Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a set of standards that students must meet to continue receiving federal financial aid. These standards ensure that students are making progress towards their degree and using their financial aid effectively.

• Federal Requirement: To participate in federal student aid programs, all colleges must track student progress towards degree completion. This ensures both students and the institution can continue receiving federal financial aid.
• SAP Checks: The Financial Aid Department reviews the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status of all students between the end of each semester and the 10th day of the following semester.
• SAP Standards: Satisfactory Academic Progress has three key components:
  1. Academic Performance: Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
  2. Course Completion: Successfully complete at least 67% of attempted courses.
  3. Time Limits: Complete your degree within 150% of the normal program length.
     • Example: For a 60-credit program, the maximum aid-eligible credits are 90 (60 x 1.5).
     • All ATTEMPTED credits taken by a student count toward this Maximum Time Frame.
• Please note: SAP standards may differ from the requirements for maintaining Good Academic Standing with the college. See the college catalog for more information about maintaining Good Academic Standing.
• Student Responsibility: It's your responsibility to understand the SAP standards and be aware of your current SAP status.

The table below details which grades are counted toward each of the Standards of Academic Progress measures detailed above. NOTE: Specific grades can be added or discontinued at any time by the Registration Office and will be updated in this policy.

For more information about how GPA is calculated, see the Academic Information section of the RCBC catalog.

***Grading Table for Standards of Academic Progress***

You can see your SAP status in the Financial Aid Section of your self-service:

SAP status definitions: 

• Satisfactory: You're eligible for financial aid. This includes students with no SAP issues and those who improved to a 2.0 GPA and 67% pass rate after a period of Warning or Ineligibility.
  
   
• Warning: You're not meeting SAP standards for the first time. You're automatically eligible for aid in the next semester, and no appeal is needed.
  
   
• Suspended: You're ineligible for aid. This happens if you fail to meet GPA and/or completion rate standards in two consecutive terms, or if you exceed the maximum time allowed for aid. You can appeal this decision. You can also try to regain eligibility by paying out-of-pocket while working up to SAP requirements. 
  
   
• Probation: Your appeal was approved after being suspended. You're eligible for aid in the next term. You'll be reviewed each term to ensure you continue to meet the terms of your probation.

Ineligible: You're not meeting SAP standards and/or not following your Academic Plan. This also applies if your appea

1st Violation of the GPA or Completion Rate Standard

What happens if you don't meet the standards: If you have Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 or your completion rate drops below 67%, you'll be placed on Academic Warning.

What happens during the Warning term: You can still receive financial aid for one semester.

How to get back to Satisfactory status:

• Raise your cumulative GPA to 2.0 or above.
• Achieve a 67% completion rate.
• Be within the maximum time frame allowed for your program.

What happens if you don't improve: If you don't meet the SAP requirements at the end of the Warning term, you'll be placed on Academic Suspension and lose your eligibility for financial aid.

2nd Violation of the GPA or Completion Rate Standard or 1st Violation of the Maximum Time Frame

If you fail to meet the GPA or Completion Rate standards in two consecutive terms, your financial aid will be suspended.

Additionally, if at any time you're projected to exceed the maximum time allowed for your program, your financial aid will also be suspended.

Impact of Suspension:

• You'll be ineligible for federal and state grants and loans.
• You may also lose eligibility for other forms of financial aid.
• You'll be responsible for paying for all future classes out-of-pocket.

Enrollment Options:

• You can still enroll at the college if you can pay for tuition and fees out-of-pocket.
• Contact the RCBC Student Accounts Office to discuss payment arrangements.

Appealing a Financial Aid Suspension

If your financial aid is suspended due to not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, you can appeal to get it reinstated. Here's what you need to know:

• Submitting an Appeal:
   
  • Fill out the SAP Appeal Form found on the Financial Aid Forms page: https://rcbc.edu/financial-aid/forms
  • Include all required documents with your form.
  • The committee will only approve appeals with documented reasons beyond your control. Some examples are listed below:

• Examples of circumstance behind SAP failure	Examples of Supporting Documentation
  The student's own illness	Medical bill or letter from physicians.
  Death of a family member.	Copy of death certificate.
  Illness or accident of a close relative.	Physician's statement, police report, documentation from a third party professional.
  Other personal circumstance or work related issues	Detailed personal statement. For work related issues, a letter from their employer is needed comparing hours worked per week versus now, etc.
  Failing pace or maximum attempted because of excessive transfer units, major change, or academic performance concerns.	Personal statement, proof of academic advisement consultation (or other as advised by SAP committee)

NOTE: The Financial Aid office may not have access to documents you submitted to other departments (such as for Academic Withdrawal or Academic Amnesty). Therefore, if you are filing a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal, you may need to submit those documents again directly to the Financial Aid office.

• What the Committee Considers:
  • Your explanation of the situation
  • Past academic performance
  • Ability to improve your academic standing
  • A plan for success outlining how you'll achieve good grades
  • How many appeals you have submitted

NOTE: You may only appeal up to three times during your entire time at RCBC.

