Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Associates Degree Programs

· A student with less than 33 credit hours completed must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 1.670.

· A student with 33 or more credit hours completed must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.000.

Bachelor Degree Programs

· A student with less than 60 credit hours completed must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 1.670.

· A student with 60 or more credit hours completed must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.000.

Graduate Degree Programs

· Students must maintain a GPA of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale)

A student must have completed 67% of the credit hours attempted.

For example, if after the third semester the student has attempted 46 credit hours and has completed only 30 credit hours, the quantitative pace of completion rate is 65%, and the student would be placed on warning even though the student may have had a cum GPA of 2.320.

A student must complete a program within an established time frame. Financial aid will be awarded according to the number of the program’s credit hours multiplied by 150%. If student changes degree, only the hours that apply to that degree will be included in the calculation for this portion of SAP.

For example, the Bachelor of Arts in Christian Ministry degree requires 128 credit hours; therefore, the student could receive federal aid for up to 192 credit hours. An Associate in Intercultural Studies degree requires 64 credit hours; therefore, the student could receive federal aid for up to 96 credit hours.

A student will lose eligibility for financial aid for all future semesters after the semester in which the maximum hours allowed are exceeded.

Students’ academic progress (both qualitative and quantitative) will be checked at the end of each semester. If a student does not maintain the above standards, the following will apply:

1. The student will be placed on FINANCIAL AID WARNING. Warning means the student will be eligible to receive financial aid, but it also means the student must complete the required percentage of hours with the required GPA by the end of the semester on warning. If not, the student will be placed on FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION the following semester.

2. FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION means that the student will not be able to receive any financial aid until the student again meets the required completion rate and GPA standards as outlined above.

Periods of non-enrollment or paying for school out of pocket does not qualify a student for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Eligibility will be reinstated by achieving both the qualitative and quantitative standards of this policy or by appealing his/her satisfactory academic progress status and the appeal is approved.

At the time a student is placed on financial aid suspension, the student may appeal the condition in writing to the Director of Financial Aid. Appeals must be based on unusual circumstances such as long-term illness, death or illness of a family member, etc. The Financial Aid Appeal Committee will review the student’s file, and the student will be notified of the decision.

Letters of appeal must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office by the date printed on the Suspension Notification Letter, along with all appropriate documentation.

If granted, student will be placed on financial aid Probation during which student may continue to receive Federal Student Aid funds.

If it is determined, based on the appeal, that the student should be able to meet the progress standards by the end of the subsequent semester, one semester of probation will be granted. If it is determined, based on the appeal, that the student will require more than one payment period to meet progress standards, an academic plan will be developed. The plan will list the length of time and conditions that must be met each semester for the student to remain on probation.

Progress will be reviewed at the end of each semester. Aid eligibility will be lost if the student is not meeting either the standard academic progress or the requirements of the academic plan that was made.

When a course is repeated, only the highest grade will be included in the GPA calculation. However, repeated hours are counted as attempted hours each time you take the course.

Federal regulation allows for the following in determining enrollment status for students that are retaking coursework:

• If a student retakes a previously failed course, the repeated course will be included in the student’s Title IV enrollment status and Title IV funds will be available to pay for the repeated course.

• If a student retakes a previously passed course, one repetition of the repeated course will be included in the student’s Title IV enrollment status and Title IV funds will be available to pay for the repeated course.

Students withdrawing from a class in weeks 2 through 10 will be given a “W” (withdrawal), the class will count only as hours attempted. No courses can be dropped after ten weeks of class.

Grades of “I” (Incomplete) will count only as hours attempted. Once an incomplete grade is finalized, the final grade will be factored into the student’s GPA and hours earned (if passing) during the next evaluation.

Academic transcripts from all other colleges attended will be included when evaluating satisfactory academic progress. Transfer credits accepted by OCC will be included when calculating hours attempted and hours earned but not in GPA calculation. The student will be placed on financial aid satisfactory progress or warning based upon the review. If a student's progress is not satisfactory, the student will be notified.

Students pursuing a Second Baccalaureate degree, Second Master’s degree at OCC, or are pursuing dual programs concurrently, will have reached the maximum time frame standard at an accelerated pace. As such, students must have their SAP status and aid eligibility reviewed individually by a financial aid administrator.