Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

(Condensed Version) Effective July 1, 2011

Beginning July 1, 2011, the 2011-12 Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards have changed in accordance with new federal regulations.  These new SAP standards will be effective beginning with the first calculation after fall 2011 semester and supersedes all previous policies.

Click Here for PDF version of SAP Policy

All students who have attempted units, having an academic history, will be reviewed for SAP standards.  All periods of enrollment at Chabot/Las Positas Colleges and all units which will count as credit at Chabot/Las Positas from prior colleges for which the student has submitted transcripts will be included as part of the SAP review, regardless of previous financial aid history, in accordance with federal regulations.

Beginning *Fall 2016, students who have not met the college’s Satisfactory Academic Progress standards for two consecutive terms will no longer qualify for a BOGW waiver the following term. This is based on new State regulations.

You must earn at least 50% of units attempted with a minimum 2.0 GPA to meet minimum standards to retain your BOGW.

Las Positas College evaluates SAP every academic term after grades are posted and before a student can be paid for subsequent terms.  We measure Qualitative standards (term and cumulative GPA),  Quantitative standards (term and cumulative completion rate) and Maximum Time Frame.

A student receiving financial aid, with the *exception of a fee waiver, must:

1. Earn a minimum GPA of 2.00 for each term and maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA
2. Earn a minimum of 67% of the units attempted each term ('units attempted' are defined as the units a student remains enrolled in after the add/drop period)
3. Maintain a minimum cumulative completion rate of 67% (total cumulative units earned must be at least 67% of total cumulative units attempted.
4. Units evaluated from prior college transcripts which count toward the student’s current major will count as both units attempted and units earned but do not count in calculation of GPA.
   • Grades considered as units earned A, B, C, CR, D, P
     Note: A grade of “CR” or “P” counts as units completed, but will not be included in your GPA
   • Grades NOT considered as units earned: F, I, NP, NC, MW, W, IP
     Note: These grades are excluded from your GPA, with the exception of a grade “F”

5. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 after 4 terms of attendance or is disqualified until cumulative GPA is raised to the federal required minimum 2.0.
   
   Always make academic progress toward completion of a declared eligible program of study for which the student is responsible to seek guidance as to program requirements by consulting a college counselor and/or by referencing the catalog.

6. Complete their studies at Las Positas within the Maximum Time Frame of 90 attempted units for all AA/AS or transfer majors, or an attempted unit maximum of 150% of the published program length for certificate majors.  Example: if a certificate is 24 units, a student would be allowed a maximum time frame of 36 attempted units to complete the program and receive financial aid (Total units to be counted toward attempted financial aid units includes all attempted units at Chabot/Las Positas Colleges less all ESL units, less up to 30 Basic Skills or remedial courses (100 level courses), plus all units earned at previous colleges which will be accepted for credit toward a program at Chabot or Las Positas College.)

7. Repay all financial aid funds received if student does not attend.  Receiving financial aid funds and not attending is considered an intention to defraud federal funds and will be cause to alert the U.S. Office of Inspector General for investigation.

   IMPORTANT! Students who completely withdraw or earn any combination resulting in all F, W, NP or NC grades in a term will be automatically DISQUALIFIED and may be required to repay part or all of their grant in accordance with federal ‘Return to Title IV’ regulations.

Not meeting the above requirements is considered unsatisfactory progress and will result in a term of ‘WARNING’ after the first offense, during which the student will continue to qualify for one term of financial aid.  If the student fails to meet ALL satisfactory progress requirements while on WARNING,  it will result in Financial Aid DISQUALIFICATION (suspension). The student can regain eligibility by earning a minimum 2.0 term and cumulative GPA and demonstrating both a term andcumulative completion rate of at least 67%.

Students who do not meet term or cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate requirements while on WARNING or students who earn 0 units with a 0 GPA for the term are placed on Disqualified Status and will be immediately ineligible for financial aid. Students are expected to successfully meet all SAP requirements on their own prior to being considered again for financial aid.

Other policies related to Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Repeated courses will count toward the 150% maximum units allowed.  Effective July 1, 2011, a course may successfully (‘D’ or higher grade or Credit/Pass) be repeated only ONCE when receiving financial aid.  Students repeating a course more than once are not eligible for financial aid payment for that course.

Students who have a Bachelor’s Degree or higher from a domestic or foreign school have exceeded the maximum time frame and will not be eligible for federal aid, except possibly loans and federal workstudy.  An Excessive Units Petition must be filed to request an extension of time, and must be approved before loans or Federal Workstudy are granted.

Student Borrowers: In addition to the other standards required, students who are receiving direct loans must enroll in and complete at least six required units toward their goal with a minimum 2.0 GPA each semester. 

Students who do not meet term or cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate requirements while on WARNING or students who earn 0 units with a 0 gpa for the term are placed on Disqualified Status and will be immediately ineligible for financial aid. Students are expected to successfully meet all SAP requirements on their own prior to being considered again for financial aid.

A student who has exceeded the Maximum Time Frame (150%) rule and cannot regain eligibility on their own for financial aid, must file an Excessive Units Petition for consideration of an extension of time. 

Appeals

Under certain documented circumstances (e.g. student’s serious illness or accident; death, accident or serious illness in the immediate family; other mitigating circumstances) students who fail to meet SAP standards and lose eligibility for financial aid may appeal the financial aid disqualification by filing a  Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid.  Students must clearly state what caused the problem and must also clearly indicate what has changed that will now allow the student to succeed. Students must pass all three GetSAP counseling sessions before filing a Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid. GetSAP Counseling Online

If an appeal is granted, a student is placed on PROBATION for the next term and is required to meet all Standards of Satisfactory Progress (term and cumulative GPA, term and cumulative completion rate) or will be disqualified until s/he meets the required minimum cumulative GPA and completion rate. In certain cases there may be specific conditions designated during the Probation period which the student is required to meet.

Appeals granted for students who have reached the Maximum Time Frame will specify that a student be placed on probation for a specific and limited number of terms in order to complete the student’s program.  No appeal for an extension of time will be granted if a student is not meeting the 67% cumulative completion rate or minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA in accordance with federal regulations. The student must continue to meet all satisfactory academic progress requirements each term or will be permanently disqualified.

CODES and DEFINITIONS for Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Codes	Definitions
NOTREV	Your status has not been reviewed
PROG	Making Progress
WARN	Warning
PRBTN	Probation - per approved petition
DISUNT	Disqualified due to reaching the point of Excessive Units
EPRBT1	Probation-Excessive Units petition approved for 1 term
EPRBT2	Probation-Excessive Units petition approved for 2 terms
EPRBT3	Probation-Excessive Units petition approved for 3 terms
EPRBT4	Probation-Excessive Units Petition approved for 4 terms
DISQ	Disqualified/Suspended

Sample Chart for Making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Units of attempted enrollment	Units you must complete for SAP (67%) with a 2.0 GPA
14-15 units	10 units
13 units	9 units
12 units	8 units
11 units	7.5 units
9 units	6 units
8 units	5.5 units
7 units	4.5 units
6 units	4 units
5 units	3.5 units
3 units	2 units