Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require students to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress toward an eligible degree or certificate program in order to qualify to receive financial assistance. Satisfactory Academic Progress includes both quantitative (i.e. number of credits earned divided by the number of credits attempted) and qualitative (i.e. grade point average in the Academic Standards Policy) measures.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid applicants is reviewed at the end of each semester regardless of whether the student received financial aid for the semester(s) being reviewed.

Quantitative Measure:

A student must earn 75% of their total credits attempted each semester. This excludes some non-credit, developmental courses and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses.

Attempted credits are all credits you were registered for at the end of the drop period. To earn credits, a student must receive a final grade of A, B, C, D, S, or P. Students who receive a final grade of F, I, IC, NA, W, WP, WF, or NS will not earn credits for their courses.

The following table illustrates the acceptable minimum number of credits earned according to the student's enrollment status:

CREDITS ATTEMPTED 75% RATE of Completion
16 12
12 9
9 7

150% Completion

Students are able to receive aid for up to150% of the time frame allotted to complete a degree. This is measured by all credits a student attempts (excluding developmental and some ESL courses) and all credits transferred in from other post-secondary institutions. For most students, the 150% completion time frame equals 90 credits if a student is enrolled in a 60-credit degree program. Students are advised to limit the number of repeat courses because they will be counted toward their 150% limit.

Students should remember that if they are taking courses that do not apply to their program they could exceed the 150% limit and be academically ineligible for aid to complete their program.

Developmental Educational Courses

The first 30 credits of a student's Developmental Coursework does not count toward the 150% limit. Any developmental coursework above 30 credits will count toward the 150% limit and may therefore effect the student's eligibility to receive financial aid.

Qualitative Measure:

In addition to the aforementioned requirements, students must also maintain a certain Cumulative Grade Point Average to continue to receive aid. Students who do not compile the appropriate cumulative grade point index as indicated below will not be eligible to receive financial aid the following semester:

All attempted credits (includes transfer credits)

Appeals

Students suffering a loss of financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal. Instructions for the appeal process may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office. Appeals must be submitted to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee within two weeks of notification of unsatisfactory progress.

Pending the resolution of the appeal, student's are encouraged to pay for, or make payment arrangements for, their classes or they will be subject to drop-for-non-payment processing.
Students not meeting the standards required to receive aid may attend classes at their own expense. Students will be re-considered for aid when their cumulative index and/or completion ratio meets the established standards.

Appeal forms are available online or in the Office of Enrollment Services at any CCRI campus location.

Audits

Policy does not allow students to utilize financial aid for Audited courses.
**Financial aid policies are subject to change based upon federal regulations. Contact the Financial Aid Office for details.**

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