point, the student will be placed on Financial Aid and Academic warning, without appeal, for one evaluation period (one quarter for diploma and degree programs) without being dismissed from school. A student placed on Financial Aid and Academic warning will be notified and will continue to receive Title IV financial aid and will be required to participate in academic advising. As part of this academic advising process, the student will be informed of how to reestablish his or her good academic standing under this policy and related eligibility for Title IV financial aid. If the student meets both the cumulative grade point average and the rate of progression standards at the next evaluation point, the student regains good academic standing and will be removed from financial aid and academic warning. If the student does not meet both standards at the end of the financial aid and academic warning period, the student loses Title IV eligibility. The student will be notified he or she is no longer eligible for Title IV financial aid funds unless the student files a successful appeal, is placed on financial aid probation and enters into an academic plan. If the student does not file an appeal or an appeal is not successful, the student may continue in school in an extended academic enrollment status without receiving Title IV financial aid funds for one evaluation period provided the student has arranged for other means of satisfying his or her tuition and fees obligation. If the student is not meeting academic standards after that one additional extended enrollment quarter, he or she will be dismissed from school.
Appeal Process/Mitigating Circumstances. If the student is still not meeting standards after the financial aid and academic warning period, the student may submit to the College President or Academic Dean a written appeal of his or her failure to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards based on mitigating circumstances. This written appeal should include a statement as to why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow him or her to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation point. The student should provide documentation along with the written statement to demonstrate mitigating circumstances existed. Mitigating circumstances would include poor health, family crisis or other significant personal problems that had an adverse effect on the student.
An appeal will only be considered for students who have a reasonable likelihood of achieving both a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and a 67% completion percentage within the maximum program length (150%).
The student will be notified of the outcome of the appeal process in writing. The outcome of the appeal will be one of the following:
- Lack of mitigating circumstances – in this case, the appeal is denied and the student will remain ineligible for Title IV federal student aid funds. The student may continue in school on an extended academic enrollment status for one evaluation period without Title IV financial aid funds if he or she can satisfy his or her tuition and fees obligation from other sources. If the student cannot, he or she will be dismissed from school. If the student continues in school on extended academic enrollment status for one quarter without Title IV funds and achieves the minimum satisfactory academic progress standards, Title IV financial aid will be reinstated. If the student does not achieve the minimum satisfactory academic progress standards, the student will be dismissed from school. The student is required to have academic advising during this evaluation period of extended academic enrollment. As part of this academic advising process, the student will be informed of how he or she can reestablish his or her eligibility for Title IV financial aid.
- Mitigating circumstances did exist and the appeal is granted. The student will continue enrollment for one quarter on a financial aid and academic probation status and enter into an academic plan with no loss of Title IV eligibility.
Probation and Academic Plan. A student may be placed on financial aid and academic probation and enter into an academic plan if, after the financial aid and academic warning period, the student is still not meeting standards and the student has successfully appealed his or her failure to meet satisfactory academic progress due to mitigating circumstances. The student, if eligible, will continue to receive Title IV financial aid funds during this financial aid and academic probationary period and the student is required to participate in academic advising. As part of this academic advising process, the student will be informed of how he or she can reestablish his or her eligibility of Title IV financial aid.
During the financial aid and academic probationary period the student also enters into an academic plan. This academic plan will clearly outline the minimum academic standards the student must meet at the end of each evaluation period of the academic plan with regards to both cumulative grade point average and rate of progression percentage to continue to receive Title IV financial aid funds. An Academic Plan also will be required for all students who reenroll at the Institution pursuant to Section 9 of this policy after previously failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress.
- The effect on satisfactory progress with the following:
- Course Withdrawals – Students withdrawing from individual classes will received a “W” (Withdrawal) on their transcripts if they withdraw by the midpoint of the course (end of week three) and a “WF” (Withdrawal-Failing) if the withdrawal occurs after the midpoint of the course. Withdrawals are not used to calculate grade point average but are used to calculate rate of progression standards. The institution does not offer Withdrawal-Passing.
- Incomplete Grades – Incomplete grades are not used to calculate grade point average but are used to calculate rate of progression standards.
- Repeated Grades - When a student repeats a failed course, the higher of the two grades earned in the course will be used in computing the student’s grade point average; however, all courses will count as attempted and will be used to compute rate of progression percentages. The student is eligible for Title IV funding for the course repeat. A student may receive Title IV financial aid for a previously passed course as long as it is not the result of more than one repetition of the previously passed course or any repetition of a previously passed course due to the student’s failing other coursework. When a student voluntarily repeats a passed course, both grades will be used in computing both the student’s grade point average and rate of progression. The credits from the original course and the repeated course will count as credits attempted.
- Transfer Credits – Transfer credits are not used to calculate grade point average but are used to calculate rate of progression standards. Rate of progression standards are calculated including both attempted and completed credits.
- Proficiency Credits (Credit by Exam) – Credits by exam are not used to calculate grade point average but are used to calculate rate of progression standards.
- Non-Credit/Remedial Courses – The institution does not offer non-credit or remedial courses. Therefore, they are not used in the determination of satisfactory academic progress.
- Pass/Fail Grades – The institution does not offer pass/fail grades. Therefore, they are not used in the determination of satisfactory academic progress.
- Leaves of Absence. The Institution does not grant leaves of absence unless otherwise required.
- Change in Program. When a student changes programs or seeks an additional credential, all institutional courses accepted into the student’s new program will be counted in the cumulative grade point average and coursework attempted and completed when computing standards of academic progress of the new program.
- Re-Admittance. Any student dismissed from school under these standards may apply for a re-admittance after sitting out one year. To be accepted for re-admittance, the student must appeal to the satisfaction of the College President that his/her personal circumstances have improved to the point that the student now has a reasonable likelihood for success. Students re-admitted under this subsection will return in the same SAP status and must agree to an academic plan and must meet the minimum satisfactory academic standards to receive Title IV financial aid funds. A student must have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and a rate of 67% completion percentage higher at the end of the second academic year or be dismissed from school.
- Veterans. Students not meeting SAP will not have their enrollments certified to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
- The institution offers continuous enrollment and all hours attempted, including those taken in the summer months, are included in the student's Satisfactory Academic Progress.