Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Federal and state financial aid regulations require schools to set minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress and to hold students accountable for meeting the standards. Satisfactory Academic Progress is checked prior to awarding aid, even if students did not receive financial aid in past quarters. It is also checked at the end of every quarter aid is received. This web page outlines the requirements for financial aid satisfactory academic progress at Peninsula College.
Time Limit Requirement
Students must complete their program of study within a maximum time frame in order to receive financial aid.
Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Applied Management
Students pursuing a bachelor's degree can no longer receive State Need Grant after the number of credits they have attempted equals 125% of the credits required for their degree, rounded down to the nearest whole credit. For all other types of financial aid, students can no longer receive aid after the number of credits they have attempted equals 150% of the credits required for their degree, rounded down to the nearest whole credit.
Associate Degrees
Students pursuing an associate’s degree can no longer receive State Need Grant after the number of credits they have attempted equals 125% of the credits required for their degree.* For all other types of financial aid, students can no longer receive aid after the number of credits they have attempted equals 150% of the credits required for their degree.* Students pursuing a second degree can no longer receive aid after they have attempted 112 credits.
Certificate Programs
Students enrolled in an eligible certificate program (a program that is 36 or more credits in length) can no longer receive State Need Grant after the number of credits they have attempted equals 125% of the credits required for the certificate.* For all other types of aid, students can no longer receive aid after the number of credits they have attempted equals 150% of the credits required for their certificate.*
* rounded down to the nearest whole credit.
Credits transferred in from other institutions count toward the time limit requirement.
The following courses do not count toward the time limit requirement: Basic Skills, Family Life Education (FLE), high school completion, New Chance, non-credit courses, and up to 45 credits of developmental courses (developmental courses are for-credit English, Math, and Human Development courses below the 100 level.
Time Limit Appeal Forms are available in the Financial Aid Office.
Credit Completion Requirement
Students must complete the appropriate number of credits each quarter based on their enrollment as of the end of the 5th instructional day. Enrollment for students who do not register until after the 5th instructional day is based on the total number of credits they register for. Enrollment for students who drop all classes prior to the end of the 5th instructional day is based on the number of credits they were registered in as of the beginning of the quarter.
Enrollment as of the end of the 5th instructional day:
Full-time (12+ credits) you must complete 12.
¾-time (9-11 credits) you must complete 9.
½-time (6-8 credits) you must complete 6
Less than ½-time (1-5 credits) you must complete all attempted credits
Grades of “*”, “I”, “W”, “Y” , “N”, “VF”, “VP” and “U” do not count as completed credits. Only credits completed by the end of the scheduled quarter will count as “completed” for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Running Start, high school completion, basic studies, audit, Tech Prep, and Family Life Education credits do not count towards the financial aid credit completion requirement.
GPA Requirement
Students must have a 2.00 cumulative GPA at the end of each quarter.
Students without a calculated cumulative GPA due to the type(s) of grade(s) received will be considered to have met the 2.00 cumulative GPA requirement if they meet the credit completion requirement for their most recent quarter of attendance.
Developmental Courses
A maximum of 45 for-credit developmental credits will be excluded from the time-limit requirement. For financial aid purposes, "for-credit developmental courses" are English, Math, and Human Development courses which are below the 100 level.
Non-credit developmental courses are not counted towards the time limit requirement, nor are they counted towards cumulative GPA.
Consecutive Programs vs. Concurrent Programs
Students can pursue a maximum of two programs of study plus the Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management while on financial aid funding. “Program of study” means either an associate’s degree program or a certificate program that is 36 or more credits in length. A degree and a certificate earned in the same field (for example, an AAS degree in Criminal Justice and a certificate in Criminal Justice) count as one program for Satisfactory Academic Progress purposes.
Consecutive programs means that after completing one program, the student begins working towards a second program. Financial aid for the second program will not be awarded until the completion of the first degree appears on the student’s academic transcript.
Concurrent programs means that the student is pursuing two programs simultaneously. Financial aid will only fund students for concurrent programs if the student notifies the Financial Aid Office in writing of the intent to pursue two concurrent programs and if the notification is received prior to the end of the student’s third quarter of attendance.
Changing Your Program of Study
If you stop pursuing a program of study and switch to another one, your attempted credit count will not start over. All previously attempted credits will count toward the maximum allowed for your new program of study. It is therefore very important that you notify the Financial Aid Office in writing when you switch programs so we can send you a letter telling you how many attempted credits you have remaining.
Repeated Courses
Students can repeat courses for which they receive financial aid. Each time a class is repeated, whether or not financial aid paid for the course, the credits are counted toward the time limit requirement. Each time a for-credit developmental course is repeated while a student is receiving aid, it counts toward both the time limit requirement and the 45 credit limit on for-credit developmental courses which will be excluded from the time limit requirement.
To be eligible to receive financial aid, students must have a 2.00 cumulative GPA at the end of each quarter. In some circumstances, students who repeat a course and receive a higher grade the second time can request that the original grade not be computed in their cumulative GPA. To request that your cumulative GPA be adjusted as a result of your performance in a repeated course, contact the Enrollment Services Office.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Chart
| Current Status* | To remain in, or return to, good standing you must... | You will be placed on Financial Aid Probation** if you... | You will be terminated from Financial Aid eligibility if you... |
| | | |
| 12 or more credits at the end of the 5th instructional day, currently in good SAP standing | Meet all requirements | Complete 6-11 credits and/or have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 | Complete 5 or fewer credits |
| 9 – 11 credits at the end of the 5th instructional day, currently in good SAP standing | Meet all requirements | Complete 5 – 8 credits and/or have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 | Complete 4 or fewer credits |
| 6 – 8 credits at the end of the 5th instructional day, currently in good SAP standing | Meet all requirements | Complete 3 – 5 credits and/or have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 | Complete 2 or fewer credits |
| 1 – 5 credits at the end of the 5th instructional day, currently in good SAP standing | Meet all requirements | Complete at least 1 credit (but less than 100% of your credits), and/or have a cumulative GPA of less than 2.00 | Complete 0 credits |
| On probation - all enrollment levels | Meet all SAP requirements | N/A | Do not meet all SAP requirements during your probationary quarter |
| All students - all enrollment levels | | | Have attempted the maximum number of credits allowed for your degree or certificate |
| *Enrollment for students who do not register until after the 5th instructional day is based on the total number of credits they register for. |
| **Probation status is considered a warning. Students on probation receive financial aid. Students may be required to take a reduced course load while on probation. |
Earning Reinstatement After Being Terminated from Financial Aid Eligibility If you are terminated from financial aid eligibility for reasons other than having reached the time limit requirement, you can earn reinstatement one of two ways: - Earn Reinstatement on Your Own:
Register for 6 or more credits at Peninsula College at your own expense, complete the appropriate number of credits based on your enrollment level (see information above regarding credit completion requirements) and have a 2.00 or greater cumulative GPA at the end of the quarter. Once your grades have been posted for the quarter, you must notify the Financial Aid Office in writing that you earned reinstatement by completing an appeal form. OR - Earn Reinstatement Via the Appeal Process:
Submit, and secure approval of, a written documented appeal for reinstatement. The appeal should be based on unusual or extraordinary circumstances beyond your control that can be documented. Appeal forms are available in the Financial Aid Office. If you were terminated after being on probation, you can include in your petition any unusual or extraordinary circumstances, if applicable, that led to your being placed on probation. If you submit an appeal and it is denied, you must earn reinstatement on your own (option “a” above).
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