Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Effective August 1, 2024
This policy supersedes all previous versions.

The U.S. Department of Education requires the Compton Community College District to establish and enforce Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for students receiving financial aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act.

SAP is assessed at the end of each term after grades are posted. Students must demonstrate satisfactory progress toward completing an associate degree, an eligible vocational certificate, or transferring to a four-year college/university.

This policy applies to all federal financial aid programs, including the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study (FWS), and Direct Loans. It also governs state aid programs such as the Cal Grant, Full-Time Student Success Grant, and Completion Grant. A separate policy applies to the California College Promise Grant (formerly the BOG Fee Waiver).

SAP Standards

1. Cumulative GPA (Qualitative Measure)

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. This includes units completed at any Coast District college or evaluated and applied from other regionally accredited institutions. Academic renewal is not recognized for SAP calculations, so all grades (A, B, C, D, F) are considered.

2. Cumulative Pace of Unit Completion (Quantitative Measure)

Students must complete at least 67% of their attempted units. Attempted units include grades of A, B, C, D, F, P, W, I, IP, NP, NC, and repeated courses. Completed units include grades of A, B, C, D, and P. Units evaluated and applied from external transcripts are also included. Academic renewal does not affect this calculation.

3. Maximum Timeframe

Students may receive financial aid for up to 150% of the units required to complete their program of study.

For an associate degree or transfer, aid is available for up to 90 units.
For certificates requiring 30 units, aid may cover up to 45 units.
Units from evaluated external transcripts counting toward the student’s program of study are included.
Remedial coursework is excluded from the timeframe calculation.

Students who exceed the maximum timeframe or earn an AA/AS or BA/BS degree must appeal to receive aid for a new program.

Additional Policies
Repeating Coursework

Aid is provided for one repeat of a passed course and unlimited repeats for courses never passed, within district policies allowing three attempts to pass a course.

ESL and Remedial Coursework

Up to 30 units of ESL coursework are covered by aid and included in GPA and pace calculations.
Students must take at least 50% of term units in eligible program coursework to continue receiving aid.

Transcripts from Other Institutions

Only units applicable to the student’s program of study count toward the maximum timeframe.
Units evaluated for Unusual Enrollment History (UEH) may be considered for SAP determinations.

Study Abroad Programs

Courses taken through approved study abroad programs are included in SAP calculations.

Program of Study

Students must enroll in an approved program listed in the college catalog and eligible for financial aid.

SAP Status Outcomes

Good Standing: Meets all SAP requirements.
Warning: One semester to meet cumulative SAP requirements. Failure results in disqualification.
Disqualified: Fails to meet SAP after a warning or exceeds the maximum timeframe.
Probation: Granted after a successful appeal, allowing aid for one term while following an educational plan.

Appeal Process

Students disqualified for SAP may appeal due to extenuating circumstances, including:

Illness or accident affecting the student or an immediate family member.
Death of an immediate family member.
U.S. Military service orders.
Temporary disability with supporting documentation.

Requirements for Appeals:

Complete appeal forms with documentation demonstrating circumstances during the affected term.
Submit an updated Comprehensive Educational Plan if appealing the maximum timeframe.

Appeal Outcomes:

Approved: Student placed on probation with aid for one term.
Denied: Option for a second review by submitting additional documentation.

Students will be notified of decisions via student email.

Spring 2025 Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal

Processing Timeframe

Approximately 4-6 weeks. You will be notified of the committee’s decision via email.
General Deadline Month for Submission

Fall Semester – November 22nd
Spring Semester – May 23rd
Summer Term – July 27th

Reviewing Your Appeal

Make sure you understand what successful completion means and the numbers of units you must complete each semester to maintain you financial eligibility.
If you are approved and considering a change in your course load, discuss your academic plan options with both your academic adviser(s) and a financial aid adviser prior to making any adjustments to your schedule.
Read your approved SAP Appeal to make sure you are following any approval requirements to maintain financial aid for the academic year you submitted your appeal.

By signing and submitting the SAP appeal form you acknowledge your understanding of the basic requirement on that form, including any additional requirement from your approved SAP appeal.

All appeal decisions from the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Committee are FINAL.

References

California Student Aid Commission Institutional Participation Agreement, Article IV, B 15
Federal Student Aid Regulations: 34 CFR 668.42(c)(2)

California College Promise Grant (CCPG) eligibility is different and separate from the SAP eligibility for Financial Aid. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for further details.

Financial Aid Warning

Students who do not meet SAP Standards for progress (indicated above) will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. This is a warning to students and will not affect their financial aid. If, while on Financial Aid Warning, students do not meet the SAP Standards for the second time will be placed on Disqualified Status and all aid for the term will be canceled.
Maximum Time Frame

Generally 90 units or more for most AA/AS, AA-T/AS-T programs, but may be less. Students who have attempted 90 units (the maximum time frame limit of 150%) or more, are required to appeal to receive financial aid. Individual certificate programs have their own maximum time frame. To identify the maximum time frame, 100% of units required are taken plus an additional 50%. For example, a 30 unit certificate program has a maximum time frame of 45 units. It is critical that students take the correct classes required for their degree, as even passing one's classes with a high GPA, does not ensure the student will be able to graduate within the 150% maximum time frame. Taking courses not required for one's degree, may result in the student being cut off from receiving future financial aid (see below.)
Important Information

If at any point it is determined that the student cannot complete their course of study within the 150% time frame (90 units for AA/AS, AA-T/AS-T, other certificate programs will vary), they will be immediately disqualified from future financial aid, for the remainder of their program, even if currently meeting the standards.
ESL Courses

ESL coursework must be part of an eligible program of study to receive financial aid. ESL coursework is not an approved program in and of itself. A student enrolled in ESL classes, who is not in an eligible program of study, is not eligible for financial aid funds. ESL coursework will count toward the 2.0 GPA and 67% units completion requirements (SAP Standard). However, ESL units will not count towards the maximum time frame limit.
Regaining Eligibility

Students who are DISQUALIFIED from receiving aid can regain their eligibility by meeting the standards which is to complete the required 67% of the attempted units and raise the cumulative GPA to at least 2.0, and be under the maximum time frame for their program.
Chafee Grant SAP

Effective January 1, 2020, California adopted new rules regarding the Chafee Grant, as part of SB150. Specifically, beginning with the 2020-2021 award year, Chafee Grant recipients must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP.) If a student fails to meet SAP, for two consecutive semesters, the student may still receive their Chafee Grant but must meet with a Financial Aid Counselor, in order to receiving their remaining Chafee Grant funds. If a student subsequently fails to meet SAP for a third consecutive semester, the student must meet with the Financial Aid Counselor to update their plan and receive the remaining funds. A student who fails to update their plan or who fails to meet SAP for fourth semester, loses their eligibility but may appeal to be reinstated. The Compton College Financial Aid Office emails Chafee Grant students at the end of each semester in which they do not meet SAP. The first notification is a warning, the second advises the student, as a warning, to meet with the Financial Aid Counselor, the third email requires the counseling visit for payment and the fourth semester, to update the plan or appeal. Appeals will be “automatic” if one of the following applies: The student achieved a 2.0 or above during the prior term, or a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; or the student dis-enrolls for one or more terms and then subsequently enrolls. The student may appeal for extenuating circumstances (with documentation), or evidence of engagement with a supportive program, either on or off campus, with documentation, which indicates it is helping the student to make continued academic progress. Students who may appeal will be notified via email with further instructions, dates and the application process for the appeal.

Units Attempted	Must Complete	Units Attempted	Must Complete
1	1	14	9
2	1	15	10
3	2	16	11
4	3	17	11
5	3	18	12
6	4	19	13
7	5	20	13
8	5	21	14
9	6	22	15
10	7	23	15
11	7	24	16
12	8	25	17
13	9	26	17

FINANCIAL AID DISQUALIFICATION

Students who do not meet the SAP standards listed above will be subject to disqualification from receiving further Federal and State Financial Aid (may include the CCPG). SAP standards are checked and verified during the following terms: Fall, Spring, & Summer. Generally, a student who is disqualified from financial aid must meet SAP standards by completing at least a successful semester without financial aid, and meet all SAP eligibility criteria to regain eligibility.

