Satisfactory Academic Progress For Federal Financial Aid Programs

Various federal and state regulations governing student financial aid require that each institution of higher education develop standards to measure academic progress towards a degree. Students applying for financial aid will be monitored for satisfactory academic progress (SAP) whether or not financial aid was applied for or received in the past. You must meet all SAP requirements in order to continue receiving financial aid.

Blue Ridge CTC monitors SAP at the end of each semester. You must be meeting at least the minimum standards for SAP by the end of any given semester at Blue Ridge to maintain financial aid eligibility.

SAP Requirements

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA)

All students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.

All grades attempted will be considered. These include, but are not limited to, courses passed, courses failed, repeated courses, transfer courses, and developmental coursework. Courses under Academic Amnesty must count in the calculation for SAP requirements as mandated by federal law.

Students are encouraged to use the GPA calculator to help assess how grades in current courses will affect their overall GPA.

Minimum Hours Attempted (Pace)

A student must successfully pass at least 67% of the credit hours that they attempt.

In order to calculate your percentage of credits attempted vs. earned, divide the cumulative (total) number of successfully completed hours by the cumulative (total) number of attempted hours.

Hours Attempted Standard

All hours attempted will be considered. These include, but are not limited to, courses passed, courses failed, courses from which the student withdrew (officially or unofficially), repeated courses, and developmental coursework.

Maximum Time frame

A student may attempt no more than 150% of the credit hours required by his or her degree program.

Maximum hours is calculated on the current active program of study with the greatest number of credits required for completion. For example, if a student is pursuing two programs of study that both require 60 credits to graduate, the maximum number of credits allowed would still be 90.

Check the student catalog for your academic program to determine the number of credit hours associated with your academic program and multiply that number by 150%. For example, if the student’s program of study requires 60 credits to graduate, 60 x 150%=90. The student would not be eligible to take any more than 90 credits or would reach a maximum time frame within the SAP standards of financial aid.

Hours attempted include all hours pursued, earned, withdrawn, and failed. This includes transfer credits as well as credits associated with Blue Ridge Community and Technical College. All of these hours are counted as attempted even if the student did not receive aid.

Failure To Meet SAP Requirements

Evaluation Periods

The FAO evaluates SAP at the end of fall, spring and summer semesters. Notifications of warning and failing SAP notifications will be emailed to student at the end of each semester.

Financial Aid Warning Status

A student who does not meet the SAP requirements for GPA and/or pace will be placed on a Financial Aid Warning semester which allows the student to receive financial aid for one additional semester. The student will be monitored for SAP again at the end of the warning period. If the student is not meeting SAP at the end of the warning period, the student will move to financial aid suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

A student who does not meet SAP for GPA and/or pace after the financial aid warning semester or a student who has reached maximum time frame will be placed on financial aid suspension. Those students on financial aid suspension are not eligible to receive financial aid without a successful appeal. If the student does not wish to appeal, the student must meet SAP requirements before aid eligibility can be re-established.

SAP Appeal

Students wishing to appeal their financial aid suspension should obtain the appropriate SAP Appeal Form from the financial aid forms website or pick up a copy of the form from the Financial Aid Office. Completed forms must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

Standard appeals (for GPA and/or pace only) can be submitted for those students who have experienced any of the following:

• Death of an immediate family member
• Health reasons
• Work schedule change or loss/change of employment
• Undue hardship (other extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student that would affect satisfactory academic progress)

Maximum hours appeals can be submitted for those students who have experienced any of the following:

• Transfer from another institution
• Change of major
• Other extenuating circumstances that would affect satisfactory academic progress

All maximum hours appeals must contain an academic plan that is written in conjunction with the student’s advisor. This academic plan will contain only courses that are required for the student’s program of study. It should list all courses that will be taken each semester through the student’s graduating semester.

Approved Appeals

If the SAP Appeals Committee approves the student’s appeal, the student will be required to meet with a financial aid counselor to review any stipulations that the SAP Appeals Committee has placed on the student and review other pertinent financial aid information. The student must sign a SAP stipulations letter agreeing to follow the stipulations.

At the end of each semester, stipulations will be reviewed to ensure the student is meeting his or her stipulations. If the student did not meet the stipulations during the semester, financial aid will immediately be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will be ineligible for future financial aid.

Students may appeal Financial Aid Suspension, but those who are appealing for a second time must be appealing for reasons different from the first appeal. The SAP Appeal Committee reviews second appeals with more scrutiny than those appealing for the first time

Denied Appeals

If the student’s appeal is denied, the student will be ineligible to receive financial aid until the student meets the SAP requirements.

View the SAP Policy

View the SAP Brochure