Federal Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and Required Standards
College Credit Hour Programs (BAS, BSN, AA, AS, PSV Certificates)
Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.34 requires Pensacola State College to establish and apply reasonable standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for the purpose of administration of financial assistance under the programs authorized by Title IV of the Higher Education Act. The programs subject to this rule include, but are not limited to Federal PELL Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work Study, Federal Direct Loans, and some State and Institutional aid. Failure to meet the requirements listed below will result in the suspension of financial aid eligibility. This policy is separate and independent from the Academic SAP policy at this College.
FASAP is evaluated at the end of each semester. Students must meet ALL of the following minimum standards:
- Pensacola State College uses the student's grade point average (GPA) to measure qualitative progress. Remedial/Developmental Education hours are included in this measure. A student must maintain a grade point average dependent upon the total number of hours attempted as indicated below:
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Total Credit Hours Attempted
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Required Minimum Cumulative GPA
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1 to 24
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1.50
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25 to 45
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1.75
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46 or more
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2.00
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AND
- Pensacola State College is required to establish and evaluate the maximum time frame in which students must complete their educational programs and the pace of completion that ensures completion of the programs within that time frame. Pensacola State College requires that all financial aid recipients successfully complete a cumulative minimum of 67% of the credit hours attempted (total hours earned divided by total hours attempted). Financial aid recipients must also complete their program within 150% of the credits required to do so. Remedial/Developmental Education hours are excluded for these calculations. For example, an associate degree of 60 credit hours must be completed within 90 credit hours.
Credits Used. Students, who attend other colleges, must submit all prior transcripts for evaluation. Students who are enrolled concurrently in another college must notify this College. The courses accepted as transfer credit by Pensacola State College that meet declared program of study requirements will be considered in the evaluation of progress. All successfully completed transfer courses accepted and courses taken at Pensacola State College that meet or could have met the student’s declared program of study requirements will be included in determining Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP).
Program Changes. Students will be awarded Title IV funding for a maximum of four unique programs of study at Pensacola State College. A student may appeal this loss of eligibility if the student has documentable mitigating circumstances which directly caused the program changes. For more information, please refer to the appeal process. Program changes after the effective date of this policy will be counted toward the number of changes allowed.
Course Incompletes/Withdrawals. Successful completion of coursework is defined at Pensacola State College as earning a grade of A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D or P.
Course Repetitions. Under HEA regulations, a Title IV recipient is permitted to repeat a course in which a failing grade was previously earned without limit, except as imposed by the FASAP standards. Once a student has earned a grade of A+, A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D or P, one repeat of the course is permitted to be counted toward calculating Title IV aid eligibility enrollment for the semester. All subsequent attempts of that course are ineligible for Title IV funding.
Financial Aid Warning Semester. Students must meet all of the FASAP required standards to be considered in Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic standing. Students who are found to not be in Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic standing at the end of any semester are automatically placed on warning for their subsequent semester of enrollment, except when the student reaches or exceeds the 150% maximum time frame allowed for his/her program or the students PELL Grant disbursements meet the lifetime eligibility limit (600% of a full time PELL Grant award). Students who are enrolled during the financial aid warning semester may receive Title IV aid, as long as they are otherwise eligible. Students are notified via PirateMail of the warning status.
During the warning semester the student must successfully work to regain FASAP by meeting the required completion rate standard (67%) and the graduated grade point average required for the number of credits attempted (see chart). If the student does not meet the required standards during the semester of warning, he/she will no longer be eligible for Title IV aid.
Financial Aid Suspension. Students who do not regain FASAP after a semester of warning will have Title IV aid suspended because they are no longer eligible. Students who reach or exceed maximum time frame for their program of study (150% of the required credits) will have their Title IV aid eligibility suspended. Students who no longer have sufficient credits of potential eligibility remaining to complete their declared program of study will have their Title IV aid suspended ((34 CFR 668.34(a)(8)(ii)), 668.34(d)(2)(iii)(B).
Financial Aid Probation Semester. Students who fail to meet all of the FASAP standards after the warning semester are only eligible to receive further Title IV aid if they successfully appeal for federal aid reinstatement. A student who does not have an approved appeal will be unable to receive any Title IV aid (PELL Grant, SEOG, Direct Loans, College Work Study). Students must agree to and follow an approved academic plan which is developed with an academic advisor and submitted with their appeal documentation for review and approval of the Colleges Appeal Committee. Students are notified via PirateMail of the probation status. Conditions of an approved appeal are determined by the Appeal Committee and provided via PirateMail to the student. Students who follow their approved academic plans and meet the conditions of their approved appeals will continue to receive aid for which they are eligible until their status changes or they complete their program of study ((34 CFR 668.34(a)(8)(ii), 668.34(d)(2)(iii)(B)).
FASAP Appeals. Title IV applicants and recipients who are not in financial aid satisfactory academic standing due to circumstances beyond their control may appeal their statuses by accessing the Colleges FASAP appeal process. Extenuating circumstances* beyond the students control that directly impacted progress must be explained and documented. All students who are eligible to submit an appeal must also submit a completed academic plan. In order to develop the academic plan, the student must meet with an academic advisor and comply with all associated requirements. When an appeal is approved, the student must adhere to the associated academic plan and the conditions listed in the approved appeal letter. Full instructions for submitting a FASAP appeal and the required academic plan are located on the Colleges website on the financial aid pages. Pensacola State College reviews FASAP progress at the end of each semester of enrollment for all students, including those on financial aid probation. Students who follow their approved academic plans and meet the conditions of their approved appeals will continue to receive aid for which they are eligible until their status changes or they complete their program of study. Students meeting the conditions of their approved appeal should submit a continuing application.
*Documented extenuating circumstances might include, but are not limited to:
1) Serious illness or injury to the student;
2) Serious illness, injury, or death of a student's immediate family member (parent, sibling, spouse, children); or
3) Special documented circumstances of a unique and substantial nature.
All FASAP appeals will be evaluated by the FASAP appeals committee or its designee.
Monitoring Financial Aid Progress
Each financial aid recipient will have progress monitored at the end of the term, beginning with the first credit hour attempted as a degree-seeking student. If, at the end of a term, the student has not met the required standards, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. (See Required Standards.) If the student does not achieve FASAP at the end of the Warning semester, eligibility for federal and state financial assistance will be suspended until the student returns to FASAP status of clear. (See FASAP definition.)
Note: A transfer student's eligibility for all federal aid including Direct Loans is based on their successfully completed transfer courses accepted and courses taken at Pensacola State College that meet or could have met the student's currently declared program of study requirements. These credits are used to establish their cumulative grade point average and completion rate as documented in the student's record in the College Student Record System.