SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS (SAP) TO CONTINUE RECEIVING FEDERAL STUDENT AID REGULAR POLICY

Transcription

1 SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS (SAP) TO CONTINUE RECEIVING FEDERAL STUDENT AID REGULAR POLICY Students receiving any form of Federal Student Aid from Itawamba Community College will be expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward their program objective. Failure to achieve satisfactory academic progress will result in the termination of their Federal Financial Aid. SAP will be checked at the end of each semester. Federal Student Aid consists of: Pell Grant, College Work Study, SEOG, Student Stafford Loans, Parent Plus Loans and TEACH Grant. Satisfactory progress will be measured according to the following criteria: Students must pass a minimum percentage of all courses attempted and must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA (grade point average) as calculated by the office of the registrar/director of Admission as shown below: Hours Attempted - Minimum Required GPA- Qualitative Percentage of Hours Passed- * Quantitative % 33 or more % 94 Generally Not Eligible Generally Not Eligible Complete the educational program (major) within 150 percent of the published length (according to the ICC Catalog). For example, a major or program requiring 63 hours for a degree allows a maximum of 94 attempted hours (63 hours x 150% = 94). Once a student exceeds 150 percent of hours needed to complete the degree, he or she will no longer be for Federal Financial Aid. *Regular rounding applies to the percentage of hours passed meaning.49 credit hours and below may be rounded down to the nearest whole credit hour. (Example-a student attempts 33 hours and passes 22 hours. 22 hours passed divided by 33 hours attempted = 66.66% hours rounded up = 67%. Thus, the student will be deemed as meeting the percentage of hours passed requirement.) This change is effective for the SAP check for fall 2014 term (201510). Transfer hours from other colleges - A student s entire academic record will be evaluated to determine eligibility for financial aid, regardless of whether financial aid was received for all semesters. Official transcripts from all previous colleges must be forwarded to the office of the registrar/director of Admission and evaluated for transfer credits and SAP before eligibility for Federal Student Aid can be determined. All credit hours attempted placed on the Itawamba transcript, including those for which grades of W, WF, I and WP are received, will be included as hours attempted. Repeat hours earned for the same class will only be included once in hours earned and in the GPA calculation. Transfer students

2 not meeting the eligibility requirements will be assigned a status of financial aid suspension for their first semester of enrollment. Transfer students not for Federal Student Aid may appeal financial aid suspension. (Exception - See section below for transfer students who have only attended another college for one semester or less) Effective date of this policy -This policy is effective for transfer students entering in the spring 2012 term. SAP for transfer students entering in the Fall 2011 and prior terms will be checked under the terms of the SAP policy dated June 9, 2011 and prior, meaning only credit hours earned that are placed on the ICC transcript will be included as hours attempted. SAP for summer term 2011 will be checked under the terms of the SAP policy dated June 9, 2011, meaning only students on second or higher appeals will be checked at the end of the summer 2011 term. Summer 2011 and fall 2011 term SAP for all other students will be checked at the end of the fall 2011 term. For terms beginning after the end of the fall 2011 term, SAP will be checked at the end of each semester. Exceeding the maximum hours that may be attempted - Students not meeting SAP requirements due to exceeding the maximum hours attempted, generally 94 credit hours, will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and are no longer for Federal Student Aid. Financial Aid Warning - Students not meeting SAP due to not passing the percentage of hours attempted or earning the minimum GPA requirements at the end of the semester will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for the next semester. Students on Financial Aid Warning may continue to receive Federal Student Aid for one more semester. If the student does not meet SAP at the end of the next semester, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and is no longer for Federal Student Aid. Students who attended ICC prior to summer 2011 for only one semester, have not attended any other colleges, had not attended through the end of fall 2012 term (201310) and were not meeting SAP at the end of the last semester the student attended and subsequently apply will be assigned a SAP status for the subsequent term of Warning. If the student does not meet SAP at the end of the next semester, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and is no longer for Federal Student Aid. Transfer students who have attended another college for one semester or less, enroll in Itawamba for the first time and are not meeting the SAP requirements will be assigned a SAP status for the first semester of Warning. If the student does not meet SAP at the end of the next semester, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and is no longer for Federal Student Aid. This change is effective for transfer students entering fall 2014 term (201510). Financial Aid Suspension - Students on Financial Aid Suspension are no longer for Federal Student Aid. The student may pay out-of-pocket and attempt to get back into regain compliance with the SAP requirement, or the student may appeal the suspension if there were any extenuating or special circumstances that prevented them from meeting the SAP Requirements. Financial Aid Probation Students on Financial Aid Suspension and who have an appeal approved will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and will be for Federal Student Aid for one semester. At the end of the semester, the student must be meeting SAP requirements or successfully following an academic plan devised by the school. Students following an academic plan must pass all work attempted with a 2.00 GPA or higher each

