Students will be notified of their SAP status, based on these three standards, at
the end of each semester or when they apply for financial aid.
Status definitions:
- Satisfactory- Student has met or exceeded SAP standards or is in their first term at HCC.
- Warning- Student failed to meet one or more of the SAP standards and will be placed on financial
aid warning for the following term in which they are enrolled. The student will receive
a notification from the FAO notifying them of their SAP status. The student is eligible
to receive financial aid for the warning semester. If the student fails to meet satisfactory
requirements at the end of the warning term, the student will be placed on financial
aid termination.
- Termination- If the student failed to meet the SAP standards for a second consecutive term (warning
period), their financial aid will be terminated. Termination will remain in effect
until 1) the student meets SAP requirements and notifies the FAO of their eligibility
or 2) the student submits a SAP appeal and the appeal is granted (see “Appeal Policy
and Procedures”).
- Probation-by-Appeal- If a student is granted a SAP appeal, they are placed on probation-by-appeal status.
The director will outline the terms of probation in an Academic Success Plan. During
the probationary period, the student will continue to receive financial aid and cannot
withdraw from or fail any classes, and must not be reported as a no-show. If the
student fails to meet SAP standards or the Academic Success Plan requirements by the
end of the probationary period, the student’s financial aid will be terminated. Financial
aid will not be awarded to a student on termination until academic progress deficiencies
have been corrected. Students who do not meet the SAP requirements for financial aid
eligibility can enroll at HCC at the student’s expense in order to improve academic
progress. No further appeals will be considered at this point.
To appeal financial aid termination, a student must be able to demonstrate unusual/mitigating
circumstances. Circumstances are defined as but not limited to: illness of the student
or immediate family member, death of an immediate family member, and serious traumatic
and/or life-altering events that affected the student’s ability to complete the required
classes for the semester.
- A student must complete the Request for SAP Appeal Form. The student must provide a written statement outlining the reasons they did not maintain
SAP and explain how they will be able to maintain SAP going forward. If submitting
an appeal for Maximum Time Frame, a program evaluation from completed by their advisor
must be included.
- The appeal must be returned to the Financial Aid Office, accompanied by supporting
documentation (e.g. hospital/doctor verification, death certificate, etc.), within
two weeks of termination notification.
- The director will review the appeal to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether
the appeal is justified and will notify the student of the appeal decision in writing
within two weeks of receiving the appeal.
Please note, academic issues are considered to be within the student’s control and
are not generally considered grounds for appeal.
A student, who wishes to appeal the decision of the Financial Aid Director, must submit
a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office within five working days after receiving
the appeal decision. This appeal will be reviewed by the Vice President of Student
Services within 2 weeks and the student will be notified of their decision.
Federal regulations require students receiving financial aid to complete their program
of study within a maximum time frame, not to exceed 150% of the published length of
the program. Once that time frame is exceeded, the student’s financial aid will be
terminated. The student can submit an SAP appeal to the Financial Aid Director, if
there are extenuating circumstances (see “Appeal Policy & Procedures”). Maximum time
frame is measured in terms of credit hours attempted:
Example: The program requires 75 credit hours to complete. 75 x 1.50 = 112
112 is the maximum number of credit hours that may be attempted.
Grades of A, B, C, D, CE, TR, DP or P count toward hours earned. Grades of F, I, W,
WF, DR and CT count toward hours attempted, but not earned hours.
Remedial Course Work: Students who have been accepted into a degree-seeking program and are required to
take remedial course work, as determined by placement testing, are limited to 30 semester
hours of remedial coursework. These classes are calculated as hours attempted and
extend the 150%-time frame by the number of credit hours earned in each remedial course.
Transfer Credit: All transfer credits will count towards hours attempted and completed.
Repeat Courses: Courses may be repeated by students. When a course is repeated, the most recent final
grade will be used to determine eligibility. The prior grade is no longer calculated
into GPA, but the previous hours attempted will count toward hours attempted when
reviewing completion rate and maximum time frame.
Graduates: Students who graduate from an associate or diploma program and desire to return to
pursue another degree will continue with their current maximum time frame. Any hours
from previously completed programs will be calculated toward hours attempted and earned
in the new program.
Changing Majors: Changing majors may affect a student’s SAP and eligibility for financial aid. Hours
attempted in any previous major(s) that are not completed will count toward the number
of hours attempted in the new major.
Early Registration: Students who are on financial aid warning or probation-by-appeal status that choose
to register early for classes may not use federal student aid until grades have been
posted for the current term. The student will be responsible for payment of tuition,
fees, and any other expenses until eligibility is determined.