Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
Federal Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy and Required Standards
College Credit Hour Programs
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 program specific and is evaluated at the end of each term. Students must meet ALL of the following minimum standards:
Pensacola State College uses the student's program specific 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 for their program as indicated:
| Total Credit Hours Attempted |
Required Minimum Cumulative GPA |
| 1 to 24 |
1.50 |
| 25 to 45 |
1.75 |
| 46 or more |
2.00 |
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
The Records Office reviews and evaluates submitted postsecondary transcripts from a student’s prior colleges. All successfully completed and accepted transfer courses 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 the calculation for cumulative primary program GPA, completion rate and maximum timeframe measurements. If a transcript is provided and evaluated after financial aid is awarded, those credits will be included in the next SAP evaluation at the end of the currently term after grades posts.
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. When an incomplete grade is confirmed, it would be factored in the next FASAP evaluation for cumulative primary program GPA, completion rate and maximum timeframe of the student’s primary program of study. The College will not retroactively change the student's FASAP status when the grade of "I" becomes a final grade since, at the time of the FASAP evaluation, the grade of "I" was a valid grade.
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 term. All subsequent attempts of that course are ineligible for Title IV funding. Completion Rate and Maximum Timeframe: If a course that is applicable to the student’s primary program of study or certificate program of study is repeated, each attempt is included in the completion rate and maximum time frame calculations. Although, for developmental coursework it is not included in the completion rate and maximum time frame calculations measurements; it is included in the cumulative GPA calculation. Note: only the latest grade received is used in the cumulative primary program GPA calculation.
Financial Aid Warning Term
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 term are automatically placed on warning for their subsequent term 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 term may receive Title IV aid, as long as they are otherwise eligible. Students are notified via PirateMail of the warning status.
During the warning term 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 term of warning, he or she will no longer be eligible for Title IV aid.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students who do not regain FASAP after a term 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.
Financial Aid Probation Term
Students who fail to meet all of the FASAP standards after the warning term 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, Plus Loans, and 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.
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 College website on the financial aid pages. Pensacola State College reviews FASAP progress at the end of each term 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 must submit a continuing appeal each new academic year.
*Documented extenuating circumstances might include, but are not limited to:
- Serious illness or injury to the student;
- Serious illness, injury, or death of a student's immediate family member (parent, sibling, spouse, children); or
- 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 term. (See Required Standards) If the student does not achieve FASAP at the end of the Warning term, eligibility for federal and state financial assistance will be suspended until the student returns to satisfactory FASAP status of good.
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.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress for Career Certificate (Clock Hour) Programs
In order for students in clock hour certificate programs to receive financial aid, they must maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP) toward completion of their program. Satisfactory progress is evaluated at the end of each payment period after grades are posted and also at the time the student completes both the required hours and weeks in a payment period if not concurrent with the end of a standard term. If satisfactory progress is not achieved at the end of that payment period, financial aid assistance will be suspended or delayed until such time as the student regains satisfactory academic progress. FASAP is measured in terms of pace and grade point average (GPA). Pace progression is defined as the ratio of clock hours completed to clock hours scheduled and weeks scheduled to weeks completed as defined for the program payment periods.
Minimum Requirements (Qualitative and Quantitative)
GPA
Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0.*
Progression
Students must successfully complete at least 67% of the clock hours attempted.
*Minimum may be higher than 2.0 GPA based on clock hour program requirements.
Maximum Time Frame
Pensacola State College students may continue to receive their federal financial aid as long as they maintain the ability to complete their program within 150% of the scheduled weeks of the program and they meet the quantitative and qualitative minimums. Example: A 44 week program has a maximum time frame of 66 weeks (44 weeks x 150%).
Students not meeting minimum requirements for their clock hour program will have their financial aid assistance delayed or suspended.
All payment periods or terms of attendance will be included in the evaluation, regardless of what year the student first enrolled or first received federal aid.
All transfer clock hours that are used to complete the clock hours required for the program will impact the number of clock hours required for which the student may be awarded aid. These hours will also be used to measure qualitative and quantitative eligibility.
Transfer Credits
Courses accepted as transfer credit by Pensacola State College that meet the declared program of study requirements will be used in evaluation of progress.
Course Incompletes / Withdrawals
Successful completion of coursework is defined at Pensacola State College as earning a grade of A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D or P in most programs.