Satisfactory Progress
| The Department of Education requires colleges to monitor Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This is necessary to ensure that only students demonstrating timely progress toward a degree continue to receive financial aid. |
Academic success measurements differ slightly depending on the type of assistance received.
Maintaining Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid
The Department of Education and federal taxpayer require schools to evaluate student's progress using both qualitative and quantitative measurements. Southwestern College evaluates student academic performance in the following ways::
Qualitative:
- Cumulative grade point average (GPA)
Quantitative
- Successful completion of classes
- Overall pace toward degree
- Maximum credit hour limit for completing a degree.
Cumulative grade point average
Students whose academic work is at or below the college's policy for academic suspension are considered to not be making satisfactory academic progress..
- Undergraduate Academic Suspension Policy (Main Campus): A student whose semester grade point average is below 2.0 for two consecutive semesters and whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.0 will be suspended from the college. Additionally, students who complete a semester with an "F" grade point average (0.0) will be suspended.
- Undergraduate Academic Suspension Policy (SC Global): A student whose evaluation period grade point average is below 2.0 for two consecutive evaluation periods and whose cumulative grade point average is below 2.0 will be suspended from the college. Additionally, students who complete an evaluation period with an "F" grade point average (0.0) will be suspended. An evaluation period occurs when the student has attempted 12 credit hours.
- Graduate Academic Suspension Policy (Main Campus): A student who does not have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and who has any grade lower than a "C" after completing 12 credit hours of coursework will be suspended from the graduate program.
- Graduate Academic Suspension Policy (SC Global): A student who does not have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 after two evaluation periods will be suspended from the graduate program. An evaluation period occurs when the student attempts 9 credit hours.
Successful completion of courses and overall pace toward degree
These two measurements compare the number of credit hours a student attempts to the number of credit hours a student earns. The comparison occurs at the semester level as well as the overal cumulative hours attempted in the degree program. Both ratios must equal 70% or higher for the student to remain in good standing. The following letter grades do not count as earned hours, but do count as attempted hours: AU - Audit, F - Failure, I - Incomplete, WD - Withdrawal, WF - Withdraw Failure.
- Example Term Completion: Sophomore Gary Goodgrades attempted 18 credit hours in the fall term. He dropped one 3 credit hour course and received a WD grade. He successfully completed and earned the remaining 15 hours. Gary's term completion ratio is 83% (15 hours earned divided by 18 hours attempted).
- Example Degree Program Completion: When Gary was a freshman the previous year, he successfully completed a total of 30 credit hours in his first two semesters of enrollment. After passing another 15 hours in the fall of his sophomore year, His overall earned hours toward his degree is now 45 (30 + 15 = 45 hours earned). Gary's total attempted hours is 48 because of the 3 hours he has on record with a WD grade (30 + 18 = 48) Gary's overall pace to degree ratio at the end of the fall term is 93% (45 total hours earned divided by 48 total hours attempted = 93%)
Maximum credit hour limit for degree completion
There is a cap to the number of hours a student can attempt in order to earn a degree. The cap is 150% of the number of hours required for the degree program. At Southwestern, the individual degree caps are as follows:
- 186 = Undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, etc)
- 54 = Graduate degrees (Master of Arts, Master of Science, etc.)
- 135 = Doctoral degreeds (EdD program)
Once a student has attempted the maximum number of allowed hours without earning a degree, all financial aid is suspended for subsequent semesters unless the student submits a successful financial aid appeal.
Maintaining Eligibility for State Financial Aid
Students receiving Kansas Comprehensive Grant, Kansas State Scholarship and Kansas Ethnic Minority scholarship must maintain full-time enrollment status (minimum of 12 credit hours). A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required to renew all financial aid from the State of Kansas.
Maintaining Eligibility for Institutional Financial Aid
Except where specifically indicated, Southwestern College institutional financial aid is renewable as long as students maintain full-time enrollment status (minimum of 12 credit hours) and a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Students may experience a reduction of aid if the FAFSA is filed past the April 1 priority deadline or if they choose to live off campus.
Warning, Probation, Suspension
Satisfactory progress is measured at the close of each semester (Summer, Fall, Spring). Students who fail to meet one or more of the measurements of satisfactory progress will be placed on warning for one semester. A student on warning is eligible to receive financial aid. Students on warning who fail to meet one or more satisfactory progress measurements are placed on financial aid suspension. Students placed on suspension for the first time are given the chance to appeal the decision.
Students who exceed the maximum credit hour limit for degree completion will be immediately suspended without a warning period. Students placed on suspension for this reason will also be given the chance to appeal the decision.
Conditions for Reinstatement
Students may appeal financial aid suspension by requesting an appeal to the Office of Financial Aid. Links and instructions for the appeal process are emailed to the student in the suspension notification. Appeals are considered by a committee of student services administrators. If a second copy of the link to the appeal or instructions for the process are needed, contact the Office of Financial Aid. With the exception of three months (January, May and August) appeals are considered once per month.
Special circumstances, such as but not limited to medical problems, illness, death in the family, relocation or employment changes may be considered as valid circumstances for an appeal. The explanation of the special circumstances should be supported by documentation. The committee will review the contents of the appeal and inform the student of the decision within thirty days of appeal submission.
Students who are approved will be sent an academic plan to read, sign and return. Upon receipt of the signed academic plan, the student will be placed on probation and allowed to once again receive financial aid as long as they meet the requirements of the academic plan. The committee's decision is considered final and may not be appealed further. Alternatively, students may choose to pay their expenses using private resources and continue to enroll in subsequent semesters without appealing.
If a student fails to meet the requirements stated in their academic plan, the financial aid file will again be placed on financial aid suspension and the student must rehabilitate the satisfactory progress measurements using private funding or payment plans.
In all circumstances, students will have their financial aid reinstated and will be removed from financial aid warning, suspension or probation status when all satisfactory academic progress measurements are once again restored.
