Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
1. Introduction
As required by the Department of Education, to receive federal, state, and institutional aid at Olympic College (OC), students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). There are qualitative and quantitative standards students must meet. The qualitative standard is measured by grade point average (GPA). The quantitative standards are measured by pace of progression (pace) and Maximum Time Frame (MTF). SAP is monitored after each quarter ends. Based on a student’s SAP measure they are in good standing, warning, or suspended. SAP only applies to financial aid eligibility, please refer to the Olympic College Academic Standard Policy (ASP) for all academic eligibility concerns. It is the student’s responsibility to know and abide by the SAP policy, which is provided to all financial aid applicants. Rules are applied uniformly to all financial aid applicants, whether or not the applicant has received aid in the past. If a student withdraws or ceases attendance from all classes and a repayment calculation is needed, the calculation is based on federal methodology and state grant repayment policy for federal/state aid, as well as OC institutional tuition refund policy.
2. SAP Measures
Qualitative standards
When a quarter has ended, students awarded financial aid must have achieved a 2.0 quarterly and cumulative GPA to be in good standing. Credits assigned grades of F, I, N, W, NC, WP, WF, V, or Y are considered not complete and will affect eligibility. Credits require a grade of a 0.7 or better to be considered complete/passing. “Pass” would be required for Pass/Fail grades to be considered complete/passing. Students that achieved a quarterly or cumulative GPA between a 1.60 – 1.99 are placed on SAP warning. Back-to-back warnings (even if there is a lapse in enrollment) for quarterly or cumulative GPA will result in a suspension of financial aid eligibility. A quarterly and/or cumulative GPA below a 1.60 is an automatic suspension of financial aid eligibility.
(See SAP MEASURE CHART).
Quantitative standards
Pace of progression: Pace is the percentage of credits completed compared to credits attempted.
In order for a student to be meeting SAP and complete their program on time, students must have a pace of progression of 67% of the credits they attempted after completing the first year of their program. Standard rounding rules are used for pace calculations. Percentages at 66.50 or above are meeting and 66.49 and below and not meeting and may require Financial Aid Probation (see below).
Two consecutive warnings will result in suspension. This includes any lapse in enrollment.
SAP Measure Chart – GPA and Credits
|
| GOOD STANDING | WARNING | SUSPENDED |
ENROLLMENT STATUS | ATTEMPTED CREDITS | COMPLETED 2.0 min GPA | COMPLETED 1.60 – 1.99 GPA | COMPLETED Under a 1.60 GPA |
Fulltime=12+ | 12 or more | At least 12 | 11 - 6 | Less than 6 |
3/4 Time | 9-11 | 9 | 5-8 | Less than 5 |
1/2 Time | 6-8 | 6 | 3- 5 | Less than 3 |
> 1/2 Time | 5 or less | All credits must be complete | N/A (no warning available) | 2.0 GPA required |
Maximum Time Frame: Students must make timely progress towards completion of declared programs of study. Students who exceed program length by 150% (attempted credits), or who have completed a prior degree must petition for extension when they have reached the below credits:
75 credits for eligible certificate program (unless the certificate is fewer than 50 credits)
135 credits for associate’s degree
270 credits for Applied bachelor’s degree
Prior degree (students pursuing a second associate's degree or certificate)
Note: Certificate programs must be at least 24 credits to be eligible for financial aid if they are a stand-alone program.
Students who have already earned a bachelor's degree and are pursuing a degree-seeking OC program are required to petition for extension so that OC can monitor and minimize unnecessary excessive loan borrowing.
If a student cannot mathematically complete their program on time, they are required to petition for extension to be considered for financial aid for the rest of their program. Students who are in warning for Maximum Time Frante (MAXW) may be reviewed to determine if they can mathematically complete their program on time prior to being suspended for MTF (MAXT).
Transfer Credits: Credits from other institutions that are recognized by the OC Registrar will count towards MTF for a student’s degree or eligible certificate. Consortium credits on the OC transcript will count as attempted and the student’s performance will count towards pace of progression.
Developmental Coursework: Classes below 100 level, excluding Adult Basic Education Classes and high school + classes, will count in the calculation of GPA and quarterly/cumulative attempted credits. Up to 45 credits will not be counted towards SAP MTF program limits.
Repeat Coursework: Will count as attempted credits and, if passed will be considered earned. Earned coursework may be repeated one time, with financial aid.
However, credits may not be repeated while a student is on a financial aid extension, as the student is being granted financial aid to complete their program and has already exceeded the 150% Maximum Time Frame limit.
Federal/State Aid Limits: Students who exhaust their Pell Grant eligibility (6 years) AND their Washington College Grant eligibility (5 years) are ineligible for all grants.
*Students who exhaust both Pell and WCG in the middle of an extension may be supported with institutional funding depending on availability/eligibility. Students submitting a new extension who have already exhausted Pell and WCG limits are loan only (no option to appeal).
3. What the SAP Terms Mean
Good standing: Student is eligible for financial aid.
