SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

All students receiving financial aid from federal and state sources must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at Kellogg Community College. Students shall be monitored for satisfactory academic progress at the end of each semester (fall, spring and summer) for which they receive financial aid.

There are three components that all students must be able to meet when evaluated: pace of progression, GPA and maximum time frame measures. These standards are established to ensure that students are progressing towards an educational objective and complete a degree within a reasonable time frame. If the standards are not met, students are not eligible for federal and state financial aid.

Students are notified of their SAP status through their KCC email account (students who are meeting the SAP requirements will not receive notification) and can review their SAP status via the Bruin Portal’s Financial Aid Self-Service area within the “Satisfactory Academic Progress” section.

The Standards of SAP

Components of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress include the following:

• Complete minimum cumulative credit hours attempted, including all transfer credits (see Pace of Progression Measure below)
• Maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average (see GPA Measure below)
• Complete less than 150% total cumulative credits required for program degree of record, including all transfer credits (see Maximum Time Frame below)

Impact of Grades & Attendance

All F, W, I and N grades will be considered as credits attempted, but not completed. Transfer, remedial, ESL and repeated courses will be counted in both attempted and completed credits. Credit hours taken for an audit grade of X are not included in determining enrollment status for financial aid disbursement or satisfactory academic progress. All credit hours are included even if financial aid was not used.

Incomplete Grades

Courses with grades of I (Incomplete) will be considered as credit hours attempted and not completed. An I grade means you agreed to complete the course by a specified date without re-enrolling for the class. Students who have arranged with the instructor to complete required course work are not required to re-register for the same class during a subsequent semester to complete the work. Any course carried forward to the next semester for completion will not be counted as part of the new semester enrollment status. If the incomplete grade was instrumental in placing a student on financial aid probation or suspension, once completed, the student may appeal for a re-evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress by submitting the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form. Any courses for which there is an I grade on your transcript for a previous enrollment period will not be counted toward your level of enrollment for a current semester for financial aid.

Drop

Adjustments to registration made after classes begin may be made within the “add/drop period” which is the first 1/10th of the total number of calendar days over which the class meets. (The calculation begins with the first day of instruction and ends with the last scheduled day of instruction). If you drop during the drop/add period this will not result in a grade and therefore not be factored in when figuring Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Withdrawal

Adjustments to registration made after the “add/drop period” prior to 7/8ths of the duration of the class. (The calculation begins with the first day of instruction and ends with the last scheduled day of instruction.) If you drop during the withdrawal period of the class, it will result as a W grade, which will be factored in when calculating Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Consequences of Complete Withdrawals or Unsuccessful Completion of All Courses in a Semester

Students not passing at least one course in a semester (receiving all F, W, I and N grades) will be placed on financial aid suspension at the end of that semester. All future financial aid will be canceled. Students must complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form with required documentation for consideration of reinstatement of financial aid.

In addition, students who received a scholarship from the KCC Foundation will have all pending disbursements canceled. Students must contact the Foundation for reinstatement of the scholarship.

Cumulative Credit Hours Attempted

Cumulative credit hours attempted are defined as all credit hours attempted at Kellogg Community College, including Lifelong Learning, and all credit hours transferred from other institutions. Attempted credits include courses with grades of A through F, W, I, P, G, N and NR. Repeated courses will be counted as hours attempted and toward the 93 maximum credits allowable for financial aid.

Cumulative Credit Hours Completed

Credit hours successfully completed are defined as grades A through D, P and G. Credit hours not successfully completed are defined as F, W, I, NR and N.

Pace of Progression Measure

Students must complete a percentage of their attempted credits. This percentage will be cumulative and based on attempted credit hours. Students who have attempted less than 13 credits will be exempt from this calculation. To figure completion rate, divide completed credits by attempted credits. Attempted credits include all college-level credits; developmental, ESL and customized training; and all credit hours transferred from other institutions. Attempted, but not completed, grades are listed under the Grades section above.

GPA Measure

Students must achieve a required minimum GPA. This required minimum GPA will be graduated based on the number of credits that the student has attempted and is listed below. Students who have attempted less than 13 credits will be exempt from this calculation.

All credits, including developmental, ESL, customized training and all transfer/college-level courses will be counted to determine the number of credit hours, even if financial aid was not received for those credits.

Maximum Time Frame

Students may not receive federal and state financial aid for attempted credits in excess of 150% of the credits required for graduation (refer to the Academic Catalog for specific programs). Students who have attempted more than 150% of the maximum credits required for graduation of program degree of record are not making satisfactory academic progress.

All college-level credits, developmental, ESL customized training, transfer credits and repeat courses will be included in the maximum time frame calculation.

Once it has been determined that a student will not be able to graduate within this time frame, they will no longer be making satisfactory academic progress, resulting in ineligibility for federal and state aid.

For example, if a student’s degree requires 64 credits, they must complete their program within 96 credits. Once a student has attempted 96 or more credits, they are no longer eligible for financial aid at KCC.

