Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students receiving any form of financial aid from JCJC will be expected to maintain satisfactory progress toward their degree objective.  If satisfactory progress is not met, all need-based financial aid including student loans, offered to the student will be terminated.  Satisfactory progress for full-time students will be measured according to the following table:

Hours Attempted	1 - 32	33 - 63	64 - Above
Cumulative Grade Point Average Required *	1.5	1.75	2.0

 

* The cumulative GPA requirement will be waived after a semester if the student meets the hour requirement and has at least a 2.0 grade point average.

The table above does not apply to the following scholarships:
MTAG, ACT, and Academic scholarships require a 2.5 GPA.  MESG requires a 3.5 GPA.

Satisfactory academic progress has three standards of measurement that a student must meet and is calculated at the end of each semester.

Three Standards of Measurement:

Standard 1
Cumulative Grade Point Average – In order to retain financial eligibility students must progress according to the above table.

Standard 2 (Effective at the end of Fall 2010 during SAP calculation)
Credit Completion Rate – Students must successfully complete 67% of credit hours attempted.  This is the number of hours completed compared to the number of hours attempted.  The quantitative measurement will be a completion of two-thirds of all cumulative attempted credit hours.

Standard 3
Maximum Time Frame – The maximum time frame allowable for students to complete the academic program cannot exceed 150% of attempted credit hours.  Students that reach the maximum time frame will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.

Financial Aid Probation
GPA - Probation
Students who do not meet minimum standards for satisfactory progress will be given one semester of probation.  During the probation semester, students will be eligible to receive financial aid.

Credit Completion – Probation
Students who do not successfully complete 67% of credit hours attempted will be given one semester of probation regardless of GPA.

Hours - Probation
Once a student completes 84 hours attempted at JCJC and previous accredited colleges attended, the student will attain a status of probation regardless of GPA.

Students will retain the probation status as long as they meet satisfactory progress.

Financial Aid Suspension
GPA - Suspension
After the probation semester, students who do not meet minimum standards for satisfactory progress will not be eligible to receive Title IV financial aid, until minimum standards are achieved.

Credit Completion – Suspension
After the probation semester, students who do not successfully complete 67% of credit hours attempted will not be eligible to receive Title IV financial aid, until minimum standards are achieved.

Hours - Suspension
Once a student completes 96 hours attempted at JCJC and previous accredited colleges attended, the student will automatically attain a status of suspension regardless of GPA.  The student will not be eligible to receive financial aid while on suspension.

Notification of Financial Aid Probation and Suspension
Financial aid standing is calculated at the end of each semester.  Students will receive a written notice from the Financial Aid Office indicating probation or suspension status.  Students can also check the JCPortal.

Reinstatement of Eligibility and Appeal Procedure
In order to be reinstated on financial aid due to financial aid suspension for GPA, students must attend at their own expense and complete at least six (6) hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0 and/or meet the cumulative hours and GPA requirement for satisfactory progress.

In order to be reinstated on financial aid due to financial aid suspension for credit completion, students must attend at their own expense and earn a cumulative 67% of credit hours attempted and/or meet the cumulative hours and GPA requirement for satisfactory progress.

The preceding statements do not apply to students who are on financial suspension for hours. 

Students who lose eligibility for financial aid have the opportunity to appeal.  To appeal the suspension status because of GPA, credit completion, or hours, students must complete and submit an appeal form to the Director of Financial Aid.  The Director of Financial Aid will review the appeal on a case by case basis.  In the appeal, the students should describe and document any mitigating circumstances (for example:  serious illness, death of a family member, undue hardships, or other circumstances).  Students will be notified in writing regarding the decision of the appeal.  If a student would like to appeal the decision of the Director of Financial Aid, a request must be made for the case to be reviewed by the Appeals Committee.

Financial aid suspension does not prevent students from attending JCJC.

OTHER JCJC FINANCIAL AID REGULATIONS

Cumulative Record
All academic records of JCJC students will be evaluated to determine eligibility for financial aid whether or not the students received aid for all semesters.

Determination of Need
The information submitted on the FAFSA will be used in a federally mandated calculation that determines what portion of students "cost of attendance" can be met through the students’ (and in the case of dependent students, the parents') resources. This figure is then subtracted from the cost of attendance during the appropriate period of enrollment. "Cost of attendance" is based on average costs for tuition and fees, room and board (even for commuter students), books and supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous personal expenses. This figure minus the expected family contribution (EFC) equals the documented limit for need-based financial aid.  Once the documented limit is determined, awards are made by the Financial Aid Office based on the students’ eligibility for aid and the amount of need-based funds available.  See calculation of financial need below:
            Cost of Attendance (COA) – Expected Family Contribution (EFC) = Financial Need

Disbursement of Awards
All financial aid will be credited to the recipients account by the JCJC FAO.  Tuition, fees, room, board, books, and supplies (to the extent of funds available) will be allowed to be charged against the student’s account.  All refunds to students, over the above charges, will be disbursed to students approximately the thirteenth week of each semester.  This does not apply to students who work on campus.  All work-study checks will be disbursed on a monthly basis.

Incomplete Grades
Incomplete “I” grades must be completed within six weeks after the end of the semester in which the student received an “I”, if not, the student will receive an “F”.  An “I” will have the same effect as an “F” when calculating hours attempted and quality points.  When calculating semester and cumulative GPA, the “I” will be calculated until the grade is changed.   Students receiving a grade of “I” in any course will not be able to receive credit for the same course in determining enrollment status until the “I” is removed.

Maximum Time
Students are not eligible for any federal financial aid at JCJC after completing 150% of the time normally required to complete their program of study, not to exceed 96 hours attempted, regardless of GPA, cumulative hours earned, or change of program.  In addition, hours attempted when students did not receive financial aid will also be calculated according to satisfactory academic progress requirements.

Remedial Courses
Students receive institutional credit and grades for remedial courses; therefore, remedial courses will be treated in the same manner as other college courses attempted.

Repeat Courses
Repeated courses will be calculated in hours attempted.  Courses repeated for the purpose of grade improvement may not be funded with federal aid.  However, if a student is required, by his or her program of study, to repeat a course, the repetition is considered as not being done for grade improvement, but rather for continuation in the program of study, and therefore, is fundable.  Excessive repeats may not be funded.

Return of Title IV Funds
The U.S. Department of Education’s Higher Education Amendment Act of 1998, requires that a school return all unearned Title IV aid when recipients withdraw from school.  Students who withdraw from all classes prior to completing more than 60% of an enrollment term will have their aid recalculated based on the percent of the term completed.

Federal Title IV Financial Aid includes:  Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Stafford Student Loans.

Part-time Students
If students receive part-time financial aid awards, the required number of hours to be completed will be reduced proportionately.

Priority Date
The Financial Aid Priority Date for JCJC is generally April 1 of each year.  Information must be processed by the federal office and all necessary paperwork must be submitted to the JCJC Financial Aid Office by April 1, to meet the priority date.

Withdrawals
Students must be obligated to a grade in a class before that class can be used in determining enrollment status.  Students who withdraw from school will be considered to have earned no credits with a GPA of 0.  Completely withdrawing from a semester will be evaluated based on previous grades to determine probation or suspension status.  Students who withdraw from two consecutive semesters will be on suspension with or without meeting the required GPA.  Withdrawals will be calculated as hours attempted, but will not be used to calculate the student’s GPA.