Standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress and Eligibility for Student Aid
Students, who are not maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP) and pursuit of program according to established guidelines, are not eligible for Federal Title IV, New York State financial aid and some scholarships administered by Five Towns College. Federal Title IV aid includes Federal Direct Stafford Loans (Subsidized and Un- subsidized), Federal Direct Parent Loan (PLUS), Federal PELL Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal College Work-Study. New York State awards include Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the Higher Educational Opportunity Program (HEOP) and all other programs through New York State Higher Education Services Corporation.
Federal Criteria and Requirements
Upon matriculation at the College, a student must meet Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress standards consistent with the College catalog and the U.S. Department of Education regulations. Students are expected to achieve qualitative (grade) and quantitative (pace) benchmarks as outlined.
| Undergraduate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credits Attempted | Credits Earned | Cumulative GPA |
| 0 – 30 | 50% | 1.75 |
| 31+ | 67% | 2.0 |
| Graduate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Credits Attempted | Credits Earned | Cumulative GPA |
| 0 – 12 | 67% | 2.5 |
| 13+ | 67% | 3.0 |
Undergraduate students attempting between 0-30 credits must earn 50% of their attempted credits with a GPA of at least 1.75 and if attempting more than 30 credits must earn 67% of their attempted credits with a GPA of at least 2.0. Graduate students attempting between 0-12 credits must earn 67% of their attempted credits with a GPA of at least 2.5 and if attempting more than 12 credits must earn 67% of their attempted credits with a GPA of at least 3.0.
Every semester is taken into account when measuring students’ progress regardless of whether they received Federal Title IV financial aid.
Attempted hours are defined as the hours for which the student is enrolled and charged by the 7th day of the semester. All credits attempted, whether transfer credits or due to a change of major, are taken into consideration. Earned hours are defined as the sum of hours in which a student has earned a grade of A, B, C, or D. Withdrawals, Incompletes, Audits and Failures are not earned hours. An ‘Incomplete’ must be graded prior to the start of the next semester to be considered earned for Federal Financial Aid purposes. The higher grade of a repeated ‘F’ or ‘WU’ will be considered in calculating the student’s CGPA.
Students who met SAP requirements in their prior review but are now failing to meet the requirements for the upcoming semester will be granted a Financial Aid Warning status. This will allow the student to continue eligibility to receive Federal Title IV aid for the upcoming semester. It is expected that students will use the semester to improve their SAP standing and regain Federal Title IV eligibility.
Students not meeting SAP requirements at the end of the Financial Aid Warning semester or students who have exceeded the Maximum Time Frame requirement are determined to be ineligible to receive federal financial aid. At the College’s discretion, students with extenuating circumstances who are not meeting SAP requirements may be placed in a Financial Aid Probation Status via an appeal from the student.
Any student receiving Veteran’s Benefits and has been granted one semester of probation for failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, will be dismissed from the College at the end of that one semester probationary period if they fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress by that time.
Appeal Process
Students found to be ineligible to receive federal financial aid, based on a SAP review, will be notified of their ineligibility and provided instructions on how they may appeal. The appeal must include:
- Reason(s) the student failed to meet SAP requirements
- A description of changes that will now allow the student to meet the SAP requirements moving forward
Appeals may be granted as follows:
Financial Aid Probation – One Term
A review of the appeal documentation indicates it is reasonable for the student to achieve the minimum SAP requirements within one term. Financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for one term only. Failure to meet the SAP requirements in that term will result in suspension of financial aid eligibility.
Financial Aid Probation – Academic Plan
A review of the appeal documentation includes an academic plan outlining steps required of student to meet the minimum SAP requirements. Financial aid eligibility is reinstated and progress is monitored on a term by term basis by the Student Success Center and students’ respective Academic Advisors. Continued financial aid eligibility under the academic plan is contingent upon the specific terms as described in the student’s appeal approval notification. Students in this status must achieve a minimum term GPA of 2.0, be successfully completing coursework towards degree completion in the upcoming semesters, and meet academic plan requirements.
Students who do not have a successful appeal will remain ineligible to receive Federal Title IV aid until they meet all Federal SAP requirements. Once this occurs, aid will automatically be awarded in the future term(s). Students denied an appeal may submit a second appeal if they successfully complete a minimum of one term at the College and meet all SAP standards for that term. Students denied due to exceeding maximum time frame are not permitted to appeal a second time.
