Satisfactory Academic Progress
SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) FOR FINANCIAL AID
To be eligible for federal and state financial aid, students are required by the U.S. Department of Education and the State of California to maintain satisfactory progress toward completing their degrees or certificates. In compliance with prescribed regulations, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has established guidelines designed to promote timely advancement toward specific degree and certificate objectives. These guidelines will be applied to all classes you take in the LACCD.
The following questions and answers address student’s typical questions about satisfactory academic progress. A complete policy statement is available in the Financial Aid Office.
WHAT FINANCIAL AID PROGRAMS ARE AFFECTED BY THE SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS?
Programs governed by the policy include the Pell Grant, Perkins Loan, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), the Federal Family Educational Loans (FFEL), Federal Direct Student Loan (FDSL), and Cal Grants B & C.
WHAT ARE SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS?
To satisfy academic progress requirements, financial aid students must accomplish the following:
Maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0
Have completed less than 90 attempted units at the beginning of the academic year.
Completion of 75% cumulative units attempted.
Not have an AA, AS, or bachelors degree.
Satisfactory academic progress for all students is monitored once each academic year at the end of the spring semester.
WHAT IS A 2.0 GPA?
Basically a 2.0 GPA is a “C” average. Your GPA is calculated by dividing the number of “grade points” you received by the number of units you attempted. Grades are assigned the following “point” value.
A = 4 points
B = 3 points
C = 2 points
D = 1 point
F = 0 point
If you start the semester with 12 units and complete the semester with 12 units attempted of “C”, you will have a 2.0 GPA.
24 points divided by 12 units = 2.0
WHAT DOES 75% COMPLETION MEAN?
You must complete 75% of the units you start each semester. Incomplete (INC), No Credit (NCR) and/or Withdrawal (W) are considered non-grades and must be 25% or less than the units attempted.
WHY IS THERE A 90 UNIT LIMIT?
Community Colleges are two year institutions. Most of our degree and certificate programs require 60 to 62 units and are designed to be completed in two years or less. The extra units provide a cushion in case you take some classes you don’t need.
WHY DOES FINANCIAL AID COUNT ALL OF THE CLASSES I TAKE IN THE LOS ANGELES COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT?
Classes that you take at any of the schools in our District count toward your enrollment status to determine how much you will be paid. We therefore hold you accountable for all of the classes that you take within the District.
WHY DO YOU COUNT CLASSES THAT I TOOK WHEN I WAS NOT RECEIVING FINANCIAL AID?
All of the classes that you take count towards your degree or certificate requirements. Also, federal guidelines require that we count all classes even though you did not receive financial aid.
HOW DOES SUMMER SESSION AND WINTER INTERSESSION COURSEWORK AFFECT SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS?
Summer is treated as an optional semester and the same standards apply if you attend summer school.
Winter Intersession courses are considered part of the fall semester.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENT DOES NOT MEET THE SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS?
Financial aid students will receive a disqualification letter at the end of the spring semester if they have not met all four of the requirements.
Substandard warning letters will be sent after the fall semester to students whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 and/or cumulative non-grades are greater than 25%. If you receive one of these letters you should see an academic counselor as soon as possible.
Advisory letters are sent out at the end of the fall semester to students whose number of units attempted reaches forty-five. Again, you should see an academic counselor to make sure you are taking the classes you need to reach your goal before you reach the 90 unit maximum.
WHAT ARE THE PROCEDURES IF A STUDENT WANTS TO APPEAL A DISQUALIFICATION FROM FINANCIAL AID?
Students may submit a written appeal to the financial aid office. The appeal must include an educational plan signed by a counselor and an explanation of why the minimum requirements were not met. In the case of the 90 unit limit, there must be a justification for continuing financial aid after the maximum number of attempted units has been exceeded.
The following types of information may be considered when reevaluating student eligibility:
Unusual circumstances such as extended illness of the student or a family member.
Change in major (only one change will be considered)
Grade changes (Academic Renewal)
Academic advisement recommendation affecting unit completion.
HOW ARE ESL AND REMEDIAL CLASSES TREATED?
These classes are not counted in the calculation of 90 attempted units but they are considered as part of your program and all other satisfactory academic progress requirements apply
This information is subject to change without notice for reasons related to changes in federal and state regulations and District policy.