Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Qualitative Standard

To maintain SAP, students must achieve minimum cumulative grade point averages appropriate to progress toward their degree, and they must complete coursework at a regular and sustained pace. Minimum cumulative GPAs are as follows:

Quantitative Standard – Maximum Time Frame and Pace

Students must complete their degree within 150% of the number of credits necessary to complete the educational program. As a result, students must earn a minimum of 67% of their total cumulative attempted credits at the end of each payment period. Please note – following this minimum standard means it will take 6 years to graduate.

Bachelor’s Degree – 120 credits required to graduate. In order to remain eligible for financial aid, a student must earn their degree by the time attempting 180 credits (120 x 150% = 180)

Students who do not earn a minimum of 67% of total cumulative attempted credits and meet the GPA requirement, as specified above during any payment period, will be notified in writing of the deficit and placed on Financial Aid Warning for the subsequent payment period. These students then have the opportunity to meet the standard by the end of the warning semester in which they are still receiving financial aid.

Students on Financial Aid Warning who fail to earn a minimum of 67% of total cumulative attempted credits and meet the GPA requirement for a second consecutive semester will receive a letter informing them that they are on Financial Aid Suspension until SAP standards have been met. This means ineligibility for all federal and institutional aid. Students experiencing extenuating circumstances may appeal to the policy (see Appeal Process).  In addition, students are encouraged to contact the Registrar’s Office about the transferability of credits before signing up for classes at another institution. Please be aware that taking credits at an institution other than LVC will neither help to improve or harm students’ GPA at LVC. However, transfer credits will be included in the number of credits attempted and earned for the quantitative standard.

Students on Financial Aid Warning and Suspension will be notified via regular mail at the conclusion of each payment period – summer, fall, and spring semesters. Because the timeframe between some semesters is short and does not allow for the SAP review to be completed, please be aware that financial aid awarded for an upcoming semester may be rescinded if the student moves to Financial Aid Suspension.

Repeating Course Work

Students are permitted to repeat the same course once after having earned a D- or better, therefore having earned the credits for that course, and still be permitted to receive financial aid for that course. Repeat credits will be included in attempted credits, but not in earned credits if the original grade earned was a D- or better. Repeat credits for which no credit was previously earned, will be counted if a passing grade is earned. This is important when considering the number of credits that can be earned for the payment period and SAP standards.

Transfer Credits

All transfer credits that are accepted toward a student’s educational program will be counted as both attempted and completed hours for the purpose of determining maximum time frame and pace.

Grades Included for SAP Standards

The following grades are included in both the qualitative and quantitative measures of the SAP policy:  A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F. Grades of P (pass) and PH (pass with honors) will count in the quantitative standard, but not the qualitative standard. Incomplete (I), withdraw grades (W), and in progress (IP) do not count in the qualitative standard, but do count in the quantitative standard. Once the I and/or IP grade changes, it is counted in both measures. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Financial Aid Office of all grade changes to be certain SAP has been reviewed accurately. Audited courses are not eligible for financial aid or are they counted toward SAP since no credits or letter grade can be earned.

Appeal Process

Students experiencing extenuating circumstances, i.e. death in the family, medical reason, mental health issues, etc., may appeal the SAP policy by the deadline stated in the letter sent to the student. In order to appeal, the student MUST complete the following and submit the documents to the Financial Aid Office:

• Appeal Form – Sent to the student by the Financial Aid Office upon request from the student

AND

• A letter signed by the student including an explanation of why the student failed to meet SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP standards by the end of the next semester. Any supporting documentation should also be included. Supporting documentation is not required; however, it is strongly encouraged to substantiate the appeal.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee will review all appeals and respond to students in writing of the decision and any required steps the student must take.

• Students whose appeal is approved may also be placed on an Academic Action Plan (AAP) to be developed by the student and the Assistant Dean of Student Success and Advising. Determination of who will be placed on an AAP will be made by the *SAP Appeals Committee based on the students’ past academic performance and circumstances of the appeal. Students who are approved will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and eligible for federal and institutional aid for the upcoming payment period. Their performance will be reviewed, as well as the AAP, at the end of the payment period and a determination will be made regarding eligibility for the next semester.

