Financial Aid Appeals

Financial aid is designed to help you reach your educational goal in a timely manner. To be eligible for financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. Based on federal and state regulations, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has established guidelines for evaluating your progress as you work on your academic goals. You should read the rules and know what it takes to maintain eligibility for financial aid.

What Are the SAP Standards to maintain financial aid eligibility?  

• GPA Standard: Maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher (a “C” average).
• Pace of Progression Standard (completion rate): Successfully complete a minimum of 66.5% of all attempted units. Withdrawals (W), Excused Withdrawals (EW), Incompletes (INC), Fails (F), No Credit (NCR), and No Pass (NP) are considered non-grades and count towards the completion rate. Military Withdrawals (MW) are not included in this calculation.
• Maximum Time Frame Standard: Attempt less than 150% of the number of units required to complete your academic program. 

How Do You Know Where You Stand in Relation to the SAP Standards?

• Academic progress for all financial aid applicants is evaluated at the end of every term. Students not meeting the GPA and/or Pace of Progression Standards for the first time are placed on Warning status and remain eligible for financial aid.  Students on Warning who do not meet the same standards at the end of the term are disqualified from receiving financial aid.
• Students who attempt 75% or 100% of the number of units required for their academic program receive Advisory emails reminding them to stay on target to complete their program in a timely manner.  Students who attempt 150% or more of the number of units needed for their program are disqualified from receiving financial aid and notified accordingly.
• Students may appeal to reinstate or extend their eligibility for financial aid. The appeal gives the student the opportunity to explain the reasons why they did not meet the SAP Standards and what they are doing to improve their academic record.

SAP Appeal Deadlines 

• Spring 2025 semester:  May 23, 2025
• Summer 2025 session:   August 15, 2025 
• Fall 2025 semester:  December 5, 2025
• Winter 2026 session:  January 23, 2026
• Spring 2026 semester:  May 22, 2026
• Summer 2026 session:  August 14, 2026

Types of SAP Appeals 

There are two types of satisfactory academic progress appeals: reinstatement and extension.

Reinstatement Appeal  

Students disqualified due to not meeting the GPA and/or Pace of Progression Standards may submit an appeal to reinstate their financial aid eligibility. Approved reinstatement appeals are subject to academic progress conditions (semester GPA and Pace of Progression minimums). If these conditions are met for the approved semester, the approval and the conditions carry to the next semester of enrollment without the need for a new appeal, even if the student's cumulative GPA and completion rates are still below the standards. The terms of these conditions will be stated in the approval notification.  

The reinstatement appeal may be submitted following these steps:

• A task for the reinstatement appeal will be available on the Student Forms Portal, for the term that the student is disqualified.

East Los Angeles College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Valley College
West Los Angeles College

• Students will be prompted to explain the circumstances that caused substandard academic progress and also to describe the steps and actions taken that will help improve academic progress in the future.  
• Students may be required to include supporting documentation to submit the appeal.  

Extension Appeal  

Students disqualified due to exceeding the 150%-unit timeframe of their stated academic program may submit an appeal to extend their eligibility for financial aid beyond that limit. If approved, the extension appeal approval notification will include the eligible courses required for the student’s academic program.

The extension appeal may be submitted following these steps:

• Obtain a new or update an existing Student Educational Plan (SEP) with an academic counselor. The SEP must be comprehensive and list all courses needed to complete the student's academic program.
• Login to the Student Portal, click on the Financial Aid and Scholarships tile and select the current academic year if prompted. 
• Click on SAP Appeal for Extension from the menu on the left.
• Students are prompted to explain the circumstances that made them exceed the 150% timeframe of their program before completing it and to describe the steps and actions that will help them complete their program in a timely manner.  
• Students may include supporting documentation with their appeal. 

Appeals are reviewed by the Appeals Committee. A decision is provided to the student within 45 days of the receipt of the completed appeal. The results of the appeal will be emailed to the student's LACCD email. If an appeal is denied, students will have an opportunity to submit a Request for Second Review, provided there is still time before the semester/session deadline. Students will be able to add additional statements and documentation in the same manner as with their appeal.  A separate committee will review the Request for Second Review submission.

Helpful Hints for Preparing an Appeal

An appeal is reviewed based on its own merit and the evidence of circumstances beyond the student’s control.

Examples of circumstances beyond the student’s control are:

• Death of a relative or other significant person.
• Injury or illness, including, but not limited to, behavioral health conditions, of the student or a relative or other significant person.
• Pregnancy or birth of a child.
• Homelessness.
• Loss of childcare.
• Loss or change in employment.
• Loss of access to personal or public transportation.
• Being a victim of a serious crime, including, but not limited to, domestic abuse, even if the crime was not reported or did not result in criminal prosecution or civil liability.
• Natural disaster.
• Change of major.

What are circumstances not considered beyond the student’s control? 

A few examples of situations that are not considered beyond the student’s control are: lack of knowledge of financial aid and/or college academic regulations and policies, taking classes without an educational plan, failing to drop classes before deadlines, not getting along with instructors, and not taking school seriously. 

Do you know why you have been disqualified from receiving financial aid? 

It is possible to be disqualified for more than one SAP Standard. Each area of disqualification must be clearly addressed in your appeal. If you don’t know why you have been disqualified, please contact the Financial Aid Office. 
 

The Financial Aid Office recognizes that the application for financial aid does not always accurately reflect a student or family’s current situation. The Special Circumstance Appeal process allows students and their family to submit documentation supporting their current financial situation. This documentation may be used to potentially increase student eligibility for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. Some of the situations that may be considered for an appeal are: 

• Loss of employment 
• Significant change to income 
• Large medical expenses not covered by insurance. 
• Separation or divorce 
• Death of parent or spouse 
• Loss of child support or alimony 
• Natural disaster affecting the home you live in 
• One-time payment received and reported on the taxes

Unusual Circumstances Appeal 

There are unusual circumstances in which a student who would typically be considered a dependent student could be determined to be an independent student for financial aid eligibility purposes. The Unusual Circumstance Appeal process allows students to submit documentation supporting their claim to independence. Some of the situations that may be considered for an appeal are: 

• Abandonment by parents 
• Abusive family environment that threatens the student’s health or safety 
• Student is unable to locate parents, 
• Human trafficking,  
• Refugee or asylee status.

If you are experiencing any of these situations the financial aid office can review your circumstances to determine if you can be considered an independent student for the current aid year. These determinations are made on a case-by-case basis with adequate documentation. 

However, there are situations that cannot be taken in considered for a dependency appeal. These are some of them: parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education, parents will not provide information for the FAFSA/CADAA or verification, parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes, or the student demonstrates total self-sufficiency. Check with your Financial Aid Office because you may be eligible for Unsubsidized Loans only.

Submit a Special or Unusual Circumstances Appeal 

These appeals may be submitted online through the Student Forms Portal:

East Los Angeles College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Valley College
West Los Angeles College

1. On the main landing page after you sign in, click on the square titled “Manage Requests” on the right-hand side of the page.  
2. Choose the type of professional judgement appeal you would like to file.  
3. After selecting your request, please carefully read the instructions and provide all the requested information and documentation.  
4. A financial aid technician will follow up with the request and process it.  

The decision on your appeal will be notified to you through the LACCD student email. The decision is final. By law, neither the school's president nor the US Department of Education can override the financial aid administrator's decision.