3 semester or a cumulative 2.00 GPA. Repeat courses do not count unless the student needs a higher grade to graduate or transfer. Students who fail to meet these conditions of their appeal will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. See How to Appeal Financial Aid Suspension below for more information. Below is a chart that demonstrates the pace of progression a student must maintain to ensure completion within the maximum time frame: After Attempting This Number of Hours- Percentage of Hours Attempted That Must Be Passed- At Least This Number of Hours Must Be Passed- 6 50% % % % % % % % % % % Minimum GPA Must Be At Least 94 Generally not Generally not Generally not If the program of study requires more than 63 credit hours earned for a degree to be conferred, according to the ICC Catalog, the maximum number of hours the student may attempt will be the number of hours required by the ICC Catalog multiplied by 150 percent. The student still must pass a minimum of 67% of all work attempted and maintain a 2.00 minimum GPA to be for Federal Student Aid. Withdrawals: Withdrawals ( W Grade) for classes attempted at ICC will count as hours attempted. Remedial Classes: Developmental studies classes will be treated the same as regular classes. Incomplete Courses: Grades of incomplete are counted as an F until the course is completed and the grade is recorded by the registrar/director of Admission. Repeat Courses: Repeat courses will count as hours attempted but only once in hours earned, if the student passes the course, and only the highest grade on the repeated courses will be included in the GPA calculation.

4 NOTE: Students who have been academically dismissed or placed on academic suspension and wish to appeal that status should contact the office of the registrar/director of Admission for instructions. Completing an appeal of Financial Aid Suspension will not correct the student s academic standing. Likewise, being readmitted through the office of the registrar/director of Admission will not automatically remedy the student s Financial Aid Suspension. Notification of Ineligibility: Attempts to notify all students by mail and/or to the ICC account will be made; however, the mytribe portal at will serve as official notification of financial aid suspension. How to Appeal Financial Aid Suspension: Any student being denied Federal Student Aid due to not meeting SAP requirements may appeal if some extenuating or special circumstance such as illness of student, severe injury of student, death of close relative of student or other extenuating hardship such as lack of transportation, incarceration of student, military service or other circumstance determined by the Financial Aid director or Appeal Committee as extenuating or special. Appeals will be considered on their own merit. Appeals may be denied. Students will be notified by regular mail. Appeals will generally be reviewed within 45 days after receipt. Appeals received after the appeal deadlines for each semester will generally be effective for the subsequent term. The deadlines are included on the appeal form. Once an appeal is denied, the decision is final, and additional appeals will not be considered. Students will be limited to one appeal. This change is effective for appeals approved beginning with the fall 2014 semester (201510). Example-An appeal was approved for a student for the fall 2014 semester and he/she incurs another special circumstance that results in his/her failing to meet the SAP and/or appeal requirements. The student submits an appeal for the spring 2015 semester. The second appeal will not be considered. How to file an appeal: Students must submit appeals on the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form, which is available at under Financial Aid, Financial Aid Policies, How to Appeal Financial Aid Suspension. The student must explain the reason for failure to maintain SAP and explain what has changed in his/her situation that will allow demonstration of achievement of SAP at the end of the next term(s), if the appeal is approved. Additional documentation such as accident reports, physician s statements, third party affidavits, etc. should be attached. The student must also meet with his/her adviser or a counselor to develop an academic plan. Appeals and other documentation may be delivered in person, by mail, by or by fax to the ICC Financial Aid office at Fulton Campus or Tupelo Campus. The student will be notified in writing of the decision, which could take several days. The status of appeal may also be checked on the mytribe portal.

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