Policy
Federal regulations, which govern the administration of Title IV Student Aid Programs, require that a student maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of an academic goal in order to maintain eligibility for student financial aid.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards (SAP)
To receive Title IV student aid at Lemoore College, a student must:
- Be enrolled in an eligible program for the purpose of completing an AA/AS Degree, a Certificate Program or transfer requirements.
- Meet the qualitative standard: Maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average of 2.0.
- Meet the quantitative standard: Complete at least 67% of your overall units attempted.
Academic Progress calculations will be performed at the end of each term for students who have applied for financial aid. All students who receive financial aid at Lemoore College will be subject to these standards.
Credit and clock hours completed at other institutions and included in Lemoore College's academic records will be counted as hours attempted and completed in the student’s SAP calculation.
Repeated credit hours will be counted in both attempted and completed hours of the student’s SAP calculation. Incomplete hours will be counted as attempted hours but not as completed hours in the student’s SAP calculation.
Maximum Time Frame
Completion of an undergraduate program of study must be no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program. An Associate Degree Program at WHC is achieved at sixty (60) semester units; therefore, 150% is ninety (90) units. Students who have exceeded 90 attempted units will be considered to have reached the Maximum Time Frame and will be placed on Maximum Time Frame status and denied from receiving financial aid.
Students who decide to change majors or return for purposes of retraining may file a Financial Aid Appeal; consideration will be made on a case-by-case basis.
A student will also be placed on Maximum Time Frame and denied from receiving financial aid once he/she has received a Bachelor’s degree. However, the student has the option to file a Financial Aid Appeal. Federal Regulations do not allow students with a Bachelor’s degree to be considered Pell Eligible and will only therefore only be able to request loans, if eligible.
Max Time Appeals
Students who have been placed on Max Time Denial may file a Max Time Appeal form and
attach a current Student Educational Plan. Documentation is not necessary for Max
Time Appeals unless the student is also not making SAP.
Consequences of Failing to Meet SAP Standards
If satisfactory academic progress standards were not met, the student will be placed on a Financial Aid Warning status. Those in a Financial Aid Warning status who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards during that term will be denied financial aid for the subsequent term.
The Appeal Process
Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Denial or Maximum Time Frame status may file a SAP Appeal in the Financial Aid Forms system. The deadline to submit a SAP Appeal is the end of the 12th week of Fall and Spring. The last day to submit an appeal during summer is June 30.
SAP Appeals
Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Denial because of failure to meet academic
progress may file a SAP Appeal only if there were extenuating circumstances that explain
their lack of progress and those circumstances have now been resolved. Students may
file an appeal only for the following reasons:
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Qualifying Circumstances
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NOT Qualifying Circumstances
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Requirements for submitting a Financial Aid SAP Appeal:
- Complete the SAP appeal form
- Complete and attach a counselor-approved Student Educational Plan
- Attach documentation that supports the extenuating circumstances explained in your appeal
All Financial Aid SAP Appeals must be accompanied by documentation to support the extenuating circumstances specified by the student. Your statement, transcripts and Ed Plan are NOT documentation.
If an appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for the subsequent semester and must still meet SAP standards. If the student chooses not to file an appeal, or the appeal is denied, he/she also has the option of successfully completing a semester without federal financial aid. Students who attempt at least six (6) semester units and finish the semester meeting all qualitative and quantitative standards will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for the subsequent semester.
Ineligible Status
Students who had an appeal approved for Maximum Time Frame and failed to make progress during any term while they are on an extension will be placed on an ineligible status the subsequent term. Students who fail to meet the standards for SAP during an extended term are not eligible to submit any further appeals.
Appeal Decision Terminology
Probation: Financial Aid Probation means the student has submitted a Financial Aid Appeal; the appeal was approved. The student must meet the standards for SAP while on probation or the student will be placed on Financial Aid Denial the subsequent term.
Extended: Extended means the student has submitted a Max Time Appeal; the appeal was continuously approved through the last term listed on their Student Educational Plan. The student must continue to meet the standards for SAP while on Extended or the student will be placed on Financial Aid Ineligible status the subsequent term.
Ineligible: Ineligible means the student submitted an appeal for Maximum Time Frame that was approved and the student did not meet the standards for satisfactory academic progress during the Extended term(s).