Alvin Community College Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements
Requirements effective for spring 2011 grade review:
General Information
• The Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements apply to all hours (ACC, transfer hours, and other hours as listed below) and degree/certificate programs I have attempted, regardless of whether or not I received financial aid for those hours.
• Official transcripts from all previous schools must be received and evaluated by ACC before financial aid eligibility can be determined.
• ACC checks Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each semester (fall, spring, and summer).
• Students are not eligible to receive aid if only enrolled in developmental/remedial coursework.
• Financial Aid may fund only one repeat of a previously passed course.
• Students may only receive aid at one institution per semester.
• Financial aid may be used for mini semester courses if the student has funds remaining from the term in which the course is taken.
• Students who drop or withdraw from courses may have to repay financial aid. Please contact the Financial Aid Office before dropping or withdrawing.
Completion Rate
• I must maintain a 67% overall completion rate of all hours attempted. Example: 30 overall hours attempted x .67(completion rate) = at least 21 hours completed.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be calculated in my completion rate. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP). Grades of W, I, R, and IP will have a negative effect on the completion rate calculation.
Minimum GPA
• I must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA while attending ACC.
Failure to Meet the Completion Rate or Minimum GPA
Financial Aid Warning (formerly probation):
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I will be placed on Financial Aid Warning status if I do not maintain an overall 67% completion rate and a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
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I will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Warning status.
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I will be eligible to receive financial aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning status.
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If I do not meet the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements by the end of the semester that I am place on Financial Aid Warning, I will be placed on Financial Aid Probation (see below).
Financial Aid Probation (formerly suspension):
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I will be placed on Financial Aid Probation if I do not meet the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements by the end of the semester that I am place on Financial Aid Warning status.
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I will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Probation status.
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I may submit a written appeal (form available on the ACC website) to request reinstatement of my financial aid eligibility. Only students with documentable and extenuating circumstances (Example: death or illness of a loved one). Appeals submitted without documentation will not be considered.
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My appeal must include a thorough explanation of the circumstances with documentation. I must also include an explanation of what circumstances have changed that will allow me to meet all requirements in the future.
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Grades of “I” cannot be appealed. A final grade must be posted before eligibility for aid can be determined.
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I must meet with an Academic Advisor to establish an academic plan to determine recommended future enrollment in order to complete my degree/certificate while meeting all Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements. A copy of the academic plan must be submitted with my appeal. As part of the appeal decision, the ACC Appeal Committee has the authority to limit the number of courses I enroll in, and require that I enroll in certain courses.
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The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee. I will be notified via email of the appeal decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.
Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility:
If my appeal is denied, I understand that I must pay out-of-pocket for school until I have met all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements.
Degree/Certificate Plan
• I must have declared a major (degree or certificate) in order to receive financial aid.
• I am only allowed to have one active degree program at ACC. Students may declare associated certificates within the same degree program.
• I will only enroll in classes that are required for my ACC degree/certificate plan.
• My financial aid may be reduced or cancelled if I enroll in classes that are not required for my ACC degree/certificate plan.
• I may change my degree or certificate plan once while attending ACC. All degree/certificate plan changes will be counted, regardless of whether or not I received aid.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be applied to my degree/certificate plan. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).
Maximum Time to Complete Degree/Certificate
• I must complete my degree/certificate program by attempting no more than 150% of the hours required for the degree/certificate program. Example: My degree requires 66 hours to complete, so I must finish the degree requirements with no more than 99 hours attempted (66 x 1.5 = 99 hours).
• I will be notified via email if I have exceeded the maximum time to complete my degree/certificate.
• All hours attempted at ACC and previous schools will be calculated in the attempted hours. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).
• If I have exceeded the maximum time frame for completing my degree/certificate, I understand that I may submit a written appeal (available on the ACC website) to request an extension of my financial aid eligibility. The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee, and I will be notified via email of the decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.
Requirements effective prior to spring 2011:
FULL-TIME is 12 hours or more
- THREE QUARTER TIME is 9 to 11 hours
- HALF-TIME is 6 to 8 hours
Federal regulations require standards of satisfactory progress for students who received federal funds. Standards of Satisfactory Progress require:
Qualitative Standard
- Students awarded for 12 or more hours must pass at least 9 hours with a minimum 2.0 GPA.
- Students awarded for 6-11 hours must pass a minimum of 6 hours with a 2.0 GPA or higher.
- Students making a ZERO GPA will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.
- Once students have completed 2 years (4 semesters - fall and spring terms), they must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- Students are NOT ELIGIBLE to receive aid if ONLY enrolled in developmental classes. Courses taken which are not a part of the active degree plan can not be paid by financial aid.
- For financial aid purposes, the summer terms (Summer One, Two, and 11 Week) are counted as one term.
- Financial Aid may pay for Mini Semester courses if the student has funds remaining from the term in which the course is taken.
Quantitative Measures Standard
- Students must enroll in minimum of 6 hours each semester.
- Students must successfully complete 75% of hours taken each semester. This standard applies to all students even if no financial aid funds are awarded.
Maximum Time Frame Standard
- Students must complete their certificate or degree by attempting no more than 150% of the hours required for that certificate or degree.
- Example: If a student is working towards an associate degree which requires 66 semester hours, all requirements must be completed within 99 attempted credit hours.
- Withdrawals, repeats, developmental courses, “I” grades (incomplete), and all other transfer hours will be counted in the calculation of the number of attempted hours.
Change of Program (Major)
Students receiving financial aid are allowed one program (major) change. Students may have no more than two programs on file. For classes that do not apply to the new major, the calculation of student’s academic standing, credits attempted, and grades earned will not be included or calculated in the new major. This applies to transfer students as well.
Financial Aid Probation
Students who fail to meet the Satisfactory Progress Requirements will be placed on financial aid probation. PROBATION is a PERMANENT STATUS; however, students may be eligible to receive aid while on probation.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students who fail to meet the Satisfactory Progress Requirements a second time will be SUSPENDED from all financial aid.
Reinstatement of Financial Aid
Students may be reinstated through the following ways:
- Enroll for six hours at their own expense and meet the Satisfactory Progress Standards, or;
- Appeal their suspension based on extenuating circumstances.
Financial Aid Appeal
Submit a Financial Aid Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Attach documentation that may help substantiate the appeal. The Director of Financial Aid will notify the student of the outcome.
If an appeal is approved, the student may become eligible to receive aid but will remain on probation permanently. The student may continue to receive financial aid funds up to the maximum time frame as long as Satisfactory Progress Requirements continue to be met. Financial aid suspension will become permanent without additional appeal opportunity, the next time the student fails to meet academic progress requirements.
Contact Information
Financial Aid Office
Fax: 281.756.3840
Email: FA@alvincollege.edu
