Campus Info (540) 863-2800 Faculty/Staff DirectoryBlackboard/OASISHome

<- back to Financial Aid home page

<- back to Policies and Practices Governing Financial Assistance page

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards

(Amended July 1, 2006)

To be academically eligible for Student Financial Assistance, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress toward their degree or certificate program.  To accurately measure a student's progress in their program, the Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (DSLCC) Financial Aid Policy of Satisfactory Academic Progress will incorporate a qualitative measure of progress (Section I.) as well as a quantitative measure of progress (Section II. A & B).

I. Qualitative Standard: Cumulative Grade Point Average

At the time an application is received and at the end of each semester each financial aid recipient's cumulative grade point average will be reviewed to determine if the student maintained satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the following scale:  Please note differences for one and two year programs.  

II. Quantitative Standard:

Maximum Time Frame and Increments

 A. Maximum Time-Frame for Receiving Financial Aid

The maximum period in which a student may receive financial aid will be limited to 150 percent of the published length of the educational program for a full-time student.  The 150 percent will be calculated using total credit hours attempted.  For example: 

If the published length of an academic program is 66 credit hours, the maximum time frame will be 150% of the credit hours (66 times 1.5).  Please note that it is important to distinguish between attempted and completed credit hours.  All credit hours attempted, whether or not they are completed, are counted toward the maximum time frame.  Up to 30 credit hours of developmental studies may be counted towards a student's financial aid enrollment status for those classes prescribed by the student's advisor.  These developmental courses will be excluded from the time-frame limit.

B. Incremental Assessment of Progress:
     Completion Standards

The incremental assessment of progress compares the number of credit hours the student attempted to the number of credit hours the student successfully completed.  This comparison will determine if the student is progressing at a rate that will allow the student to complete their program within the maximum time frame specified in Section II. A. of this policy.  Because the maximum time frame is 150% of the program's published length a student must successfully complete 67% of the work attempted to be making satisfactory progress.  Example:  63 credits/95 credits = 67% or 30 credits/45 credits= 67%.

At the end of the College's academic year (after the Spring semester) each financial aid recipient's record will be reviewed to determine if the student completed the required 67%, or 2/3rds, of the credits attempted during the academic year.
**Please Note: Certificate seeking students will have their academic record reviewed when they have attempted half of their program or one academic year, whichever is less.  In determining credits attempted, only those credits that determine the student's financial aid award status each semester will be considered as credits attempted.  For example: If a student attempts 16 credits during the fall and 6 credits during the spring for a total of 22 attempted credits, that student would be required to complete a minimum of 15 credits for the academic year.  The determination of credits attempted for this purpose includes the appropriate developmental courses recommended by the student's academic advisor.  Students must adhere to the following scale:

III. Summer Enrollment

Students who did not meet the required completion standards at the end of the academic year and who were not enrolled during the Fall and/or Spring semester(s) will have the immediate following Summer semester to complete the required number of credits for the academic year.  At the end of the Summer semester the student must be in compliance with the DSLCC Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy in order to continue receiving financial aid.  Those students who attended during the Fall and Spring semesters and completed the required number of credits will not be required to complete any additional course credits during the Summer semester.  However, if such a student attempts course work during the summer, the student must remain in compliance with Section I. and II.  of this policy.

IV. Prior Periods of Enrollment

All of the qualitative and quantitative standards of progress must be applied to all prior period(s) of enrollment at DSLCC.  Federal regulations require that a student must be in compliance with the school's satisfactory academic progress policy before receiving a financial aid award.  These guidelines must be applied to any student requesting financial aid, even if the student did not receive financial aid in the past.

V. Non-Eligibility for Payment and Notification Procedures

A student who does not have the appropriate grade point average or has not completed the minimum number of credits per academic year or has exceeded their time frame for receiving financial aid will not be eligible to receive further financial aid.  The Financial Aid Office will notify students who fail to remain in compliance with this policy in writing at the end of the semester in which the student loses eligibility.

1. Cumulative Grade Point Averages (GPA) will be reviewed at the conclusion of each semester.

2. Completion Standards and Time-Frame Eligibility will be reviewed at the end of the College's academic year (Spring semester).  See note concerning certificate-seeking students in Section II. B of this policy.

PLEASE NOTE: Students who have defaulted on a Federal Stafford, Perkins, SLS/PLUS, or owe a refund on a federal grant will not be eligible for any future federal financial aid and will not be allowed to receive any future financial aid until the loan or grant obligation is satisfied.

VI. Re-Establishment of Eligibility for Financial Aid

A student not eligible may re-establish his/her eligibility as follows:

Cumulative Grade Point Deficiency

A student must enroll without financial aid and obtain the minimum grade point average as required in Section I. of this policy.

Deficient Credits Completed

A student must enroll without financial aid and complete the number of credits that were deficient in meeting the requirements set forth in Section II. B. of this policy.

VII. Student Appeals

Students whose financial aid has been terminated because of failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress may request to submit a written appeal. To initiate this process, the student should make an appointment with the Financial Aid Officer to discuss the appeal request.  To submit an appeal, the student must complete the appeal form available from the financial aid office, along with appropriate back up documentation and a letter explaining the circumstances that prevented the student from maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Examples of such circumstances are injury to the student, sudden illness of the student, the death of a relative of the student, accidents, and family emergencies.
Please note: Changes in curriculum objectives will not necessarily be approved as mitigating circumstances nor will chronic illnesses.  Students will be notified in writing and/or via their VCCS student email of the Financial Aid Officer's and/or financial aid committee's decision concerning their appeal.  Students wishing to appeal the Financial Aid Office's decision may do so by scheduling an appointment with the Director of Student Services.

VIII. Additional Policies Governing Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at DSLCC

A.      Financial aid programs included under this policy are the     F-Pell Grant, F-SEOG, Federal Work-Study Program, VSFAP: Commonwealth Award and VGAP* Grant, PTAP Grant, CSAP Grant, HETAP* Grant and the Stafford Loan Program.

B.       For purposes of defining credits completed concerning developmental course credit the following will apply: “S” grade is considered a completed course. “R” grade is considered a completed course in the student’s first semester of enrollment in that course.  An “R” grade in subsequent semesters of enrollment in the same course is considered an incomplete course. “U” grade is considered an incomplete course.

C.       A student who receives only grades of F, W, U, X, and I during a semester do not indicate course completions and are unsatisfactory.

D.       A student who does not maintain satisfactory academic progress cannot regain his/her eligibility on the basis of a change of curriculum. A student must enroll without financial aid and successfully complete 6 credits in courses in the new curriculum and obtain minimum cumulative GPA.

E.        Returning financial aid students should be aware of any changes to the  DSLCC SAP Policy.

*Have additional requirements that must be met in addition to those stated here.

Return to TOP of page