Office of Financial Aid
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Financial Aid Eligibility
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The standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for federal financial aid eligibility are the same as the College's standards for matriculation. The following are the requirements for a student to be in good academic standing.
Academic Standing
The academic status of matriculated students is determined by the total credit hours attempted, semester and cumulative grade point averages, and number of credit hours completed as prescribed by the Academic Standing Tables. Such determination will be made at the end of each semester of study. The action described will be assigned to the student's transcript, and the information regarding this status will be transmitted to the student.
Good Academic Standing
A matriculated student is considered to be in Good Academic Standing at the end of a term and for the subsequent term if the student meets the criteria for Satisfactory Progress and Pursuit of Program.
Satisfactory Progress
A student is considered to be making Satisfactory Progress if he/she maintains a cumulative G.P.A. above the level of dismissal defined in the following tables.Total Credit |
Dismissal |
|---|---|
| 0-11 | 0 |
| 12-23 | Below 1.00 |
| 24-35 | Below 1.50 |
| 36-47 | Below 1.70 |
| 48-59 | Below 1.90 |
| 60 and above | Below 2.00 |
| Total credit hours above include all credit hours attempted in residence at SCCC. In addition, applicable transfer credits are included in the Total Credit Hours Attempted, but they are not included in the calculation of the GPA. | |
Pursuit of Program
Students are considered to be in Pursuit of Program if they maintain a level above the point of dismissal by completing the specified number of hours indicated in the following table. Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade of "A," "B," "C," "D," "I," or "P" for any course taken in residence (including plus/minus grades).
Total Credit |
Minimum Number of Credit Hours Completed (Dismissal) |
|---|---|
| 0-22 | 0 |
| 23-35 | fewer than 12 |
| 36-47 | fewer than 21 |
| 48-59 | fewer than 30 |
| 60-71 | fewer than 42 |
| 72-83 | fewer than 54 |
| 84 and above | fewer than 66 |
When a student has not met the requirements of Good Academic Standing, he/she will be dismissed from curriculum and will lose all eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans).
Required "C" Average After Second Year
Federal regulations require that students have a "C" average after their second academic year. Any student who has total credit hours registered of 60 or more must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or he/she will lose eligibility for all federal financial aid programs. If a student with less than a 2.00 cumulative G.P.A. has been readmitted to curriculum and financial aid eligibility due to mitigating circumstances, he/she will be considered to have a "C" average as long as he/she continues to have at least a 2.00 semester G.P.A. This is to recognize the fact that it may take a student more than one semester to raise his/her cumulative G.P.A. to 2.00.
Appeal Process
If a student has not met the requirements of Good Academic Standing and he/she believes that there are mitigating circumstances that should be considered, the student may appeal the dismissed status by completing a readmission application with the Office of Academic Services. The deadline to apply for readmission is the day before the last day of General Registration the week before classes begin. A record of the appeal and the final determination will be maintained in the student files.
The Readmission Committee will review the student's readmission application and mitigating circumstances. If a student is considered to be making academic progress and is reinstated to curriculum, he/she will also be reinstated for Federal Financial Aid. New York State awards may have other criteria for reinstatement.
For Title IV purposes only, the maximum number of times that a student may be reinstated due to mitigating circumstances will be three times. This will not include automatic readmission when a student has continued to successfully complete the minimum requirements established by the Readmission Committee (2.00 semester G.P.A., no "Fs" and no "Ws".) This is to recognize the fact that it may take a student more than one semester to raise his/her cumulative G.P.A. to the minimum level required.
Maximum Time Frame for Completion
Federal regulations require a maximum time frame for completion of a degree or certificate not to exceed 150% of the normal requirements of that program.
For Title IV financial aid purposes only, the college has defined a maximum number of attempted hours for completion of a two-year degree to be 90 credits or 150% of the required credits for that particular degree. The maximum number of attempted hours for a one-year certificate is 45 credits or 150% of the required credits for that particular certificate.
The College will review each student's eligibility at the end of each semester. If the student has attempted less than 150% of the course work at that time, he/she will be considered for Title IV aid for the following semester. If due to withdrawals, failed courses, etc., the student has exceeded the maximum number of attempted credits for his/her program, he/she will no longer be eligible for federal financial aid programs (grants or loans) for any future semester.
For the purpose of determining a student's current status for the maximum time frame for completion only, the following criteria will be used in the evaluation of the student transcript.
Remedial Course work
If after individual testing and evaluation a student is recommended to take non-credit remedial course work (CSS courses), those courses may not be counted in the 150% maximum number of attempted credits based upon the individual circumstances of the student.
Repeated Courses
If a student repeats a course, the course will count in the maximum number of attempted credits each time the course is taken.
Courses Dropped in Refund Period
If as student drops courses in the refund period, those courses will not be included in the count of credits attempted.
Student Appeals of Maximum Time Frame
A student who has lost his/her financial aid eligibility due to exceeding the maximum time frame may wish to appeal that status if he/she believes that there are mitigating circumstances. Examples of mitigating circumstances would be: medical problems, death in the family, curriculum changes, etc. A student may submit an application for appeal through the Financial Aid Office.
If a student changes curriculum or graduates and requests a second degree, his/her transcript will be evaluated to determine what portion of the requirements for that curriculum has been satisfied.
After a degree audit has been completed, a new count of credits attempted will be determined based upon the credits completed that satisfies requirements in the new curriculum. For example, if a student has attempted 60 credits but only 30 credits (including transfer credits) will satisfy requirements in the new curriculum, then the count of the attempted credits will be reset from 60 to 30. The student will have a new maximum of 60 additional credits to complete the new curriculum.
A student who receives an adjusted count of credits attempted due to a curriculum change will have a maximum cap of 120 credits attempted (or four years full-time equivalent) to complete all programs at the college. This will count all credits attempted in any curriculum at this college other than non-credit remedial courses.