Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) must be maintained while receiving federal, state and institutional aid at Great Lakes Boat Building School.  There are three measurements for Satisfactory Academic Progress:

• GLBBS cumulative grade point average (GPA)
• Percentage of attempted credits completed, and
• Maximum credits needed in which to complete the program

The financial aid office will monitor SAP for students receiving aid at the end of each payment period (semester). Students must meet all three measurements.  Students are reviewed at the end of EACH payment period. All SAP measurements are cumulative.  Students who fail to meet satisfactory academic standards after one payment period will receive one subsequent payment period of aid while on Title IV Financial Aid WARNING status.  Students who are on a financial aid warning period can receive federal, state and institutional aid as long as they meet all eligibility requirements.  At the end of the warning period, a student who still has not met the standards will lose their eligibility for all aid, including federal, state and institutional aid.  This is referred to as Title IV Financial Aid SUSPENSION status.

SAP STUDENT REQUIREMENTS (MUST MEET ALL REQUIREMENTS)

GPA Requirements (Qualitative Measure)

• Maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
• Students who fail to meet this requirement will be placed on Title IV Financial Aid WARNING for one payment period. Failure to meet this requirement after a WARNING is given will result in a loss of federal, state and institutional aid after the warning semester.

Completion Rate (Pace or Quantitative Measure)

• Complete 90% of the total credits attempted for the program. 

The Pace Calculation is the total of all credits completed (grades above an F grade) divided by the total of all credits attempted.  For example, if a student has attempted 28 credits and completed only 24, the calculation is 24/28 = 85.7 (less than the requirement of 90%) and the student would not meet SAP requirements. The numbers that result from the quantitative pace calculation for SAP are not rounded, they are truncated.

• Students who fail to meet the 90% Pace requirement will be placed on Title IV Financial Aid WARNING for one semester. Failure to meet this requirement after a WARNING is given will result in a loss of federal, state and institutional aid after the warning semester.

Program Completion (110% Rule – Maximum Time Frame)

• Students must complete their degree program within the maximum time frame required, which is 110% of the length of the program. This includes repeated courses or prior hours if the student is retaking a semester that was taken in prior enrollment. For a three-semester certificate program, the maximum time frame with financial aid is four semesters (3 x 110% = 3.3, truncated to 3 semesters).

• The program completion requirements are mandatory and have no warning period. If a student is unable to complete the program within the 110% timeframe calculation, the student is ineligible for further financial aid.

Additional Certificates: A student who completes one program and then returns for an additional program will start the new program with a new maximum timeframe limit of 3 semesters, or 110% of the length of the program. The student’s GPA, credits attempted, and credits earned in both programs will be measured cumulatively across both programs for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Notification to Student: Immediately following grading each semester, each student’s SAP status will be reviewed by the Registrar and Financial Aid Office. Students who fall below the SAP requirement will be notified in writing by GLBBS within 5 days of the end of the semester. Students will have the opportunity to appeal a suspension (see Right to Appeal below) prior to the semester start date. Students will be notified of their status in writing and also on their student portal, where their current SAP status can be viewed at any time.

FINANCIAL AID GOOD STANDING STATUS

Student has met all of the requirements of satisfactory academic progress and will continue to be eligible for federal, state and institutional financial aid, as long as all other financial aid requirements are met.

TITLE IV FINANCIAL AID WARNING STATUS

Student did not meet all of the requirements of satisfactory academic progress and is placed on WARNING status for the next payment period. Students may receive financial aid if they are on WARNING status, as long as all other financial aid requirements are met.  WARNING status students have one payment period to meet all of the conditions of satisfactory academic progress.  Failure to do so will result in financial aid suspension.

TITLE IV FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION STATUS

A student will not be eligible for financial aid if any of the following has occurred:

• If the student does not meet the SAP requirements at the end of their WARNING period.
• If a student has met the maximum number of attempted credits for program completion.

Students who have not successfully appealed (or failed to meet conditions of an approved appeal) will remain on suspended status and may not receive federal student aid.  Students who choose not to appeal, or whose appeal is not approved, may be able to re-establish eligibility for Title IV aid.  Such students may (if they are permitted) continue to enroll for courses at their own expense until they have met all of the SAP standards have returned to good standing.  Retroactive payments will not be made for periods in which a student was not eligible for financial aid.

RIGHT TO APPEAL

Students have the Right to Appeal their loss of Title IV, HEA funding status. A student whose aid is suspended may request reinstatement by following the appeal process. Students will be notified of their financial aid status (GOOD, WARNING, SUSPENSION) at the end of each payment period and must submit an appeal by the due date to be considered for aid for a suspended period.

