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SAP Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) ensures students are able to complete their academic program in a timely manner while maintaining adequate academic standards. In an age of increasing accountability of the use of federal student aid funds (and other federal, state, and institutional funds), institutions and students must demonstrate financial aid funds are being used to assist students in completing their academic goals in the most efficient way.

Federal regulations mandate all students are required to maintain SAP toward a degree in order to receive financial assistance through Title IV federal financial aid (including, but not limited to, the Pell Grant, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Parent PLUS loans, Federal Work Study, and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) and need-based state aid (such as the Kentucky Tuition Grant and Kentucky College Access Program Grant) programs. Students must meet the academic standards as outlined in the SAP policy. These standards are for financial aid purposes only and neither replaces nor overrides academic policies outlined by Alice Lloyd College. The SAP policy applies to all undergraduate students.

Policy Components

There are three components of SAP consisting of quantitative and qualitative measurements. Quantitative measurements evaluate the pace and progress by which a student is working toward the completion of their program. This is measured by establishing a required percentage of credit hours that must be passed when attempted and by a maximum time frame in which a student must complete their required coursework. The qualitative measurement evaluates the quality (GPA and academic standing) of the student’s academic work.

Quantitative Requirements:

1.    Maximum Time Frame

All students are expected to finish their program within a maximum time frame as determined by the college.  All attempted credit hours are considered toward the maximum time allowance, regardless of whether or not the student received financial aid.

Undergraduate Students: A student’s total cumulative attempted hours may not exceed 192 hours (150% of the minimum 128 hours required to earn a bachelor’s degree —128 hours x 150%=192 hours)

2.    Pace

Undergraduate students must be on target to complete their academic program within the set time frame. To determine if a student is meeting this standard, total cumulative earned hours are compared to total cumulative attempted hours. This is calculated by dividing the total cumulative earned hours by the total cumulative attempted hours. The result must be 66.66% or greater, which means the student must complete and pass two-thirds of their cumulative attempted hours.

Examples:

Cumulative Earned Hours Cumulative Attempted Hours SAP Evaluation
12 24 12/24 = 50%;
Does NOT meet SAP
60  75 60/75=80%; Does MEET SAP
60 99 60/99=60.61%; Does NOT meet SAP

Qualitative Requirements:

1.    GPA and Academic Standing

1.    Undergraduate Students: Students must maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 official GPA and be in good standing, not dismissed nor suspended from their academic program, as determined by the Academic Dean’s policies.

Evaluation and Notification

SAP will be reviewed at the end of each academic semester to determine if they meet the policy. If the student fails to meet SAP after one semester, they will be automatically placed on “Financial Aid Warning.” The student will be eligible to receive aid for one semester. At the end of the warning semester, the student will be evaluated again. If they regain SAP, there is no further action, and they remain eligible for financial aid. For those students who fail to regain SAP, they will be placed in “SAP Suspension” and be ineligible to receive financial aid until SAP is met.

Students who lose eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid due to not meeting SAP requirements may:

  • earn the necessary GPA or semester hours to meet the minimum requirements while not receiving federal and state need-based financial aid, or
  • submit an SAP appeal.

Unless academically dismissed, students denied federal, state, and institutional aid may continue attending using other aid sources or by funding their education themselves.

It is the student’s responsibility to monitor his or her academic progress and to be aware of the requirements of his or her program and SAP standards.

Appeal Process

A student determined ineligible for financial aid for failure to meet the Alice Lloyd College Satisfactory Academic Progress standards has the right to make a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office if he or she can demonstrate:

  • failure to meet the minimum standard was caused by extreme or unusual circumstances beyond his or her control (natural disaster, family illness, etc.). Third Party Documentation of circumstances described in your letter must be included with the written appeal);
  • he or she has resolved the issue(s) that caused the deficit; and
  • the issue(s) will not affect his or her performance in the future.

This letter should be sent to the Director of Student Financial Aid at 100 Purpose Road, Pippa Passes, KY 41844. If an appeal is approved, the student will be placed on probation. His or her SAP will be evaluated the following semester he or she is enrolled to ensure the student is still meeting the appropriate requirements. If at that time the standards are not being met, an SAP hold will be placed back on the student’s account and any federal aid and state grant aid in future semesters will be canceled.  

Limit of Appeals

A student may appeal only twice during their academic career at ALC. The same reason may only be used as reason for an appeal one time.

Notification

All notifications will be sent in two ways: a letter will be sent to the student’s home address and an e-mail will be sent to their Alice Lloyd College e-mail address.

Other SAP Information

Additional information regarding grades, credits, academic polices and study abroad

  • Earned Hours: A,B,C,D, Pass and Transfer Hours accepted by Alice Lloyd College
  • Attempted Hours: All earned hours, plus W, F, I, U (with exceptions listed below)
  • Accepted Transfer Credits: Count as earned and attempted hours; are not factored into the student’s GPA calculation
  • Repeat Courses: Courses count as attempted hours each time taken, regardless of whether federal financial aid is received. If the class is passed, it is also counted as earned hours. If a student is using any of his or her three repeat options offered through the Registrar’s Office, the initial enrollment in the course (the class which is being replaced) will be included as attempted hours and excluded from earned hours if previously passed (which impacts pace), and it will be excluded in the GPA calculation
  • Incomplete and Withdrawal Grades: Count as attempted hours; do not count as earned hours
  • Audited/Non-Credit Courses: Excluded from all calculations and will not be considered when determining SAP status
  • Study Abroad: Courses accepted by Alice Lloyd College will be used in determining SAP