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Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Applicants
College of the Redwoods is dedicated to providing financial aid to eligible students. CR complies with federal requirements to monitor financial aid recipients’ satisfactory academic progress toward a declared, approved educational objective of an Associate Degree, certificate, or transfer to a baccalaureate degree granting institution. The student is responsible for achieving adequate grades and completing the courses required for this objective.
Even if you have never applied for or received financial aid, your overall history in college will be reviewed before you are awarded financial aid to make sure you are meeting these standards. Once you have been awarded financial aid, your progress will be monitored each semester (in some cases it may be monitored more often). There are several components to satisfactory academic progress (SAP):
Qualitative -
- This is a measure of the quality of your progress; in other words, your grades. You are required to maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Quantitative –
- This is a measure of the quantity of your progress. You are required to complete at least 67% of your attempted units. “Units Completed” includes only the units for which you receive passing grades. “Attempted Units” includes the units that you complete as well as the units that you drop or otherwise fail to complete.
- Excess Unit Rule (Maximum time frame) -
- Federal regulations require schools to stop paying you financial aid when you have reached a certain unit cap; which is normally 150% of the number of units normally needed to complete your goal. For example, if your goal is a 60-unit degree, you may receive financial aid for up to 90 units (Units Attempted). If you still have required classes needed to complete your goal, you may file a Request for Extension. These extensions are normally granted only if you have justified your need for continued time to complete your goal.
- Up to 30 units of remedial and ESL courses will be excluded from the 150% calculation.
Common Questions:
Q: Why are there all these rules about progress?
A: Federal law requires schools to develop SAP standards to ensure students are making progress towards a declared goal.
Q: What if I change my major?
A: You will most likely exceed the unit cap. At that point, you will need to file an Appeal for Extension of Maximum Timeframe. You must explain why you need more time to complete your new goal and/or why you needed to change goals. The number of times you have changed your major will be taken into consideration when evaluating your request for extension.
Q: If I transfer to a university, can I still get financial aid there?
A: Federal aid is available to qualified students until you achieve a BA Degree. Once you have a BA Degree, you can no longer receive Pell, but you may still be eligible for other aid. Remember that all schools have to follow the 'unit cap' policy, so your aid may be limited if you have excessive units attempted and/or completed prior to transfer.
Q: If I return to College of the Redwoods after I get my BA, what kind of aid can I expect?
A: If you qualify, you can receive an enrollment fee waiver and health fee waiver. To qualify for additional aid, you will be required to appeal for an extension of your aid eligibility as you are clearly beyond the unit cap. If approved, you may qualify for Federal work-study (if funds are available) and/or a student loan only. Financial aid is intended to assist students in pursuit of their first undergraduate degree only; consequently, once you have a BA Degree, you are no longer eligible for a Federal Pell Grant.
Q: What happens if I don’t make progress?
A: If you do not meet the minimum SAP standards of 67% completion rate and achieve a minimum 2.0 GPA you will be placed on warning status. You are eligible to receive aid during this time. You must complete the requirements during the semester you are on warning, or you will be suspended from receiving further financial aid. If you had extenuating circumstances that affected your ability to make progress, you may file an Appeal. Extenuating circumstances include illness, death in the family, etc. In most cases you must provide documentation of your circumstances. If you have repeated semesters of unsatisfactory progress, an appeal is not likely to be granted.
Financial aid suspension is SERIOUS. Appeals are not automatically granted.
Q: How is the appeal processed?
The completed appeal form is reviewed and your overall progress toward your goal and past academic performance will be evaluated. The documentation provided supporting your appeal is also taken into account. If approved, you will be placed on financial aid probation. While on probation, you will be eligible to receive financial aid as long as you continue to meet the terms of probation. Failure to meet the requirements during each probationary semester will result in financial aid suspension.
You will be notified by mail of the results of the appeal review. You may not appeal in person.
Q: If my appeal is not approved, can I ever regain eligibility?
A: Yes, if you bring your completion rate up to 67% and also bring up your cumulative GPA to a minimum 2.0.
Q: Can I appeal the decision?
A: If additional information becomes available that was not considered during the initial review, you may appeal the decision by submitting the additional information and/or documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The Secondary Appeals Committee will review this appeal and make a final determination. The Secondary Appeals Committee's decision is final.
Totally Withdrawing (officially or unofficially) and your Financial Aid Eligibility
Who is Affected?
Financial Aid recipients who withdraw completely (or stop attending) before completing 60% of the semester are subject to repayment of some of the federal aid they received. Federal aid includes the Pell, ACG, and SEOG grants. Federal work study funds earned are not required to be repaid.
FFEL student loans would be repaid according to your normal repayment schedule.
Definition of Withdrawal
Official withdrawal occurs when the student completes withdraws from all classes. Unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student simply stops attending all classes, but fails to officially withdraw ('F' grade). Both types of withdrawal are subject to repayment. The repayment calculation is called R2T4 (Return to Title IV).
Amount of Repayment
The amount to be repaid is based on a comparison of the amount you actually received in federal aid to the length of time you actually attended classes. If you attended class for at least 60% of the semester, you will be considered to have earned 100% of the aid received.
Repaying the Debt
If you are are required to repay a portion of your federal aid, you will be notified of the debt and will have 45 days to repay it in full. If it is not repaid within that time, or if you contact the Financial Aid Office to say that you cannot repay the debt, we will refer the debt to the U.S. Department of Education for collection. After that, we cannot accept payments toward the debt.
Suspension of Eligibility at any school
Students who owe debts to federal aid cannot receive additional federal financial aid at any school until they have repaid the debt, or have made satisfactory payment arrangements with U.S. Department of Education. There is no appeal of this type of debt.
It is important to talk with the Financial Aid Office if you need to withdraw. We can discuss the possible repayment requirements so you are aware of the potential costs to you. |
