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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

What is it?

The Higher Educational Amendments of 1998 require that all students make satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for Federal financial aid. This brochure describes the SAP policy at Mt. Hood Community College. MHCC also applies these standards to all of its gift programs. Therefore, the basic SAP standards that are explained throughout this brochure will be applied to ALL TALENT GRANT AND RECOGNITION AWARD (WAIVER) recipients as well. Accepting any award means you understand and will follow these policies.

Criteria For Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAP is measured in both credit hours completed and grade point average (GPA) received and is monitored term-by-term.

• FULL–TIME - Complete 12 or more contract credit hours* each term with a minimum term GPA of 2.00.
• THREE–QUARTER TIME - Complete 9 through 11 contract credit hours* each term with a minimum term GPA of 2.00.
• HALF–TIME - Complete 6 through 8 contract credit hours* each term with a minimum term GPA of 2.00.
• LESS THAN HALF–TIME - Complete 1–5 contract credit hours* each term with a minimum term GPA of 2.00.
• If you are receiving financial aid, you must be accepted into and working toward an eligible degree or certificate. Completion of your contract credit hours each term shows movement in that direction. A pace slower than these contracted credit hours will require more terms.

NOTE: *Contract credit hours means the least number of credit hours you agreed to complete, based on your award offer.

Grades

• These grades are satisfactory and the credits will be counted toward your contract credit agreement: A, B, C, D, K*, S, P (S and P count as a C grade in calculating GPA) even though you would have earned a higher grade based on your classroom percentages.
• These grades are not satisfactory and no credits will be counted: F, X, N, W, U, I, Delayed Grade.
• If you withdraw from courses, you will have those course credit hours counted as attempted but not earned. You may need to add approved curriculum courses to complete enough contract credit hours in that term. But those new class completion dates may extend beyond the end of the regular term, and the next term's aid may be delayed.
• Because some classes beginning late (usually one credit) in the term may be at some risk of being cancelled due to low enrollment, we recommend taking an additional course from your curriculum if you would not meet contract credit hours if a class is cancelled.
• If you get a K grade, you should register for and pass that course the next term. Further, the K grades should result from at least one full term’s effort, NOT late registration.
• Grade changes back more than one term will not be considered when financial aid reinstatement for a current term is determined. Appeals for future terms will be considered.
• Look in the college catalog for grade explanations.
  * See “Reinstatement of Aid...” Section for K grade exception.

Credits

Acceptable credits for financial aid and waivers are:

• Credits that apply toward your eligible degree, certificate or program. A maximum of 12 credits for Cooperative Work Experience (CWE) and 6 credits for PE will be accepted (unless more are required by the professional/technical program).
• 1st repeat of courses with original grades of “D” or “F” or “W”.
• Remedial or prerequisite credits supported by placement test scores, and your degree or certificate program.

Unacceptable credits for financial aid and waivers are:

• Credits taken for personal enrichment or occupational supplementary reasons.
• Credits earned by challenges, Evaluated Work/Life Experience (EWLE), CLEP and Occupational Extension Programs or classes.
• An indication of non–attendance grades of F, U and N.
• Classes that do not earn credits (i.e. audits, community courses).

NOTE: You must attend class to receive financial aid. If you do not, all aid must be repaid.

Tuition Waivers For Less Than The Credit Hours For Which You Enroll:

You will be expected to complete all the courses for which you enroll (attempt) each term. Your progress will be monitored from ALL credits, NOT just the number your waiver covered. For example, if you enroll as a full–time student at 12 credits and get a waiver for 6 credits (1/2 time), your progress will be monitored based on the full time student status.

Repeating Courses

• Any course at Mt. Hood may be repeated ONCE, for aid purposes, to improve a grade lower than a “C” or that has been indicated by a counselor/advisor as not meeting program requirements. Repeats are part of the 120 credit hour limit.

Prior Term’s Sap Monitoring

• If you have taken college classes anywhere, you must have a 2.00 accumulative GPA when you apply at MHCC, whether or not you were on aid. If your GPA was less, you will be considered aid denied. You must appeal that status (see “Aid Denied”).
• If you have taken college classes anywhere and earned less than two thirds of your “attempted” credits whether or not you were on aid, you will also be considered aid denied. You Must Also Appeal That Status (See “Aid Denied”).

Remedial/Prerequisite Work

• If necessary, you may take remedial courses funded by financial aid. These courses must be supported by placement test scores. These credits will be included in the 120 credit hour limit but are reason for appeal and extension.

