Requirements effective for spring 2012 grade review

This information is subject to change without notice.

General Information

• The Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements apply to all hours (ACC, transfer hours, and other hours as listed below) and degree/certificate programs that have been attempted, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received for those hours.
• Official transcripts from all previous schools must be received and evaluated by ACC before financial aid eligibility can be determined.
• ACC checks Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each semester (fall, spring, and summer).
• Students are not eligible to receive aid if only enrolled in developmental/remedial coursework.
• Financial Aid may fund only one repeat of a previously passed course.
• Students may only receive aid at one institution per semester.
• Financial aid may be used for mini semester courses if the student has funds remaining from the term in which the course is taken.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress cannot be determined for students that receive a grade of "I". A final grade must be posted before eligibility for aid can be determined. This may delay future aid.

Drops, Withdraws, Repeats (R), and Fs

• Students who drop, withdraw, repeat (R), or receive Fs in courses may have to repay financial aid.
• Dropping, withdrawing, repeating (R), and making Fs has a negative effect on my completion rate, GPA, and may affect my eligibility for aid.
• Students who earn a zero (0) GPA for a semester are required to pay for and successfully pass at least six (6) hours with their own funds. This is in addition to any funds that may be owed. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be reevaluated, and eligibility for future aid will be determined after this requirement is met.
• Students should contact the ACC Financial Aid Office with any questions or concerns before dropping or withdrawing from classes.

Completion Rate

• Students must maintain a 67% overall completion rate of all hours attempted. Example: 30 overall hours attempted x .67(completion rate) = at least 21 hours completed.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be calculated in my completion rate. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP). Grades of F, W, I, R, and IP will have a negative effect on the completion rate calculation.

Minimum GPA

• Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA while attending ACC.

Failure to Meet the Completion Rate or Minimum GPA

Financial Aid Warning:

• Students will be placed on Financial Aid Warning status if they do not maintain an overall 67% completion rate and a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
• Students will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Warning status.
• Students will be eligible to receive financial aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning status.
• If a 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA are not met by the end of the semester that the student is placed on Financial Aid Warning, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation (see below). 

Financial Aid Probation:

• Students will be placed on Financial Aid Probation if they do not meet the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements by the end of the semester that they are placed on Financial Aid Warning status.
• Students will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Probation status.
• Students may submit a written appeal (form available on the ACC website) to request reinstatement of my financial aid eligibility. Only students with documentable and extenuating circumstances (Example: death or illness of a loved one). Appeals submitted without documentation will not be considered.
• An appeal must include a thorough explanation of the circumstances with documentation, and an explanation of what circumstances have changed that allow the student to meet all requirements in the future.
• Grades of "I" cannot be appealed. A final grade must be posted before eligibility for aid can be determined.
• Students must meet with an Academic Advisor to establish an academic plan to determine recommended future enrollment in order to complete their degree/certificate while meeting all Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements. A copy of the academic plan must be submitted with my appeal. As part of the appeal decision, the ACC Appeal Committee has the authority to limit the number of courses students enroll in, and require that they enroll in certain courses.
• The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee. Students are notified via email of the appeal decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.    

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility:

• If an appeal is denied, students must pay out-of-pocket for school until they have met all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements.

Degree/Certificate Plan

• Students must have declared a major (degree or certificate) in order to receive financial aid.
• Students are only allowed to have one active degree program at ACC. Students may declare associated certificates within the same degree program.
• Students can only enroll in classes that are required for their ACC degree/certificate plan.
• Financial aid may be reduced or cancelled if you enroll in classes that are not required for your ACC degree/certificate plan.
• Students may change their degree or certificate plan once while attending ACC. All degree/certificate plan changes will be counted, regardless of whether or not aid was received.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be calculated in the attempted hours towards a degree/certificate plan. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).

Maximum Time to Complete Degree/Certificate

• Students must complete their degree/certificate program by attempting no more than 150% of the hours required for the degree/certificate program. Example: My degree requires 66 hours to complete, so I must finish the degree requirements with no more than 99 hours attempted (66 x 1.5 = 99 hours).
• Students will be notified via email if they have exceeded the maximum time to complete my degree/certificate.
• All hours attempted at ACC and previous schools will be calculated in the attempted hours. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).
• Students who have exceeded the maximum time frame for completing my degree/certificate, may submit a written appeal (available on the ACC website) to request an extension of financial aid eligibility. The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee, and students are notified via email of the decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.