Program Type	Total Credit Hours Required	Maximum Attempted Hours Allowed for Aid Eligibility
Associate in Applied Science (AAS)	62	93
Associate in Arts (AA)	62	93
Accounting Certificate	24	36

See the Academic Catalog for credit- and degree-specific requirements.

Results of SAP

Results are determined at the end of each semester attended and can be found in the Bruin Portal Financial Aid Self-Service area under “Satisfactory Academic Progress.” All results for individual semesters and cumulative results can be found here.

Satisfactory Status

Students maintaining SAP standards will receive a “Satisfactory Status” and will continue to receive federal financial aid as long as the student is successfully completing your courses for each semester.

Warning Status

A student who is not making Satisfactory Academic Progress after one semester will be placed for the following semester on a status of “warning.” During this time, a student may continue to receive federal and state financial aid.

A student who is not making Satisfactory Academic Progress after a semester on warning status will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive federal or state financial aid.

A student with a warning status is encouraged to seek additional services from the Academic Support Department if they have issues related to their academics. Students who experience personal issues that resulted in their inability to meet SAP are encouraged to talk with an academic advisor so they may continue to receive aid and avoid Financial Aid Suspension.

Suspension Status

Students who are not meeting SAP standards including Pace of Progression, maintaining the minimum cumulative GPA measure or who have exceeded the maximum number of credits attempted fro their program of study (Maximum Credit Suspension) are placed on academic suspension. Students with no progress within any given semester (0.0 GPA) will be placed on Suspension and federal financial aid awards will be canceled for future semesters.

Probation Status

A student whose appeal has been granted will receive one of three probationary statuses:

Probation 1

Student is close to meeting the minimal standards and may only need one semester to do so.

Probation 2

Student needs more than one semester and will be required to meet with an academic advisor to develop an Academic Contract and submit to the Financial Aid Office. As long as the student is meeting the terms of the contract, meeting the required 2.0 GPA, they will continue on this status until able to meet SAP. Failure to meet the terms of the contract will result in a suspension status and removal of federal and state financial aid. Students must meet all terms of their individualized Academic Contract in addition to regularly attending and participating in all registered classes receiving a minimum of a C (2.0) grade. Taking courses that are not required as part of the assigned degree program, not successfully completing a course (including withdrawal, incomplete or grades below C) will not be meeting the terms of probation status and will be returned to the previous suspension status.

Maximum Probation

Student is on suspension because of Maximum Time Frame and will be required to meet with an academic advisor to develop an Academic Plan and submit to the Financial Aid Office. As long as the student is meeting the terms of the plan, they will continue on this status until able to graduate. Failure to meet the terms of the plan will result in a suspension status and removal of federal and state financial aid with no further appeals allowed

SAP Appeal Process

Students have the right to appeal for continued eligibility if they have not met the Pace/Completion or the GPA measures. Students who have exceeded the maximum time frame may only appeal if they are pursuing a second degree by providing an explanation for the need of an additional degree or are within a reasonable time frame of graduation. SAP Appeal forms can be found on the Financial Aid Forms web page or can be picked up at the Financial Aid Office.

Appeals must provide (1) an explanation of the circumstances beyond a student’s control that contributed to the student’s failure to meet the minimum academic progress standards and (2) what corrective action has been taken to prohibit this from happening in the future. (3) Circumstances related to an outbreak of COVID-19, including, but not limited to, the illness of a student or family member, compliance with a quarantine period, or the general disruption resulting from such an outbreak may form the basis of a student’s SAP Appeal.

Appeals will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis. If an appeal is received after the appeal processing deadline, it will be considered for the next semester. Students are notified of the appeal decision through their Kellogg Community College email account.

Reinstatement of all aid is subject to professional judgment, submission of proper documentation of the student’s circumstances and availability of funds. The following circumstances will be considered when processing an appeal:

1. A significant medical illness or injury that directly affected student’s ability to meet the academic standards.
2. The death of a close relative during the time period that directly affected the student’s ability to meet the academic standards.
3. The student attended school more than two years prior to the current year and experienced difficulties at that time that directly affected the student’s ability to meet the academic standards.
4. The student received a change of grade from a previous semester and is requesting that Satisfactory Academic Progress be re-evaluated
5. The student has completed the maximum 93 credits allowable for financial aid at KCC, including transfer credits, and the current program of study requires additional credits for completion.
6. The student has completed six credit hours, paid out-of-pocket and is requesting that Satisfactory Academic Progress be re-evaluated.
7. The student experienced a significant personal tragedy or event that affected the student’s ability to meet the academic standards.
8. Other significant situation that affected the student’s ability to meet academic standards.

Examples of situations considered beyond a person’s control may include, but are not limited to:

• Serious illness or injury to the student that required extended recovery time or significant improvement.
• Death or serious illness of an immediate family member.
• Significant trauma in the student’s life that impaired the student’s emotional and/or physical health.
• Other documented situations.

Appeal Processing Deadlines

• Fall: Nov. 5
• Spring: March 29
• Summer: June 28