Financial Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAP REquirements to Receive financial aid 

Understading Your SAP Status

• Good Standing

  You are in good standing when you meet all three SAP requirements. You may continue receiving financial aid as long as you also meet all other eligibility requirements. The requirements are:

  • A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0;
  • Passing at least two-thirds (66.67%) of your attempted credits; and
  • Completion of your program within the maximum timeframe.
• SAP Warning

  Warning status means you can still receive financial aid, but you are still at great risk of losing aid the next semester if you do not improve your academic performance to meet the cumulative requirements (above). 

  Each student is evaluated at the end of the semester. Students who fail to meet any one of the SAP standards are placed on Financial Aid Warning. Being placed on warning is a one-time, generous grace period and cautionary warning to remind you what you can lose if you do not meet the aid eligibility requirements. 

  If you are not meeting cumulative requirements by the next semester, your financial aid will be suspended and you will have to pay out of pocket for classes or submit an appeal explaining the circumstance of why you fell below the requirements.

  For example, a student fails most of their classes in the Fall. Their GPA is below 2.0, so they are placed on Warning for the Spring semester. If they fail their Spring classes and their GPA stays below 2.0, they can lose their funding for the following Fall semester.

  Please take this warning period seriously and work as hard as you can to not have your financial aid suspended. Use the free resources that CCC provides, like tutoring, to help you succeed. We are rooting for you. 

• SAP Suspension

  Financial Aid Suspension means that you are not currently eligible to receive financial aid because you did not meet one or more SAP requirements. You will not be able to get funding at CCC until you are following all three of the SAP rules, or have successfully followed your Academic Plan. 

  Financial Aid Suspension does not stop you from taking more classes at CCC, but you are responsible for paying all of your tuition, fees, and other expenses until your financial aid eligibility is restored by the Financial Aid Office or a SAP appeal is approved. 

  Financial aid is not automatically restored by sitting out for a semester. You need to follow the instructions in your email notice to determine whether you can appeal or what you must do to regain eligibility.

• SAP Probabtion and Academic Plans

  You are placed on Financial Aid Probation when you were previously suspended from financial aid, submitted a SAP appeal, and your appeal was approved.

  CCC will tell you what requirements or restrictions you must follow. These requirements are included in the communication sent to your student email. You may be put on an Academic Plan, which is a set of requirements specific to you that help you meet SAP standards by a certain date. The plan is created with and monitored by your Academic Advisor.

  For example, your Academic Plan may require you to complete a certain number of credits or earn specific grades each semester, so you continue making progress toward meeting SAP standards.

  If you do not meet your probation requirements, you will return to Financial Aid Suspension at the end of your next semester of enrollment.

I didn't meet SAP Requirements. What Do I Do Now?

• Warning Status

  When you are in Warning you must complete additional requirements to keep your aid in the future. The Financial Aid Office will email your student email with information about your specific Financial Aid Warning and the next steps you need to do. Failure to complete these requirements will cause you to get a Financial Aid Suspension at the end of the next semester.

  1. Check your student email consistently.
  2. Complete any requests from the Financial Aid Office, such as meeting with an Academic Advisor or completing an Academic Plan.
  3. Use resources like tutoring and faculty office hours to help. 
  4. Work hard next semester to pass all of your classes and follow the SAP requirements.
• Financial Aid Suspension Status

  What Suspension Means for You

  1. Unfortunately, Suspension means you are ineligible to receive any federal and state financial aid funds. This means you no longer are eligible for federal and state grants, loans and work-study.
     
  2. Any funds awarded for the upcoming semester will be cancelled and anticipated aid will be reversed from your student account.
  3. Your registered classes are at risk of being cancelled if you do not make other payment arrangements. You will need to pay out-of-pocket in full or with a payment plan.

  Learn about actions you can take in the next sections.

• Improve Your Academic Progress

  Improving your academic success is the first of two ways you can get your financial aid eligibility back. You can get off Financial Aid Suspension by meeting all three of these requirements:

  • Successfully complete at least 6 cumulative credit hours at CCC without using Federal Student Aid;
  • Raise your cumulative GPA to at least 2.0; and
  • Raise your Pace of Progression to at least 66.67%.

  After you meet the requirements, you will need to submit a SAP appeal stating that you have completed the requirements using the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form. Instructions can be found in the next section. The Financial Aid Office will check your status and let you in your student email whether your aid has been reinstated.

• Appeal Your Financial Aid Suspension

  You are placed on Financial Aid Probation when you were previously suspended from financial aid, submitted a SAP appeal, and your appeal was approved.

  CCC will tell you what requirements or restrictions you must follow. These requirements are included in the communication sent to your student email. You may be put on an Academic Plan, which is a set of requirements specific to you that help you meet SAP standards by a specific point in time. The plan is created with and monitored by your Academic Advisor. For example, your Academic Plan may require you to complete a certain number of credits or earn specific grades each semester so you continue making progress toward meeting SAP standards.

  If you do not meet your probation requirements, you will return to Financial Aid Suspension at the end of your next semester of enrollment.

• Appeal Approved: Probation Status

  If the appeal is approved, financial aid may be reinstated with a probation status. Probation status means you can still receive financial aid, but you are still at risk of losing aid if you do not meet requirements below each semester.

  • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). Cumulative GPA measures your overall grades at CCC, not only your most recent semester.
  • Complete and pass a minimum of 67% of ALL the credit hours attempted. For every class hour you attempt, you must complete and pass a minimum of 67% of the total. Remember, all “attempted” credit hours include every hour you‘re enrolled, such as repeat courses, developmental courses, and even courses that you fail, withdraw from, or get an incomplete in.
  • Complete degree or certificate requirements within 150% of the minimum number of hours required to graduate. The percentage is can be a bit confusing. Here is a simple equation: multiply the minimum number of credit hours to complete your degree or certificate by 1.5. Let’s say your degree program takes 60 credit hours to graduate. 60 multiplied by 1.5 equals 90. This means to remain eligible for financial aid you must complete your program with no more than 90 attempted and completed hours. In this example, you would need to pass 60 credit hours, but would have 30 credit hours of wiggle room to use if you happen to fail or withdraw from some classes.

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  I’m on Probation Status. Now what?

  Probation status looks different for each student. Depending on your circumstances and your appeal, you may be asked to participate in an Academic Plan. An academic plan is a set of rules that are specific to you and your improvement. You must follow them while on financial aid probation. It outlines the academic progress you need to make each semester so you can continue receiving aid while working toward meeting the college’s overall SAP requirements again.

  • Approval of your appeal may restore your financial aid eligibility, but it does not remove any outstanding charges you owe CCC. You will still need to pay the bills associated with your account. Continue checking your CCC student email for your financial aid status and any requirements you must meet.
  • Check your CCC email regularly and respond promptly to requests from Financial Aid and your Academic Advisor.
  • If you are assigned an Academic Plan, work closely with your Academic Advisor to make sure you are meeting your specific terms.
  • If you are struggling with meeting your Academic Plan, get help early and often. We want you to be successful and can only help when we know there is a problem.

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  How You Will Lose Financial Aid Eligibility

  If you do not meet the requirements (above) during a probationary semester, you will be placed back on financial aid suspension and lose financial aid eligibility at CCC the following semester.

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  How to Get Off Probation

  The goal of probation status is to give you the chance to still receive aid while still making progress toward meeting SAP status. The main difference between probation and meeting SAP status is the cumulative requirement. While you are on probation, you must meet the requirements listed in your academic plan each semester. However, you will remain on probation until your cumulative (overall) GPA and cumulative Pace of Progression meet the college’s SAP requirements.

  In other words, you may be doing well enough in your current semester to follow your Academic Plan, even if your overall academic record does not yet meet SAP.

  For example, a student’s Academic Plan requires them to complete all of their classes (no withdrawing) and earn at least a 2.0 GPA each semester. They follow the plan, but their overall GPA is still below the college’s SAP requirement because of failed grades from earlier semesters.

  The student stays on Probation Status, but they can continue receiving financial aid because they are meeting the requirements of their academic plan. They keep working hard, and they gradually meet all SAP requirements again. When they have met the requirements they return to Good Standing.

• Appeal Denied

  If your appeal is denied, you may appeal the decision again by submitting a written request to the Financial Aid Director. [LINK TO ESTHER’S EMAIL?] The Financial Aid Director may review the appeal or assign it to a different counselor. The decision made during this second review is final.

  Before submitting an appeal to the committee, we strongly encourage you to obtain details of your denied appeal from your the Financial Aid Office.

  If the second review is denied, no further appeals will be accepted and you will have to pay out-of-pocket until the cumalative requirements below are met.

  • Maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA). Cumulative GPA measures your overall grades at CCC, not only your most recent semester.
  • Complete and pass a minimum of 67% of ALL the credit hours attempted. For every class hour you attempt, you must complete and pass a minimum of 67% of the total. Remember, all “attempted” credit hours include every hour you‘re enrolled, such as repeat courses, developmental courses, and even courses that you fail, withdraw from, or get an incomplete.
  • Complete degree or certificate requirements within 150% of the minimum number of hours required to graduate. The percentage is can be a bit confusing. Here is a simple equation: multiply the minimum number of credit hours to complete your degree or certificate by 1.5. Let’s say your degree program takes 60 credit hours to graduate. 60 multiplied by 1.5 equals 90. This means to remain eligible for financial aid you must complete your program with no more than 90 attempted and completed hours. In this example, you would need to pass 60 credit hours, but would have 30 credit hours of wiggle room to use if you happen to fail or withdraw from some classes. We still encourage you to try your best to stay enrolled in and pass your classes the first time you take them.

  If you believe your rights were violated during the SAP appeal process, you may use Procedure 503-05 Student Complaints. Submit a complaint

  Appeal Deadline

  You may appeal a suspension within two years, or 730 days, of the original suspension decision. After two years, you lose the right to appeal the suspension unless your reason for appealing is that you completed all the requirements.

• Full SAP Policy

  Details of the SAP policy, measurements, and appeal procedures can be viewed here. [link to exact place in the policies and procedures database]

• Not Meeting SAP?

  We understand there may have been some challenging that led to your current SAP status, but we believe you can excel and overcome any obstacles that you may encounter. If you find yourself needing academic assistance, see the resources available to you below.

  • Tutoring
  • Mental Health Support
  • Academic Advising

Appealing Your Financial Aid Suspension

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