• Probation if Approved: 
  • If your appeal is approved, you'll be placed on probation. This means your financial aid will be reinstated, but closely monitored.
  • You will be held to your completed academic plan that was created with your academic advisor. This means you cannot drop or change any courses in your approved schedule for your first semester.
    • If you need to change courses for subsequent semesters (say, if a class gets cancelled, or if you change your major) you will need to meet with an advisor to create a new academic plan. 
• Maintaining Probationary Status:
  • Your financial aid will be reviewed each semester to ensure you're meeting the following:
    • Taking classes required for your program
    • Earning grades of C or better (no failing grades, incompletes, withdrawals, etc.)
  • Failure to meet these requirements will result in another suspension. 
• Appealing After Committee Denial:
  • If the committee denies your appeal, your financial aid will remain suspended.
  • To improve your chances on a future appeal, consider successfully completing a semester without financial aid to demonstrate your ability to succeed academically. 
• Appealing After Automatic Denial:
  • Your appeal might be automatically denied if your initial packet lacked required documents.
  • In this case, you can resubmit the complete packet before the term's deadline for reconsideration. 
• How to challenge an appeal decision

If you believe the committee didn't consider all the facts in your case, you can request a secondary review by the Director of Financial Aid.

Here's what to do:

1. Submit a written request: Explain why you think the decision should be reviewed again and include any new information that supports your case.
2. Email your request: Send it to financialaid@rcbc.edu with the subject line "Secondary SAP Appeal for the Director."
3. Meet the deadline: Submit your request by:
   • November 1st for Fall semester
   • April 1st for Spring semester
   • July 1st for Summer semester

• Important notes:
  • You are only allowed to submit one appeal per suspended or APD (Appeal denied) status. 
  • Include all supporting documents with your initial appeal to avoid delays.

Developmental Courses:

• Grades in developmental courses don't affect your GPA.
• However, the number of credits you attempt in these courses is counted towards your completion rate.

Maximum Time Frame:

• All ESL courses and up to 30 credits of other developmental courses are not included in the calculation of how long it's taking you to complete your program.
• If you attempt more than 150% of the required credits for your program, you may lose your financial aid.

Passing Grades:

• Credits earned in developmental and ESL courses with grades like "A*", "B*", "C*", "P", "O", or "S" count towards your progress.

Failing Grades:

• Credits earned in developmental and ESL courses with grades like "F*", "U", or "Q" are counted as attempted but not earned.

Grades Not Counted:

• Credits with grades of "N" (no grade reported), "NA" (non-attendance), "AU" (audit), "L" (old audit), "M" (old audit non-attendance), "Z" (withdrew early), or "EX" (credit by exam) are not counted towards your progress.

Transfer Credits

Credits transferred from another college are counted in the number of credits attempted and completed to measure completion rate and maximum time frame. Transfer credits are not counted in the calculation of grade point average.

Repeat Coursework

Repeated courses are included in the qualitative and quantitative calculations. Students may only receive federal financial aid for one repeat of a previously passed course. Credits for repeated courses are treated as attempted but not earned, and all attempts are included in the GPA calculation.

See the Financial Aid Policies page for more information on the Repeat Coursework Policy

Multiple Degrees

RCBC permits the pursuit of more than one academic program concurrently. Maximum Time Frame will be measured using the credit number requirements of the longest standing active program. Students should be aware that they may exceed the maximum time frame, and become ineligible for financial aid.

Change in Program

If a student changes academic programs, the credits from the prior program will be counted in attempted and earned credits. If the student does not meet the minimum SAP requirements, the student may appeal on the basis of a change in program and request that only credits applicable to the new program be included in the calculation of cumulative GPA, completion rate, and maximum time frame.

Financial Aid for Second Degree Students

Financial aid is available for students pursuing a second degree. Credit hours attempted and/or completed toward a prior degree will be included in the measures of Completion Rate and Maximum Time Frame, along with any transfer credits.

Academic Dismissal

Students classified as on Academic Dismissal by RCBC are immediately ineligible for financial aid. Any aid disbursed for a term in which the student has been dismissed must be repaid to the college.

See the college catalog for more information about RCBC’s Academic Standing Policies.

Academic Amnesty

Federal rules don't consider academic amnesty: Even if you benefited from RCBC's academic amnesty policy (which allows a student to restart the calculation of their grade point average for graduation), all attempted credits at RCBC are still counted when determining your eligibility for financial aid.

If a student is in a SAP suspended status, and is granted academic amnesty, they may file a SAP appeal to have their aid reinstated. 

Re-Admission to RCBC

Returning to RCBC doesn't guarantee financial aid.  You must meet specific eligibility requirements.  If you've lost financial aid eligibility due to unsatisfactory academic progress, simply waiting won't restore it.

If you've lost federal student aid eligibility due to unsatisfactory academic progress, you can file a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal. If the appeal is denied, or if you choose not to file one, you can regain eligibility by paying for your RCBC courses out of pocket.  You'll need to successfully complete at least one semester with no failures, incompletes, or withdrawals, demonstrating your ability to complete your degree within a reasonable timeframe.