ACCSC standards and federal regulations require the Institute to establish standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), involving two elements: qualitative (cumulative grade point average) and quantitative (the pace of hours earned compared to hours attempted and a maximum time frame for completing the
program.) SAP standards apply to all students in all programs. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed of the Institute’s SAP standards and to monitor their own progress.
To remain enrolled at Porter and Chester and to be eligible for financial aid, whether or not aid was received in the past, students must be in compliance with all three of the monitored areas: cumulative GPA (C-GPA), academic pace of credit hours (or clock hours) earned, and maximum time frame.
- Cumulative Grade Point Average (Cum GPA)
Students in the Practical Nursing, CIRCE, ELT, HVACR, LVT and Plumbing programs must maintain a minimum grade point average of 75 in all courses every term. In all other programs, a student must maintain a cumulative GPA (C-GPA) of 70 (which is the equivalent of a “C” average). If a student withdraws and then re-enrolls in the same program, all coursework from both periods of enrollment is included in the cumulative GPA calculation.
- Academic Pace
(Hours Earned Compared to Hours Attempted)
Students must earn at least 67% of total cumulative hours attempted. To earn hours at Porter and Chester, one must receive a grade of 60 or higher in the course. (In the Practical Nursing, CICRE, ELT, HVACR, LVT and Plumbing programs only grades of 75 or higher earn hours.) Audited courses (AU) do not count as either hours attempted or as hours earned. If a student withdraws and then re-enrolls in the same program, all coursework from both periods of enrollment is included in the Academic Pace calculation.
- Maximum Time Limit
To remain in good academic standing, students must complete their program requirements for the academic program in which they are enrolled within 150 percent of the published length of their academic program. For example, students in programs whose published length requires 60 quarter credit hours over 12 months for graduation, may attempt a maximum of 90 quarter credit hours over 18 months. If a student withdraws and then reenrolls in the same program, all coursework from both periods of enrollment is included in the Maximum Time Frame calculation.
Course Withdrawals:
Classes from which a student withdraws after beginning attendance are included as hours attempted in the Academic Pace calculation. Withdrawn courses will negatively affect the student’s ability to satisfy the hours earned standard. Classes from which a student withdraws are not included in the Cumulative GPA calculation.
Course Incompletes:
Incomplete grades are included in both the Cumulative GPA calculation and the Academic Pace calculation.
Course Repetitions:
When students repeat courses which they previously failed or dropped, each repetition counts as hours attempted but only the successfully completed course counts as hours earned. Only the grade from the repeated course is used in the Cumulative GPA calculation. Students may repeat a failed course once. Students who fail the same course twice will be dismissed from their program.
Transfer Credit Courses
Accepted transfer credits count as both attempted and earned hours. Courses for which the student received transfer credit are not counted in the Cumulative GPA calculation.
SAP Reviews
The SAP calculation is run at the end of every term or payment period. A review is then completed to determine if students are complying with SAP standards. Students who are out of compliance with one or more of the SAP standards are subject to sanctions as indicated below.
SAP Warning
The first time students fail to meet one or more of the SAP standards, they are placed on SAP Warning for the following term. This is an automatic status (i.e. there are no steps necessary on the student’s part) and the student may continue to attend classes and receive federal aid, if applicable, for the one term of SAP Warning. The student’s SAP status is “Warning”, his/her school status is “probation” and the financial aid status is “Financial Aid Warning”.The student is notified in writing, via a probation letter, that failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards for a second consecutive term may result in dismissal for not maintaining SAP.
SAP Appeals
A student on SAP Warning who fails to meet one or more of the SAP standards by the end of the warning term (i.e. they fail SAP two terms in a row) is subject to SAP dismissal. However, the student may file an appeal of this situation, if failure to be in compliance with one or more areas of Satisfactory Academic Progress is due to mitigating circumstances, such as the student’s extended illness or injury, serious illness or death in the immediate family or other significant trauma. The student must complete the SAP Appeal form and submit it with supporting documentation to the SAP Appeals Committee. The SAP Appeals Committee consists of the Campus Director of Operations and Education (CDOE), the CDOE from another campus, the Vice President, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance and any other staff appointed to serve on the Committee. Students must file their Appeal within 4 days of notification that they have failed to regain SAP, and the SAP Appeals Committee must render a decision within 48 business hours of receiving a completed SAP Appeal packet.
SAP Probation (SAP Failure Appealed and Appeal Granted)
If the Appeal is granted, the student is placed on SAP Probation for the term. As part of the probationary process, the Committee determines if the student can mathematically regain SAP on both the quantitative and qualitative components by the end of the next term, and provides the student an Academic Plan showing what level of performance will be needed in order to regain Satisfactory Academic Progress. If the Appeal is granted, but it is not feasible for the student to fully regain SAP in one term, the Committee must create an Academic Plan which, if adhered to, will return the student to SAP by a specified date. Students are considered to be in good Academic Standing as long as they meet the terms of their Academic Plan. If they fail to meet the plan benchmarks in any term, they will be dismissed. If it is mathematically impossible for the student to meet both the quantitative and qualitative components of SAP within the maximum time frame (150% of the program length) then the Appeal cannot be granted and the student must be dismissed. The student’s SAP status is “Probation” or “Probation-Academic Plan”, his/her school status is “probation” and the financial aid status is “Financial Aid Probation”. The CDOE provides written notification of SAP Probation to the student. The probation letter includes the Academic Plan, if applicable. Students on SAP Probation may continue to attend classes and receive federal aid, if applicable, for the one term of Appealed SAP Probation.
Regaining Eligibility for Federal Financial Aid
To regain eligibility for financial aid after failing SAP, a student must remedy all deficiencies and become fully compliant with the SAP standards as discussed in the paragraph on SAP Probation. Once the student has remedied their deficiencies, the CDOE will notify the campus Assistant Director of Educational Funding. However, once the maximum time frame has been exceeded, federal financial aid eligibility ends, even if the student is in compliance with cumulative GPA or the academic pace requirements.
SAP Dismissal
Students are subject to SAP dismissal in the following circumstances:
- The student was on SAP Warning status, failed to meet SAP standards by the end of the warning probationary term, and failed to submit a SAP Appeal
- The student was on SAP Warning status, failed to meet SAP standards by the end of the warning term, and his/her SAP Appeal was denied
- The student was on SAP Probation status and failed to make SAP by the end of the appealed probationary term or meet the benchmark of an Academic Plan
- The student failed the same course twice
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