In accordance with federal financial aid regulations, financial aid recipients are required to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completion of their educational goals in order to receive financial aid. This SAP policy is separate from IVC’s academic progress policies. Additionally, federal rules state that SAP standards must include a review of all periods of enrollment, for which the student did and did not receive financial aid. Courses students attempt at both IVC and Saddleback College and any credits transferred from other institutions that are shown on the students’ transcripts are included in the SAP calculations.
REQUIREMENTS
The following requirements must be met in order to receive or continue to receive financial aid.
- Complete 67% or more of enrolled units (all units enrolled for at census date). The pace calculation used is completed units divided by enrolled units. Failed (F), Incompletes (I), Withdrawals (W), Excused Withdrawals (EW), Forgiven Withdrawals (FW), No Pass (NP), No Credit (NC), Report Delayed (RD) or In Progress (IP) codes after census date will be counted as enrolled but not completed. Credits transferred from other colleges may be counted as both enrolled and completed. Additionally, remedial and ESL courses will be deducted from the maximum timeframe calculation, but will be included for the GPA and completion percentage calculations.
- Maintain at least a cumulative district GPA of 2.0.
- Complete associate degree within 90 units enrolled and certificate program within 45 units enrolled to meet 150% of the program’s credit length requirement.
WARNING STATUS
Students who complete less than 67% of their enrolled units or their cumulative institutional GPA falls below 2.0, will be automatically placed on a financial aid “Warning” status for the following semester. A “Warning” email notification will be sent to students informing them that they will need to meet the SAP standards or have their financial aid suspended.
Students who have enrolled 100% of their academic program will be placed on an ‘Alert’ status; those who have enrolled 125% of their program will be placed on a ‘Warning’ status. Both will receive email notifications.
SUSPENSION STATUS
In order to regain eligibility, students placed in a "Warning” status must meet the SAP standards at the end of the “Warning” semester (cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better and 67% completion of all enrolled units). Students who fail to meet these SAP standards at the end of the "Warning" semester will be suspended. Additionally, some students may be automatically suspended based on previous academic history at the Financial Aid Office’s discretion based upon professional judgment standards. Students who have exceeded the maximum timeframe for a degree or certificate program will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.
APPEALS
Students may appeal their SAP suspension by submitting an appeal form with a personal statement, documentation of extenuating circumstances, and an approved academic plan (MAP) to ivc.studentforms.com. It may take 1-2 weeks for the Appeals Committee to evaluate a student's appeal after it has been submitted in full. Students who wish to contest the Appeals Committee's decisions can request a meeting with the Director of Financial Aid. Extenuating circumstances taken into consideration by the Financial Aid Office include, but are not limited to, the following: personal illness or injury, serious illness or death within the immediate family, auto accident or another situation beyond reasonable control of the student.
Appeals must be submitted by the date specified in the table below for each term. If approved, the student may receive funding for the current and subsequent semesters so long as the conditions of the appeal are met.
| Semester | Deadline to Appeal: |
|---|---|
| Fall 2024 | December 1, 2024 |
| Spring 2025 | April 30, 2025 |
| Summer 2025 | July 7, 2025 |
PROBATION AND MONITORING STATUS
If a student's appeal is approved by the Financial Aid Office, the student will be placed on "Probation" to monitor progress. During this probationary period, students are eligible to receive financial aid. Depending upon the Financial Aid Office's decision, the student must either meet the SAP standards at the end of the probationary semester or follow a specific academic plan.
The Financial Aid Office will review all probationary students at the end of each semester to determine the student's future financial aid eligibility. Students on Probation who passed all classes with a "C" or better but are still below the overall minimum GPA and/or completion percentage standards will remain on "Probation" until they are at or above standards. The conditions of the appeal must be met until the student is in a 'Satisfactory' status. There are no exceptions.
Students on a maximum time frame probationary status, referred to as 'MTF Probation,' will remain in that status until they have completed their program. Students will ONLY be paid for classes needed to complete their educational goal/program of study. Additionally, students must complete all classes with a 'C' or better grade in each class (a 'passing' grade is counted as a 'C' grade). No funding will be permitted for repeated or additional courses not listed on the financial aid academic plan (MAP).
CONTINUED SUSPENSION/TERMINATION OF AID STATUS
If a student fails to meet the probationary conditions of their SAP appeal, their financial aid will remain suspended until they satisfactorily meet the minimum GPA and completion requirement. Although the student may choose to appeal again, the subsequent appeal may be denied due to the student not meeting the conditions of the previous appeal approval - depending on the extenuating circumstance which caused the students to fail to meet the probationary condition of the previous approval. Students may be able to have their financial aid reinstated once they have raised their cumulative institutional GPA to 2.0 and complete 67% of their enrolled coursework, if they have not exceeded the maximum timeframe to complete their program of study.
If a student fails to meet the probationary conditions of their MTF appeal or if their MTF appeal is denied for exceeding the maximum timeframe, their financial eligibility will be terminated. Students will receive an email notification of the termination. Students whose financial aid has been terminated may not be eligible for any financial aid at IVC other than the California College Promise Grant.