SAP Frequently Asked Questions

Financial Aid

SAP Frequently Asked Questions

Satisfactory Academic Progress Frequently Asked Questions

How to Keep your Financial Aid:

Pace: Complete 67% of all classes attempted
Maintain an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher
Complete your degree within the 150% timeframe (i.e. an associate degree of 60 credit hours must be completed within 90 credit hours)
Become familiar with Grayson College Office of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

What Happens	Your Financial Aid Status	What you need to do
If your GPA drops below a 2.0	Suspended- You are not eligible for financial aid	Raise your GPA to a 2.0 or higher or you can appeal if you have mitigating circumstances.
If you do not have an overall completion rate of 67% or more	Suspended - You are not eligible for financial aid	Raise your completion rate to 67% or higher to become eligible for financial aid or you can appeal if you have mitigating circumstances.
If your GPA drops below a 2.0 and your overall completion rate is less than 67%	Suspended - You are not eligible for financial aid	Raise your completion rate to 67% or higher and raise your overall GPA to 2.0 or higher to become eligible for financial aid or you can appeal if you have mitigating circumstances.
If you attempt over 150% of your program of study (major)	Suspended - You are not eligible for financial aid	You can appeal if you have mitigating circumstances. If your appeal is approved you will need to successfully complete 100% of all classes required and maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher.
If it is impossible to raise your GPA above 2.0 in one semester or to raise your completion rate to 67% or more.	Suspended - You are not eligible for financial aid.	If you file an appeal you will need to meet with a Grayson College Counselor and develop an Academic Plan with measureable milestones and you must enroll in and successfully complete a learning frameworks course.
Attending on Financial Aid Probation	Probation: You only have eligibility for one semester or you are following an academic plan that will be checked each semester.	You must meet all requirements of your approved appeal in order to regain Financial Aid eligibility.

Completion Rate Worksheet:

	Enter your hours	Sample
Total Credit Hours Completed		25
Divided by	/	/
Total Credit Hours Attempted		35
Equals	=	=
Completion Rate		71.43%

Check this out: GPA Calculator - Raise My GPA

Glossary:

Pace: the total number of hours the student has successfully completed divided by the number of hours the student has attempted.

Appeal: a process for a student who fails to maintain SAP to petition the school for a reconsideration of eligibility to receive federal Title IV funds.

Students who have faced mitigating circumstances may appeal the suspension of their financial aid. Mitigating circumstances are generally beyond the student's control and may include:

A death in the immediate family
Injury or illness of the student
Other special circumstances

Mitigating circumstances DO NOT include:

Student felt overwhelmed
Student changed work schedule
Student did not like the instructor or had a conflict with the instructor
Student did not understand college and wasn't ready or mature enough
Death or illness of a friend or relative not in immediate family
Withdrew or stopped attending to avoid a bad grade
Student states: Nobody told me that would affect me

Financial Aid Probation: a status assigned to a student who fails to maintain SAP but who successfully appeals, permitting the student to receive Title IV funds for one additional payment period(s) while adhering to the stipulations of the appeal.

Financial Aid Suspension: a status assigned to a student who does not have financial aid eligibility or who failed to meet the requirements of financial aid probation.

Maximum Timeframe: student cannot be paid financial aid for any courses that exceed 150% of the published length of the program.

Re-establishing Financial Aid Eligibility:

There are two avenues available for regaining eligibility for financial aid. These avenues consist of the following:

Paying on your own: While remaining within the 150% completion rate of your degree/certificate you must raise your cumulative GPA to a 2.0 while successfully completing a minimum of 67% of all courses you attempt.
Appeal process: Students who have faced mitigating circumstances may appeal the suspension of their financial aid. If the appeal is approved the student will have the opportunity to receive financial aid while attending classes as long as they adhere to the stipulations of the appeal.