Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

College of the Redwoods Financial Aid Office

We at College of the Redwoods want to ensure you are successful in meeting your educational goals.  Understanding and meeting the SAP standards related to financial aid eligibility is important in meeting your goals.   

To meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standard, you must earn a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or better, successfully complete 67% of all units attempted and meet your educational objective before attempting a total of 90 cumulative units.  If you do not meet these standards, you will be notified by mail.

GPA 

If you have attempted 12 units or more at College of the Redwoods (CR) you must have a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.

Percent Completion

If you have attempted 12 units or more at CR, you must complete at least 67% of the cumulative units you have attempted. “Attempted Units” includes the units that you complete as well as the units that you drop (after census date) or otherwise fail to complete. Units considered attempted, but not completed are: “W” (Withdrawal),  “F” (Failing Grade),  “NC” (No Credit), “NP” (No Pass), “I” (Incomplete),  “RD” (Report Delayed), “IP” (In Progress).

Maximum Timeframe 

You must complete your educational objective (A.A./A.S. Degree, transfer, etc.) by the time you have attempted 90 units. You can only receive financial aid for a maximum of 150% of the published length of the program.  Since 60 units is the standard for completion of many of the programs at CR, 90 units is the maximum for which you can receive financial assistance (60 units X 150% = 90 units). Units attempted at CR and completed units from prior colleges will be used when calculating the unit cap. English as a Second Language (ESL) and up to 30 units of basic skills course work do not count toward the 90-unit maximum.  If you have completed all prerequisites and have been accepted into a Nursing Program at CR, you may be eligible for financial aid beyond the 90 unit maximum as this program has a longer time frame. Other programs may be added as determined by CR.

Unsatisfactory Progress and Suspension of Financial Aid Eligibility:

If you do not meet the minimum cumulative SAP standards (cumulative 2.0 GPA & cumulative 67% completion) you will be placed on warning status.  You are eligible to receive aid during a term that you are on warning status. 

You must complete the minimum term requirements (2.0 semester GPA and 67% completion of the semester units) during each semester you are on warning, or you will be suspended from receiving most types of financial aid with the exception of the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver (BOG).

If at any time you exceed the 90 unit Maximum Timeframe requirement, you will be suspended from receiving most types of financial aid with the exception of the Board of Governor’s Fee Waiver (BOG).

Federal regulations require that this policy apply to all students whether or not financial aid was received. 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. Academic Renewal is not recognized for financial aid academic progress purposes. All grades and units including repeated courses will be used in the SAP calculation.  Please note that not all programs are eligible for financial aid funding, particularly short-term programs.

Appeal Process:

If your financial aid has been suspended, you may submit an appeal form if there are extenuating circumstances that led to your failure to maintain SAP, or if there is a valid reason for attempting 90 units or more.

If you are ineligible because of a GPA less than 2.0 or a completion rate of less than 67%, documentation of extenuating circumstances is required for each term in which the minimum standards were not met. Extenuating circumstances may include: a death in the immediate family, hospitalization, auto accident, family emergencies, or other situations beyond your reasonable control. Note: “I need the money” or “I didn’t take my classes seriously” and similar reasons are not usually accepted as extenuating circumstances for an appeal.

If you have exceeded the 90 unit limit but still have required classes needed to complete your goal, you may file an Appeal for Extension of Maximum Timeframe.  You must explain why you need more time to complete your goal.  The number of times you have changed your major and the number of additional units/semesters required to complete your goal will be taken into consideration when evaluating your request for an extension.  

Financial aid suspension is SERIOUS and appeals are not automatically granted. You may not appeal in person. The completed appeal form along with supporting documentation is reviewed.  This, along with your overall progress toward your goal and your past academic performance will be evaluated.  You will be notified by mail of the results of the appeal. 

If the appeal is approved, you will be placed on a probationary status and your grades will be reviewed each semester. While on probation, you will be eligible to receive financial aid for the semester in which your appeal was approved.  However, you MUST meet the minimum standards each semester (2.0 semester GPA and 67% semester completion rate) for continued eligibility.

If your appeal is denied, you may regain eligibility for future terms by bringing your academic record up to the Financial Aid SAP standards (a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, a cumulative 67% or greater completion rate and less than 90 cumulative attempted units). 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. 

Partial Withdrawal and your Financial Aid Eligibility:

Adding and/or dropping units after the first grant disbursement will require a review and possible adjustment of any future disbursements.  You may be required to repay a portion of your aid if you drop units after the first grant disbursement, especially if you drop below half-time enrollment (6 units).

Totally Withdrawing (officially or unofficially) and your Financial Aid Eligibility:

Official withdrawal occurs when you completely withdraw from all classes. Unofficial withdrawal occurs when you simply stop attending all classes, but fail to officially withdraw ('F' grade).  Both types of withdrawal are subject to repayment. This federal repayment calculation is called R2T4 (Return to Title IV).

If you completely withdraw (or otherwise do not complete any units) after receiving federal financial aid funds you may be required to repay all or a portion of the money you received, depending on the date of withdrawal. If you withdraw completely (or stop attending) before completing 60% of the semester, you will be subject to repayment of some of the federal aid you received. Federal aid includes Pell Grants, ACG, and SEOG.  Federal work study funds earned are not required to be repaid.  FFEL student loans would be repaid according to your normal repayment schedule.

If you 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, your debt will be referred to the U.S. Department of Education for collection. After that, we cannot accept payments toward the debt and payments will need to be made to the U.S. Department of Education. If you are required to repay federal aid funds and you do not do so within the required time frame, you are not eligible to receive federal financial aid at any school until you 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.