Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for the 2008-2009 Aid Year
Students are required by federal regulations to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to qualify for and remain eligible for financial aid. Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured by both qualitative and quantitative standards. These standards apply to students attending Gordon College and do not necessarily affect aid eligibility at other institutions. The SAP standards at Gordon College are as follows:
Qualitative
Students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standards as described in the Gordon College Academic Catalog. This standard is measured at the end of each summer semester. Students who are placed on academic or learning support suspension for a term during which they received financial aid will not be eligible to receive aid until they have reestablished eligibility for such aid. Students failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress (and are not on SAP probation) because of qualitative measures and who are not placed on academic or learning support suspension, will have the right to appeal his or her standing if they so choose. This also applies to students who fail to meet the measure for quantitative standards. The qualitative standards of measure are outlined below:
To remain in good academic standing, students are required to maintain an acceptable cumulative grade point average. The minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) is based on the number of semester hours attempted. This standard will be reviewed at the end of each semester. For the purposes of this policy, the following measures are used:
| Total Hours Attempted | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 1-15 | 1.40 |
| 16-30 | 1.60 |
| 31-45 | 1.80 |
| 46-59 | 1.90 |
| 60 | 2.00 |
Quantitative
Students must complete their degree within a maximum time frame by completing a minimum percentage of attempted hours during the course of study.
At Gordon College, the maximum time frame allowed is 150% of the number of semester hours required to earn the degree. For example, a student who is required to earn 64 semester hours in order to be awarded a degree may not receive financial aid after attempting 96 semester credit hours at Gordon College.
Each semester, students must also successfully complete 66% of their cumulative attempted hours to remain eligible for financial aid. Withdrawal grades are not considered successful completion. Students failing to complete the required number of courses their first semester will be placed on probation and remain eligible to receive financial aid in the next semester in which they attend and have remaining financial aid funds. A student whose initial probationary period is summer semester may use the subsequent fall semester as his or her probationary period if they have no financial aid eligibility remaining for said summer semester. Those students who do not successfully complete 66% of their cumulative courses in subsequent semesters following this probationary period will remain on probation if they complete all of the hours they attempted and improved their GPA during the semester on which they were placed on probation. This will continue until they have either regained good standing as it relates to satisfactory academic progress or they fail to meet the requirements to remain on SAP probation. Students who fail to meet the requirements to continue on SAP probation will have their financial aid terminated for the following semester. This applies to students that fail to meet the Qualitative and/or Quantitative measure. Once a student’s financial aid is terminated, he or she may regain their eligibility by following the policy for reestablishing eligibility for financial aid. This policy is available on the Gordon College web site as well as in the Gordon College Financial Aid Office.
The measure for this standard is outlined below:
| Student Classification | Start | End | %Earned Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Student | 0 | 96 | 66% |
| Nursing | 0 | 102 | 66% |
| Teacher Education * | 0 | 207 | 66% |
| *This measure is for junior and senior level students enrolled in Gordon’s Early Childhood Education program. | |||
As previously stated, the first semester in which a student fails to make satisfactory academic progress in either the quantitative or qualitative measure (or both) will result in the student being placed on SAP probation. Students will be notified by email of this status upon completion of the review that places them on SAP probation. This means that the student will remain eligible to receive financial aid for that semester as long as they financial aid funds available for use in said semester. If a student has no funds available for use in the initial probationary period, he or she may use the subsequent semester in which they enroll and have available financial aid funds as his or her probationary period.
Review of students on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation or on Appeal
Students on SAP Probation or who have successfully appealed their standing will be checked at the end of their probationary semester or at the end of the semester in which the appeal is exhausted. Students will remain on probation if they complete all of the hours they attempted and improved their GPA during the semester on which they were placed on probation. This will continue until they have either regained good standing as it relates to satisfactory academic progress or they fail to meet the requirements to remain on SAP probation. Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which they were placed on SAP probation will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon College until they have regained their eligibility according to the policy for reestablishing eligibility for financial aid. Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which their appeal is exhausted will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon College until they have regained their eligibility according to the policy for reestablishing eligibility for financial aid.
If a student is evaluated at the end of a semester in which either the probationary or appeal status ends and said student is once again making Satisfactory Academic Progress, he or she will be eligible for financial aid in the next semester of enrollment at Gordon College.
Please review the following information as it relates to the Gordon College SAP policy:
- Withdrawal hours are counted in the quantitative measure.
- All learning support hours are included in the calculation.
- Grades of "incomplete" are counted in the quantitative measure. This includes learning support hours.
- Repeated classes count as any other class in both the qualitative and quantitative measure. Repeated classes do not replace any previously attempted classes.
- All transfer hours that are accepted for credit toward the intended degree at Gordon College are counted in both the quantitative and qualitative measures.
- Noncredit remedial courses, if offered, are not included in this calculation.
- If a student chooses to pursue a second degree, all courses that apply to the second degree will be counted in the calculation as it relates to the second degree.