Students who have not successfully appealed (or failed to meet conditions of an approved appeal) will remain on suspended status and may not receive federal student aid. Students who choose not to appeal, or whose appeal is not approved, may be able to re-establish eligibility for Title IV aid. Such students may (if they are permitted) continue to enroll for courses at their own expense until they have met all of the SAP standards and have returned to good standing. Retroactive payments will not be made for periods in which a student was not eligible for financial aid.

APPEAL PROCESS

Students may appeal the decision to suspend financial aid for unusual or extenuating circumstances, such as:

1. The student became very ill or severely injured.
2. A death of a relative.
3. Deployment to active duty or reserves.
4. Natural disaster affecting student, student’s spouse or parents.
5. Other special circumstances.

Students must submit a written explanation of the circumstances that caused their suspension and provide supportive documentation. Student must explain their failure to meet SAP and what has changed to allow them now to regain their aid. Students must meet with their academic advisor and develop a written Academic Plan that clearly demonstrates how the student will regain eligibility. The completed Appeal and Academic Plan must be submitted to the President by the deadline of the Late Registration and Add/Drop period for the term. Decisions are made within 3 business days after receipt. Students will be notified in writing.  If the appeal is denied, the student will lose eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid until the student meets the GPA and completion rate requirements above.

If the student files a successful appeal, the status will be changed to Financial Aid Probation and the student will have one payment period to meet SAP requirements.  If the approved Academic Plan requires two periods to meet the minimum SAP standards, the student will be monitored at the end of the first period and must meet the full terms of the Academic Plan without deviation to continue on Financial Aid Probation with aid for the second period.

The student will be monitored at the end of each payment period. If the student meets SAP requirements after their probation period(s), then the student will return to good standing and regain eligibility for aid for the next period of attendance. Students who are on an approved Academic Plan (financial aid probation) can receive federal, state, and institutional aid as long as they meet all eligibility requirements.  If the student does not meet the SAP requirements after their probation period(s), the student will lose eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid until the student meets the GPA and completion rate requirements above.

NOTE:  Students who fail to meet SAP or file a successful SAP appeal may also be subject to academic dismissal.  If the student has incurred costs for the next period before the end of the unsuccessful payment period, the student will be responsible for all costs for the period without the benefit of federal, state or institutional financial aid.

REINSTATEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP & TITLE IV, HEA FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY

Once financial aid is suspended, both the cumulative GPA and completion rate (Pace) standards must be met in subsequent periods to reinstate aid eligibility.  If completion of “I” grades or other record changes warrant a reinstatement, the student must request a review in writing to the President.

COMPLAINTS

Students who fail to meet SAP will be ineligible for future aid. Students have the right to appeal their status for unusual or extenuating circumstances. Students who have questions concerning the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy are advised to contact the GLBBS Operations Office at (906)484-1081 or Email: kelly.emigh@glbbs.edu.

COURSE POLICIES

Academic Program Changes

Students who change their academic program may appeal to have previous program requirements excluded from their program completion requirements.

Prior Courses

All coursework taken at GLBBS is used to determine a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress status, even if a student did not receive financial aid in the past.

Incomplete Courses

A course for which an Incomplete grade has been assigned will not be counted as a course completed, but will count as an attempted course toward a student’s individual completion rate.  A student’s GPA is not affected by an incomplete grade. When a grade change is made by the Registrar, the Financial Aid Office will receive an automatic notice of the change. Satisfactory Academic Status may be re-evaluated at that time.

Repeat Courses

Students must successfully complete each course with a minimum grade of C (2.0) to move to the next semester. If a student fails to successfully complete a course, the student must retake the course in the next available semester, for an additional expense.  Federal aid may be used for repeating the course one time, provided that all other SAP conditions are met.

Repeating a course may raise the student’s cumulative GPA, but it will impact the student’s quantitative (pace) rate and 110% maximum time frame.  All courses repeated and passed will count toward both the total credits attempted and completed rate.  Courses repeated and failed will count as attempted but not completed, and will negatively affect a student’s GPA, quantitative (pace) rate and will count toward the 110% maximum time frame.

Non-credit Courses & Non-degree Courses

Non-credit courses or non-degree courses are not eligible for federal financial aid and do not count toward the attempted/completed rates.

Summer Semester

The courses are taught as part of a 12-month program consisting of three continuous semesters. Students may start the program in the fall and will continue for two additional semesters, (i.e. spring and summer), to complete it.

Transfer Credit

Credits from other institutions are not typically transferred into GLBBS, as the required coursework is specific to the unique programs at the school. However, if transfer credit is approved, it will be counted toward the program completion rate. Transfer credits that count towards the student’s current program must be counted as both attempted and completed hours for calculating Title IV, HEA [110%] eligibility. This includes all hours or credit hours attempted at any other institution whether or not the student received Title IV federal aid.

Course Withdrawals

All course(s) withdrawn from after the refund period will be counted as attempted courses but not completed, and will count toward the pace completion rate (90%) and maximum time frame (110%).