Satisfactory Academic Progress

These standards should not be confused with SGC's Academic Standards of Progress or with Standards of Progress for Learning Support Students. For more information, refer to the "Academic Information, Regulations, and Rules" section of the SGC Catalog.

Important Notes

These standards are cumulative and include all coursework attempted at SGC.
These standards apply to all students.
There are no "Academic Forgiveness" policies for federal or state aid programs.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for all students enrolled in a degree or certificate program, regardless of whether federal aid was received. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means that a student is progressing in a positive manner toward fulfilling the requirements for a degree or certificate. Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress will result in the loss of all federal and state aid, including:

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Work Study
Federal Stafford Loans (Subsidized &Unsubsidized)
Federal PLUS Loans
Georgia Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) Program
Georgia Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) Program

In order to assure that the student progresses toward a degree or certificate, both in terms of number of hours completed each semester and cumulative GPA, South Georgia College will utilize the following satisfactory progress policy:

I. PROGRESS STANDARDS

A. Progress per semester (Quantitative Progress):

Students must, as a minimum, receive a satisfactory grade in at least 67% (2/3) of the courses they attempt toward a program of study. For example, a student who enrolls in 30 semester hours during the fall and spring semesters must satisfactoraly complete at least 20 of those hours to be making progress.

NOTE: Satisfactory grades are A, B, C, D, or S. Unsatisfactory grades are W, WF, WM, I, F, and U. For evaluating satisfactory progress for financial aid, an "I" will be considered as an "F". This position must be taken as an "I" becomes an "F" if it is not cleared within the pre-determined period of time.

B. Cumulative progress (Qualitative Progress):

Students must, in addition to the above, meet the academic standards outlined in the section entitled "Academic Information, Regulations, and Rules" of the South Georgia College General Catalog. Students who first received financial aid during the1987-88 award year or later must have a GPA of 2.0 at the end of two years or 64 semester hours at South Georgia College or the GPA designation for the number of hours attempted as stated in the catalog.

C. Maximum hours:

The maximum hours for which a student may receive financial aid is 150% of the number of semester hours required to earn the degree or certificate. For example, financial aid will not be authorized for more than 96 semester hours for a program 64 semester hours in length. Normally, financial aid will not be authorized past four semesters of enrollment at South Georgia College.

Remediation hours include College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC), Learning Support, and Regents' Remediation hours. Students may enroll in a maximum of 30 semester hours of remediation without those hours being counted in the 150%; remedial hours in excess of the 30 hours will be counted in the 150% time frame. Also, financial aid will not be authorized for remedial work in excess of 30 hours.

Repeated hours will be counted in the maximum time frame of 150%.

Transfer credit hours that will be applied toward a student's degree or certificate at South Georgia College will be counted toward the maximum number of hours allowed to be eligible for financial aid.
If a student must take additional hours as a result of transferring from another institution, the student must submit a written appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. If the appeal is approved, the student may remain on financial aid.

NOTE: Each student's qualitative progress will be evaluated at the end of each semester, while his/her quantitative progress will be evaluated at the end of each spring semester.

II. EXCLUSION FROM FINANCIAL AID

A student receiving financial aid who fails to meet the above standards of progress will be excluded from financial aid.
Any student placed on Learning Support Probation will be excluded from financial aid.
Any student placed on Academic or Learning Support Suspension from South Georgia College will be excluded from financial aid.
Exclusion from financial aid does not prevent a student from enrolling at South Georgia College without financial aid if they are eligible to re-enroll.

NOTES: Students who pre-register for a subsequent semester before grades are evaluated and who are awarded financial aid may be required to repay some portion of their award if they are placed on financial aid exclusion.

Occasionally, a student's record will have continuous withdrawals and failures but will remain technically in "satisfactory" status. This occurs primarily when the unsatisfactory semester is every other semester or every 2-3 semesters. Because of this, there may be a subjective evaluation of a student's overall record to determine if satisfactory progress has been maintained.

III. APPEALS

Students placed on financial aid exclusion may appeal to the South Georgia College Admissions Committee. The appeal must be prepared in writing and be accompanied by appropriate supporting documents.

IV. REINSTATEMENT OF AID

A student who has been excluded from financial aid for the first time may be eligible to have his/her financial aid reinstated if he/she enrolls without financial aid in a minimum of three hours one semester and passes all courses attempted with a minimum 2.0 GPA. The Admissions Committee may place other requirements on the student if necessary. It is the student's responsibility to inform the Financial Aid Office if he/she has met this requirement.