SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

(Updated Policy Effective SUMMER 2011)

All recipients of Federal and/or State aid are required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in their course of study.  SAP will be evaluated at the time an application (FAFSA) is received and at the end of every semester. All enrollments at RCC and all applicable transfer credits will be considered whether or not aid was awarded or received.  If eligibility for financial aid is suspended for lack of Satisfactory Academic Progress, a student has the right to appeal.  A student may appeal their loss of financial aid eligibility if it is due to unusual mitigating circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, sudden illness of the student or an immediate family member, death of a family member, or other unusual circumstances.

If a student wishes to appeal a loss of financial aid eligibility, he/she should follow the instructions outlined in the Rappahannock Community College Catalog 2008-2010.

Failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress does not prohibit enrollment at the College.  A student may still enroll in classes at RCC but without financial aid assistance until such time as eligibility is regained by meeting the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

To be eligible to receive financial aid at Rappahannock Community College, students are required to make satisfactory progress towards successful completion of the program of study to which they have been admitted. Cumulative grade point averages and completion rates must be in compliance with the following minimum standards:

Minimum Qualitative Progress Standards  (GPA Rule)

Minimum Quantitative Progress Standards  (67% Rule)

Financial aid recipients must satisfactorily complete 67 percent (%) of all course work attempted.

Completion Rate (67% Rule): Students must, at a minimum, receive satisfactory grades in 67% of cumulative credits attempted. This calculation is performed by dividing the cumulative total number of successfully completed credits by the cumulative total number of credits attempted. All credits attempted at the College (except audits, which must be entered as such by the class census date) are included. All credits accepted in transfer count as both attempted and successfully completed credits. This evaluation will be made prior to aid being awarded and after grades are posted at the end of each semester a student is enrolled at the College. Credits with satisfactory grades at the College are those for which a grade of A, B, C, D, S, or P is earned.

Additional Considerations for Quantitative or Pace of Completion Standards

• Withdrawals (W grades) that are recorded on the student’s permanent academic transcript will be included as credits attempted and will have an adverse effect on the student’s ability to meet the requirements of the completion rate for financial aid.
• Incomplete Grades: Courses that are assigned an incomplete grade are included in cumulative credits attempted. These cannot be used as credits earned in the progress standard until a successful grade is assigned.
• Repeated courses enable the student to achieve a higher cumulative grade point average. Students can repeat courses with financial aid until successfully completed but repeating courses adversely affects the student’s ability to meet completion rate requirements.  Financial aid can be considered for successfully completed classes that are repeated to achieve a higher grade but for only one additional attempt.  Only the latest attempt will count toward the cumulative grade point average.

Additional Standards

1. A student can receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 semester hours of developmental courses as long as the courses are required as a result of placement testing.  ESL credits are unlimited in number as long as they are taken as part of an eligible program and SAP requirements continue to be met.
2. A student cannot receive financial aid for an audited course. Changing from credit to audit will reduce financial aid eligible courses by the number of credits changed to audit.
3. Students can repeat courses with financial aid until successfully completed.  There is no limit assuming all other SAP requirements are met.  Repeated coursework will be included in the evaluation of completion rate and maximum timeframe.  Only the latest grade will count towards the cumulative grade point average.
4. A student cannot receive financial aid for a class that is being repeated for which the student received a passing grade unless a higher grade is required for graduation or their program of study.
5. Students who drop classes or audit classes must schedule a conference with the financial aid officer to determine the impact of the changes on their financial aid.
6. Students should schedule a conference with the financial aid officer prior to requesting a curriculum/program/plan change.
7. New financial aid recipients who have previously been enrolled at the college and returning students will be evaluated for satisfactory academic progress based on prior performance at RCC.
8. A student cannot receive financial aid for noncredit and credit courses in ineligible curricula.
9. (150% Rule) A student receiving financial aid must take no more than 150% of the published amount of credits required to complete his/her program and be able to meet the 2.0 cumulative grade point average by the time the student completes graduation requirements.  Developmental and ESL course work are excluded in this calculation.  Attempted credits from all enrollment periods at the College plus all accepted transfer credits are counted.  All terms of enrollment at the College are included whether or not the student received financial aid and regardless of the age of the coursework.