Federal statutes and regulations require that recipients of federal financial aid must progress at a pace to ensure students complete their degree within the maximum time frame allowed and must be in good standing based on cumulative GPA requirements.
Students will be reviewed at the end of each payment period typically the end of the fall semester (will include the preceding summer term) and at the end of the spring semester and winter term for LPN students. Students not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (either the pace and/or GPA requirement), as described below, will lose their financial aid eligibility for all aid types. Students will have to successfully appeal to the Director of Financial Aid in order to continue to receive Title IV aid despite failing SAP standards. Students academically dismissed from their academic programs are automatically recognized as failing to meet SAP standards.
All semesters of enrollment, including summer, must be considered in the determination of SAP, even periods in which the student did not receive federal student aid funds.
- Pace/Time Progression. Students must successfully complete 67% of their attempted courses within the VSC as recorded and documented by the Registrar’s Office. Dropped courses will not be included. Courses withdrawn from after the end of the add/drop period will be counted toward attempted courses. For financial aid eligibility, total hours attempted, including transfer credits counted toward your degree, cannot exceed 150% of graduation requirements.
Minimum Pace Calculation Example: If you attempt/enroll in 12 credits for one semester , you must successfully complete 8 credits. (12X67%=8)
- GPA requirement. Students with fewer than 30 attempted credits must maintain a cumulative GPA of 1.75, students with 30 attempted credits or greater, must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0, as recorded and documented by the Registrar's Office.
- Maximum Time Frame. The maximum time frame for students to complete their academic program may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program, measured in credit hours
Maximum Time Frame Example: If your Associated Degree Program requires 68 credits, the maximum time frame allowed to complete the program would be 102 credits. * Please note different programs have different credit requirements. Consult the catalog description for your degree program requirements. (68 credits X 150% = 102 credits)
Students who have reached the maximum time frame will not be eligible for federal financial aid.
Appeal ProcessAppeal: a process by which a student who is not meeting VTC’s SAP standards petitions the school for reconsideration of Title IV eligibility. A VTC Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form will be sent to each student not making SAP. The form will explain how SAP has failed to be met and the steps the student needs to take to appeal the loss of financial aid. To appeal, students will have to complete the form and submit it along with all supporting documentation to the Director of Financial Aid. As part of the appeal, the student must include information regarding why they failed to make SAP, and what has changed in their situation that would allow the student to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation. An appeal must be based on significant mitigating circumstances that seriously impacted academic performance. Examples of mitigating circumstances are serious illness, severe injury, death of a family member, and other similar situations.
Appeal approval: will be based on the likelihood that the student will meet SAP at the next review. Please note that merely filing an appeal does NOT guarantee continued eligibility for Federal aid. Students should make every effort to improve their SAP standing as they will be evaluated on their overall progress each semester.
If a student’s appeal is approved the student will be considered for federal aid during the probationary period for which the student has applied and is otherwise eligible. Once the probationary period has concluded, the student may re-establish eligibility to be considered for federal aid for a subsequent semester by meeting SAP standards.
Financial aid probation: a status assigned by the school to a student who fails to make SAP and who has appealed and has had eligibility for aid reinstated.
Financial aid warning: a status assigned to a student who fails to make SAP at VTC. The student may continue to receive Title Iv aid for one payment period. No appeal is necessary for this status. Students receiving a warning need to bring their academic standing up to satisfy academic progress standards in their following semester as outlined or they will lose their eligibility for aid.
Appeal denial: If an appeal for federal financial aid is denied, the decision is final for that semester. The student may re-establish eligibility to be considered for federal aid for a subsequent semester by taking action that brings him or her into compliance with the GPA and pace/ time progression components of VTC’s SAP policy standards.
Special Circumstances Students with documented disabilities may be allotted additional time for completion of courses.
Change in degree program All credits earned at VTC plus transfer credits will normally be counted when the student changes degree programs. Each case will be evaluated on its own merit. Students may not extend their period of enrollment by changing their major after accumulating the maximum credits for a program.
Grades and CreditsCourses with grades of “W” (withdrawn), “I” (incomplete), and “F” (failed) are counted as courses attempted but not earned AND count toward the maximum time frame.
Credits earned for repeated courses and remedial coursework will not count toward academic progress. Courses graded solely on a Pass/Fail basis that are accepted toward the academic program are included when measuring academic progress.
Transfer StudentsTransfer credits, accepted toward the student’s academic program or degree, are counted when measuring time progression but do not impact the grade point average.
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