SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

Students who receive Financial Assistance at Lewis-Clark State College through Federal, State, or Institutional Financial Aid Programs have a legal responsibility to maintain Satisfactory Progress towards a degree objective.  This requires the Financial Aid Office to determine whether or not applicants are eligible for financial assistance based on their prior academic record.  These guidelines represent minimal standards.  They do not necessarily coincide with the requirements students must fulfill to initially receive aid nor the number of credits a student is expected to earn in order to complete a degree in the allowed time frame.  Students will be considered in good standing and eligible to receive financial assistance from LCSC by maintaining normal academic progress towards their degree as required by Federal and State regulations and the following policies and conditions. 

DURATION OF ELIGIBILITY:  (Standards based on enrollment of 12 credits per semester)Students will only be eligible for financial assistance for a specific number of semesters, regardless of whether any aid is received.  This is inclusive of ALL previously taken credits no matter the time lapse.  At LCSC the limit is twelve (12) semesters for a Bachelor degree, six (6) for an associate degree and four (4) for Post Baccalaureate students.  Students who enroll part-time will have their eligibility pro-rated.  In all cases, any semester for which a student was enrolled and subsequently withdrew shall be considered to be a term for which the student was enrolled for calculating maximum time frame.

TRANSFER STUDENTS:  All terms and credits from previously attended institutions are used in the calculation of your remaining maximum time frame eligibility under LCSC’s policy.  Students who transfer to LCSC with a cumulative GPA of <2.0 will need to appeal for probationary funding.  All terms and credits from previously attended institution are used in the calculation of a student’s maximum time frame even if the student did not receive financial aid at the other institution(s).

NON-DEGREE STUDENTS:  A non-degree student is, by definition, not considered to be in a degree program and is therefore not eligible for Financial Aid. 

SATISFACTORY COMPLETION:  Satisfactory completion means a student has received a minimum grade of D or P.  Grades of I (incomplete), F (failure) and W (withdrawal), are not adequate or acceptable in maintaining satisfactory progress.  Inappropriate selection of courses is not an acceptable reason for not maintaining satisfactory academic progress.  Students should contact their academic advisor for assistance in choosing coursework. 

REPEAT COURSES:  Repeat courses will be counted in attempted and completed credits.  The Financial Aid Office has the right to refuse aid to students who abuse the inclusion of repeat courses to obtain funding.  Repeats are only encouraged when a D or F grade was the initial grade for the course.

INCOMPLETES:  Incomplete courses will be counted as non-satisfactory when determining SAP.  It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when an incomplete has been finished.  At that time, eligibility will be re-assessed.  If an incomplete is not finished during the next term of attendance or one year, whichever is shorter, the grade will become an F grade. 

REMEDIAL COURSES:  Remedial coursework will be counted in determining financial aid eligibility, enrollment status and satisfactory academic progress.  These courses will be included in maximum timeframe calculations.  Remedial courses do not count towards the total number of credits needed for graduation.  Students will be limited to no more than thirty (30) remedial credits for financial aid eligibility.

MINIMUM GPA AND CREDIT COMPLETION:  Students must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA.  The minimum credit standards per semester are outlined below:

FINANCIAL AID PROBATION:  Probation is a warning that the student has not completed the minimum credits or has a cumulative GPA below a 2.00.  Students who are on probation may still receive financial aid, however, students who do not pass the minimum required credits during the next semester will be suspended from financial aid and will be ineligible to receive further financial aid.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION:  Financial Aid recipients will be automatically placed on Suspension Status if they (1) withdraw from LCSC; (2) fail to satisfactorily complete the minimum credit hours for enrollment status or (3) fail to achieve satisfactory progress while in a Probationary Status.  Students on suspension for the first time must successfully complete credits, at their own expense, to correct the deficiency.  Students on subsequent suspension are ineligible to receive any aid for one year from the end of the term in which the infraction occurred. 

APPEAL OF SUSPENSION:  Students may appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office.  It is the responsibility of the students to know if their grade reports, when compared to the Satisfactory Progress Standards, will cause immediate suspension of their financial aid.  It is not the responsibility of the Financial Aid Office to notify the student.  Further, it is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when reinstatement conditions have been met or to initiate an appeal. 

REINSTATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AID:  Students whose suspension time has elapsed or who have successfully corrected the deficiency, must notify the Financial Aid Office and submit a grade transcript for review.  Reinstatement of aid will be subject to funds available at the time the completed file is reviewed. 

WITHDRAWAL/REFUNDS/REPAYMENTS:  Financial aid recipients who drop classes, which results in a reduction of fees paid are subject to LCSC’s Refund/Repayment Policy.  Refund monies will be used to repay any financial aid awards before any refund is made to the student.  Students may be required to repay financial aid when they withdraw before the end of the semester.  The amount of repayment is determined according to Federal and institutional regulations, which take into account the number of class days attended and the total dollar amount of aid received. 

CHANGES IN SATISFACTORY PROGRESS STANDARDS:  Changes to any of the specific provisions regarding this policy may be made at any time, without publication, due to changes in Federal, State and/or Institutional Regulations or Policies.  Questions should be addressed to the LCSC Financial Aid Office. 

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS:  Many scholarship recipients are required to maintain higher academic standards than outlined in this policy.  Students unable to maintain minimum acceptable standards should contact the Financial Aid Office.