Maintaining Financial Aid Eligibility

Quarterly Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

A student must maintain a minimum quarterly and overall program cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, which is equivalent to a "C" average, in order to maintain good SAP standing.

Pace of Progression (Pace)

Students are required to achieve a minimum cumulative 67% pace of progression to ensure they complete within the 150% maximum time frame. All attempted credits on the students transcript are counted (except for ABE, CCP, and other high school completion classes), regardless of whether aid was received.

Maximum Time Frame (MTF)

Maximum Timeframe (MTF) is a period no longer than 150% of the published length of the program as measured in credit hours. LCC must evaluate whether it is possible for a student to complete their program within the MTF. Students fail the MTF measurement of SAP at the point it is determined that it is not possible for them to complete their program within the 150% of credits - not at the point when the student actually reaches the MTF.

A student may receive financial aid for any attempted credits towards their program of study as long as those credits do not exceed 150% of the published length of the student’s program of study and is a required class for the program.

As an example, a student enrolled in a program of study that requires 90 credits to earn their degree may receive student aid for a maximum of 135 credits attempted. Students that cannot complete the program requirements within the 150% MTF would be placed on SAP Suspension and be required to appeal to continue receiving financial aid.

Note: If a student changes programs, any previously attempted credits will be counted toward the MTF calculation in the new program. Students that cannot complete the new program requirements within the 150% MTF would be placed on SAP Suspension and be required to appeal to continue receiving financial aid.

Grade Changes

Occasionally, instructors update a student's class grade, which is updated on the transcript by Registration. The Financial Aid Office will review all transcript changes upon notification and update the student's SAP status if applicable.

Letter Grades

A, B, C, D, F, I, N, P, W, and X all impact the student's GPA and are assessed as part of the SAP requirements when recorded on the student's transcript. P (Pass) is considered to have met the minimum 2.0 GPA.

F, I, N, R, Wand X impact the student's pace of progression and are assessed as part of SAP requirements when recorded on the student's transcript. They count as credits attempted but not completed.

Note: NA and V are retired letter grades that impact the student's GPA.

Incomplete Grades

• A student may repeat a course multiple times and receive federal and state funds for that course if the course was previously taken and not successfully completed. This is available for letter grades of W’s and F’s. A letter grade of D is considered successfully completed for financial aid SAP review purposes.
• A student may also repeat a course one time that was successfully completed to achieve a higher grade. The course repeated must count toward the student’s current academic program.
• Courses with a grade of P (Pass) cannot be repeated unless the program requires it.
  • For example, some classes in the nursing program are delivered in blocks. If a student fails only one of the courses within the block, the student would be required to repeat the entire block.
• A student may not repeat courses to achieve a higher grade while receiving a loan for preparatory coursework only.

Remedial Courses

Remedial coursework prepares a student for study at the college level.

To be eligible for aid, a remedial course must be required for the student’s degree or certificate program. The Registration Office determines if a remedial class is required for the student’s program of study.

Remedial courses with credits associated are included in the enrollment level and are payable by financial aid. Students have a lifetime limit of 45 remedial credits. Students, who have exceeded the 45 credit maximum, must find an alternative way to pay for additional remedial credits.

The credits attempted and the GPA received for remedial courses are included when reviewing the student’s SAP status.

Transfer Credits

Credits taken at another college and transferred into LCC are counted in the following way:

• LCC only counts the credits transferred that apply toward the student’s current academic program at LCC for maximum time frame calculation.
• All credits accepted as transfer that count toward their current LCC academic program are considered credits the student has attempted and completed when determining pace of progression.
• The GPA for transfer credits is not factored into the student’s cumulative GPA.

A student will be placed on Financial Aid Warning if any of the following apply when reviewing SAP:

• Quarterly GPA OR cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 at the end of the term.
• Pace of progression is below 67%.
• Minimum number of credit-hours was not completed (see Quarterly Credit Completion Chart).

Note: Federal and State regulations allow the college to place a student on Warning status and release additional financial aid for one more quarter.

Students, who continue to fail to meet the SAP standards after being placed on Warning, will lose their financial aid eligibility and be placed on suspension. Students can appeal the suspension. If approved, they would be placed on Probation or an Academic Plan. If denied, the student would need to self-reinstate.

A student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension if any of the following apply when reviewing SAP:

• A student's financial aid is already on Warning and their quarterly GPA or cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 at the end of the quarter.
• A student's financial aid is already on Warning and 100% attempted credit-hours were not completed.
• A student fails to complete 50% or more of the attempted credit-hours. (see Quarterly Credit Completion Chart)
  • Note: This does not include students attending "Less than half-time". For students attending less than half-time, all attempted credits must be completed.
• Cannot mathematically complete their program in the time remaining on MTF
• Reached 150% of their program credit requirements
• Completed all credits required to graduate from their program of study - this applies even if they don't intend to apply for graduation until a future quarter

Students are notified via letter (emailed or postal mail) when suspended from federal or state student aid for failing to meet the required SAP standards. The letter includes information regarding their options to self-reinstate or appeal.

Students may initiate the appeal process by completing an appeal form available on the Financial Aid website or completed in the One-Stop Center.

Financial Aid Appeal Submission Guidelines

• Can be submitted any time during the current quarter the student is attending until the last day of instruction
  • Any appeal submitted past the 50% point of the quarter will require a staff member to confirm attendance with the instructors for all classes
  • Appeals without verified attendance will not be reviewed

• For students currently attending who submit an appeal before the quarter ends, all the following must be completed prior to the appeal being reviewed:

  • Final grades must be posted
  • SAP review must be completed by the Financial Aid Office
  • Enrolled in classes for the upcoming quarter
  • Must have a current financial aid application on file
  • All required documentation must be submitted

All appeals are reviewed regularly by the designated staff members and processing time is approximately 2-3 weeks once all required aspects of the appeal and information needed to process the appeal is available and complete.

Appeals are reviewed with a student success and coordinated care viewpoint. This may add additional standards to an approved appeal that the student will be required to meet for their financial aid to be reinstated (example: only taking one class in a quarter or achieving a quarterly 2.5 GPA or better).

All students are encouraged to submit supporting documentation with their appeal. While documentation is optional for first and second appeals, it can significantly strengthen the student's case and provide context. For third or subsequent appeals, as well as Maximum Time Frame appeals, supporting documentation is required as outlined on the appeal form.

When a student is suspended and the appeal is approved, the student will be sent a communication with the terms of their SAP appeal. The student will be placed on either a one-term Probation status or a SAP Academic Plan. Academic Plans are used when it will take a student multiple terms to bring their SAP status back into good standing. If a Program Plan is required as part of the appeal, the student’s progress will be checked quarterly to ensure the student is taking the required classes and meeting the SAP standards outlined in the approved appeal.

Students may self-reinstate by attempting and successfully completing credits until their transcript reflects they are now meeting SAP. This requires the student to pay tuition and fees with some source of funding other than federal and state student aid.

A repayment of student aid funds may occur if you:

• Drop one or more credits during the first 10 days of the quarter (8 days for summer quarter).
• Failed to begin attending one or more classes, including late start classes.
• Completely withdrew or failed all classes before 60% of the term had elapsed.
• Take classes that were not required for graduation from your chosen program of study at LCC. 
• Retake a course you were not eligible to repeat.

Failure to pay in full or make satisfactory repayment arrangements may lead to loss of financial aid eligibility.