Satisfactory Academic Progress

» SAP Review
» Possible SAP statuses
» Appeal Process
» Required Documentation
» Submission Deadline
» Appeal Decisions
» Notification
» Common Situations Affecting SAP Status
» Repeat Coursework

Becker College, in accordance with federal regulations, requires all students who receive federal financial assistance to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative G.P.A. and number of credits attempted according to their enrollment status, which meets the qualitative and quantitative elements of this requirement:

Full-time student: 12 credits per semester
Three-quarter-time student: 9 credits per semester
Half-time student: 6 credits per semester

The complete academic progress policy is included with each financial aid award letter.

SAP Review

SAP is reviewed at the conclusion of each semester (e.g., fall, spring, summer).

Possible SAP Statuses

SAP met. All components of SAP are met; the student continues to be eligible for federal student aid.
Warning. If the student fails to meet any one of the required SAP components, the student will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester. The student continues to be eligible for federal student aid.
Ineligible. The student fails to meet SAP requirements after the warning semester, and the student is no longer eligible to receive federal student aid.
Probation. A student whose SAP status is ineligible may appeal for reinstatement of federal student aid eligibility. If an appeal is approved, the student is placed on probation for one semester. Limitations: A student may only be on probation for three consecutive terms, and four terms overall.

Appeal Process

Acceptable circumstances:

Personal injury or illness
Family injury, illness, or other emergency
Death of a close relative
Other extenuating circumstances

Required Documentation

SAP Appeal Form. Students must complete the SAP Appeal Form, attach required documentation, and have the form signed by an academic advisor.
Letter from student. The letter must include an explanation of why the student failed to make SAP and how the circumstances that led to failure to make SAP have changed so as to allow the student to make SAP according to the required academic plan. Students are encouraged to provide documentation supporting extenuating circumstances specified in their letter.
Academic plan. The academic advisor and the student must devise an academic plan that provides a roadmap for the student to make SAP within two consecutive semesters.

Submission Deadline

SAP appeal requests must be submitted at least a week prior to the first week of classes of the term for which a student has been deemed ineligible.

Appeal Decisions

The SAP appeal committee will review all requests for reinstatement. The committee decision will be rendered within one week of receipt of all required documents. Possible outcomes are:

Approved. Upon the basis of the academic plan, the committee decides to reinstate financial aid for one semester (probation). Further eligibility will be contingent on the student meeting the conditions of the academic plan.
Denied. The committee decides not to reinstate the student‘s federal, state, and institutional financial aid. The student is obligated to make alternative payment arrangements. If the student meets SAP requirements in a future term, aid can be reinstated.

Notification

SAP Appeal Committee decisions will be communicated to the student in a letter and by email.

Common Situations Affecting SAP Status

Incompletes, failing grades, withdrawals reduce the student’s rate of progress because these grades count as attempted, but are not included as earned credits. These credits are also included toward the maximum credits allowed.
Pass/fail courses count as attempted credits and are included toward the maximum allowed credits.
Repeated courses count as attempted credits, but only once are they counted as earned credits. Each repeat is included toward the maximum allowed credits.
Transfer credits. All transfer credits accepted at Becker College are counted as both attempted and earned and are included toward the maximum allowed credits.

Repeat Coursework

The Department of Education has implemented new regulations governing repeated coursework. The regulations have been implemented to improve the pace of graduation completion for students, which in turn should reduce loan indebtedness and preserve grant funding levels.

Below is an outline of important points for this new regulation.

Applies to all students receiving financial aid.

Applies to full-time and part-time students.

May repeat previously passed course only once. Passing includes grades of A, B, C, D (+/-).

- Exceptions include courses which may be taken more than once for credit, such as “special topics” or” advanced topics”.

May repeat failed course until it is passed.

Full-time, for the purpose of determining repeat course eligibility is defined as 12 hours. A student who is enrolled in 15 hours, for example, to include a repeat course will not be impacted because the student is enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours which are not repeats.

Federal and State financial aid, to include student loans, parent loans, grants and Federal Work study cannot be applied for any previously passed course that has been repeated more than once.

Example I

John completes English 1001 and receives a grade of D. John may receive financial aid to repeat English 1001 only once more in an attempt to improve his grade. Even if John does not receive the minimum grade of C on his second attempt, financial aid will not pay for the course for any future repeat of English 1001 (unless John is enrolled in 12 hours or more not including the repeat course).

Example II

Jason completes Math 1200 and receives a grade of F. Jason may receive financial aid to repeat Math 1200 until he receives a passing grade of at least a D-. After receiving a passing grade, Jason may receive financial aid to repeat Math 1200 only once more (unless Jason is enrolled in 12 hours or more not including the repeat course).

These examples address the impact on student financial aid:

Example I

Mary is registered for 12 credits including English 1001, which she has taken twice before. Her previous grades were D and C-. Mary is considered ¾ time for financial aid purposes because the 3 credits of English cannot be covered by financial aid after two attempts which resulted in passing grades.

Example II

Jeffrey is registered for 15 credits including Math 1200, which he has taken twice before. His previous grades were D and C-. Jeffrey is considered full-time for financial aid purposes because even though the 3 credits of Math cannot be covered by financial aid, he is still registered in 12 eligible credits.

Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid 508.373.9440 or your email your dedicated financial aid counselor if you have questions.