Requirements effective prior to spring 2012

General Information

• The Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements apply to all hours (ACC, transfer hours, and other hours as listed below) and degree/certificate programs I have attempted, regardless of whether or not I received financial aid for those hours.
• Official transcripts from all previous schools must be received and evaluated by ACC before financial aid eligibility can be determined.
• ACC checks Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each semester (fall, spring, and summer).
• Students are not eligible to receive aid if only enrolled in developmental/remedial coursework.
• Financial Aid may fund only one repeat of a previously passed course.
• Students may only receive aid at one institution per semester.
• Financial aid may be used for mini semester courses if the student has funds remaining from the term in which the course is taken.
• Students who drop or withdraw from courses may have to repay financial aid. Please contact the Financial Aid Office before dropping or withdrawing.

Completion Rate

• I must maintain a 67% overall completion rate of all hours attempted. Example: 30 overall hours attempted x .67(completion rate) = at least 21 hours completed.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be calculated in my completion rate. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP). Grades of W, I, R, and IP will have a negative effect on the completion rate calculation.

Minimum GPA

• I must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA while attending ACC.

Failure to Meet the Completion Rate or Minimum GPA

Financial Aid Warning (formerly probation):

• I will be placed on Financial Aid Warning status if I do not maintain an overall 67% completion rate and a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
• I will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Warning status.
• I will be eligible to receive financial aid for one semester while on Financial Aid Warning status.
• If I do not meet the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements by the end of the semester that I am place on Financial Aid Warning, I will be placed on Financial Aid Probation (see below).

Financial Aid Probation (formerly suspension):

• I will be placed on Financial Aid Probation if I do not meet the 67% overall completion rate and 2.0 cumulative GPA requirements by the end of the semester that I am place on Financial Aid Warning status.
• I will be notified via email of the Financial Aid Probation status.
• I may submit a written appeal (form available on the ACC website) to request reinstatement of my financial aid eligibility. Only students with documentable and extenuating circumstances (Example: death or illness of a loved one). Appeals submitted without documentation will not be considered.
• My appeal must include a thorough explanation of the circumstances with documentation. I must also include an explanation of what circumstances have changed that will allow me to meet all requirements in the future.
• Grades of “I” cannot be appealed. A final grade must be posted before eligibility for aid can be determined.
• I must meet with an Academic Advisor to establish an academic plan to determine recommended future enrollment in order to complete my degree/certificate while meeting all Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements. A copy of the academic plan must be submitted with my appeal. As part of the appeal decision, the ACC Appeal Committee has the authority to limit the number of courses I enroll in, and require that I enroll in certain courses.
• The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee. I will be notified via email of the appeal decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility:

• If my appeal is denied, I understand that I must pay out-of-pocket for school until I have met all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements.

Degree/Certificate Plan

• I must have declared a major (degree or certificate) in order to receive financial aid.
• I am only allowed to have one active degree program at ACC.  Students may declare associated certificates within the same degree program. 
• I will only enroll in classes that are required for my ACC degree/certificate plan.
• My financial aid may be reduced or cancelled if I enroll in classes that are not required for my ACC degree/certificate plan.
• I may change my degree or certificate plan once while attending ACC. All degree/certificate plan changes will be counted, regardless of whether or not I received aid.
• All attempted and completed hours from ACC and previous schools will be applied to my degree/certificate plan. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).

Maximum Time to Complete Degree/Certificate

• I must complete my degree/certificate program by attempting no more than 150% of the hours required for the degree/certificate program. Example: My degree requires 66 hours to complete, so I must finish the degree requirements with no more than 99 hours attempted (66 x 1.5 = 99 hours).
• I will be notified via email if I have exceeded the maximum time to complete my degree/certificate.
• All hours attempted at ACC and previous schools will be calculated in the attempted hours. This includes all letter grades (A, B, C, D, and F), withdraws (W), incompletes (I), repeats (R), credit by exam, nontraditional experience credit (S), and in-progress classes (IP).
• If I have exceeded the maximum time frame for completing my degree/certificate, I understand that I may submit a written appeal (available on the ACC website) to request an extension of my financial aid eligibility. The appeal will be reviewed by the ACC Appeal Committee, and I will be notified via email of the decision. The decision of the ACC Appeal Committee is final.

Contact Information
Financial Aid Office
Fax: 281.756.3840
Email: FA@alvincollege.edu