Program Time Frames (see “...Appeals” also)

• You may receive aid until you have attempted a maximum of 120 credit hours to complete your degree or certificate. This includes credits attempted from previous post-secondary institutions.
• You must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 at the end of your sixth term to be eligible for continued aid.
• Credits from all colleges are counted, whether you were receiving Financial Aid or not.
• If you are a transfer student, your transcripts will be analyzed to calculate credits attempted to date. Clock hours and semester credits will be converted to quarter credit hours and included in the 120 credit hour limit calculation.
• 120 credit hour limit is not enforced for waivers.

Probation (See chart also)

Probation means your grades or completed credits were not satisfactory but you may receive financial aid or a tuition waiver for another term. Probationary status will occur when:

• You have met contracted credit hours with a GPA of at least 1.50 or ;
• When you have completed at least two thirds of contracted credit hours with at least a 2.00 GPA.

Aid Denied (See chart also)

Aid Denied means you will not receive financial aid or a tuition waiver in future terms without filing an appeal and having it approved. Aid Denied status will result when:

• Contract credit hours are met, but GPA is less than 1.50, or ;
• GPA is at least 2.00 but completed credit hours are less than two thirds of contract credit hours, or;
• You complete less than contract credit hours at less than a 2.00 GPA, or;
• Records show two consecutive terms of probation.

Note: These also apply to prior schools' terms.

• For less than half-time, when the final total credits drop to zero.
• 120 credit hours attempted are exceeded for all postsecondary school credits.
• You do not attend classes and receive grades of U, or F or other grade combinations that indicate non–attendance. You may be billed for aid received, and will be billed for classes attended.

You can log on to My MHCC and click on SAP status to see your financial aid SAP status each term. Failure to log on to see your SAP status does not relieve you of its responsibilities.

Reinstatement Of Financial Aid And Waivers

You can appeal any SAP status that results in a loss of aid by writing why the standards were not met and why an exception should be approved. Documentation by an independent source of statements made in the appeal process is required. An approved appeal requires a term of satisfactory progress the next term you attend. Unusual circumstances will be assessed by a Financial Aid Officer, and in cases of waivers, by the Department Dean, to decide whether you may still receive aid. Denying financial aid or a waiver is a serious action. Considerations for reinstatement of aid or a waiver are equally serious and should you choose to appeal, specific information will be required.

• The appeal procedure is a formal process which begins by completing an official appeal form available in the Financial Aid Office. In cases of waivers, a Financial Aid appeal form is obtained in the department who issued the waiver. There will be a limit of three applications for an appeal accepted in a student’s MHCC career (not including appeals to finish non–completed classes, delayed grades or institutional error).
• You cannot assume you have continuing aid or a waiver unless you have received an approved appeal. You may be denied and not appeal or have an appeal denied and have registered using your financial aid or waiver to pay for classes and want to keep those classes. You will have to pay your own registration charges because your aid or waiver will have been cancelled. If you appeal later and if the appeal is approved, appropriate action will be taken to reinstate available aid (which may or may not be equal to the amount taken away).
• To requalify for aid after a disapproved appeal/or no appeal, you must achieve at least 6 credits for half–time requalification; at least 9 credits for three–quarter time requalification; and at least 12 credits for full–time requalification. Cooperative education, practicum credits and "K" graded classes cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.

Reasons For Appeal And The Appeal Process

If you have been placed on Aid Denied status, you may appeal for one of the following, more serious reasons:

• Death in your immediate family during the term the financial aid or waiver was received (documentation required).
• Serious personal illness extending over at least a consecutive three week period (as documented by physician’s statement verifying an inability to attend school).
• An error determined by the Financial Aid Office to be an institutional error. (documentation on request).
• For excess credits (more than 120), an individual education plan (IEP) signed by an academic advisor is required. The IEP will show only the credits needed to graduate with a specific major (see "Program Time Frames")

Appeals are typically not approved for reasons based on personal choices; for example, beginning or changing jobs during a term, increasing job hours, transportation challenges, non-life threatening, short-term illness(es) of family members, child care challenges, or you are new to MHCC, poor time management or that you don’t understand this SAP brochure information.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the information listed here or wish to discuss a decision made by our office, please come in to see us. We want to help you in any way we can. The goal of the Financial Aid Office is to, in the best way possible, relieve the financial barriers that confront you while seeking to achieve your educational goals. To that end, we want to help you work with these rules– to understand, respond to and plan for these requirements–so that you can continue receiving the key help you need to achieve your educational plans. You may contact us at 503-491-7262.

It is the policy of Mt. Hood Community College that discrimination on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, national origin, age or handicap will not exist in any area, activity or operation of the college. This policy implements various Federal and state laws and regulations such as Federal Executive Orders 11246-11375, sections 503-504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 and others which require that the college not discriminate on any of the prohibited bases.