Satisfactory Academic Progress

“I’ve just been placed on financial aid warning.  What does that mean?” 

Students who fail to meet SAP for the first time (excluding students who have already attempted 150% of the credits required for their programs of study) will be automatically placed in a warning status for one (1) term and are expected to meet SAP requirements by the end of that term. Students who fail to meet SAP requirements at the end of the warning term will no longer be eligible for financial aid. However, with a successful SAP appeal (see below), those students will be placed on financial aid probation or an academic plan and will retain financial aid eligibility.

“I just had a terrible semester.  Now what happens to my financial aid?  Can I appeal to keep my financial aid?”

Yes.  Within about 5 days after all grades have posted for the semester, the Financial Aid Office examines each financial aid recipient for Satisfactory Academic Progress.  Students who do not meet these standards will be notified in writing via their student email of the reason(s) for the loss of eligibility.  For students that do not meet these standards at this time, all financial aid that has been awarded for future semesters is subject to being cancelled.

“I have great grades, but the email said my financial aid was cancelled because I have exceeded the Maximum Credit Limit for my program. Can I appeal to keep my financial aid?”

Yes.  Before financial aid can be reinstated, however, you will need to meet with an academic advisor or counselor at one of the campus locations to discuss your program of study, and whether or not you are making adequate progress toward completion of the program you are pursuing.  Your advisor/counselor will then assist you with completing an appeal form and sign off on a program checklist that explains how many credits you have to complete before you have earned the degree or certificate that you are pursuing.

A student that experiences unusual mitigating circumstances may appeal the loss of his or her eligibility, in writing, by submitting the form to appeal based on GPA/Completion Rate or the form for Maximum Length (150%). The Professional Judgment Committee will consider all appeals submitted on-time for the upcoming semester, in the order in which they are received. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the decision. All appeals must be supported with adequate documentation of circumstances or they will not be considered.  Appeals received after the semesters deadline will be considered for the following semester.

All appeal decisions are final.  See below for frequently asked questions and helpful hints when appealing the loss of your financial aid:

Helpful information:

Things the Appeal Committee consider when reviewing your appeal

• Have you submitted adequate documentation of your mitigating circumstances?
• Have you been granted an SAP appeal approval in the past?
• Have you addressed the cause of your satisfactory academic progress failure?
• Have you been able to demonstrate that the circumstances behind your failure have been corrected, and you are now ready for academic success?
• Did you meet with an Academic Counselor or your Advisor? Germanna has a tremendous staff of professionally trained academic counselors and advisors to offer guidance and support.

Issues with instructor(s), course(s), job conflicts, transportation problem, or childcare conflicts do not constitute unusual mitigating circumstances and will not be considered.

Second Appeals

A second appeal will only be considered after the following two criteria are met:

1. Student has successfully completed no less than 6 credits toward his/her degree on his/her own resources.
2. Student has met with an academic counselor and has been advised as to how to return to satisfactory academic standing at the college.   At this time, an academic plan for success is created by the counselor and the counselor signs the appeal for reinstatement of financial aid.

“I’ve been approved, so now what happens?”

If your appeal is approved by the committee, your financial aid will be reinstated only to the extent that funds are available. 

Please note: This is important to remember, as some aid types may not be available for reinstatement once the appeal has been approved.  There is no guarantee of full reinstatement of the original financial aid award once an appeal has been approved.

Depending on the type of approval you have been granted, you will either be placed on financial aid probation (one additional semester of aid eligibility to regain satisfactory academic standing at the college) or, if you will need more than one semester to rebuild your academic standing, the Financial Aid Office may place you on a longer term SAP academic plan with specific recommendations as to what is needed to remain eligible for financial aid on a continuing basis, while you work on improving your academic standing. If you’ve been placed on SAP probation: If, after the probationary period has passed, satisfactory academic progress has not been achieved, you will be removed from probation and your financial aid eligibility will be lost.  If you have been approved for the VCCS academic renewal process, please speak to a Financial Aid Advisor for further assistance.

Important

While on financial aid probation/academic plan, each student must continue to make progress toward his or her degree.  Students must be 100% successful in all attempted courses. At the conclusion of each semester, each student on financial aid is reviewed for continued progress toward his or her degree and, if continued progress is not maintained, financial aid probation/academic plan is revoked and the student is no longer eligible for aid at Germanna.

Appeal denial process

“My appeal was denied, so now what happens?”

At the time of denial, a full explanation will be given as to what the decision was based on, and what will need to be done to reinstate financial aid for future semesters.  This will usually involve the student completing academic coursework on his or her own resources until all of the above standards of satisfactory academic progress are achieved. A student who chooses not to appeal or whose appeal is denied may return at his/her own expense and complete the classes necessary to meet the required standards to reinstate his or her financial aid.

Complete SAP policy