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Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal guidelines require schools to monitor student academic progress for financial aid purposes. The Code of Federal Regulations (§668.32[f]) stipulates that a student is required to maintain “satisfactory academic progress in his or her course of study according to the institution’s published standards of satisfactory academic progress” to be eligible to receive federal student assistance benefits.

Scope

For this Policy, financial aid includes all federal and state aid administered by the WCC Financial Aid & Veterans Services office (grants, work-study, etc.). Scholarship recipients must meet and maintain requirements specific to the individual programs.

Financial Aid & Veterans Services evaluates academic progress before awarding aid and at the end of each semester for all students who have submitted a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This evaluation includes qualitative (GPA) and quantitative (PACE and Maximum Timeframe) measures of progress. Students must meet the minimum standards for each measurement to qualify for and remain eligible for financial aid.

Students are responsible for staying informed of the College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards and monitoring their progress.

GPA (Grade Point Average)

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher for financial aid eligibility. (There is no rounding for GPA)

  • Apart from the specific exclusions noted below, SAP GPA calculations incorporate grades earned during all enrollment periods at WCC, even those for which the student did not receive financial aid. This includes repeated coursework, coursework taken by dual-enrolled high school students, coursework paid for by sponsors, and grades that may have been removed from the official WCC GPA due to an approved “Academic Forgiveness.”
  • Grades of A, AG, AH, B, BG, BH, C, CG, D, and F earn the same number of grade points for SAP as outlined for the official WCC academic GPA in the general catalog.
  • Grades earned in developmental coursework will be included in SAP calculations and are assessed as follows: a grade of P (passing) equals 4.00-grade points, like an A grade; a grade of R (repeat) equals 0.00-grade points, the same as an F grade.
  • The WF (withdrew failing) grade, signifying a withdrawal after the official withdrawal period, is treated the same as an F grade, earning 0.00-grade points.
  • Grades of OW (official withdrawal), W (withdrew), WP (withdrew passing), WE (withdrew emergency), I (incomplete), IE (incomplete emergency), NA (never attended), AU (audit), and SR (senior audit) are not assigned a point value at WCC. They are, therefore, not included in SAP GPA calculations.
  • Also excluded from the SAP GPA calculation are transfer credits (T, TP, TP1, TP2, TP3), Advanced Placement credits (AP), and Credit by Exam (X).

Students who do not meet this qualitative measure are not making satisfactory academic progress and are subject to Financial Aid Warning or Suspension.

PACE (Pass Rate)

Students must pass 67%* of the cumulative attempted credit hours to retain financial aid eligibility. (*standard rounding rules apply)

  • Apart from the specific exclusions noted below, PACE calculations include credits earned during all enrollment periods at WCC, even those for which the student did not receive financial aid. This includes repeated coursework, coursework taken by dual-enrolled high school students, Advanced Placement credits (AP), Credit by Exam (X), and coursework paid for by sponsors.
  • If a student is approved for “Academic Forgiveness,” all forgiven hours will continue to be included in the PACE calculation.
  • PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours earned by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted. The result is carried out to two decimal places with standard rounding rules; students must earn 66.50% or higher to meet this SAP standard. (Example: 24 hours completed ÷ 33 hours attempted = 72.72% PACE)
  • Passed courses include those in which students earn A, AG, AH, B, BG, BH, C, CG, D, or P grades.
  • All credit hours from another institution for which WCC awards transfer credit (T, TP, TP1, TP2, TP3), Advanced Placement credits (AP), and Credit by Exam (X) count as both hours attempted and hours completed.
  • Developmental credit hours are measured the same as curriculum credit hours, with the P grade signifying credit hours completed and the R grade indicating credit hours not completed.
  • Course withdrawals (W), (WP), incompletes (I), and course failures (R), (F), and (WF) are counted as hours attempted but not completed.
  • Coursework identified as WE (withdraw emergency), IE (incomplete emergency), NA (never attended), AU (audit), and SR (senior audit) is excluded from the PACE calculations.

Students who do not meet this quantitative measure are not making satisfactory academic progress and are subject to Financial Aid Warning or Suspension.

Maximum Timeframe

Financial Aid recipients must progress through their educational program in a reasonable time. Federal regulations restrict financial aid eligibility to 150% of the published length of a student’s academic program. Maximum timeframe is measured in attempted credit hours and is applied according to the catalog year specific to each student’s program. When a student’s cumulative attempted credit hours reach the maximum allowed, the SAP status will be Max Credits, and the student will no longer be eligible for federal or state aid at WCC. (Example: For a program requiring 64 credits to earn a degree, 150% is 96 hours. {64 x 1.50 = 96} If a student in this program has not completed all requirements for the degree within 96 credit hours, financial aid eligibility will be suspended, and the student will need to complete the program using alternate payment methods.)

