A student must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward the completion of his/her degree or certificate program.
All students who receive financial aid MUST make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward the completion of their degree or certificate program. NPC has both a qualitative and quantitative measure of SAP:
- Qualitative Requirement: Maintain a minimum Cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or above.
- Quantitative Requirement: Satisfactorily complete at least 67 percent of all courses to meet Pace of Progression towards a degree (earned cumulative credits divided by attempted cumulative credits = Pace of Progression percentage).
Example: |
Cumulative Pace |
|
Semester 1 / enrolled for 12 credits completed 9 credits |
|
|
9 credits earned/12 credits attempted |
9/12=75% |
|
Semester 2 / enrolled for 12credits completed 2 credits |
|
|
11 credits earned/24 credits attempted |
11/24=45% |
|
Semester 3 / enrolled for 12 credits completed 12 credits |
|
|
23 credits earned/36 credits attempted |
23/36=63% |
|
Cumulative Pace of Progression |
63% |
- Academic progress toward a degree or certificate program will be measured at the end of each semester.
- Students may repeat a course four (4) times (if passing grade is not received) and receive financial aid funding provided all academic progress requirements are met.
- Students may receive funding for a maximum of six (6) repeatable special projects or special classes.
The 150 Percent Rule -
Maximum time frame for completion of a degree or certificate.
Students may be funded up to 150 percent of the published program length with or without financial aid-based on a 2-year program of study (64 credit hours x 150 percent = funded up to 96 credit hours). This includes all attemptedAttempted CreditsAll courses that appear on your transcript including courses that earn a letter grade, Withdraw, Pass/No Pass grade. NPC credits as well as all accepted transfer, CLEP and assessed credits. It also includes all semesters with or without financial assistance. Students who change majors repeatedly often encounter the maximum time frame restrictions, especially if few of the previously completed classes count toward their new major.
- Exception: Students accepted and enrolled in NPC's Nursing program may be funded up to 108 credit hours, including all attempted NPC courses and all transfer, CLEP and assessed credits.
Eligibility for federal financial aid is limited for students required to take "pre-college" College & Career Preparation (CCP) courses at NPC. Students are limited to the equivalent of one year or 30 credit hours of approved CCP classes. Ineligible CCP classes will not be funded but will be counted toward the 30 credit limit.
Financial Aid Status
Students who do not meet the SAP requirements will first be placed on Warning Status and the second time, be placed on Probation Status.
Warning Status
- Recipients of financial assistance will receive a warning notice after any semester in which their cumulative grade-point average falls below 2.0 and/or they fail to satisfactorily complete 67 percent of the credit hours in which they are enrolled.
- Students are eligible to continue to receive financial assistance while on Warning Status if all other eligibility requirements are met.
- Students will be removed from Warning Status after completing the following semester in good academic standing as defined by Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Probation Status
- Recipients of financial assistance will be suspended from aid and placed on Probation Status if they fail to meet the 2.0 minimum cumulative grade-point average, and/or fail to satisfactorily complete 67 percent of their enrollment for two semesters of academic work.
- Students who have been placed on Probation Status are suspended from receiving financial aid. They can still enroll in classes at NPC but must use their own financial resources for any educational expenses.
- Students who are placed on Probation Status have two options:
- Complete six credit hours at NPC using their own financial resources while meeting all SAP requirements. Once those new grades are posted to their NPC academic transcript and they are sure all SAP requirements have been met, students may request to be reinstated by contacting the Financial Aid Office.
- File an appeal of their status by submitting a Petition for Reinstatement form to both the NPC Financial Aid Office to be reviewed by the SAP Committee. The reason for appeal should be based on extenuating circumstances as documented by the student. Students must also submit in writing the reason(s) they did not meet SAP, including how the condition or situation has been resolved, thus allowing the student the ability to meet SAP. Supporting documentation should be submitted with the petition form and a full-degree audit completed by an academic adviser. Possible outcomes for an appeal include approval, warning status, restricted status or suspension status. A student may continue to receive financial aid assistance only as the result of a successful appeal.
Restricted Status
As a result of the financial aid appeal process, a student may be placed on Restricted Status. Students placed in this status will be put on an academic plan towards successful completion of their degree or certificate program. The student will be reviewed at the end of each semester for SAP as well as making progress towards completion of their program. Any student making progress toward their degree/certificate and who meets SAP requirements will be considered financial aid eligible.
Suspension Status
Recipients of financial aid assistance placed on Restricted Status who fail to make satisfactory academic progress after being granted an appeal(s) will be DENIED any further financial aid assistance and placed on Suspension Status. Once a student is placed on "suspension status," no further appeals are allowed.
Additional information regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress is available in the NPC College Catalog or by contacting the Financial Aid Office.
