Standards of Academic Progress Policy

The intent of this policy is to ensure that students who are receiving federal financial aid are making measurable progress toward completion of a degree, diploma or certificate program within a reasonable time frame. To be eligible for Title IV Federal Student Aid, a program of study must require a minimum of 16 credit hours for graduation.

Financial Aid monitors the SAP of all financial aid recipients each payment period by reviewing a student’s total academic record after grades are posted at the end of each semester. Students’ failure to meet any one of three standards may result in the cancellation of their awards.

The SAP requirements for Greenville Technical College are summarized below.

1. Cumulative Completion Rate
   A student must successfully complete 67% of the cumulative hours attempted, including developmental courses.
   • These courses do count towards hours attempted and GPA and will be considered in determining the Standards of Academic Progress. Students may not take more than 30 credit hours of developmental courses.
   • Courses with grades of F, W, WF, WA, NP, I, and U are not considered completed hours.
2. Grade Point Average
   Financial aid recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0. All attempted courses (Including repeated coursework) are counted in GPA.
3. Length of Eligibility
   Financial aid recipients must complete their program of study without having attempted more than 150 percent of the credit hours required to complete their curriculum. For example, a student enrolled in a program of study requiring 30 credit hours to complete, may not attempt more than 45 total credit hours (i.e. 30 x 150 percent = 45). This limit includes transfer credit earned. If a student graduates from a program, the average number of credit hours required to graduate with an equivalent credential at Greenville Technical College will be subtracted from their cumulative attempted credit hours. The new modified cumulative attempted credit hour number will be used to calculate their 150% length of eligibility on their new program. We will only give credit for one graduated program. Only the degree with the highest number of required hours will be counted.

SAP Statuses

• Satisfactory
  First-time students, and all returning students who have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or greater, with a course completion rate of 67% or greater that have not exceeded the 150% length of eligibility will be considered “Satisfactory” and will be eligible for Federal financial aid with no restrictions.
• Warning
  After the first semester that financial aid recipients fail to meet the minimum standards (have not completed two-thirds of their cumulative attempted hours and/or have not achieved a cumulative 2.0 GPA) they will be placed on financial aid warning.
  • Financial aid recipients can receive financial aid while on warning.
  • To ensure that we are at least as strict as the college’s Academic Standing policy, students who are on financial aid warning status are advised to take no more than 12 credit hours per term.
  • At the end of a warning semester, the financial aid recipient who fails to meet cumulative SAP will become ineligible for financial aid for the next semester.
  Students who exceed the 150% length of eligibility will automatically go Ineligible without a Warning term.
• Ineligible
  Failure to meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy at the end of a Warning term will result in an “ineligible” status.
  • Students who are on “Ineligible” status are no longer eligible to receive federal financial aid but may be considered for some forms of SC State aid.
  • Students are required to pay for their courses out of pocket or set up a payment plan with the Bursar's Office.
  • Students who exceed the 150% length of eligibility will automatically become Ineligible if they have not graduated from their program of study.
• Academic Plan and Probation
  If a student goes ineligible after a warning semester, they have the option to submit a financial aid appeal to be placed onto an academic plan. A student who has submitted and been approved for an Academic Plan will be placed on an “Academic Plan” status. Students who are approved for this status are generally unable to meet cumulative SAP standards within one semester and are held to the terms of their academic plan in order to assist the student as they progress back to meeting the cumulative Standards of SAP. Students who continue to meet the terms of their Academic Plan will remain eligible for financial aid while they progress towards meeting cumulative SAP standards or degree completion. If a student fails to meet their Academic Plan and does not meet cumulative SAP, they will revert to Ineligible status. At this point, Students may submit an appeal if they have qualifying circumstances as outlined below. If approved for this appeal, students may be given one semester of Probation if the appeals committee determines that they will be able to meet cumulative SAP standards within one semester, or they may be placed onto a new Academic Plan.