Further, under federal law, at the point it is determined to be mathematically impossible for a student to complete their program of study within the 150% timeframe, they are not meeting this requirement, and the College is required to suspend financial aid eligibility even if the student is meeting other SAP standards. (Example: Student A is in a program allowing a maximum of 99 hours. Suppose the student has attempted 90 credit hours and needs five additional courses equivalent to 16 credit hours to complete the program. In this case, adding the 16 hours required to the 90 hours attempted equals 106, which is more than the 99 hours allowed. Mathematically, Student A cannot complete the program before reaching the 150% maximum timeframe, and financial aid eligibility at WCC must be suspended.)

  • Apart from the specific exclusions noted below, Maximum Timeframe calculations include credits attempted during all enrollment periods at WCC, even those for which the student did not receive financial aid. This includes coursework taken by dual-enrolled high school students, Advanced Placement credits (AP), Credit by Exam (X), and coursework paid for by sponsors.
  • All credit hours taken at another institution for which WCC awards transfer credit (T), repeated coursework, course withdrawals (W), (WP), incompletes (I), and course failures (R), (F), (WF) will be counted as attempted hours and will be applied towards the maximum timeframe calculation.
  • If a student changes their major, all attempted hours will carry forward and be applied towards the maximum timeframe for the new program.
  • If a student is approved for “Academic Forgiveness,” all forgiven hours will continue to be counted as attempted credits.
  • Developmental/remedial courses in which a student earned a passing grade (up to 30 hours) are excluded from the maximum timeframe calculation.
  • Coursework identified as WE (withdraw emergency), IE (incomplete emergency), NA (never attended), AU (audit), and SR (senior audit) is excluded from the maximum timeframe calculations.

Students who have reached the 150% maximum timeframe or who mathematically cannot complete the current program of study within the 150% maximum timeframe will be assigned an SAP status of Max Credits. Eligibility for all student aid will be suspended unless the student successfully appeals.

Financial Aid Warning

Upon the first occurrence of a student failing to meet the minimum requirements for GPA or PACE at the time of SAP evaluation, they will automatically be placed on Financial Aid Warning for the next enrollment semester/payment period. Students on financial aid warning may receive financial aid for one semester without submitting a written appeal.

  • Financial Aid Warning provides students with one payment period/semester of financial aid while they work to attain the minimum standards of SAP.
  • Students on Financial Aid Warning remain eligible for all types of financial aid they are eligible to receive.
  • Academic progress for financial aid is reevaluated at the end of each semester. Students who achieve satisfactory academic progress by the end of their warning period may have their financial aid eligibility restored.
  • Failure to make satisfactory academic progress by the end of the warning period will result in the suspension of financial aid eligibility.

Additional Information

  • RETURNING WCC STUDENTS – Cumulative GPAs are carried forward, and attempted credit hours are evaluated per SAP regulations. Student academic progress is calculated as stated in the preceding sections.
  • TRANSFER STUDENTS – Students transferring to WCC from another institution will be considered to be making SAP at the time of enrollment unless the transfer hours cause the student to be unable to complete their program in the maximum timeframe. All credits transferred from another school, including college credits earned as a dual-enrolled high school student, will count as attempted hours and be applied to the maximum timeframe.
  • CHANGING MAJORS – When a student changes their major, the maximum timeframe for the new program takes effect. All hours attempted under previous majors will be carried forward as attempted hours for the new program. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with a Financial Aid representative to discuss the possible impact of changing their major.
    • A student who earned an associate degree is not eligible for financial aid for a diploma or certificate program.

SAP Appeal Procedure

Financial aid applicants should be aware of their right to appeal if they feel that financial aid has been unjustly denied or that unusual circumstances warrant further consideration of their application.

Students who have become ineligible for financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress or maximum timeframe can appeal if mitigating circumstances exist. Circumstances that may be considered generally are beyond the student’s control and may include, but are not limited to, physical or mental health issues of the student, illness, injury, or death of an immediate family member, natural disasters, military deployment, etc.

  • To appeal financial aid suspension:
    • Students should submit the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal form with the required documents. A detailed explanation of what happened to keep the student from making satisfactory academic progress, what has changed so that they can be successful in the future, and a specific plan to make satisfactory academic progress, if approved, must be included in the appeal.
    • Supporting documentation from an impartial third party is required when reasonable and must coincide with the periods where academic performance suffered.
    • Students should schedule an appointment to meet with their academic advisor to discuss strategies to improve their academic standing or establish a plan that leads to program completion.
    • Appeals submitted with required documentation will not be reviewed.
  • Submitting an appeal does not guarantee that financial aid eligibility will be reinstated. Students are responsible for all semester expenses while the appeal is being reviewed.
  • Students are notified in writing of the decision of the appeals committee. Notification may be sent to the student waynecc.edu email account or via mail.

If you need help understanding any of the policies or procedures stated above, you are responsible for asking for clarification from a Financial Aid representative. Privacy regulations prohibit us from disclosing a student’s academic record details over the phone. Financial Aid representatives are available Monday through Thursday from 7:45 to 5:30 pm and Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 pm. We also have evening hours every Tuesday until 6:00 pm. (Summer hours may vary)

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