Colleges of the DCCCD are required by law to formulate standards to measure a student's progress toward completion of a program of study while receiving financial assistance through federal, state, or institutional student aid programs by applying both qualitative and quantitative measurements to academic work. [34 CFR 668.34] To comply with applicable laws and accreditation standards, the DCCCD has developed a policy describing Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for both applicants and recipients of student financial aid. The following SAP policy measurements are effective July 1, 2011. These measurements shall be used to determine student eligibility for all need-based and Federal Title IV financial assistance, unless the terms of a particular grant or funding source state otherwise. All students returning to the DCCCD after a lapse in enrollment of one semester or longer will be re-evaluated under the current SAP policy.

(Note: Some non-federal student aid programs (i.e., state grants and private foundations) have specific SAP requirements unique to the individual program. In those instances, the program requirements will supersede the general SAP policy stated here. It is the student's responsibility to understand the requirements of each financial aid program from which aid is received.)

Quantitative Progress

A student may apply for, and if eligible, receive financial aid for attempted credit hours that do not exceed 150% of the minimum number of hours required to complete the student's declared program of study. All hours attempted toward the completion of a program of study will be counted in the maximum number of allowed hours regardless of whether financial aid was received. Credit hours transferred to the DCCCD are counted when calculating the 150% maximum. To receive aid for an educational program within the maximum hours allowed, transfer students must select an eligible program of study and must submit official transcripts of all previous college course work by the end of the student's first semester of enrollment at a DCCCD college. When SAP is calculated, students who have attempted 150% of the allowed number of credit hours, or for whom it would be mathematically impossible to complete a program of study within the 150% maximum, will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension regardless of their CGPA, and regardless of whether or not financial aid was received during previous semesters. Students who are placed on Financial Aid Suspension for exceeding the maximum time frame to complete their program of study have exhausted financial aid eligibility to complete the program and may not again receive financial aid benefits to complete their program of study. Financial Aid Suspension cannot be appealed. Previous hours attempted by a student whose DCCCD academic transcript has been cleared for a "Fresh Start" will continue to count toward the student's 150% maximum limit.

1) For a student completing an associate's degree program that requires 66 hours, the student must complete the degree within 99 attempted hours. The student will lose eligibility for additional financial aid to complete the program after 99 attempted hours.

2) For a student completing a certificate program that requires 30 hours, the student must complete the certificate within 45 attempted hours. The student will lose eligibility for additional financial aid to complete the program after 45 attempted hours.

Financial aid recipients are expected to complete a program of study in the scheduled amount of time. A student's progress may be evaluated for only one program at a time. Each financial aid applicant must select a Primary Program of Study on eConnect prior to receiving financial aid payments. A student who is concurrently completing more than one program or major, or who is returning to complete a second degree, may request additional time to complete the program. A request for additional time must be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office prior to the student's final semester in the program. Students may not be allowed financial aid funding for multiple changes of programs for the purpose of extending financial aid eligibility.

Measuring the Pace of Progress

SAP Treatment of Developmental Course Work

An otherwise eligible student may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 attempted credit hours in developmental/remedial course work. Once the 30 credit hour maximum is reached, additional developmental credit hours will not be used to calculate the award amount. Students taking ESOL classes, which are counted as developmental hours, may submit a written request to the Financial Aid Office to exclude ESOL classes from the 30-hour maximum if additional ESOL classes are necessary after 30-hour maximum has been reached. Developmental hours are not included in the calculation of the overall maximum time frame to complete the student's academic program or in the CGPA calculation. However, developmental and ESOL attempts and grades are used in the measurement of the pace of completion.

Qualitative Progress

A Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 2.00 or higher must be attained by the end of the student's first semester of enrollemnt at the DCCCD. This average must be maintained at the end of each subsequent semester for a student to continue to receive financial aid. Students who do not meet this minimum CGPA requirement will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester only. If a CGPA of 2.00 or higher is not reached by the end of the warning period, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Financial Aid Suspension cannot be appealed. The student must pay enrollment costs without the benefit of financial aid awards until the minimum CGPA is again met.

NOTE: According to DCCCD academic grading policy only the latest grade for a repeated course is calculated into the CGPA. More detailed information on how the CGPA is calculated and the effect of withdrawals, incompletes, and grade changes can be found in the Grades and Transcripts section of the catalog.

Reinstatement Procedures

The DCCCD Office of Financial Aid will review academic records at the end of each semester and determine each student's Satisfactory Academic Progress status. A student who fails to meet the SAP minimum standards will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. If the student fails to attain the minimum standards of progress by the end of the warning period, he or she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Financial Aid Suspension cannot be appealed. The student must pay enrollment costs without the benefit of financial aid awards until the minimum CGPA is again met.

To regain financial aid eligibility, a student placed on suspension must pay enrollment related expenses from personal resources until minimum SAP standards are met. The student's progress will continue to be reviewed at the end of each semester of enrollment. Eligibility will automatically be reinstated for the next term of enrollment upon successful completion of a term of enrollment in which the student meets the required SAP standards described in this section. No appeal for reinstatement is required. The DCCCD Office will notify each student who has met the requirements for reinstatement.

Important Note: Students who are placed on Financial Aid Suspension for exceeding the maximum time frame to complete their program of study have permanently exhausted financial aid eligibility to complete the program and may not again receive financial aid benefits to complete their program of study.