Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
Federal regulations require students receiving federal financial aid to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, as explained below, and be working toward a degree, certificate or transfer program approved for financial aid and according to the Clackamas Community College catalog. All terms of attendance, including those in which financial aid was not received, are considered when determining your satisfactory academic progress.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
- Full time = 12 or more credits
- Three-quarter time = 9-11 credits
- Half time = 6-8 credits
- Less than half time = 1-5 credits
- Financial aid enrollment status will be based on the amount of degree applicable credits that you are registered in at the time of the term's Census Date.
- All credits that apply toward the student’s degree, certificate or transfer program.
- If necessary, students may only repeat a course one time when passing grades are received. These credits will be included in the 150% credit hour limit (maximum time frame) calculation.
- Funding for remedial coursework is limited to 45 credits.
- Adult Basic Education, GED, high school completion, credit for prior learning, Advanced College Credit, community education credits, course audits or credit from challenge exams.
- Satisfactory grades that are counted toward the completion requirement are A, B, C, D and P. Grades that are NOT counted toward the completion requirement are NP, I, X, W, Y and dropped classes. Audit courses are not eligible for federal financial aid. If a student changes a course for which aid was paid to an audit, the aid will be recalculated and the student will be required to return funds. Additionally, if a student receives a “Y” grade for a funded course, the aid will be recalculated and the student will be required to return the funds as unearned aid.
- All full-time and part-time students who receive financial aid must stay on pace to graduate on time. Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credits a student successfully completed by the attempted number of credits. When this calculation falls below 67%, a student is no longer on pace to graduate on time. Transfer credits that count toward a student's program are considered within this calculation as credits attempted and credits earned. If a student has attended other institutions, the student must request an official transcript be sent to the Admissions, Registration and Records Office. All transcripts must be evaluated before financial aid can be processed.
- Failure to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and/or meet pace may affect your financial aid eligibility.
SAP will be determined at the end of each term based on the student’s enrollment status, the number of credits completed, and cumulative grade point average. SAP will be determined for all students with previous enrollment regardless of receipt of financial aid.
Students are eligible for federal financial aid if their SAP status is satisfactory, warning, or probation. Students are NOT eligible if their SAP status is disqualified.
- Satisfactory: student’s cumulative GPA is 2.0 or higher and pace is 67% or higher.
- Warning: a student fails to meet either the GPA or pace measure of SAP. The student will have one term of aid while on financial aid warning status.
- Students on warning must meet all SAP requirements at the end of a warning term (2.0 cumulative GPA and 67% pace).
- Students cannot have two consecutive warning terms.
- It is possible for a student to be in good standing academically and financial aid warning at the same time.
- Disqualified: students are disqualified when they have a cumulative GPA below 2.0 and/or pace is less than 67%.
- Students may receive a probation status after an appeal is approved.
- Probation: a disqualified student whose appeal is approved is placed on probation.
- In the probation term, students will be placed on an academic plan, which requires that they must pass all courses in that term with a term GPA of 2.0 or higher.
- If a student is meeting the conditions of their academic plan, they can continue on probation for a maximum of three (3) terms.
- If the student does not meet the conditions of the academic plan, they will be disqualified, and must either:
- Appeal for circumstances directly related to the term in which they did not fulfil their academic plan, or
- Complete enough credits with their own resources (not using federal, state, or institutional aid) to meet SAP standards. A new appeal must be submitted for consideration.
- Disqualification from receiving financial aid does not prevent students from enrolling and attending, however, students are personally responsible for paying all charges.
- In the probation term, students will be placed on an academic plan, which requires that they must pass all courses in that term with a term GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Pace calculation:
Credits Completed ÷ Credits Attempted = Pace (must be 67% or better)
Credits Completed________ ÷ Credits Attempted________ = Pace ________
Unofficial transcript will show attempted and completed credits.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal (SAP) process
If students are in disqualified status:
- They are not eligible for federal financial aid. A student may appeal by completing a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal form. Appeal forms are available online on the Financial Aid Forms page. All forms must be completed and have all requested information attached at the time they are submitted. Incomplete appeals will be denied.
- Appeals must be based on unforeseen, extenuating circumstances and must be documented, such as: personal illness, accident, serious illness to an immediate family member, or other circumstances beyond the control of the student.
