Satisfactory Academic Progress

Policy statement:
Federal regulations require that financial aid students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward an eligible degree or certificate program. This policy applies to students applying for Title IV financial aid, including: Federal Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), Leveraging Educational Assistance Program (LEAP), Federal Family Education Loans (Stafford Subsidized, Stafford Unsubsidized, and PLUS), and any other state funded financial aid. SAP is reviewed at the end of each semester to determine financial aid eligibility for the upcoming semester. SAP is evaluated on students previous enrollment, regardless of whether or not they received financial aid.

Definitions of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standings:

Good: Student is eligible for financial aid funding, if all other financial aid criteria are met.
Probation: Student is eligible for financial aid funding, but restrictions or requirements are in place as outlined in the communication sent to the student and in the Application of SAP Requirements table.
Restricted hours: Student is eligible for financial aid funding but is approaching the maximum amount of credit hours allowed for receiving financial aid. Financial aid may be prorated for students depending on how far they are away from thir maximum number of credit hours.
Suspension: Student is not eligible to receive financial aid. See Resolving Financial Aid SAP Suspension below.

SAP includes three standards:
Students who meet all three of the following standards are eligible for further federal and state financial aid consideration for the following semester.Students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to ensure they are meeting certificate/degree requirements.

1. Minimum cumulative grade point average:
Financial Aid students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average at Coconino Community College of a 2.0. SAP is evaluated on students previous enrollment, regardless of whether or not they received financial aid. The first semester a student falls below a 2.0 cumulative gpa will result in financial aid probation. The second semester a student falls below a 2.0 cumulative gpa will resullt in financial aid suspension. Students who have attempted and failed or withdrawan from all courses or have a 0.0 cumulative gpa are automatically placed on financial aid suspension. Please see Application of SAP Requirements below for more information.

2. Minimum credit hours per semester completion rate:
Financial Aid students must complete a minimum amount of credit hours per semester as outlined in the following chart. Grades of F, I, U, W, AU, NR, IP do not count toward the minimum credit completion requirement. Repeated courses are treated in accordance with established College policy.

Credit hours funded	Minimum credit completion each semester
12+ credit hours (full-time)	9 credit hours
11 credit hours (3/4 time)	7 credit hours
10 credit hours (3/4 time)	7 credit hours
9 credit hours (3/4 time)	7 credit hours
8 credit hours (1/2 time)	5 credit hours
7 credit hours (1/2 time)	5 credit hours
6 credit hours (1/2 time)	5 credit hours
5 credit hours (<1/2 time)	4 credit hours
4 credit hours (<1/2 time)	4 credit hours
3 credit hours (<1/2 time)	3 credit hours
2 credit hours (<1/2 time)	2 credit hours
1 credit hour (<1/2 time)	1 credit hour

3. Maximum number of credit hours after which a degree or certificate must be granted (150% Rule):
The maximum time frame for completion of a degree or certificate is measured by the total number of credit hours a student has attempted at CCC plus transfer hours accepted from other schools. Credit hours attempted at CCC, but not completed are always counted in the maximum time frame. Credit hours are included regardless of whether or not financial aid was received during the time the credits were taken. The maximum number of credit hours cannot exceed 150% of the credit hours required for that program according to the College Catalog.This is referred to as the 150% rule. Once 150% of credit hours is reached, students are suspended from financial aid. Students should work with and academic advisor to ensure that they are on track for a degree or certificate. Changing degree programs can cause students to need to take more classes than originally anticipated, which can lead to a 150% rule suspension.

Second degree or certificate and dual majors:

Aid for a 2nd degree will be limited to only those specific courses required to complete the second degree. Students who have already acquired a bachelor degree may be eligible for limited funds. Financial aid at CCC will fund an associate degree that does not duplicate general education credits earned in the 4-year degree.

Remedial courses:
A maximum of 30 credit hours of remedial (developmental) classes may be counted towards a student’s minimum credit completion requirement. Up to 30 credit hours for remedial classes may be appealed for exclusion for purposes of maximum number of credit hours after which a degree or certificate must be granted (150% rule). Remedial courses that have been repeated by a student may only be excluded from the maximum number of credit hours one time.

Consortium agreements and SAP:
If a student has a consortium agreement between CCC and another institution in which CCC is the parent institution, credits earned at the other institution count as though they were earned at CCC.

