Transcript Document 7536613

The following is a presentation prepared
for the
2005 FALL MASFAP CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 6-8
Instant Replay, Let’s Review That
One Again!
SAP Overview for Newcomers
MASFAP FALL 2005
Todd Martin, Director of Financial Aid,
East Central College
A Little Humor
 If only students could fill out our forms correct the first
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time!
Relayed by Todd Martin
Early on in my financial aid career, I collected a
verification worksheet that made me laugh. The
student listed her family members on a verification
worksheet in the following manner (names have been
changed):
Cathy Smith self
33 MHCC
Fred Smith Spouse 33 none
Chris Smith Dog
9 none
A Little Humor
 Duh!
 Relayed by one of my staff members
 This staff member received a call last week.
The person asked, “Do I have to enroll to
receive a student loan?”
A Little Humor
 We all know students love to mix up terms
 Relayed by Gail Catron:
 She says, ”One of our students at Wytheville
Community College called Counseling and
told the Counselor that she could not register
until she got her pelvic check.”
A Little Humor
 I had to include a funny SAP story
 Relayed by Celena Rader-Lambdin, Director
of Financial Aid, Lincoln Memorial University,
Harrogate, Tennessee:
 She says, “My favorite story is the student
who received a Satisfactory Academic
Progress letter....and called to ask what we
meant by calling her a "SAP"! “
Agenda
 Federal requirements
 School requirements
 East Central College’s SAP policy
 Do you need to revise your policy?
 Tips for counseling students
Federal & School Requirements
 Where you can find Federal and School
Requirements
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Vol. 1- Student Eligibility
pages 1-8,1-9
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachm
ents/0506Vol1.pdf
Vol. 2 –School Eligibility and Operations
Pages 2-174/2-179
http://www.ifap.ed.gov/sfahandbooks/attachme
nts/0505V2C10.pdf
Federal Requirements
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Qualitative standards: Student must have a “C”
average or equivalent at conclusion of second
year of enrollment, or an academic standing
consistent with school’s graduation requirements
Quantitative standards: Student cannot receive aid
for more than 150% of published length of
program
SAP standards must be same as or stricter than
standards for non-Title IV recipients
Federal Requirements

School must establish, publish, &
consistently apply standards for measuring
whether a student is maintaining SAP
School Requirements
 A school must have a Satisfactory
Academic Progress policy that
includes the following elements:
School Requirements
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Qualitative Component:
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Must meet the basic federal requirement
The written policy must include how it handles
course repetitions
The school can exclude grades from prior
attempts when calculating GPA, but it must
include the credits from all attempts when
calculating the maximum time frame (150%)
School Requirements
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Quantitative component:
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Must meet the basic federal requirement
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The school determines whether to measure in
academic years or terms, credit hours attempted,
or clock hours completed
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As soon as it is clear that a student will not
graduate within this period, they become
ineligible for aid
School Requirements
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The policy must explain the effect of
incomplete course grades, withdrawals,
repetitions, and noncredit remedial courses on
satisfactory progress
The policy must include rules for both
undergraduate and graduated students who
change majors, as well as for students who
seek to earn additional degrees
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Example: A school can exclude hours that do not
count toward a new major
School Requirements
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The policy must define how it measures
increments
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An increment cannot be longer than half of the
program or one academic year, whichever is
less
The policy must explain the amount of work a
student must successfully complete at the
end of each increment
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This can be a percentage of the attempted
hours instead of a fixed number of credits
A graduated completion percentage may be
used
School Requirements
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The policy must include procedures through
which a student may appeal
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You may permit a student to appeal for mitigating
circumstances, but your policy must explain the
mitigating circumstances under which a student
may appeal
If the appeal is approved, the school is
suspending the SAP standard for this student not
modifying their academic record
School Requirements
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Finally the policy must include specific
procedures for students to re-establish SAP
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Requirements to sit out for a term, or pay for a set
number of hours without financial aid may be
included as components of a school’s SAP policy.
