Federal regulations mandate that a student receiving financial assistance under Title IV programs must maintain satisfactory academic progress in his/her course of study regardless of whether or not financial aid is awarded each semester. In order to meet this mandate, the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy will be applied consistently to all students pursuing a certificate, associate degree, or transfer at one of the Peralta colleges. Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to the financial aid satisfactory academic progress policy.
Mandated by Federal and State Regulations, Financial Aid (FA) Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured with the following standards:
- Qualitative standard (Cumulative Grade Point Average)
- Quantitative standard (Pace of Progress)
- Pace of Progression
- Maximum Time Frame
Qualitative
Students must maintain a Peralta Community College District cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above.
Quantitative
1. Cumulative Pace of Progression **New Effective Fall 2018 **
Students must complete and earn above 66.67% of the cumulative attempted credits at the end of each semester to maintain pace required to complete degree requirements within the 150% maximum time-frame. Pace-of-Progress is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credits successfully completed and earned at the end of each semester by the cumulative number of credits attempted at the end of each semester; if the result is greater than or equal to 66.67%, the student is meeting the requirement of pace of progression.
The pace-of-progress evaluation and calculation will use official grade records from the student academic transcript.
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| Cumulative Units Attempted on Academic Transcript | Cumulative Units Earned on Academic Transcript | Cumulative Completion Percentage | |
| 60 credits attempted | 40 credits earned | 66.67 | |
| 36 credits attempted | 24 credits earned | 66.67 | |
| 24 credits attempted | 16 credits earned | 66.67 | |
| 12 credits attempted | 8 credits earned | 66.67 | |
2. Maximum Time Frame
Maximum Time Frame is the pace at which students must progress through their program of study to ensure that they will graduate within a maximum time-frame;
Students should complete their educational objective within a maximum time frame of 150%, or 90 attempted semester units for a standard two-year program. Programs shorter than two (2) years will be monitored for completion of the same 150% unit maximum time frame. Note: All completed and accepted transfer units posted into PeopleSoft are also counted in the maximum time frame evaluation
SAP Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I fail to meet Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress?
The Financial Aid Office will review each student’s record at the end of each academic semester. Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements will be notified by the Financial Aid Office that they have been placed in Financial Aid Warning status or disqualification.
Warning Status: Currently enrolled students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements will be placed on financial aid warning status the following semester. While on financial aid warning, students are still eligible to receive financial aid.
- Students who are on FA warning status and improve their academic performance as defined by the qualitative and quantitative standards of SAP will be placed back in good standing and may be eligible to continue to receive financial aid for following semesters.
Disqualification Status: Students who are on FA warning status and fail to meet the FA satisfactory academic progress policy will be placed on financial aid disqualification and denied further aid funding until they meet both qualitative and/or quantitative standards again.
- Students who are on a FA disqualification status may reinstate eligibility for financial aid by having a financial aid appeal approved or complying with satisfactory academic progress standards in a term without receiving financial aid.
- A student may lose eligibility for financial aid by NOT complying with satisfactory academic progress standards in a term the student did not receive financial aid.
- A student who successfully appeals a FA disqualification status is placed on FA probation and eligible to receive Title IV aid as long as the student continues to adhere to all conditions listed on the approved appeal.
How are my grades evaluated under the FA Standards of Academic Progress?
Official Grades
Grades of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “CR” and “P” will be considered credit hours attempted and earned and will be included toward calculation of cumulative GPA, 66.67% Pace-of-Progress and the 150% unit maximum time frame.
Grades of “W”, “F”, “FW”, “EW”, “CR”, ”NC”, ”P”, ”NP” and “I”, “RD” will be considered as credit hours attempted and will be included toward calculation of cumulative GPA, 66.67% Pace-of-Progress and the 150% unit maximum time frame.
Incomplete Grades
Courses in which the student receives an incomplete ( I ) at the end of the semester or term will count as attempted credit hours and as a non-passing grade. It will be counted in the cumulative pace-of-progress and maximum time-frame evaluation.
Grades Not Reported
Courses in which grades are not officially reported to Admissions and Records will count as an attempted credit hour and a non-passing grade. It will be counted in the cumulative pace-of-progress and maximum time-frame evaluation.
Repeated Coursework and SAP
All course attempts, even repeated courses, will count as an attempted credit hour and counted in the cumulative pace-of-progress and maximum time-frame evaluation.
Remedial Coursework and SAP
Remedial coursework will count toward the GPA and cumulative completion rate assessment. However, 30 credits of remedial coursework will not be counted as attempted credit and will be subtracted in the calculation of the maximum time frame allowed.
ESL Coursework and SAP
ESL coursework will count toward the GPA and 66.67% cumulative completion rate assessment. However, all ESL coursework will be subtracted in the calculation of the maximum time frame allowed.
Summer Sessions Attempted hours
Any courses attempted in any summer session will be included in the assessment for satisfactory academic progress.
Transfer hours and Pace of Progress
Transfer credits hours that have posted into the PCCD student transcript are counted in the cumulative pace-of-progress and maximum time-frame evaluation.
Students with a Bachelor’s Degree
Students with a Baccalaureate (Bachelor’s) or other graduate degree are considered to have surpassed the maximum time frame and will be required to complete a financial aid petition/appeal to be considered for a student loan. Note that filing an appeal may not qualify a student for financial aid eligibility. The decision of the college on appeals is FINAL and may not be contested.
Appeal Process
Students who have become ineligible for financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal if there are mitigating circumstances that have caused the student to become ineligible. Appeal forms are available on the Financial Aid website.
Appealing students may be required to submit documentation to support mitigating circumstances that may have caused the student to not meet academic standards. Should a student desire such a review of their status, the student should complete the appeals form, visit an academic counselor to develop a student educational plan, and submit all statements, documents, and forms to his/her home college financial aid office for review by the appeals committee.
The Appeals Committee is generally composed of an administrator, an academic counselor, a financial aid staff member, and a student representative. The decision of the committee is considered final. In addition, on a case-by-case basis, the FAO Supervisor can utilize the professional judgment to review an SAP appeal. Appeal decisions made by the Appeals committee or FAO Supervisor are considered final and uncontestable.
Generally, students are limited to two appeals relating to SAP at a Peralta College. Appeals in excess of the limit are reviewed on a case by case basis. Students may be required to submit a mid-term work-in-progress report in order to establish continued attendance and progress during the appealed semester.
A student will not be retroactively paid a Title IV grant for a semester after an appeal is denied. However, there are mitigating circumstances in which a direct loan can be retroactively paid within the aid year at the discretion of the financial aid office.
Students who have been placed on financial aid probation due to an approved appeal are removed from this probation status if requirements are met in the probationary term.
Notification of FA Satisfactory Academic Progress status
Students placed on financial aid warning or disqualification status will be notified via email of their status after all grades are posted from the prior term. Students can also view their satisfactory academic standing by logging onto his/her Passport account.
SAP Appeal Process
Students who do not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards can appeal to the Laney College Financial Aid Department for reconsideration. The following steps are required before an appeal is reviewed:
- Complete an SAP Appeal Form with the link:2022-2023-Fall-2022-Financial-Aid-SAP-Appeal-Form.
- Complete a Student Education Plan (SEP) with a Counselor. Contact the Counseling Department for more details on obtaining a SEP. Click the link below to set up an appointment with the Laney College counseling department /https://laney.edu/counseling/schedule-counseling-appointment/
- Provide supporting documents or relevant reasons to support your appeal.