Students may not meet SAP for the following reasons:

Students have reached the maximum time frame of their program. 90 units have been attempted (unit count varies for certificate programs).
Did not complete with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better.
Did not complete 67% of attempted units cumulatively.

Once the student reaches their maximum time frame, and/or does not meet the SAP Policy after one semester of financial aid warning, they will be disqualified from receiving additional assistance other than the CCPG fee waiver. Under certain conditions, a student may be eligible to appeal for reinstatement of aid, without meeting the SAP Policy. Each institution has the option of allowing or not allowing appeals and if allowed, must explain what options are available and who is eligible for an appeal. At Compton College, appeals are offered in the falI, spring, and summer terms during the academic year.

Students who are disqualified will receive notification of their option to appeal via myCompton, and will include the time period that appeals will be accepted during a given semester/term.

Reasons a student may be eligible to appeal include:

Extenuating circumstances (beyond the student’s control) that prevented him/her from meeting SAP standards (documentation substantiating statements must be submitted.)
Change in major or program of study. In order for an appeal to be approved, the new unit count must be under the new maximum time frame. An Educational Plan would be required. A formal change of major form must be submitted prior to completing the appeal process.

Extenuating circumstances must ALWAYS be documented or the appeal will not be approved.

Serious illness, injury or medical condition requiring doctor’s care.
Death of an immediate family member or
Extenuating circumstances that were beyond the student’s control.

Currently, we will only allow for a maximum of one program change in order to receive aid, with certain caveats. Students are encouraged to see a FA counselor and develop an Educational Plan within completion of their first calendar year at Compton College, to ensure they are taking the appropriate required coursework for their program, so that they are not disqualified for continued financial aid assistance before they complete their program.

APPEAL PROCESS

Students will be able to complete the appeal electronically at the https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ website. Supporting documentation for extenuating circumstances is required for the appeal process and must be submitted in order for the student’s appeal to be reviewed. Students are required to upload all supporting documents using a scanner, smartphone, or PDF via the https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ website. Incorrect or incomplete appeals will be denied and the student will not be able to resubmit their appeal during that semester.

Please view this helpful video on how to submit a SAP Appeal.

On the appeal, students must provide the following information for consideration:

Why the student failed to meet SAP
What has changed to allow the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation

Each appeal will be reviewed by the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Committee and either approve or deny based upon the student’s individual circumstances. All decisions are final and there is no higher appeal. Appeals approved will be placed on financial aid probation and receive payment for one semester. Appeals considered for approval must pass the litmus test of determining that the student will be able to meet the SAP Policy at the end of the financial aid probation period. If a student’s progress is such that there is no way they will be able to meet the SAP Policy at the end of the financial aid probation, their appeal will be denied. Students will be notified via email of the decision.

Disqualified Students

Students must state in their appeal what event(s) took place and were out of their control that caused them not to meet SAP. If a student has not met SAP for more than one semester/term (may not be consecutive) they will need to provide a statement for each individual semester/term progress was not made. Each statement of the extenuating circumstances must have its own supporting documentation, uploaded as a third-party document in the Verification Portal. If a student is unable to provide documentation for the extenuating circumstance stated on the appeal, it cannot be mentioned or stated on the appeal. Failure to provide supporting documentation for each circumstance may cause the appeal to be denied. Students must also indicate on their appeal 1) Why the student failed to meet SAP, 2) What has changed to allow the student to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

Steps to Appeal

Students who will be submitting a SAP appeal for financial aid should follow the following steps:

View the online SAP Workshop and upload the certificate of completion via https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ account.
Meet with a Financial Aid Counselor (If at the Maximum Timeframe). Please click here for contact information.
Complete the electronic SAP appeal form online at https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ and upload all supporting documents.

It is important to remember that generally, students become eligible for financial assistance again when they are once again meeting the SAP Policy. The appeal process is designed to be the exception to the rule when extenuating circumstances exist outside the student's control and/or a change of major occurred where the student is now under the maximum time frame for the new program. Students should identify why they were disqualified and what their reasons are before they consider submitting a formal appeal.

All appeal decisions from the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Committee are FINAL.