Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Política de Progreso Académico Satisfactorio (SAP en inglés)

Effective in the 2012-2013 Academic Year for All Students (New, Transfer and Continuing)

The Federal Government mandates that students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress toward the completion of their degrees within a reasonable period of time in order to be eligible for Title IV financial aid programs including Pell, SEOG, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Work Study and State Grants.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) IS DEFINED AS:

• Earning (passing) a required number of credits (67% of all credits attempted) and maintaining a minimum grade point average as published for his/her program of study. Note: Students must all meet a 2.0 GPA in order to graduate with an Associate’s Degree or Certificate. Please refer to the College Catalog for additional information.
• Total attempted credits must not exceed 150% of the published length of the student’s degree program.

Program of Study

A student must declare an eligible program of study to be eligible to receive federal financial aid.

Remedial Courses

Remedial credits do count for the calculation of Satisfactory Academic Progress and are included in the metrics for the calculation of cumulative GPA, Completion rate and Maximum Time Frame. Note:Maximum of 30 attempted Remedial credits are funded with federal financial aid.

ESL Courses

ESL coursework does count for the calculation of Satisfactory Academic Progress and is included in the metrics for the calculation of cumulative GPA, Completion rate and Maximum Time Frame.

Repeated Courses

All Repeated courses will be counted in the total number of attempted credits for SAP calculation.  A student who passes a course (with a letter grade of D or higher, may retake the class for a second time and receive financial aid for that course. A student is not eligible for financial aid for that course if retaking the class a third time. Students repeating coursework because he/she received a grade of ‘F’ or ‘W,’ may repeat the course and remain eligible for financial aid if Satisfactory Academic Progress calculation will reflect ‘Good Standing.’

Transfer Credits

Transfer credits accepted by Middlesex County College will be included in overall attempted credits, but not the GPA calculation. All Attempted credits will be used in the calculation of Maximum Time Frame and Completion rate.

MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PELL GRANT AWARDS

Effective July 1, 2012, the duration of eligibility for the Federal Pell Grant is 12 full-time semesters. Students who are less than full-time (12 credits), will receive a prorated semester Pell award.

WHEN IS SAP REVIEWED?

Students are evaluated at the close of each academic term (Fall, Spring and Summer).

WHAT HAPPENS ONCE SAP IS REVIEWED?

SAP review will indicate a category for each student:

• GOOD STANDING: Student has met progress standards and is eligible for aid for the following semester or academic year.
• WARNING: Student has NOT met progress standards, but may continue receiving federal aid. Student is encouraged to seek tutoring assistance to assist with the improvement of his/her GPA and progress. A student in the ‘Warning’ category is calculated based on cumulative evaluation through prior term enrollment.
• PROBATION: Student has NOT met progress standards, but has an approved appeal and is eligible for financial aid for one semester.
• FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION: Student has NOT made progress. Student is no longer eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Please see re-establishing eligibility below.
• Maximum Time-Frame: Student is no longer eligible to receive Federal or State financial aid due to having exceeded the maximum allowed credits for earning his/her program of study.

SAP APPEAL PROCESS:

A student who has had his/her financial aid placed on financial aid suspension has the right to appeal by submitting a Satisfactory Academic Appeal Form. Appeals must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office within the semester the student is requesting aid.

Students must:

• Complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form and submit to the Financial Aid Office.
• Submit a letter, along with acceptable documentation supporting the appeal request, reason the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress, and what has changed in your situation that will allow you to demonstrate SAP at the next evaluation. Please Note: If student appealed on the basis of one circumstance and wants to appeal again based on the same circumstance, the student must provide information on what has changed to permit the student to make satisfactory progress at the next evaluation.
• Incomplete appeals (those with no explanation and/or no educational plan- degree audit attached) will be automatically denied.
• Each appeal will be reviewed by the Director of Financial Aid and the MCC SAP Appeals Committee. All decisions are final.
• Students with an approved appeal will be placed on PROBATION for one semester of financial aid.

File	File Type
MCC SAP Appeal for Maxmum Time Frame
MCC SAP Appeal for Unsatisfactory Academic Progress