However, a student can re-establish eligibility
only by taking actions that brings them into
compliance with the qualitative and quantitative
components of the school’s standard
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Qualitative Component:
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All students who have completed 24 semester
hours or less must have a 1.8 cumulative
GPA. Students who have completed more
than 24 semester hours must have a 2.0
cumulative GPA
Only the highest grade is counted for course
repetitions for your GPA. However, all
repeated classes are counted as attempted
hours. GPA is reviewed each semester
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Quantitative Component:
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Students must complete a total of 67% of all
coursework attempted, including degree and
remedial coursework. Coursework attempted
during all semesters, including fall, spring, and
summer will be evaluated cumulatively. This
percentage is reviewed each semester
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Course Grades:
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Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade
of A, B, C, D, or P
A grade of “F” (Failure), “W” (Withdrawal), “H” (Audit),
or “I” (Incomplete) is considered unsatisfactory. All
coursework must be completed within the regular
semester time frame. Although the College allows a
student to take an incomplete grade in a course and
complete the course in the following semester, the
course was not completed in the specified time frame,
and the grade is therefore, unsatisfactory
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Change Majors:
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Students may request a review of their
cumulative, attempted, and completed hours if
they switch degrees. ESL and remedial
courses will not be counted as attempted or
completed hours during this review. ECC will
not review an over hours student with a
suspension status unless the suspension date
is more than two years from the date of the
request
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Increments and amount of work the student must complete:
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In the fall, Jane Doe attempts 15 credit hours and completes 9. She
withdrew from two, three-credit hour courses. Jane completed 60% of
the coursework she attempted. This is below the minimum standard of
67%. Therefore, Jane is on probation going into the spring semester.
While on probation she can continue to receive financial aid. However,
she must carefully consider the number of credit hours she attempts in
the spring.
In the spring Jane attempts 6 credit hours and completes all of them.
Now, her cumulative record shows that she has attempted 21 and
completed 15. She has improved her standing and now has completed
71% of all coursework she has attempted. Now Jane is back in good
standing and removed from financial aid probation. (Note: If Jane
accomplished the above, but only had a 1.79 cumulative GPA at the
end of this semester she would have been placed on financial aid
suspension.)
If Jane did not bring her cumulative completed hours back up to 67% of
courses attempted by the end of the spring semester, she would have
been placed on financial aid suspension and, therefore, would be
ineligible to receive financial aid in future semesters.
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Procedures for appeal:
 In the event of mitigating circumstances, the student
may request to be continued in the financial aid
programs through a written appeal to the Financial Aid
appeals committee. A student may appeal for the
following reasons: becoming very ill or severely
injured, a relative dies, becomes very ill or severely
injured, a documental mental illness, divorce or family
abuse, or documented work conflict. Students will be
notified in writing of the results. Only one suspension
may be approved through appeal
East Central College’s SAP policy
 Procedures for students to re-establish SAP
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Students can re-establish eligibility by bringing
themselves back into compliance with the
required cumulative GPA, and the required
67% completed hours out of all hours
attempted within their degree program
Do you need to revise your policy?
 When you return to the office review your
SAP policy
 If a required component is missing, notify the
appropriate person
 Remember your policy could be totally
different than ECC’s and still be OK
 If you check only one thing, make sure you
look at how students can re-establish
eligibility
Tips for counseling students
 When speaking with each student, assume
they have no understanding of this policy
 Stick to the basic qualitative and quantitative
components
 Encourage them to finish as many courses as
possible
 If you have tutoring services on campus,
make sure you refer them to this office
Tips for counseling students
 Try to think of questions they have not asked
 If they are emotional when they come in,
encourage them to come back at a later time,
because they will probably not hear anything
you say
 Before they leave, give them your policy even
if they received it earlier
 Ask if they have any last questions
Questions:
Todd Martin
Director of Financial Aid
1964 Prairie Dell Rd
Union, MO 63084
(636) 583-5195 ext. 2211
[email protected]
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