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Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

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Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

 

The GBC student financial services office (SFSO) is mandated by federal law to have a satisfactory progress policy. This policy must be applied to all recipients receiving federal or state aid as a determination of financial aid eligibility. In order to maintain eligibility as a financial aid recipient, students must meet the following three components:

Qualitative Component (GPA)

In order to meet the qualitative standard for SAP, the student must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Quantitative Component (Completion Ratio)

Students must receive passing grades in a minimum of 67% of all attempted courses. Students must also successfully complete 100% of the credits for which they received financial aid for the term.

Courses dropped during the 100% refund period are not considered attempted courses.

Remedial and transfer courses are included in the calculation. Courses receiving grades of W, F, AD, NR or I are not considered completed but are included in the calculation.

Time Frame Component (Maximum number of credit hours attempted)

Students may attempt no more than 150% of credit hours required for the program. For most programs, this is 56 credits for certificate programs, 90 credits for associate degree programs, and 180 credits for bachelor degree programs.

Repeated Course Work

A student may receive financial aid once for a repeated course that they passed previously and wish to retake to receive a better grade. The student may receive aid for failed courses until they receive a passing grade. However, students are cautioned that any repeated course is also counted in the maximum number of credits allowed to complete a degree. For academic standard purposes, letter grades are interpreted as follows:

  • A through D, P and S grades shall be considered completed.
  • F, W, I (Incomplete), AD (audit) and NR (not recorded) grades shall not be considered as completed.

If a student has converted from credit to audit status after receiving federal financial aid, the student may be required to repay all or a portion of the aid received, and/or be on warning or suspension

Failure to comply with the Satisfactory Progress Components may result in Warning, Probation, or Suspension:

Warning: A student will be placed on Financial Aid warning if:

  • Completion percentage is between 50% and 99% of the classes for which they were funded for the semester.
  • Cumulative completion percentage is between 67% and 80%.

Probation: A student who has filed an appeal with the appeals committee and has been approved to receive financial aid for the following term will be placed on probation status.

Suspension: Financial aid eligibility will be immediately suspended if any of the following occurs:

  • Completion of less than 50% of the courses enrolled in for the term.
  • GPA below 2.0.
  • Two consecutive warning semesters.
  • Completion rate of all credits attempted is less than 67%.

Should a student be compelled to withdraw from all of the credits for which they were registered during the course of the semester, the student must notify the student financial services office prior to doing so. Should the student fail to notify the SFSO before withdrawing from their courses, they may waive their right to appeal their financial aid status. If a student fails to meet satisfactory academic progress, the student is still eligible to attend GBC. However, the student would have to attend without financial aid assistance.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid

Students who are on warning and who improve their academic performance for their next term of enrollment will be placed back in good status for satisfactory progress. If a student has an incomplete grade removed from their record, or a change of grade has been posted, please call the SFSO to review SAP status.

Financial Aid Appeal Procedure

Should a student be notified by the SFSO that they have been placed on financial aid suspension, they may appeal this decision by completing the following:

  • Satisfactory academic progress appeal form.
  • A detailed personal statement explaining the cir­cumstances as to why the student failed to make SAP and how those circumstances have changed in order for them to correct their SAP status.
  • Academic advisement report: what-if report (WHIF).
  • Substantiating third party documentation.

The decision of the financial aid committee is final and cannot be appealed further.

Generally, approved appeals can be categorized as emergencies or circumstances that are beyond the student’s control, for example:

  • Death or serious illness of an immediate family member.
  • Prolonged hospitalization or confinement at home which resulted in required extended absences from classes.
  • A one-time emergency situation that impacted the student’s ability to continue their education or affected their academic success for a short, specified period.
  • A situation for which a student had no valid choice other than to interrupt their education.
  • If the student’s appeal is not approved, in order to re-establish eligibility, they then must obtain a cumulative 2.0 GPA with the same credit load or greater as was taken and funded in the previous semester. The student must also maintain a 67% completion rate of all credits attempted. This process must be done at the student’s expense. A student may only appeal their financial aid status three (3) times during their period of enrollment at GBC.

Return of Title IV funds is a separate and distinct process and cannot be appealed.