Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

In order for a student to receive financial aid at Georgia Gwinnett College, the student must demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  SAP includes two standards: qualitative and quantitative. Students must meet both standards to continue receiving financial aid.

Qualitative

In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid with the qualitative standard, a student must maintain the academic standing necessary to remain at GGC.  The qualitative policy is the same as the academic policies of GGC.

If a student fails to meet the qualitative standard for academic progress, then he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester.

The checkpoint for SAP is at the end of each semester.

Quantitative

Regulations allow a student to maintain eligibility for attempting credit hours that are 150% of the credit hours required to receive a degree. In order to meet this quantitative standard, students must complete and pass (earn) 67% of courses attempted each academic year. Courses earned include grades of A, B, C or D. Courses attempted include any course in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WF or I are given.

If a student fails to meet the quantitative standard for academic progress, then he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester.

The checkpoint for SAP is at the end of each semester.

Once a student reaches 150% of the number of credit hours required for his/her program, he/she will be ineligible to receive further financial aid.  All attempted course hours must be included in this calculation, including those that are not included in the student’s GPA for repeated course work and terms for which the student did not receive any financial aid. Students who are seeking a double major or double degree will have 150% of the total amount of hours it would take to complete both majors or degrees.

Treatment of Student Success and English for Academic Purposes Courses

Student Success Courses

Student Success courses are non-credit courses but they do count as institutional load credit in the semester in which they are taken. These courses do count for the student’s enrollment status for that semester. However, they bear no quality points and no GPA hours. Therefore, they are not included in SAP considerations. However, the attempted hours on these courses taken prior to fall 2011 do accumulate for HOPE scholarship eligibility checkpoints and will count toward the student’s HOPE GPA calculation.

Per federal regulation, a student is limited to one academic year’s (30 semester hours) of remedial coursework in order to retain eligibility for financial aid funds.

English for Academic Purposes (EAP)

EAP courses are non-credit courses but they do count as institutional load credit in the semester in which they are taken. These courses do count for the student’s enrollment status for that semester. However, they bear no quality points and no GPA hours. Therefore, they are not included in SAP considerations. However, the attempted hours on these courses taken prior to fall 2011 do accumulate for HOPE scholarship eligibility checkpoints and will count toward the student’s HOPE GPA calculation.

Per federal regulation, EAP courses do not count against the one academic year limit of non-credit coursework for eligibility for financial aid funds.

Audit Courses

Students are not eligible to receive financial aid for audited courses. Audited courses are not included in the number of hours attempted or earned for SAP consideration.

Repeated Courses

In the case of courses that are repeated, the higher grade will substitute for the lower grade on the student’s academic degree evaluation. The higher grade will replace the lower grade in the computation of the student’s GGC-GPA. However, the repeated course will be counted as an attempt for the maximum timeframe component of 150% of the required number of hours for the degree program. NOTE: All grades may be factored into the cumulative GPA in compliance with certain financial aid programs and certain credentialing programs external to the College.  A student will be limited to two repeats of a course (a maximum of three attempts).

Warning Periods

If a student fails to meet the quantitative and/or qualitative standards for academic progress, then he/she will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester.  If the student fails to meet the standards of academic progress at the end of the warning period, the student will lose eligibility for financial aid for a period not less than one semester of enrollment in addition to any other consequences imposed by the College.  The student must demonstrate compliance with all standards of academic progress to regain eligibility for financial aid.

In order for the student to meet the requirements of his/her warning period, the student must meet both the qualitative and quantitative standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the one semester warning period.  If the student fails to meet the requirements for his/her warning period, the student will be ineligible to receive federal and/or state aid until he/she meets the appropriate requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress based on the GGC GPA and hours.

Appeals

Students who fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress may appeal his/her status based on extenuating circumstances.  Examples may include, but are limited to, health reasons, family reasons, or personal reasons. The appeal must be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid (DFA) in writing prior to the beginning of the term of enrollment in which aid would have ordinarily have been denied.  The student should complete a SAP appeal form that can be downloaded from the student’s BANNER account. Additionally, there should be an appeal statement of the student, which should explain the extenuating circumstances.  Documentation supporting the student’s appeal must be submitted at the same time as the appeal.  In addition, it is recommended that letters of support from an academic mentor/faculty member and a relative, clergy, supervisor, or other associate be submitted.  A meeting with the DFA may be necessary. The decision of the DFA is final. If a student is granted an appeal for SAP then the student will be placed on probation for a period of one semester.