What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?

For Title IV Federal Financial Aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means that you are proceeding in a positive manner toward fulfilling certificate requirements in a normal length of time. All students are considered to be making SAP when initially starting an educational program. After the first disbursement, SAP means that you are meeting the minimum grade and pace of progress requirements for your program of study. Both of these measures are cumulative.

Requirements

In order to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student must demonstrate the following qualitative and quantitative standards:

Kiamichi Tech’s maximum timeframe is 115% of an eligible career majors approved hours. Students must progress at a minimum pace of 87% to complete within 115% of the maximum timeframe.

Quantitative Measure

The applicant must be enrolled as either a full-time or half-time student. Payments are based on program clock hours. At the time of review (at the end of each scheduled payment period), if it is determined that the student has not completed at least 87% of the course work assigned to the hours, then the student is not making SAP and will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. This would mean that the student would not be able to complete their program (career major) within the 115% of the career major’s published timeframe.

Qualitative Measure

Upon completion of the payment period, the recipient must earn at least a ‘C’ average throughout the program. An acceptable grade must be determined before the next payment can be issued. The student must finish the course in order to receive a grade.

SAP Appeal Procedure

If a student considered ineligible for financial aid feels that mitigating circumstances are involved, the student may appeal to the Financial Aid Advisory Committee consisting of the Financial Aid Coordinator, Campus Director and campus Financial Aid Staff member. This appeal must be in writing and should be submitted within 10 days of the notice of suspension. The appeal letter must explain why the student did not meet the SAP standards and what the student will do in order to regain satisfactory academic progress. Documentation of the mitigating circumstances must be included with the appeal. (Mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to: illness or injury of the student or a member of the student’s immediate family; death in the student’s immediate family; or other trauma.) The Financial Aid Advisory Committee will meet to decide on the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation.