Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress is required by federal law (34 CFR 668.34) to measure a student’s completion of coursework toward a degree. The Student Financial Services Office monitors the progress of each student to determine if the student meets federal guidelines for receiving financial aid. Students must make both quantitative (pace) and qualitative (GPA) progress toward their program each year to receive financial aid. Students who do not maintain the minimum standards for grade point average and pace of progression may lose their eligibility for federal, state and/or institutional financial aid. Academic progress will be measured at the end of each student’s academic year. All financial aid applicants are subject to the satisfactory academic standards whether or not they have received financial aid previously.
Transfer credits earned at other institutions and accepted by New England College are included as credits attempted and earned. Grades of I, P, NR, AU, ADW, ADI, W, T and WD are not used in grade point calculations. Please refer to the Academic Policies section of the catalog for the complete grading system. Students may receive financial aid for repeating a previously passed course once or a failed course until it is passed. The higher grade for the repeated course is used in the grade point average calculation.
|
Undergraduate Bachelor’s
Credits attempted
|
Undergraduate Associate’s
Credits attempted
|
Minimum GPA requirement |
Minimum credits earned as a percent of credits attempted |
| 0-18 |
0-9 |
1.30 |
0% |
| 19-32 |
10-16 |
1.50 |
30% |
| 33-48 |
17-24 |
1.70 |
45% |
| 49-68 |
25-34 |
1.80 |
56% |
| 69+ |
35+ |
2.00 |
67% |
Appeals
Students failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress due to extenuating circumstances may appeal the termination. Extenuating circumstances may include: prolonged illness/death of an immediate family member, medical illness that created hardship to the student, military activation, change in educational objective, documented learning disability, or other acts beyond control of the student.
Students must submit a complete Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form to the Student Financial Services Office within 14 days of notification of termination. Students must attach all necessary supporting documentation such as doctor’s notes, accident reports, etc. Appeals will be reviewed within 14 days of receipt. Incomplete appeal forms or missing supporting documentation not received within the 14 day time-frame will result in a denied appeal. Decisions regarding appeals will be made in writing to the student.
If an appeal is approved, the student will be either placed on financial aid probation or on a specific academic plan. If the student is on a financial aid probation, they will be eligible to receive financial aid during the probationary period and must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of that period to remain eligible for financial aid. Students on an academic plan must meet the terms of the plan for the duration of the academic plan to remain eligible for financial aid. Students requesting reinstatement of financial aid should submit a request to the Student Financial Services Office once they have met the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
