Satisfactory Academic Progress Guidelines

To be eligible for federal, state and Institutional aid, MACC is required by the U.S. Department of Education to define for all aid applicants, qualitative and quantitative standards for "satisfactory progress" toward the completion of the degree or certificate. These standards are used whether or not aid was received. Satisfactory progress is based on the minimum number of hours completed each semester, grade point average and the maximum time to complete the degree or certificate. These concepts are used as standards for making certifications regarding a student's academic standing and progress toward his/her educational objective. A student will be certified as making satisfactory progress, and will not risk losing aid eligibility if they meet certain standards.

A student receiving aid must earn a minimum number of credits, applicable toward the degree, each semester consistent with

enrollment status. MACC uses the following guidelines to monitor this requirement:

Enrollment Status	Number of Hours Attempted	Number of Hours Required to Complete
Full-time	12 or more	9 hours
Three-Quarter (3/4) time	9-11.5 hours	6 hours
Half (1/2) time	6-8.5 hours	6 hours

Earned credits include all courses which you earn a grade of 'A' through 'D'. "Fundamentals" classes DO apply toward the credit hours required for academic progress, but are NOT applicable to credit hours required for a degree, nor are they counted in your grade point average.

All MACC students are expected to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better. However, to remain in acceptable standing, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA in their program of study in accordance with the following criteria:

Number of Hours Completed Toward Degree	Minimum Acceptable Grade Point Average
Less than 30 Hours	1.85 GPA
30 and above	2.00 GPA

Students who maintain the above standards for academic progress are allowed to receive aid until the maximum credit limit is reached, or the requirements for the current degree are reached. Students are not allowed to receive aid if they have attempted more than 150% of the credits required to complete a specific program. For example, a student seeking a degree requiring 64 credit hours may attempt a total of 96 credit hours. This is referred to as the “maximum-time policy”.

The Financial Aid Office will monitor each student's academic progress at the end of each semester, using the criteria stated above. Students failing to make progress would be placed on PROBATION for one semester. Students will be informed in writing if they are placed on Financial Aid Probation. Beginning with the summer 2005 semester, students are allowed to continue receiving all forms of federal aid during the one semester they are on Probation. In order for a student to have the Probationary status removed, a student must attend a subsequent semester and make academic progress according to the criteria stated above.

Students will be placed on Financial Aid SUSPENSION if they fail to meet the standards for academic progress during a Probationary semester. Other situations that will necessitate Financial Aid Suspension include withdrawal from all classes, suspension from the college and default on a student loan or non-payment of a refund on a grant. Students will be notified in writing if they are placed on Financial Aid Suspension. In order to remove the suspension status and regain eligibility if the suspension was caused by academic progress, a student must complete a minimum of six credit hours, without financial assistance, and complete the standards for progress indicated above.

APPEAL PROCEDURE

If a student's aid is terminated because of failure to make academic progress, they may appeal their termination to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee. Appeals must be submitted in writing with supporting documentation, to the Financial Aid Office explaining any unusual circumstances which caused the student's academic progress to be less than what is required. The written appeal and documentation will be considered by the committee as well as past academic record and correctable deficiencies in deciding whether to continue aid for the following term. The Financial Aid Director will inform the student of the committee's decision concerning the appeal.

If a student has attempted more than 150% of the credits required for degree completion, they may submit an appeal that will explain why they have accumulated the excessive hours, their current degree plans and the time-frame they expect to complete it. If the “Maximum-time” appeal is approved, a student may only receive financial aid for the courses remaining to complete the declared degree program, according to a degree audit done in the Registrar’s Office.

Federal & State Aid

This page maintained by: MACC Financial Aid Dept. FinAid@macc.edu

Updated: Mar 29, 2004

URL: http://www.macc.edu/~finaid/guidelines.html