Satisfactory Academic Progress

• The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress in 2006, mandates institutions of higher education to define, establish, and enforce minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for receiving financial assistance. Students receiving assistance from federal and state sources must meet the college's satisfactory academic progress policy in order to maintain their financial assistance eligibility.
• The policy is based on cumulative attempted hours and is applied consistently to all federal and state student financial aid programs.
• The policy is applied equally to new, continuing, and transfer students. All students are required to meet the cumulative requirements to be eligible to participate in the federal and state financial aid programs administered by St. Charles Community College.
• Students not receiving financial assistance are held to these same standards. There are several factors that affect satisfactory academic progress. It is the student's responsibility to read and understand all the variables involved. You will find the information here as well as the Financial Assistance Student Handbook and the college catalog.

Components of Satisfactory Academic Progress

• Grades – Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, or P. A grade of “F” (Failure), “W” (Withdrawal), “I” (Incomplete) or “R” (Re-enroll) is considered unsatisfactory.
  
  All coursework must be completed within the regular semester time frame. Although the college allows a student until mid-term of the following semester to complete an “I” grade, the course is considered unsatisfactory for financial aid purposes.
• Grade Point Average – Students must meet the following minimum grade point averages.
  

Cumulative
Hours Attempted

Minimum
Cumulative GPA

The highest grade is counted toward a student's grade point average for courses that have been repeated; however, all repeated classes are counted as attempted hours. This is reviewed at the end of each fall and spring semester.

Is it better to withdraw or take an “F”? This is a frequently asked question. A “W” will not affect your grade point average, but will adversely affect your completion ratio. A grade of “F” will have a negative affect on both your grade point average and your completion ratio.

• Hours Attempted vs. Hours Earned – Students must complete a total of 66  percent of all coursework attempted, including remedial coursework.
  
  Coursework attempted during all semesters – including fall, spring, and summer – will be evaluated cumulatively. This is reviewed each semester.
  
  Students participating in the St. Charles Community College financial aid program are required to submit official college transcripts from previous institutions attended. Transfer credit accepted from other colleges and universities will be included in the number of credit hours attempted and earned.
  
  Financial aid applications will not be processed until transcripts from all previous institutions have been received and evaluated.
• Maximum Hour Limit – An SCC student enrolled in an associate's degree program is entitled to receive financial assistance for no more than 96 attempted credit hours. This includes hours transferred from other colleges, hours previously completed at SCC (whether or not financial assistance was received), withdrawals, and repeated course work. Exceptions may be made for students who are in their last semester of degree completion.
  
  Students accepted and enrolled in the associate degree nursing program are entitled to receive financial assistance for no more than 113 attempted credit hours. This includes hours transferred in from other colleges, hours previously completed at SCC (whether or not financial assistance was received), and withdrawals.
  
  You may change programs, but program changes do not extend the maximum number of credit hours for which you will be paid.
  
  The maximum number of credit hours for a certificate program will be based on the number of credit hours required for completion of those individual programs. For example: A certificate program that requires 36 credit hours will have a maximum of 54 attempted hours of financial assistance eligibility.
  
  Student records will be reviewed at the end of each fall and spring semester.
• Permanent Loss of Eligibility – Once students reach the maximum hours attempted limit for their program of study, they are no longer eligible to receive financial assistance at SCC. All courses attempted are considered toward the maximum hour limit. Case by case exceptions will be considered for students who are in their last semester of degree completion.

A: Probation – Failure to meet all parts of  the satisfactory academic progress policy will  result in financial aid probation. Students may continue to receive assistance for one semester, but must meet all parts of the satisfactory academic progress policy by the end of the probationary semester.

Suspension – Failure to meet the minimum required cumulative GPA or minimum completion ratio during the semester(s) following notification of probation will result in financial aid suspension. Failure to complete at least 3 credit hours in a semester with a passing grade or a complete withdrawal from SCC during a semester, whether or not aid was received, will also result in automatic suspension of aid.

A: Students can regain eligibility by bringing  themselves back into compliance with the required cumulative GPA, and the required 66 percent completion ratio out of all hours attempted at SCC and hours accepted from transferring institutions.

Right to appeal suspension – In the event of a valid mitigating circumstance, a student may submit an application to appeal their suspension. To file an appeal, the student should complete the application form, write a separate letter explaining the extenuating circumstances that led to the lack of satisfactory academic progress, and submit supporting documentation.

The Appeals Committee meets the third Wednesday of every month to review requests. Please refer to the college catalog or the Financial Assistance handbook for more detailed information regarding the appeals process.