Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Financial Aid office is required by federal regulations to periodically review the academic progress of financial aid recipients to ensure that they are making satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of his/her program of study.  Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for financial aid recipients is measured by both qualitative and quantitative standards and is an assessment of a student's cumulative academic record while in attendance at the College.

Coursework Included in SAP

In general, coursework that is taken while in attendance at NCC and applies to the student's academic program is considered when reviewing a student's academic record for satisfactory academic progress.  However, there are some exceptions.  Please refer to the table below for a breakdown of how each type of course or credit is treated in the review. 

Qualitative Standard

Cumulative GPA (CGPA) Component

A student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average as noted below to be considered as making satisfactory academic progress.A GPA calculator is available here.

Quantitative Standard

Completion Rate Component

A student must successfully complete  two-thirds (66.66%) of the total credits he/she attempts through his/her academic career at the College.  All attempted credits resulting in either an academic grade or administrative transcript notation will be included in the quantitative calculation.  For example, a student who has enrolled in 36 credits throughout his/her academic career at the College must pass more than 24 credits in order to be making satisfactory academic progress.

Maximum Timeframe Component

A student may receive student federal aid for any attempted credits towards his/her program of study as long as those credits do not exceed 150% of the published length of the student's program of study.

For example, a student enrolled in an eligible 24 credit certificate program can receive financial aid for up to 36 credits attempted.  Likewise, a student enrolled in a program of study that requires 64 credits to earn the degree can receive student federal aid for a maximum of 96 credits attempted.

If a student changes curriculum programs or graduates and requests a second degree, a degree audit will be completed and evaluated to determine what portion of the requirements for that curriculum has been satisfied.  Students who seek a dual degree may appeal for an extension of the maximum time frame provision of this policy.  Appeals will be evaluated on an individual, case-by-case basis.

Academic Periods Included in the Review

The qualitative and quantitative components of Satisfactory Academic Progresss (SAP) policy will be used to review the academic progress for all periods of the student's enrollment.  Even periods during which the student did not receive FSA funds will be included in the review.  Additionally, periods for which the student was granted academic amnesty will be included in the review.

The qualitative and quantitative components of the SAP policy will be reviewed at the end of each semester within the regular academic year of the student's program of study.  Students who meet SAP standards will be coded as making satisfactory academic progress and will retain eligibility for Student Federal Aid for the following semester.  Students who do not meet SAP standards will be placed on SAP warning for one semester.  Students placed on SAP warning will retain their eligibility for Student Federal Aid for that upcoming semester.

Students Placed on SAP Warning

At the end of the warning period, SAP standards will be reviewed.  If the student meets SAP standards, he/she will once again be coded as making satisfactory academic progress and will retain eligibility for Student Federal Aid for the next semester.  If the student is still unable to meet the standards for SAP, he/she will no longer be eligible to receive FSA funds at the institution until such time that he/she is able to meet the standards of SAP.

Repeat Courses

Financial Aid will cover a repeated course only when it is repeated to replace an unacceptable grade as determined by a specific course and/or major.  Only the most recent grade for a course that has been repeated will count towards a student's CGPA.  Therefore, grades from prior attempts will be excluded from the student's cumulative GPA.  However, all attempts including the most current will be included in the calcuation for the completion rate and maximum timeframe components.

Transfer Credits

Credits that are transferred in from another institution and apply to the most current major will be excluded from the student's cumulative GPA.  However, they will be included in the calculation for the maximum timeframe and completion rate components

Consortium Credits

All courses taken at an institution other than your home institution through an official consortium are included in the calculation for completion rate and maximum timeframe components, but are excluded from the student's cumulative GPA component.

Developmental/Remedial/ESL Courses

Credits from these courses will be included in the calculations for all three components of the satisfactory academic progress review.  A student is eligible for up to 24 credit hours of federal financial aid in this category.

Incompletes

All incompletes must be resolved by the end of the third week of the semester following the receipt of the incomplete grade.  If not, the grade is either automatically changed to an "F" or is considered to be an "F" for all components of the satisfactory academic progress review.  Financial Aid can be withheld until incompletes are resolved.

Audit Courses

Financial Aid does not cover any courses a student audits.  Further, audit courses are not included for any of the calculated components.

Credit by Examination

Financial Aid does not cover courses for which a student earns credit through examination.  Credit by Examination courses count toward the maximum time frame component, but are excluded from the student's cumulative GPA component and completion rate components.

Appeal Process

A student who becomes ineligible for federal student aid as a result of satisfactory academic progress may appeal for a review of that determination.  A student who believes he/she has extenuating circumstances that affected his or her ability to progress satisfactorily should appeal in writing within 15 days of the date of the letter indicating a loss of financial aid eligibility.  The appeal should be addressed to Financial Aid Appeals and be submitted to the Financial Aid Office. A successful appeal may preserve the student's eligibility for federal student aid for the following semester.

Change of Program

A student who changes his/her academic program may request an appeal in that determination if he/she has changed programs while enrolled at his/her current college.  If this appeal is taken up then only those courses applicable to the new program will be evaluated for the Completion Rate and CGPA components.  However, all courses attempted will be evaluated for the Maximum Timeframe component.  If under these circumstances the student is making satisfactory academic progress, the student will regain eligibility for student aid.  If under these circumstances the student is not making satisfactory academic progress, the student will not regain eligibility for student aid at this time.  For further information about the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, please contact the Financial Aid Office.