• Students whose appeal is approved and who are NOT placed on an AAP will also be placed on Financial Aid Probation and eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period. Their performance will be reviewed, as well as the AAP, at the end of the payment period and a determination will be made regarding eligibility for the next semester.

Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, students will be notified by the Financial Aid Office in writing of their status and any “next steps” which may include an AAP.

*SAP Appeals Committee consists of:

• Director of Financial Aid (Chair)
• Assistant Dean of Student Success and Advising
• Registrar

Important SAP Terms

Financial Aid Warning: The status assigned after the first semester a student fails to meet one or both of the SAP standards as defined above. Students on this status remain eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period/semester.

Financial Aid Suspension: The status assigned after the second consecutive semester a student fails to meet one or both of the SAP standards as defined above. Students on this status will be ineligible for federal and institutional aid until SAP standards are met.

Financial Aid Probation: The status assigned to students who appeal the Financial Aid Suspension due to extenuating circumstances and are approved. These students are eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period/semester and, in addition to meeting SAP standards, may also be required to complete an Academic Action Plan as outlined by the SAP Appeals Committee.

PA State Grant Recipients

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) requires state grant recipients enrolled full-time (12 or more credits per semester) to earn a minimum of 24 credits per academic year or 12 credits per semester, if enrolled for one semester during the academic year. There is no GPA requirement. This review is conducted by the Financial Aid Office staff annually at the conclusion of the spring semester and students failing to meet SAP standards for PHEAA are notified by email and regular mail. There is an appeals process through PHEAA, if extenuating circumstances exist. You may contact the Financial Aid Office for the appropriate form or download it from the documents and forms link at pheaa.org.

The required number of credits for part-time PHEAA recipients is as follows:

Transfer Students – The academic transcripts of transfer students who are PA State Grant recipients will be collected in order to evaluate the academic progress of these students at their previous institution during their most recent academic year of enrollment. Transfer students who failed to make progress at their previous institution will not be eligible for a PA State Grant until they earn the remaining credits.

Students are required to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards in order to be eligible for all federal and institutional financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans). SAP standards include both a qualitative (grade point average) and a quantitative component (earn 67% of total cumulative attempted credits). SAP standards are reviewed by the Financial Aid Office at the conclusion of each payment period – summer, fall, and spring semesters.

Qualitative Standard

To maintain SAP, graduate students must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 to be eligible for federal and institutional financial aid.

Quantitative Standard—Maximum Time Frame and Pace

Students must complete their degree within 150% of the number of credits necessary to complete the educational program. As a result, students must earn a minimum of 67% of their total cumulative attempted credits at the end of each payment period. Since graduate programs at LVC require different numbers of credits in order to obtain a degree, the maximum timeframe will vary by program. Please contact the Financial Aid Office if you have questions about the maximum timeframe for your particular program. See the example calculation below:

• 36 credits required to graduate – In order to remain eligible for financial aid, students must earn their degree by the time attempting 54 credits (36 x 150% = 54)

Students who do not earn a minimum of 67% of total cumulative attempted credits and meet the GPA requirement, as specified above during any payment period, will be notified in writing of the deficit and placed on Financial Aid Warning for the subsequent payment period. These students then have the opportunity to meet the standard by the end of the warning semester in which they are still receiving financial aid.

Students on Financial Aid Warning who fail to earn a minimum of 67% of total cumulative attempted credits and meet the GPA requirement for a second consecutive semester will receive a letter informing them that they are on Financial Aid Suspension until SAP standards have been met. This means ineligibility for all federal and institutional aid. Students experiencing extenuating circumstances may appeal to the policy (see Appeal Process). In addition, students are encouraged to contact the Registrar’s Office about the transferability of credits before signing up for classes at another institution. Please be aware that taking credits at an institution other than LVC will neither help to improve or harm students’ GPA at LVC. However, transfer credits will be included in the number of credits attempted and earned for the quantitative standard.

