Student Services

Financial Aid & Scholarships Office

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Note: As of October 1, 2012 our Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy was revised to exclude up to 30 credit hours of cumulative remedial course work from the maximum hour calculation. This policy change is effective for all regularly scheduled SAP) evaluations from this date forward and will exclude remedial courses taken at any point during the student's enrollment at the institution. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.

Sinclair Community College students receiving federal financial aid are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) according to federal law. Academic records are reviewed for all students receiving federal financial aid or being considered for federal financial aid from the following sources:

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Work Study Program
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program (subsidized and unsubsidized)
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan
Other programs as determined by the Financial Aid & Scholarships office

The review of a student's SAP status is based on the entire academic record. The SAP status is monitored after each term's grades are posted. Being eligible to enroll in classes does not mean the student is maintaining SAP for federal financial aid.

Sinclair's SAP policy is explained below. The SAP policy is applied to all federal financial aid recipients regardless of whether they have received federal financial aid previously. Also, Sinclair's Fresh Start Policy has no bearing on the SAP Policy.

Students will be considered to be maintaining SAP if they: maintain the required cumulative grade point average, satisfactorily complete the necessary number of credit hours, or pace of completion and will graduate within 150% of the credit hours required to complete the program of study.

Grade Point Average Requirement:

Students must maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average.

Credit Hour Requirement or Pace of Completion:

Students must successfully complete 67% or more of the credit hours attempted since the first term of enrollment at Sinclair Community College. This includes all remedial/developmental course work. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.
Grades of A, B, C, D, Y, P and S will be considered successfully completed. Grades of N, W, F, U, I, IP and Z will be considered credit hours not successfully completed.

Maximum Timeframe to Complete the Program:

Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program as measured by credit hours attempted. Up to 30 credit hours of remedical/developmental course work will be excluded from this calculation beginning with all SAP evaluations perfomred after October 1, 2012. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.

Additional Certificates/Degrees:

Students can pursue an additional certificate and/or degree. No more than two degrees will be considered for federal aid purposes. Students must have their Academic Advisor complete a Graduate Appeal Form so the Financial Aid office can determine how many credit hours are needed to complete the second program.

Change of Major/Program:

Students may change their program of study. However, all credit hours attempted and grades earned will count toward the new program and be included in SAP determination.

Transfer Credits:

Transfer hours accepted by Sinclair Community College must be evaluated by an Academic Advisor. Students must have their Acadeic Advisor complete a Transfer Hour Appeal form to determine how many transfer hours count toward a student's program of study. These transfer hours will be used in calculating federal aid eligibility.

ESL Courses:

English as a Second Language course work will count towards the student's timeframe and completion rate components of the SAP policy.

Remedial Courses:

A student is limited to 30 credit hours of developmental course work while receiving federal financial aid. Federal financial aid programs will not cover any developmental courses taken after reaching the maximum 30 credit hour limit.
Remedial course work will count towards the determination of Pace and/or GPA where appropriate.
No more than 30 credit hours of remedial/developmental course work will be excluded from the maximum hour calculation on any evaluation performed after October 1, 2012. No SAP evaluations will be performed out of sequence in an effort to assist a student in regaining eligibility due to this policy change.
Any remedial/developmental hours beyond 30 credit hours will be included in the Maximum Hour calculation.
If a student has only ever enrolled in all DEV classes and passes all of their DEV classes with an S or a P, they will not be placed on warning.
If a student does not pass all of their DEV classes, they will be placed on warning to earn a 2.0 cumulative GPA and possibly earn a 67% completion rate in the next term enrolled. This includes students who earned an N, U or dropped the class with a W.

Repeated Courses:

Students who have failed a class may repeat it and receive federal financial aid for the credit hours.
Financial aid can pay for one repetition of a passed class.
However, if a student has passed a class more than once and wants to take it a third time, they can repeat it, but the credit hours will not be used in determining the amount of federal aid they can receive. Students in this situation can learn more by contacting the Financial Aid & Scholarships office.
A student may appeal a repeated course with an identical course number but different course content. The course must be required for graduation in the student's valid active program as described in the course catalog.

Warning Status

After grades are posted for each term, a student's SAP status will be calculated. Students who fail to meet the SAP requirements will be placed on warning for one term. Students will receive written notification informing them of not meeting one or more of the minimum requirements.
- A student who has not completed at least 67% of their total attempted hours, or is below the minimum 2.0 GPA for credit hours attempted, will be placed on warning. The student has one term to correct the deficiencies.

Suspension

If the warning requirements are not met, federal financial aid will be suspended.

Appeal Process

Students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress may appeal the suspension of federal financial aid if they feel they have extenuating circumstances. These circumstances must be documented and submitted with the appeal which will be reviewed along with academic transcripts by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The committee will also consider appeals for students pursuing additional degrees or certificates.
- Appealable circumstances include: The student's illness or injury, the death of a relative or other special circumstances.
- Appeals must include an explanation of why satisfactory academic progress was not made and what has changed that will allow the student to make satisfactory academic progess the next term.
- The student must provide supporting documentation concerning their appealable circumstance and their explanation of what has changed. Additional documentation may be requested in order to evaluate the appeal.
Appeals are currently reviewed on the 2nd Tuesday of every month and appeals are due in the Financial Aid & Scholarships office on the first Friday of the month. Therefore, if you plan to attend the term, you must be prepared to pay your tuition, fees and books by the payment deadline date. The FACTS Payment Plan is an option for paying your tuition and fees.
Students will be notified by letter of the decision by the Appeals Committee. All decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
If your appeal is approved, it will be effective for the current term if you are registered. Students may be reimburesed up to the amount of the accepted awards, if any. Otherwise, the appeal will be effective for the following term. Once the appeal is determined, it will not be changed.
If a student changes their valid active program after they have an approved appeal and before they have met the conditions of their appeal, their aid will be suspended.

Procedures for Re-establishing Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students may regain their eligibility for federal financial aid by approval of an appeal or:
Successfully completing the requirements originally requested under the warning status. Students must notify the Financial Aid & Scholarships office when they believe they have met the requirements necessary for reinstatement of aid.