Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

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SAP is evaluated based on three measures at Weatherford College (WC):

  1. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) – must be 2.0 or above
  2. Successful Pace of Completion of Courses –must complete a minimum of 67% of all cumulative hours toward declared major. WC will round upward in cases where the calculation comes to 66.5% or higher.
  3. Time Frame – must graduate within 150% of required hours in program of declared major

CUMULATIVE GPA

Cumulative GPA includes only WC course work and any transferred hours that apply to the student’s declared major. Students enrolled in college-level coursework must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Grades of A, B, C, D, and F contribute toward the cumulative GPA. Grades of W, EW, I, S, U, CR, AU, X, and P do not.

  1. Students who do not have a WC academic history and are enrolling in college for the first time are assumed to be making SAP at the time of enrollment.
  2. All continuing students applying for financial assistance must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all credit hours earned prior to the semester for which aid is requested.
  3. Transfer hours will not be counted in a student’s cumulative GPA, completion rates, or a maximum time frame unless those hours are accepted towards degree completion at WC.

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF COURSES

To avoid exceeding the maximum time frame required to complete a program of study using financial aid, students are expected to maintain a specific completion rate that is known as the “pace of progress.” At the end of each period of enrollment, students must have a cumulative passing rate of at least 67 percent of all classes attempted.

  1. Successful pace of completion is measured by grades of A, B, C, or D. These are considered passing grades at WC.
  2. A grade of F is not a completed grade but will be taken into consideration when calculating the cumulative number of hours attempted and the cumulative GPA.
  3. A grade of I or W is not punitive in determining the GPA but does reflect the lack of progress under “quantity of work” for the minimum pace of completion of all courses attempted for federal and state aid recipients. Grades of “I” not removed by the end of the next long semester in which the incomplete grade was granted will be permanently recorded as the grade that would have been awarded with the incomplete work scored at a value of “0”. See “Incomplete Grades” for more information.
  4. Courses where a grade of F, I, or W was received may be repeated once for grade improvement; only the highest grade earned is used to determine the student’s cumulative GPA. However, all courses attempted (repeated and regular) will be counted in the time frame and completion rate calculations. If the grade in the repeated course is not an improvement, both class hours and grades will count against the student’s cumulative GPA. Financial aid will only cover the repeated class IF the student originally received a grade of F, I, or W, or the program requires a grade of C or higher and the student received a D.
  5. Remedial coursework will be included in the cumulative GPA as well as included in both the time frame and completion rate calculations. Federal regulations state that a student may not receive federal financial aid for remedial course work after they have attempted 27 hours of remediation. Therefore a student who attempts more than 27 hours of remedial classes may not receive federal financial aid for those classes.

TIME FRAME

Students must demonstrate they will graduate within 150% of the length of the degree or certificate of their declared major. Maximum time frame calculations for students pursuing a one-year program of study (certificate) will begin when the student has attempted 45 semester hours. For students pursuing a two-year program of study (Associate’s Degree), maximum time frame calculations will begin once the student has attempted 90 semester hours. Students who exceed the time-frame limit will no longer be eligible for financial aid.

FINANCIAL AID WARNING

Students who fail to meet one or more of the Satisfactory Academic Standards will be placed on financial aid warning. While on warning, students will be eligible to receive financial aid but must complete the subsequent term by meeting all of the minimum requirements at the close of that term. The student who fails to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress during the semester of attendance while on warning will be placed on financial aid suspension.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION

Financial aid suspension occurs when the SAP standards are not met for two consecutive semesters. Notification of suspension status includes verbal, postal mail, or email. While on suspension, students will not receive financial aid. The student is responsible for payment of courses.

NOTE: Students who exceed the time frame limitations (90 hours for Associate Degrees or 45 hours for Certificate degrees) will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension and will no longer be eligible to receive financial aid unless an appeal has been approved. 

Students on suspension are encouraged to continue enrollment at WC. Enrolling and paying for courses as well as successfully completing courses can assist in regaining the student’s eligibility. The student must alert the Financial Aid Staff for a re-evaluation of their SAP status. If the student successfully regains eligible SAP status, then they will be eligible again for federal aid.

FINANCIAL AID PROBATION

Students, who were previously put on suspension due to not meeting the minimum satisfactory academic progress, may be granted one long semester of financial aid with an approved appeal. Once the one semester is completed and the student does not meet the minimum satisfactory academic progress, they will be placed on suspension. The student may appeal this status. 

APPEAL PROCESS

A student who has been denied financial aid because of a failure to meet any of the SAP standards may complete an appeal form. An appeal form is available at https://www.wc.edu/current-students/financial/forms-docs/index.php.  A student must also have a FAFSA on file for the term in which they are requesting the appeal. The student will receive notification of appeal decision normally with 2-3 weeks from the date the completed appeal form and documentation was submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

ACADEMIC PLANS

There are times when a student is placed on suspension for various reasons such as pace of completion, cumulative GPA, maximum time frame (90 plus hours). When a student appeals their suspension, the financial aid administration may decide to put the student on what is called an Academic Plan. This plan is designed to give the students another opportunity to make satisfactory progress in order to complete their degree program or certificate. 

Each Academic Plan is designed based on students’ needs to obtain maximum success.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  1. Financial Aid will not be provided for:
    • Courses taken by audit;
    • Credit hours earned by placement tests;
    • Non-credit coursework;
    • Any class attempted more than two times if a grade was earned;
    • Transfer or transient students attending for only one term (ex: summer courses only)
  2. Students may change majors while at WC, however, excessive major changes (two or more) can result in a suspension status.