Financial Aid Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students are required to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements (SAP) to be considered for federal and state grants, loans, and work-study. There are three requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress:

  1. 67% Completion Rate
  2. 2.0 Cumulative GPA
  3. Maximum Time to Complete Degree/Certificate (Overhours)

Failure to meet all requirements may result in losing aid eligibility, reductions in your aid, and/or having to immediately repay aid that you received. It is the student's responsibility to maintain aid eligibility. Please read the full Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements below.

This information is subject to change without notice.

  • The Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements apply to all hours (ACC, transfer hours, and other hours as listed below) and degree/certificate programs that have been attempted, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received for those hours.
  • Official transcripts from all previous schools must be received and evaluated by ACC, so that financial aid eligibility can be determined.
  • ACC checks Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each semester (fall, spring, and summer) for all enrolled students. Email notices are sent at the end of each semester to current financial aid students that are on Warning or Probation status. Students not receiving aid will be notified at the time of financial aid application.
  • Non-credit based developmental courses are not eligible for aid. These course names begin with NC.
  • Financial Aid may fund only one repeat of a previously passed course.
  • Students may only receive aid at one institution per semester.
  • Students are required to contact the ACC Financial Aid Office before dropping or withdrawing from classes.
  • Students who receive a zero semester GPA due to not earning any credit may have to repay aid to ACC and/or the U.S. Department of Education. ACC will determine if a Return of Title IV Calculation is required, and students who owe funds will be notified via U.S. mail.

  • Students must have a declared pathway program on file in order to receive financial aid.
  • Students are only allowed to have one active pathway program at ACC.
  • Students can only receive federal aid for classes that are required as part of their ACC pathway program on file.
  • Financial aid may be reduced or cancelled if enrolled classes are not required for the ACC pathway program on file.
  • Aid eligibility and Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated based on the highest credential for the pathway program on file.
  • If only pathway program certificates are on file, all classes must be required in each certificate to be qualified for aid.

  • Students must maintain a 67% overall completion rate. Completion rate is determined by dividing the number of hours completed by the number of hours attempted.
  • Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA while attending ACC. Certain programs may require a higher cumulative GPA.
  • All attempted and completed hours from ACC and transfer credit from previous schools will be included in the completion rate. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F, FX), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, non-traditional experience credit (S), in-progress classes (IP), Pass (P) and No-Pass (NP).
  • Withdrawing (W), repeating (R), making F’s (F or FX), incompletes (I), and No-Pass (NP) have a negative effect on the completion rate calculation.  Please see the ACC Catalog for more detailed descriptions of grades and grading policies.
  • F's (F and FX) also have a negative effect on the GPA calculation. 
  • Withdraws with exception (WE) are not included in the Satisfactory Academic Progress calculation, and do not have an effect on the outcome.

  • The first semester a student does not maintain an overall 67% completion rate and/or a 2.0 cumulative GPA, the student will be place on Financial Aid Warning.
  • Students will be eligible to receive financial aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning.
  • If a 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA are not met by the end of the semester that the student is placed on Financial Aid Warning, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. 

  • Students will be placed on Financial Aid Probation if the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements are not met by the end of the semester that the student is placed on Financial Aid Warning.
  • Students are not eligible to receive federal aid (grants, loans, or work-study) while on Financial Aid Probation. Students have the opportunity to appeal Financial Aid Probation one time. Please see Financial Aid Appeals below. 

  • Maximum time is measured at the end of each semester on the active degree/certificate plan, or when the student changes their degree/certificate plan.

  • Students that have exceeded the maximum time to complete their degree/certificate are placed on Financial Aid Probation.
  • Students have the opportunity to appeal Financial Aid Probation one time. Please see Financial Aid Appeals below.
  • Students are considered to have met the maximum time to complete their degree/certificate plan when the number of hours that are needed to graduate with the degree/certificate is greater than the number of eligible aid hours remaining in the maximum time calculation for the degree/certificate plan. 

To determine maximum time:

Number of hours required for degree/certificate _________
x 1.5
Maximum Number of hours of aid eligibility _________
Number of hours already attempted
(include all attempted hours)		 -_________
Number of hours of aid eligibility remaining  _________
Number of hours needed to graduate with the degree/certificate -_________
Maximum time remaining
(if negative, then placed on Probation)		 _________

 

  • Students may only appeal once at ACC.
  • Students may only appeal for the active degree/certificate plan on file.
  • The ACC Financial Aid Appeal Form is available on the ACC Financial Aid Forms website.
  • An appeal must include a thorough explanation of the circumstances with documentation, and an explanation of what circumstances have changed that allow the student to meet all requirements in the future. Appeals submitted without documentation will not be considered.
  • Grades of "I" cannot be appealed. A final grade must be posted before eligibility for aid can be determined.
  • The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Financial Aid Office. Students are notified via email of the appeal decision. The decision of the ACC Financial Aid Office is final.
  • As part of the appeal decision, the ACC Financial Aid Office has the authority to limit the number of courses students enroll in, require that they enroll in certain courses, attend tutoring, and attend counseling.
  • If an appeal is approved, students are only eligible for aid for the approved program.
  • If an appeal is denied, students are not eligible for federal aid (grants, loans, or work-study) at ACC until they have met all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements again. Students may still apply for scholarships or private educational loans.