- If an appeal is approved, financial aid eligibility will be reinstated and the student will be placed on probation. Probation may have specific course or enrollment level requirements. Probation requirements are made on a case-by-case basis.
- If an appeal is denied, the student must take credits with their own resources (not using federal, state, or institutional aid) until they achieve a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA and 67% pace.
- All credits must be applicable to their degree.
- Paying for classes with their own resources will not guarantee the return of financial aid eligibility.
- When SAP standards have been met, the student must submit an appeal.
- Appeal decisions are emailed to the student’s myClackamas account and listed in the student portal.
- Decisions made by the SAP Committee, after review by the Financial Aid Director, are final.
Appeal Deadlines
All appeals must be submitted by the 8th week of the term in which you are attempting to have financial aid eligibility restored. Late appeals will be considered only for future terms.
- The maximum time frame allowed to complete a program of study is 150% of the required length of the student's specific/published program. This maximum time frame includes all college-level attempted credits, transfer credits and repeated credit hours whether or not financial aid was received or courses were successfully completed. A student becomes ineligible for financial aid when he has attempted 150% of the number of credits required for his degree or certificate or if it becomes mathematically impossible to complete the program within 150% of the length of the program. Also, federal regulations require "a student who completes the academic requirements for a program but does not yet have the degree or certificate is not eligible for further additional FSA funds for that program".
- Clackamas Community College allows students to apply for an extension of their federal financial aid to complete their program of study. All extension approvals are on a case-by-case basis. A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA is required of all students in order for an extension to be considered.
- A one-year certificate program that requires 48 credits: 48 x 150% = 72 credit maximum. This student is allowed up to 72 credits to complete this program. Credits taken must be applicable towards this specific program.
- A two-year associate's or transfer program that requires 90 credits: 90 x 150% = 135 credit maximum. This student is allowed up to 135 credits to complete this program. Credits must be applicable toward this specific program
Remedial coursework, Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are not counted as part of the maximum time frame.
A student who has earned a bachelor's degree or higher will be required to file a Maximum Time Frame Extension. Any student who has earned a bachelor's degree or higher will only be eligible for loans and institutional aid.
Federal compliance allows institutions to limit the number of times a student can change programs; Clackamas does not impose a limit, however the following conditions apply:
- Credits from any previous program(s) which are applicable toward the new program will be counted and aid will be granted for required courses only for the new program,
- A student must have enough remaining financial aid funding to complete the new program.
An extension may be required for one or more of the following criteria:
- It appears mathematically impossible for the student to complete his program within the maximum time frame
- A student has earned a bachelor's degree or higher
Forms are available online on our Financial Aid Forms page. Requests for Extension of Federal Financial Aid are reviewed by the Extension Committee. Decisions made by the committee, after review by the financial aid director, are final.
Students who received federal financial aid and then withdraw from ALL classes during a term may have to repay some or all of the federal financial aid funds they received.
- Students receiving a “Y” (non-attendance) grade in any course will have their enrollment level revised and the portion of aid that included the non-attended course will be returned and the student will be responsible for repayment in full.
- Loan recipients may lose all eligibility due to a non-attendance grade dropping their enrollment level below 6 credits as mandated by loan regulations.
- Students receiving all “W” grades (unofficial withdrawal) will have their financial aid recalculated to the 50% mark of the term if no last date of attendance is submitted with grades.
Financial aid is returned in the following order:
- Unsubsidized Direct Stafford loans (other than PLUS loans)
- Subsidized Direct Stafford loans
- Federal Perkins loans
- Direct PLUS loans
- Federal Pell Grants
- Federal SEOG
- Federal TEACH Grants
- Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Aid disbursed to you is considered in the calculation of your aid eligibility upon withdrawal. Aid for the term from which you withdrew, for which you were eligible and that was not disbursed to you, is also used in the calculation under certain conditions.
Financial aid students who are considering withdrawing from all classes are strongly encouraged to contact the Financial Aid office for complete information and options.
It is highly recommended that students consult with an academic advisor to create an educational plan. For further information or clarification, including degrees and certificates that qualify for federal financial aid, refer to the Eligible Degree List available on our Financial Aid Forms page.
