The U.S. Department of Education mandates institutions of higher education to establish a standard of satisfactory academic progress for students who receive financial aid. This standard must apply to the student’s entire academic history at Gordon State College (including transfer hours accepted for credit whether Title IV financial aid was received or not.) In order to remain eligible for student financial aid at Gordon State College, students must meet the standards specified for acceptable academic performance and for satisfactory progress toward the completion of their program of study. The standards are established within the framework of applicable federal regulations (HEA Sec. 484(c), 668.16, 668.34) specifically for the purpose of determining the eligibility of students to receive aid under all generally funded federal and state programs, such as Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study, and Federal Family Educational Loan Programs (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, PLUS). The financial aid satisfactory academic progress policy should not be confused with Warning or Good Standing as defined by academic regulations.
Components
The Gordon State College definition of satisfactory academic progress for receiving financial aid includes the following components:
Grade Point Average
Students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standards as described in the Gordon State College Academic Catalog. The Grade Point Average is measured at the end of each semester in which the student is enrolled. To remain in good academic standing and in order to make satisfactory academic progress, students are required to maintain an acceptable cumulative grade point average. The minimum acceptable cumulative grade point average (GPA) is based on the number of semester hours attempted including transfer hours.
For the purposes of this policy, the following measures are used:
2023-2024
| Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|
| 0-30 hours - 1.8 |
| 31 + hours - 2.0 |
2024-2025 (This update to the SAP GPA portion of the policy will be effective Fall 2024)
| Minimum Cumulative GPA | |
| Attempted Hours | Minimum Financial Aid GPA |
| 0-15 | 1.5 |
| 16-30 | 1.7 |
| 31-45 | 1.9 |
| 46 or more | 2.0 |
Since financial aid GPA includes all hours attempted at Gordon State College, including Learning Support classes, it may differ from your academic GPA.
Completion Rate
The completion rate is measured at the end of each semester in which the student is enrolled. Students must show measurable progress toward earning a degree by successfully completing 67% of all attempted credit hours including remedial course work and transfer hours accepted for credit by Gordon State College. Grades of A, B, C, or D count as the successful completion of a course. The grades of F, W, WF, I, U, IP or V do not count as the successful completion of a course.
The completion rate is calculated by dividing total credit hours earned (successfully completed) by total credit hours attempted (including transfer hours) rounded down to the nearest whole number.
Maximum Time-Frame
Maximum Time-Frame is measured at the end of each semester in which the student is enrolled. Students are allowed to attempt up to 150% of the credit hours required to complete their degree. For example, if a bachelor degree program requires 120 credit hours, a student may attempt a maximum of 180 (120 X 150%) credit hours before becoming ineligible for federal aid. For an associate degree program requiring 60 credit hours, a student may attempt a maximum of 90 (60 X 150%) credit hours before becoming ineligible for federal aid.
Degree Completion
The purpose of student financial aid is to assist students in earning a degree. Students who have earned enough hours to complete degree requirements may no longer be eligible for student financial aid. Students who change majors or degree programs may reach eligibility limits before obtaining a degree. Students who decide to change majors or degree programs should do so early so as not to jeopardize eligibility for student financial aid.
Repetition of Courses, Remedial Coursework, Withdrawals and Incomplete
Students should be careful in repeating courses as all attempts at a course are counted in the maximum hours allowed to obtain a degree. Repeat grades are not included in the Grade Point Average Calculation. Students are also reminded that withdrawing from a course does not count as successful completion and does not count toward the required 67% completion rate. Incomplete also does not count as the successful completion of a course.
A student can receive financial aid for no more than 30 hours of remedial course work. All remedial course work does count toward attempted hours and will be used in the PACE calculation.
Transfer Students
As mentioned earlier, all transfer coursework that is accepted for credit by Gordon State is included in the Satisfactory Academic Progress calculation.Transfer students are considered to be meeting SAP during their first term of enrollment at Gordon State.At the end of the first term, SAP status is calculated at which point any student exceeding maximum time frame (including transfer hours) will lose their financial aid eligibility without a warning semester.
Students Seeking Second Degrees
All attempted hours at Gordon State, as well as transfer hours accepted for credit, are counted toward the maximum attempted hours for all students. The number of hours is not reset based on completion of a prior undergraduate degree.
Financial Aid Warning and/or Suspension
A student will automatically be placed on financial aid warning in the event that the student fails to meet the grade point average standards or completion rate standards during his or her appropriate review period. A student in this category may receive financial aid for the next semester in which he or she attends Gordon State College. At the end of that semester, the student must have completed both the aggregate number of semester hours required and attain the overall institutional GPA required to establish satisfactory academic progress. If the student does not make up the deficiencies, the student is considered to not be making satisfactory academic progress and is placed on financial aid suspension for the subsequent semester. Students will be placed on warning for one semester only.
A student who does not meet the maximum time frame requirement will become ineligible for financial aid and will not be placed on financial aid warning.
Financial Aid Suspension means the termination of all financial aid until the student has returned to a satisfactory academic progress standing.
Appeals Process
Student financial aid recipients who have lost eligibility for aid due to completion rate or gpa may appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office if there are extenuating circumstances. Extenuating circumstances are defined as unanticipated and unavoidable events beyond a student’s control that prevented him or her from achieving academic success.
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal to determine whether the suspension will be lifted. Email notification of the Committee’s action will be provided, along with any special conditions which must be met in the event the suspension is lifted. Email notification will also contain information regarding the length of the approved appeal. Approval of all appeals is determined on case-by-case basis and is not guaranteed. The committee’s decision is final and cannot be appealed further. The Committee will only review one appeal per academic year.
Review of students on Satisfactory Academic Progress Warning or on Appeal
Students on SAP Warning or who have successfully appealed their standing will be checked at the end of the semester for which the status was in effect.Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which they were placed on SAP warning will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon State College until they have regained their eligibility. Students who are evaluated and fail to meet the appropriate standard(s) at the end of the semester in which their appeal is exhausted will be ineligible for any additional financial aid funds at Gordon State College until they have regained their eligibility.
If a student is evaluated at the end of a semester in which either the warning or appeal status ends and said student is once again making Satisfactory Academic Progress, he or she will be eligible for financial aid in the next semester of enrollment at Gordon State College.