Students on Financial Aid Warning and Suspension will be notified via regular mail at the conclusion of each payment period – summer, fall, and spring semesters. Because the timeframe between some semesters is short and does not allow for the SAP review to be completed before the start of the next semester, please be aware that financial aid awarded for an upcoming semester may be rescinded if the student moves to Financial Aid Suspension.

Repeating Course Work

Students are permitted to repeat the same course only once after having earned a D- or better, therefore having earned the credits for that course, and still be permitted to receive financial aid for that course. Credits earned for a repeated course will not be counted a second time if the original grade earned was a D- or better. This is important when considering the number of credits that can be earned for the payment period and SAP standards.

Transfer Credits

All transfer credits that are accepted toward a student’s educational program will be counted as both attempted and completed hours for the purpose of determining maximum time frame and pace.

Grades Included for SAP Standards

The following grades are included in both the qualitative and quantitative measures of the SAP policy:  A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F. Grades of P (pass) and PH (pass with honors) will count in the quantitative standard, but not the qualitative standard. Incomplete (I), withdraw grades (W), and in progress (IP) do not count in the qualitative standard, but do count in the quantitative standard. Once the I and/or IP grade changes, it is counted in both measures. It is the student’s responsibility to inform the Financial Aid Office of all grade changes to be certain SAP has been reviewed accurately. Audited courses are not eligible for financial aid or are they counted toward SAP since no credits or letter grade can be earned.

Appeal Process

Students experiencing extenuating circumstances, i.e. death in the family, medical reason, mental health issues, etc., may appeal the SAP policy by the deadline stated in the letter sent to the student. In order to appeal, the student MUST complete the following and submit the documents to the Financial Aid Office:

• Appeal Form – Sent to the student by the Financial Aid Office upon request from the student

AND

• A letter signed by the student including an explanation of why the student failed to meet SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP standards by the end of the next semester. Any supporting documentation should also be included. Supporting documentation is not required; however, it is strongly encouraged to substantiate the appeal.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee will review all appeals and respond to students in writing of the decision and any required steps the student must take.

• Students whose appeal is approved may also be placed on an Academic Action Plan (AAP) to be developed by the student and the Assistant Dean of Student Success and Advising. Determination of who will be placed on an AAP will be made by the *SAP Appeals Committee based on the students’ past academic performance and circumstances of the appeal. The Academic Assessment Plan Inventory (a printable PDF) must be completed and submitted to the Assistant Dean of Student Success and Advising in order to establish the AAP. Students who are approved will be placed on Financial Aid Probation and eligible for federal and institutional aid for the upcoming payment period. Their performance will be reviewed, as well as the AAP, at the end of the payment period and a determination will be made regarding eligibility for the next semester.  The AAP will outline how and when the student will meet SAP standards.
• Students whose appeal is approved and who are NOT placed on an AAP will also be placed on Financial Aid Probation and eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period. Their performance will be reviewed, as well as the AAP, at the end of the payment period and a determination will be made regarding eligibility for the next semester.

Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, students will be notified by the Financial Aid Office in writing of their status and any “next steps” which may include an AAP.

*SAP Appeals Committee consists of:

• Director of Financial Aid (Chair)
• Assistant Dean of Student Success and Advising
• Registrar

Important SAP Terms

Financial Aid Warning: The status assigned after the first semester a student fails to meet one or both of the SAP standards as defined above. Students on this status remain eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period/semester.

Financial Aid Suspension: The status assigned after the second consecutive semester a student fails to meet one or both of the SAP standards as defined above. Students on this status will be ineligible for federal and institutional aid until SAP standards are met.

Financial Aid Probation: The status assigned to students who appeal the Financial Aid Suspension due to extenuating circumstances and are approved. These students are eligible for federal and institutional aid for one payment period/semester and, in addition to meeting SAP standards, may also be required to complete an Academic Action Plan as outlined by the SAP Appeals Committee.