Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
In accordance with federal and state financial aid regulations, financial aid recipients are required to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards completion of their educational goals in a program of study in order to receive financial aid. This SAP policy is separate from West Georgia Technical College’s (WGTC) academic progress policies. Additionally, federal and state rules indicate that SAP standards must include a review of all periods of enrollment.
The following requirements must be met in order to receive or continue to receive financial aid. A student must be enrolled in an eligible program of study that leads to a certificate, diploma, or an associate degree. In addition, there are three (3) SAP requirements that students need to meet or they may become ineligible to receive financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress.
The three requirements are as follows:
Quality — this is monitored by grade point average (GPA). To maintain eligibility for financial aid, students must stay in good academic standing by maintaining a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. All periods of enrollment at WGTC are included when calculating GPA for SAP purposes. Grades for all attempts of repeated courses are included in the GPA calculation. Transfer credit, exemption exam credit, credit for previous experience, audited courses, W grades and articulated credit are exempt from the qualitative component. Successful completion of learning support coursework is required to meet qualitative progress.
Quantity — this is monitored by calculating the percentage of attempted credits in which passing grades are earned. The minimum satisfactory completion rate is 66.6 percent. The completion rate is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours the student has attempted. All periods of enrollment at WGTC are included. All attempts of repeated courses are included in the completion rate. Learning Support classes and transfers of credit from other institutions are counted as credit hours attempted and earned in the calculation. Exemption exam credit, credit for previous experience, audited courses, and articulated credit are NOT included. Grades which are considered successful completions for financial aid SAP purposes are: A, B, C, D, or A*, B*, C*, D* from learning support classes. Courses in which the student received grades of F*, F, W, WF or I are considered unsuccessful completions for financial aid SAP purposes.
Maximum Timeframe — the final component requires that students complete their program of study within one hundred fifty percent (150%) of the required credits of the program. For example, if you are in a program of study that requires 80 credits to graduate, you may receive funding for the first 120 credits attempted. All repeated units are included as attempted; therefore, each time a course is taken, the number of units will be included in the calculation of the 150 percent rule and academic progress. Transfer credit hours are also included in this calculation. Maximum timeframe resets for each major.
SAP is monitored at the end of each semester. Students who do not meet progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning and may become ineligible for financial aid after one (1) additional semester.
Financial Aid Warning: Students who receive financial aid, but fail to maintain SAP, will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. Students will be notified in writing that they have been placed on Financial Aid Warning. Students on Financial Aid Warning may continue to receive financial aid during the probationary semester. It is highly recommended that students on Financial Aid Warning meet with an academic advisor or student affairs counselor to discuss educational plans/requirements and overall institutional academic progress.
Removal from Financial Aid Warning: At the end of a student’s Warning semester, the student must have completed the required number of units and/or raised the GPA to the minimum standards for all courses attempted during that semester to return to good progress. If the student fails to achieve academic progress after one semester, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.
Financial Aid Suspension: A student placed on Financial Aid Suspension is no longer eligible to receive financial aid. A student placed on Financial Aid Suspension will be notified in writing that he or she has failed to make SAP.
Reinstatement of Financial Aid: A student who has lost his/her financial aid may be reinstated by registering for classes at his or her own expense (without financial aid funds) and fulfilling the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Appeal Procedures
If a student becomes ineligible for financial aid due to extenuating circumstances, the student may appeal the decision. Extenuating circumstances include: personal illness/accidents, serious illness or death within the immediate family, or some circumstance beyond the reasonable control of the student. Documentation of the extenuating circumstance may include a letter from doctors, hospital or social services agency, obituary notice/death certificate or police report.
To appeal a financial aid decision, a student should:
1. What were the circumstances that caused you to lose your financial aid?
2. What actions have you taken to ensure you will not lose aid again?
The student should submit documents to the Office of Financial Aid. The appeal will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeal Committee, and the Financial Aid Office will provide written notification of the Appeal Committee’s decision. If an appeal is granted, the student may be placed on Financial Aid Warning. Students placed on Financial Aid Warning will be allowed one additional term to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. If it is not possible for the student to meet satisfactory academic progress within one term of enrollment, the student may be placed on an Academic Plan. An Academic Plan provides the student with detailed guidance during a specified period of time allowing the student opportunity to meet satisfactory progress. If a students fails to follow the specified academic plan, the plan is voided and the student's status reverts back to Financial Aid Suspension. The decision of the Financial Aid Appeal Committee is final.