Beginning with the Fall 2011 semester, a number of changes affecting financial aid will occur. Many of the changes are directly related to standards mandated by the federal government for your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) so that you can receive financial aid. These changes, explained below, are based on regulations that apply to all financial aid recipients, beginning July 1, 2011.

Requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Note: Financial Aid SAP is separate and stricter than SPC Admissions and Records Office requirements.

If you have applied for and receive financial aid, in order to continue receiving your financial aid you must

Earn and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0.
Maintain a completion rate of at least 67% (cumulative number of credit hours successfully completed divided by the cumulative credit hours attempted)
Graduate with no more than 150% of the credit hours required for your declared major.

Warnings and Suspensions

Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured at the conclusion of each semester.

If you do not maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, or a completion rate of at least 67%, you will be placed on financial aid “warning.”

During the “warning” period, you will continue to qualify for financial aid for one semester or summer term.
You should meet with an advisor before the beginning of the “warning” semester to determine the best course of action to regain full financial aid status.

If you have not regained the required cumulative 2.0 cumulative GPA and the 67% completion rate at the end of the “warning” period you will be placed on “financial aid suspension”.

^oIf you are placed on “financial aid suspension” and you enroll in any classes at SPC, you must pay your own tuition, fees and cost of class materials until you meet the required SAP.

The warning period only applies to failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA or failure to maintain the required completion rate. If you have attempted credit hours in excess of 150% of the minimum required to complete your program of study, you will have exhausted financial aid eligibility and will immediately be placed on financial aid suspension.

The 150% credit hour limit includes any college level courses a student attempts or completes, regardless if the student uses their own resources.

Notification of status

SPC will notify students of their financial aid status in the following ways:
- o On Campus Connect
- o Via e-mails sent to the student’s SPC email account
- o USPS letter, upon request

Financial Aid Appeals

Financial Aid Suspension Appeals will only be considered for extreme extenuating circumstances.

Examples of extenuating circumstances include:
- o Injury or illness of the student.
- o The death of a relative.
- o Other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
- Financial Aid Appeals must include the following:
  - o Financial Aid appeal form (available on the SPC website and in SPC financial aid offices.)
  - o Official documentation of circumstances sited for the appeal.
  - o A typed personal statement that includes an explanation of the circumstances, what has changed and the student’s academic goals and specific plans to achieve them.
  - o A degree outline obtained from a counselor or advisor.
  - Appeals considered for approval must show that it is possible for the student to meet the SAP requirements by the end of one additional semester.
  - Appeals will be given more credence if the student met with an advisor and completed a Financial Aid Success Plan when they were placed on “warning”.
  - Only one financial aid appeal shall be allowed in any given semester.
  - Appeal submission deadlines will be posted on the SPC website and course schedule.
  - The appeal packet must be complete before submission. Incomplete packets will not be considered.
  - The decision of the appeal committee is final.

Repetitions, Withdrawals, Incompletes and Remedial Courses

Only the latest grade for a repeated course is calculated in the cumulative GPA. More detailed information on how the cumulative GPA is calculated and the effect of withdrawals, incompletes and grade changes can be found in the Enrollment in Courses section of the SPC General Catalog.

All repeated coursework will be counted in the completion rate and against the 150% credit hour limit.

If you are otherwise eligible, you may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 attempted credit hours in developmental/remedial course work. Once the 30-credit-hour maximum is reached, additional developmental credit hours will not be used to calculate the award amount.

Developmental hours are not included in the calculation of the 150% credit hour limit, the completion rate or in the cumulative GPA calculation.

Grades of W, X, U, F and I will be counted as hours attempted but will not be counted as hours successfully completed.

Transfer Students

Course work taken at another institution that is accepted and officially transcribed as transfer credit by SPC will count toward the 150% maximum calculated hours as well as the cumulative completion rate.
Grades from other schools are not considered in SPC’s financial aid SAP policy.

Other Important Financial Aid Information and Rules

Repayment of federal funds

If you receive federal financial aid and withdraw from all courses at or before the time when 60% of the term is completed, you will be required to repay a portion of the federal aid received.
Refer to the SPC website or SPC General Catalog for 60% dates.
If you receive a grade of F in all courses for a semester, you will be required to repay a portion of financial aid received, unless an instructor documents that you participated in at least one class through the 60% point of the term.

Financial aid will not pay for:

Courses taken by audit
Credit hours earned by placement tests

Loan Eligibility Is Validated at Every Disbursement

In accordance with federal regulations, a school must verify that a loan recipient is meeting SAP each time funds are released to the student.
If you have been awarded money under the Federal Direct Loan Program, you will have all or part of your loan canceled if you are not meeting SAP at the time loan funds are available for disbursement.
You will not be considered for future loans until you meet the SAP requirements again.

TEXAS Grant and TEOG

Note: Some nonfederal student aid programs (i.e., state grants and private foundations) have specific SAP requirements unique to the individual program. In those instances, the program requirements will supersede the general SAP policy stated here. It is your responsibility as a student to understand the requirements of each financial aid program from which you receive aid.

For the initial year of TEXAS grant eligibility, the student must meet the Standards of Academic Progress as described for Federal financial aid programs. To remain eligible for the initial year of eligibility, a student must maintain a 2.5 financial aid grade point average on a scale of 4.0 Financial aid GPA includes all attempted hours, even those that a student has withdrawn from. “W’s” will count like “F’s” in GPA calculation for this program. Students must also complete 75% of all hours attempted each semester. There is NO appeal process for being suspended from the TEXAS grant program. A student may regain eligibility in semesters subsequent to the suspended semester at his or her own expense. However, the time lost without TEXAS grant funding will still count towards the cumulative 6 year time frame that the grant can be received.

Texas Education Opportunity Grant (TEOG) program participants must maintain the financial aid grade point average of 2.5 and the 75% completion rate from the initial year of eligibility.

Have Questions?

We know these changes may be confusing. If you have questions about how they may affect you, please contact our:

Glossary of terms

150% Credit Hour Limit – A student may not receive financial aid for courses that exceed 150% of the minimum credit hours required for the student’s declared degree plan. For example, an Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies requires successful completion of a minimum of 62 college level credit hours. A student following this degree plan will exceed the 150% credit hour limit when the student attempts more than 93 credit hours (62 X 150%). In the same way, a student following a degree plan for a Certificate of Proficiency in Digital Forensics, which requires successful completion of a minimum of 33 credit hours, would exceed the 150% credit hour limit when the student attempts more than 50 credit hours (33 X 150%).

Completion Rate – The result of dividing the cumulative number of college level credit hours successfully completed by the cumulative college level credit hours attempted.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) – Determined by dividing the total number of grade points earned in college-level courses at SPC by the total number of semester hours of college-level courses for which the student has been registered, including grades of “F”.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) – A measure used to determine if the student is progressing at an acceptable rate. SAP is achieved when the student maintains at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, is successfully completing at least 67% of all college level courses attempted, and has not attempted more than 150% of the credit hours required for the declared major.

Successful Completion of Courses - For financial aid purposes, successful completion of courses is when the course is completed with a grade of A, B, C or D.

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