Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, mandated institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of “satisfactory progress” for students receiving financial aid. The College makes these standards applicable to all institutionally awarded federal and state funds to include Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Grants, Federal Work-Study, HOPE Scholarships, Federal Direct Student Loans, and Federal Direct Parent Loans to Undergraduate Students (PLUS), for the purpose of maintaining a consistent policy for all students receiving assistance.

Effective with the beginning of the Spring Term 2011, the following standards will apply to all students receiving any type of financial aid outlined above. Satisfactory academic progress must be maintained by satisfying three (3) requirements: the GPA Rule, the two-thirds (2/3) Successful Completion Rule, and the 150% Maximum Time Frame Rule.

First Semester and Transfer Recipients

To receive federal financial assistance for the first time at ABAC, an initial Satisfactory Academic Progress status will be calculated.

Continuing Recipients

Students will be expected to achieve certain minimum levels of progress toward the successful academic completion of course requirements for a degree or certificate. Progress is measured both quantitatively and qualitatively. At ABAC, standards for maintaining such progress are as follows:

GPA Rule

To maintain eligibility for financial aid, students must maintain a minimum OVERALL GPA (OGPA) of 2.0. The OGPA will be checked at the end of each term for satisfactory academic progress. The OGPA includes grades of A, B, C, D, F, and WF. WF (withdrew with a failing grade) counts as an F. All grades for repeated coursework will count in the GPA calculation. All courses that are transferred in from another institution will also count in the overall GPA evaluation. Students do not earn quality points for incomplete grades until the grade is resolved. Learning Support, repeated, and transfer courses are included in the calculation of the GPA.

Two-thirds (2/3) Successful Completion

Students must successfully complete a minimum of two-thirds of the cumulative credit hours attempted. Satisfactory completion is defined as a letter grade of A, B, C, D, S or IP. Unsatisfactory completion is defined as a letter grade of F, I, U, W, or WF. Learning Support, repeated, and transfer courses are included in the calculation of completions.

150% Maximum Timeframe

Federal regulations limit receipt of federal financial aid to no more than 150% of the course work required for any particular degree or certificate. Learning Support credits, transfer credits, and repeated credits will all be included in the hourly limitation.