Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards ensure that you are successfully completing your coursework and can continue to receive federal financial aid. All students receiving federal financial aid are required to meet SAP standards.

Federal regulations require Southwestern College to establish, publish, and apply standards to monitor your progress toward completing your degree program. If you fail to meet the SAP standards, you will be placed on financial aid warning or suspension. Your academic performance must meet the SAP standards below:

SAP Process at SWC

Southwestern College monitors SAP at the end of each quarter. Failure to meet all three SAP requirements will result in Financial Aid Warning Status. Students will be notified of this status by email, and must meet all SAP requirements by the end of next quarter to maintain Title IV federal funding eligibility. If the student fails to maintain SAP the following quarter, they will be put on financial aid suspension.

Appeal Process

A Student who becomes ineligible for Title IV assistance at the end of a quarter during which he/she was on Title IV Warning may appeal the determination if the student believes there were extenuating circumstances that prohibited them from achieving SAP. The SAP Appeal Form, a Letter of Appeal, and supporting documentation should be submitted by the student to the Financial Aid Administrator. The Letter of Appeal should outline the basis on which s/he is appealing the termination of federal student aid. The supporting documentation a student provides should come from medical professionals, counselors, or other third-party professionals that are not related to the student. In the Letter of Appeal, students must also include an explanation of what has changed in their situation that will allow them to demonstrate SAP next quarter. A written decision will be emailed to the student once the SAP Appeal is reviewed.

A student may appeal no more than two consecutive times.

Financial Aid Probation

If the SAP Appeal decision reinstates the student’s Title IV eligibility, the student may be placed on probation for a certain number of quarters on the condition that the student is required to achieve minimum SAP standards at the end of the probationary quarter(s). If it is statistically impossible to achieve the minimum SAP standards by the end of the probationary period, the student must submit another successful appeal before the institution can place the student on a new academic plan. With the second successful appeal, the student may continue to receive Title IV aid.

If the student has not met the academic progress standards or the requirements detailed in the academic plan by the end of the probationary term, he or she will be ineligible for Title IV aid until the student takes one course, pays for it out of pocket, and passes that class with a C+ or better.

At the end of each quarter, the Financial Aid Administrator will notify students who have failed to meet the academic progress requirements as quickly as possible via email.

Incomplete Status

If at the end of a quarter the student is given an incomplete, no financial aid is disbursed for the following quarter until the incomplete coursework is completed and SAP can be calculated.

Repeat Courses

If a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student may repeat that course and still receive Title IV funds. No course may be repeated with Title IV assistance more than twice.