Students must be aware that credits not earned each semester according to the overall required time frame (i.e., six years for Baccalaureate programs) will make it increasingly difficult to complete their program of study on time and prohibit them from withdrawing from any future courses that they take beyond that time frame.
New York State Requirements
Satisfactory Academic Progress/Program Pursuit for TAP Program
To meet NY State SAP, a student must earn a minimum number of credits with a minimum grade point average each term an award is received.
|
Full-time Student in a Baccalaureate Program (first payment received Fall 2010 or later)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Before being Certified for this TAP payment | Completed credits in prior semester | A Student must have accrued at least this many credits | With at least this Grade Point Average |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 1.5 |
| 3 | 6 | 15 | 1.8 |
| 4 | 9 | 27 | 1.8 |
| 5 | 9 | 39 | 2.0 |
| 6 | 12 | 51 | 2.0 |
| 7 | 12 | 66 | 2.0 |
| 8 | 12 | 81 | 2.0 |
|
Full-time Associate Program (first payment received Fall 2010 or later)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Before being Certified for this TAP payment | Completed credits in prior semester | A Student must have accrued at least this many credits | With at least this Grade Point Average |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 1.3 |
| 3 | 6 | 15 | 1.5 |
| 4 | 9 | 27 | 1.8 |
| 5 | 9 | 39 | 2.0 |
| 6 | 12 | 51 | 2.0 |
|
Full-time Baccalaureate Program (HEOP, EOP, SEEK students with first payment in 2010 and there-after or non-remedial students with a first payment received 2006-2009)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Before being Certified for this TAP payment | Completed credits in prior semester | A Student must have accrued at least this many credits | With at least this Grade Point Average |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 3 | 6 | 9 | 1.2 |
| 4 | 9 | 21 | 1.3 |
| 5 | 9 | 33 | 2.0 |
| 6 | 12 | 45 | 2.0 |
| 7 | 12 | 60 | 2.0 |
| 8 | 12 | 75 | 2.0 |
| *9 | 12 | 90 | 2.0 |
| *10 | 12 | 105 | 2.0 |
Only semesters that a student receives a TAP payment are considered for SAP. Students who have received four semester payments of New York State TAP (24 payment points) MUST have a cumulative 2.0 GPA. This includes students who may have received TAP payments at another college prior to enrolling at Five Towns College.
If students fail to make progress at Five Towns College toward a degree, either by failing to accrue sufficient credits or by failing to achieve a sufficient cumulative grade point average they lose eligibility for a subsequent award. Students will be notified in writing by the College and pro- vided instructions on how they may appeal. Students can regain eligibility by:
- Complete coursework and make up the deficiency without benefit of State financial assistance;
- Submit paperwork to the College requesting a Good Academic Standing waiver, provide reason/documentation of the extenuating circumstances contributing to the failure to meet NY SAP, and be eligible for and granted a one-time waiver;
- Remain out of school for one calendar year;
- Students not achieving a 2.0 GPA after 4 semesters of TAP payments may appeal for a C-waiver based on un- due hardship based on: (1) the death of a relative of the student; (2) the personal injury or illness of the student; or (3) other extenuating circumstances. C-waiver requests will be reviewed and approved, if eligible, by the College. It is possible, should circumstances warrant it, for a student to receive more than one C-average waiver.
Repeated Courses and Financial Aid
New York State regulations mandate that if a student repeats a course in which a passing grade acceptable to the institution has been received previously, the course cannot be included as part of the student’s full-time course load for New York State financial aid purposes. However, when a failed course is repeated it may count toward full-time study.
Withdrawals and Leaves of Absence and Financial Aid
Students who received New York State aid for a semester from which they withdraw or take a leave of absence and do not earn any academic credit are not considered to be meeting the state’s pursuit of program requirements and will not be eligible to receive state aid the following semester. The courses taken by a student that withdraws during a semester is considered attempted but not completed in determining State aid eligibility.
Incomplete Grades and Financial Aid
A student with incomplete courses at the end of the semester must complete the coursework prior to the start of the next semester or may lose state financial aid eligibility. If a student completes these courses during the next semester and regains academic progress, state aid may be reinstated upon student request.