Probation Financial Aid Status: Students who do not meet the cumulative GPA/cumulative attempted credit rate but meet all of the term GPA/term attempted credit rate may elect to go on FA probation. Students who were previously suspended for SAP and have been gone from OC for at least 2 years may be placed into FA (Financial Aid) probation status to allow a chance for students to show that they can be academically successful at the discretion of the Financial Aid Office. Before aid can be awarded, students are required to sign an FA Probation Form acknowledging they accept going into a probation status. This means agreeing to complete and pass all classes attempted, with a term GPA of at least 2.0, and be awarded financial aid for one quarter while on probation. If a student fails this probation status, they can then potentially regain financial aid eligibility by self-reinstatement. Appeals will not be considered for failing to pass during an FA probation quarter. Students will be monitored quarterly.
Repayment: Students who owe money to a federal, state, institutional or other financial aid program, or to OC or any other ctcLink school are not eligible to receive financial aid at OC until that debt is paid in full or satisfactory payment arrangements are agreed upon and the student provides proof from the owed entity.
Students need to bring in proof of payment in full or payment arrangements to the Financial Aid office. Receipts of payment in full, or payment arrangements on the letterhead of the owed entity will be accepted. If on a payment arrangement, students are required to go on FA probation and are required to update the status of that arrangement each quarter with the OC Financial Aid office. A student is required to be on FA probation until their debt is covered in full.
Warning: Students who received a financial aid warning are still eligible. If they receive a second back-to-back warning, including any lapse in enrollment, their financial aid eligibility will be suspended. A second consecutive SAP warning for any reason will result in SAP suspension.
Suspended: Students who are suspended lose their financial aid eligibility. These students must petition for their eligibility to be reinstated. Students must self reinstate if their petition is denied, or they have a previous petition where the conditions stipulated self reinstatement with future suspensions. If a student disagrees with a denied petition they may appeal the decision if they have not exercised their option to appeal previously.
4. Petitions, Appeals, Self-reinstatement
Students who do not meet SAP may petition the loss of their eligibility by petitioning for either reinstatement (if suspended) or extension (if exceed maximum time frame).
With petitions for reinstatement, students must include steps they plan to take or have taken to maintain acceptable academic progress in the future. Extenuating circumstances may include, but are not limited to, serious illness or injury to student, death or serious injury of a family member, reporting for active duty, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
First reinstatement: Supporting documentation is required. Students may provide either documentation of their circumstance, or documentation of their resolution. Providing supporting documentation will be considered “first reinstatement approved” and have the ability to petition for reinstatement for a second time in the future. Students who do not provide supporting documentation for their circumstance or resolution will not be approved.
Second reinstatement: If a student has already been granted a reinstatement at least once and is requesting to be reinstated again, supporting documentation is required. Repeat circumstances from the first reinstatement may be considered if the suspension is not consecutive. Students granted a second reinstatement will have the stipulation that any future suspensions require self-reinstatement or appeal.
Third Reinstatement: Requires an appeal. A student can only submit an appeal once, whether it is approved or denied. Approved appeals will stipulate that all future suspensions require self-reinstatement without the ability to petition or appeal.
Repeat circumstances: A student may be able to use a repeat circumstance for a petition with the following stipulations:
A non-consecutive suspension using the same circumstance may be approvable if the student can provide documentation with their reinstatement. FA may also require the student to utilize success resources and make a direct referral, which the student would be required to use as part of the conditions for approving their petition.
A consecutive suspension using the same circumstance (student suspends in the immediate quarter from when they were reinstated) requires self-reinstatement or appeal
Students who have been gone from OC for at least 2 years (6 quarters) may be placed into FA probation status (PROB). See section 3 for additional details.
Students who fail to meet SAP for 2 consecutive quarters for the same reason will be automatically denied for reinstatement. Students who fail their reinstatement conditions and immediately return to OC the next consecutive quarter are required to self-reinstatement.
Petitions for extension must include a faculty approved academic plan listing only the remaining classes required to complete the program as well as a letter explaining what caused a student to be unable to complete their program within the given timeframe.
For approved petitions of reinstatement or extension, financial aid will continue to be awarded. Approval is not guaranteed.
Petitions Denied by Financial Aid: Students may appeal decisions ONE time (one appeal is acceptable for a reinstatement and one appeal for an extension). All decisions made by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee (FAAC) are final; there is no higher level of appeal. Exceptions may be made if an academic plan requires revision due to changes in class schedule, but not for changes to a program that may require the student to attend for multiple terms beyond the original end term approved by the Appeals Committee.
Self-reinstatement: Students may self-reinstate their financial aid eligibility by completing a minimum of 5 college level credits at OC (paid for by other means) in a single, subsequent term with a minimum 2.0 term and cumulative GPA.
Students can submit a self-reinstatement form at any point during the quarter in which they are planning to self-reinstate. Students will be monitored by the SAP processor so that their progress can be checked to confirm if the student successfully self-reinstated.
Students attempting to self-reinstate that register for more than 5 credits must complete all attempted credits to successfully self-reinstate.
Students can only self-reinstate using classes required for their program of study.
Note: If the cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 following a self-reinstatement, the student will be placed on warning status for no more than two consecutive terms of continuous enrollment following their self-reinstatement, unless the student is eligible for the Probation Financial Aid Status (see section 3).