To maintain eligibility for federal student financial aid, students must meet specific academic standards. Our SAP policy requires students to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA based on total credits attempted, complete at least 67% of all cumulative attempted credits, and finish their program within 150% of its published length. SAP is evaluated annually, and failure to meet these standards may result in loss of financial aid eligibility until the conditions for reinstatement are met.

Student Financial Aid Office Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Students who are receiving federal student financial aid are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their program of study. To maintain SAP students must meet all three of the following standards:

1) Qualitative: Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) as follows:

2) Quantitative: Complete two-thirds (67 %) of all cumulative attempted credits with grades of A, B, C, D or P. Credits transferred in from other institutions, repeated courses, and credits that are not required for the student’s current program of study are also included in the eligibility calculations.

NOTE: Attempted credits include credits for withdrawn, repeated, transfer, failed, incomplete courses, developmental, and all courses taken at PGCC regardless of year taken.

3) Complete their program of study within the maximum time frame which is 150% of the published length of program. Students are considered to not meet this standard when it becomes mathematically impossible to complete the program within the maximum number of credits. Developmental credits are excluded in determining maximum timeframe. Maximum timeframe is applied using the most current program.

For Example: If your program of study requires 60 credits to earn your degree, your maximum time frame is 90 attempted credits.

Transfer Students

Transfer students will be treated as first time students for their first semester. Accepted credits from another institution will be considered as both attempted and completed credits on evaluation of the cumulative completion rate and maximum timeframe. Grades earned at other institutions are not included in the student’s GPA and therefore do not impact the qualitative measure for SAP.

Evaluation

For students not on an approved appeal, the Student Financial Aid Office will evaluate the student’s academic record annually at the end of the spring semester. The student’s cumulative record will be used to determine satisfactory academic progress, not just the most recently completed semester. Semesters during which the student was enrolled but did not receive financial assistance will also be considered in determining satisfactory academic progress. The student’s academic record will be evaluated once each academic year they are enrolled. The student’s cumulative record will be used to determine satisfactory academic progress, not just the most recently completed semester. Semesters during which the student was enrolled, but did not receive financial assistance, will also be considered in determining satisfactory academic progress.
If the student does not meet the minimum standards outlined above, their eligibility for financial assistance will be terminated. Upon termination of their academic eligibility for financial assistance, students will be notified via email and will be provided information on how to submit an appeal to request reinstatement of their academic eligibility for financial assistance.
Financial assistance termination means the loss of scholarship, grant, loan or work-study eligibility until conditions for reinstatement of eligibility are met. PGCC does not allow for a warning period for students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements.

Other Standards

  1. Financial aid can only be received for a maximum of one year of developmental courses (equivalent to 30 credit hours).
  2. Developmental course grades are considered in calculating the student’s cumulative GPA only if credits are
  3. ESL credit courses are considered in determining students’ cumulative GPA, completion rate and program completion
  4. Police Academy financial aid recipients must maintain continuous enrollment in each term to remain eligible for financial Continued eligibility will be based on the number of clock hours completed.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Example:

Jane, a freshman at the college, attended full-time (12 credits per semester) during the past academic year.  Her courses appear on her transcript as follows:Jane's Cumulative GPA at the end of Spring is 1.50.

Thus far in her studies at the college, Jane has attempted 24 credits (12 in the Fall plus 12 in the Spring).  Of those 24 attempted, Jane has successfully completed (received a grade of A, B, C, D, or P) 12 credits.  To calculate her completion percentage, Jane does the following division calculation:

Jane has not met the minimum GPA requirement of 1.75 based on 24 credits attempted and she has not met the minimum completion percentage requirement of 67 percent and would therefore be considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress. Jane would be ineligible to receive further financial assistance until she increased her completion percentage to 67 percent or higher and raised her cumulative GPA to the minimum standards based on the total number of attempted credits.

Academic Plan

 Minimum Standards

Students who are receiving federal student financial aid under an Academic Plan are required to maintain satisfactory academicprogress (SAP) according to the following quantitative and qualitative standards:

  1. Quantitative: Complete 100% of all semester credits attempted (Not withdraw from class)
  2. Qualitative: Attain a semester GPA as follows:

Evaluation

Students with an Academic Plan will be evaluated at the end of each semester.

Note: Academic Plans are not accepted or approved for summer or intersession except for extenuating circumstances.

Students may submit SAP Appeal beginning the first Monday in June for the Fall semester.  All appeals must be received by the first Friday in August.  Students who failed to meet the deadline, or who were not enrolled in the Fall semester may submit the SAP Appeal for the Spring semester ONLY. Students may submit SAP Appeal beginning the second Monday in October for the Spring semester only. The deadline for submission is the first Friday in December.

Appeal Process

Students must meet with an academic advisor to complete an Academic Plan. The completed Academic Plan, along with the SAP appeal form be submitted to the Student Financial Aid Office. The appeal must include a detailed explanation of the circumstances which led to the poor academic performance or additional time needed to complete your degree. Please be sure thestudent ID number is clearly written on all correspondence submitted. It is recommended that students appealing suspension carefully review their academic transcript to ensure that the overall performance is explained in the written appeal. All appeals must include:

  1. a SAP Appeal Form, and
  2. an academic plan submitted by an advisor

Once the SAP Appeal Form and all the required documentation (listed above) are submitted to the Student Financial Aid Office, the review process begins.

Additional information may be requested during the appeal process. Students must provide the requested information within (3) business days from the date of the additional information request. Failure to provide requested information may result in a denial ofthe appeal.

Approved Appeal

Students whose appeals are successful will be placed on an Academic Plan for two (2) semesters. The Student Financial Aid Officewill monitor progress at the end of each semester.  Students must alert their academic advisor if they feel that they cannot meet the terms of the academic plan as outlined.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students whose appeals are denied will remain on financial aid suspension. Those who are on financial aid suspension are not eligible to receive federal or most state financial aid; however, they may continue attending PGCC at their own expense.

Reestablishing Eligibility

Reinstatement of aid eligibility after a financial aid suspension is not automatic when students improve their GPA or completionrate. However, students who improve to the point of meeting SAP at any point before the stated end of their academic plan will again be eligible.