Fall Semester 2021 Catalog

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Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require the College to establish policies--Standards of Satisfactory Progress--to measure whether students applying for financial aid are in good academic standing and making satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their diploma or degree programs. A student must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 to receive financial aid and maintain a 67% completion rate.

 

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

A student is required to maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for financial aid.  Augusta Technical College uses the following standards to monitor a student’s progress toward his or her diploma, degree, or certificate. 

Satisfactory progress is measured in terms of three components:

  • Maximum Time Frame - Length of time to complete the program (150%)
    • There are a maximum number of hours that students may attempt in pursuing their current program of study.  Students may not exceed 150% of the hours needed to complete the program of study they are currently enrolled in, excluding Learning Support courses.  This does include transfer coursework that has been accepted as credit toward the student’s current program of study.  Once a student has attempted 150% of the minimum number of credit hours necessary for completing the program requirements, the student will not be eligible to receive financial aid.
  • A qualitative component (2.0 GPA) GPA-Grade Point Average
    • Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 to remain in good standing.  Financial aid GPA’s will be monitored at the end of the term.  A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 is placed on Financial Aid Warning for their next term of enrollment.  This will allow a student one term to increase the GPA to the satisfactory level.  If, after one term, the GPA remains below 2.0, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and eligibility will be lost until the cumulative GPA has been brought back to at least a 2.0 level.  Students may receive aid while on Financial Aid Warning, but will not receive aid while on Financial Aid Suspension. Transfer coursework and Learning Support courses are not counted in the cumulative GPA calculation. 
  • A quantitative component (Pace of Progression, 67%)

    • In order for students to graduate within the maximum “time frame” of hours, at the end of each payment period they are expected to have cumulatively completed at least 67% of their credit hours attempted.  A student, who, at the end of these terms, has not successfully completed 67% of their cumulative hours attempted, will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for their next term of enrollment.  This will allow the student one term to increase the cumulative completion rate to the satisfactory level.  If, after one term, the cumulative completion rate remains below 67% the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and eligibility will be lost until the cumulative completion rate has been brought back to at least 67%. Students may receive aid while on Financial Aid Warning but the student will not receive aid while on Financial Aid Suspension.

      Students may re-establish good standing when they have cumulatively completed 67% of their attempted credit hours.  The following grades (see Grading System) do not count toward successfully completing a course: “F”, “I”, “W”, “WF”, “WP”, “IP”, "Z".  For all courses, any combination of these results in no progress, and will be calculated in the completion rate when computing eligibility for financial aid.  Repeat courses will be considered as any other class and both grades will count in the GPA. Grades of “F” and “WF” will be counted in computing your GPA.

      Learning Support courses are graded on an A* through F* scale.  A grade of A*, B*, or C* will be considered satisfactory completion of a learning support course.  A grade of D* or F* will be considered unsatisfactory.  Grades received for learning support courses are included in the 67%hours attempted completion rate, but not in the GPA calculation.

      Example: A student completes his first year at Augusta Technical College with the following grades:

      30 cumulative attempted credits with

      18 credits of passing grades (these credits count as attempted and completed)

      12 credits of failing grades (these credits count as attempted but not completed)

      The student’s completion rate is 60.00% (total completed divided by total attempted – 18/30 = 60.00%)

      The student in this example did not meet the quantitative (completion rate) SAP standard and is at risk of losing financial aid.

      If the student had completed 21 credits with passing grades, they would have met the quantitative SAP standard.  (21/30 = 70.00%)

 

Incomplete Grades

Incomplete grades are designated as an “I” (Incomplete) or “IP” (In Progress) are not calculated in the GPA but are calculated in the attempted hours completion rate.  Once the “I” or “IP” grades are updated to actual grades, the cumulative GPA will be checked at that time.  If a student does not meet the standards after recalculation and has received funds for classes, the funds will have to be repaid by the student.

 

 

Z-Grades

Effective beginning Spring 2020 semester, the Z grade (withdrawal due to the COVID-19 pandemic) was implemented.  Z grades are not calculated in attempted hours for SAP purposes; however, for State Programs (HOPE Grant, HOPE Scholarship, Zell Miller Grant, Zell Miller Scholarship), the Z grade counts the same as a 'W' and will be counted in attempted and paid hours.

 

Treatment Transfer Hours

Transfer students accepted by Augusta Technical College, but not previously at Augusta Technical College, will be classified as maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress for the first term of attendance.  After the first term, the student's grades will be measured in accordance with Augusta Technical College's Satisfactory Academic requirements.  Students who previously attended Augusta Technical College, transferred to another school, then returned to Augusta Technical College, will have all of their course work reviewed.  If a student fails to meet the qualitative or quantitative standards at the end of a term, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Warning.  The student will continue to receive aid while on Financial Aid Warning.  However, if the student does not meet the qualitative and quantitative standards by the end of the warning term, he/she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. The student can continue taking courses while on suspension at the student's expense.