Under the terms of a student's Academic Plan they must complete ALL of the following:

• Register for a minimum of six credit hours.
• Complete the semester with a minimum GPA of 2.5.
• Complete all attempted hours (No withdrawals, failures, or non-passing grades) in specified program.
• Continue to work towards graduation within the number of credit hours approved on SAP Appeal.

To regain eligibility, a student must meet one of the following criteria:

• Use personal funding to pay for classes until they have met the overall Satisfactory Academic Progress standards of 2.0 GPA, and cumulative completion rate of 67%, and have not exceeded the 150% length of eligibility requirement.
• If a student failed to meet SAP due to his injury or illness, death of a relative or other special circumstance, the student may appeal to have financial aid reinstated. If approved, the student will be placed either on Probationary status or an Academic Plan.

Appeal Procedures

Students will only be allowed to submit two appeals. The Academic Plan appeal will count as the first appeal. A student who is currently on financial aid Suspension has exhausted their SAP Appeal options. Students who become ineligible for financial aid may file an appeal. An appeal must consist of the following items: 

• A typed personal statement that:
  • Outlines the extenuating circumstances that prevented the student from meeting the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress policy
  • States why it is possible to improve upon past academic performance
  • Explains the corrective action taken with a detailed success plan for current and future semesters
• Acceptable documentation that relates to the specific semester(s) during which the student's academic performance was affected. Examples of acceptable documentation include:
  
  • Birth/death certificates, obituaries, funeral programs of immediate family members (i.e. parents, grandparents, spouses, children, brothers, sisters)
  • Medical records on physician’s or hospital’s letterhead with the appropriate signatures that confirm illness and length of recuperation
  • Court documents
  • Statements from physicians, counselors, clergy or social workers on company letterhead, with the appropriate signatures
  • Statement from work supervisor on company letterhead with the appropriate signature

• • a personal statement explaining why accumulated attempted hours exceed current degree requirements.

To ensure all unsuccessful terms are addressed, a student may obtain and review a copy of their unofficial transcript before submitting an appeal. The inclusion of supporting documentation as outlined above does not guarantee that an appeal will be granted. Each appeal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Appeals submitted without documentation are not accepted.

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal. The decision of the committee is final. The student will be informed via campus e-mail of the final decision. The date of the decision will have provided to the student at the time of appeal submission. Appeal deadlines are established for each semester and a student may not appeal for a prior semester after that semester deadline has ended.

If approved, the Financial Aid Office will determine whether to place the student on an Academic Plan or one Probation semester. Students will be evaluated each semester to ensure they are meeting the terms of their Academic Plan. Only students whose appeal is approved will have the option to submit a future appeal, should other unforeseen circumstances occur.

Academic issues that will affect Satisfactory Academic Progress include:

• Course repetitions, withdrawals, incomplete courses, transfer credits and all other grades — All grades are counted in the hours attempted.
• Developmental courses — Financial aid recipients can only attempt a maximum of 30 credit hours of developmental coursework and/or Transitional Studies coursework, which consist of 100 or lower-level courses in the area of College Orientation, English, Reading, and Math. These courses include but are not limited to ENG 032, ENG 100, RDG 032, RDG 100, RWR 100, MAT 100, MAT 105, COL 103, COL 107 and CHM 100.
• Change of major — A financial aid recipient who changes his or her course of study is still responsible for maintaining satisfactory progress. A financial aid recipient changing from one program to another may lose federal and state eligibility immediately upon making the change. When considering a change in major, a student should consult the Office of Financial Aid to discuss the effect of this change on his/her satisfactory academic progress. Federal and state regulations prohibit the awarding of financial assistance beyond 150 percent of the published program length.
• Returning students’ academic record — Federal financial aid regulation requires colleges to track a student’s academic progress from the first date of enrollment, whether or not financial aid was received. Students returning to college after a break in enrollment should consult the Office of Financial Aid to determine how their college academic history will affect eligibility for financial aid.