Application of SAP requirements:
Below are the criteria the CCC uses to set a student’s SAP standing:

Your SAP Standing at the beginning of the semester	Credit Hours you are enrolled in when you are disbursed financial aid	Credit hours you complete	AND: Your cumulative GPA at the end of the term	Your SAP Status for the next semester
GOOD	12+ (full-time)	9 or more	2.0 or higher	GOOD
	9 to 11 (3/4 time)	7 or more
	6 to 8 (1/2 time)	5 or more
	5 (<1/2 time)	4 or more
	4 or less (<1/2 time)	Credits funded

Your SAP Standing at the beginning of the semester	Credit Hours you are enrolled in when you are disbursed financial aid	Credit hours you complete	AND/OR: Your cumulative GPA at the end of the term	Your SAP Status for the next semester
GOOD	12+ (full-time)	1 to 8	Less than 2.0	PROBATION
	9 to 11 (3/4 time)	1 to 6
	6 to 8 (1/2 time)	1 to 4
	5 (<1/2 time)	1 to 3
	4 or less (<1/2 time)	< Credits funded but at least one credit

Your SAP Standing at the beginning of the semester	Credit Hours you are enrolled in when you are disbursed financial aid	Credit hours you complete	AND/OR: Your cumulative GPA at the end of the term	Your SAP Status for the next semester
GOOD	12+ (full-time)	0	0.0	SUSPENSION
	9 to 11 (3/4 time)
	6 to 8 (1/2 time)
	5 (<1/2 time)
	4 or less (<1/2 time)

Your SAP Standing at the beginning of the semester	Credit Hours you are enrolled in when you are disbursed financial aid	Credit hours you complete	AND: Your cumulative GPA at the end of the term	Your SAP Status for the next semester
PROBATION	12+ (full-time)	9 or more	2.0 or higher	GOOD
	9 to 11 (3/4 time)	7 or more
	6 to 8 (1/2 time)	5 or more
	5 (<1/2 time)	4 or more
	4 or less (<1/2 time)	Credits funded

Your SAP Standing at the beginning of the semester	Credit Hours you are enrolled in when you are disbursed financial aid	Credit hours you complete	AND/OR: Your cumulative GPA at the end of the term	Your SAP Status for the next semester
PROBATION	12+ (full-time)	0 to 8	Less than 2.0	SUSPENSION
	9 to 11 (3/4 time)	0 to 6
	6 to 8 (1/2 time)	0 to 4
	5 (<1/2 time)	0 to 3
	4 or less (<1/2 time)	< Credits funded

Students who are placed on academic suspension are automatically on financial aid suspension. Students who have reached maximum number of credit hours (150% rule) after which a degree or certificate must be granted are also placed on financial aid suspension. The maximum number of credit hours (150% rule) is evaluated on students previous enrollment, regardless of whether or not they received financial aid.

Resolving financial aid SAP suspension:
Students who are suspended from financial aid may appeal their suspension status. Students who do not appeal, but wish to continue at CCC, must complete six credit hours in one semester at CCC using their own financial resources and must bring their cumulative GPA above 2.0 in order to re-gain financial aid eligibility. Students who have exceeded the Maximum number of credit hours after which a degree or certificate must be granted (the 150% rule) will be required to submit an appeal and have their eligibility status re-evaluated.

SAP appeals:
SAP appeals are available at the Office of Student Financial Aid or on the financial aid forms webpage. They are evaluated by the Assistant Director of Financial aid or designee within 10 working days of submission. The SAP appeal decision is sent electronically (to the CCC Student email address) or in writing (to the address on file with CCC). The decision made by the Assistant Director or designee may be appealed to the Director of Financial Aid by submitting a written request. The decision of the Director may be further appealed to the SAP Appeals Committee. If an appeal has been forwarded to the SAP Appeals Committee, the student may request to be in attendance at the meeting. The Committee may uphold, reverse, or modify the decision of the Director of Financial Aid.

Students are expected to monitor their own Satisfactory Academic Progress and consult with the Office of Student Financial Aid when there are questions or concerns. We provide written or electronic notice to students at the end of semesters where students are on probation or suspension status. It is imperative that students keep their mailing and email address updated with CCC and check their CCC student email on a regular basis. Failure to monitor one’s SAP is not grounds for an appeal.

SAP website:
The Office of Student Financial Aid maintains the Satisfactory Academic Progress website at www.coconino.edu/finaid/sapinfo.htm. Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal forms can be found by going to www.coconino.edu/finaid and clicking on “Forms.” SAP policy, procedure and appeal forms will be printed out for students upon request.

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