Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulation (34CFR 668, 16(e)) requires that a student receiving federal and state financial aid make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in accordance with the standards set by the College and the federal government. The policy's purpose is to ensure that students are making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward completing their educational program of study.

Progress is measured throughout the academic program by the student’s cumulative grade point average (Qualitative) and by credits earned as a percentage of those attempted (Quantitative or Pace of Completion). In addition, students must complete their program of study before attempting 150% of the credits required to complete the program. The Financial Aid Office will evaluate Satisfactory Academic Progress before financial aid is awarded and after grades are posted for every term, starting with their first term of enrollment. This includes all terms of enrollment, whether or not aid was awarded or received. 

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress
A student’s academic progress is measured according to three standards:

1: Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA): Students must achieve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in all credit courses attempted throughout their entire enrollment at Triton College whether or not financial aid was received.

Non-grade designations such as Withdrawal (“W”) or Incomplete (“I”) will not count towards GPA.

2: Progressive Rate of Completion (Pace): Pace is calculated by dividing the number of total completed courses by the number of total attempted courses. A student must earn at least the minimum cumulative Pace percentage, as shown below, depending on their level of attendance.  

  • Students in their First Semester of Attendance: A student must have a cumulative Pace percentage of 50% or higher at the conclusion of their first semester of attendance to meet standards for Pace.
  • Students in their Second Semester of Attendance and Beyond: A student must have a cumulative Pace percentage of 67% or higher at the conclusion of their second semester of attendance to meet standards for GPA and also must meet the 67% Pace completion for each semester going forward.
    • Grades of A, B, C, D, and P count as credit hours attempted and completed. 
    • Grades of F, W, I, and R count as credit hours attempted but not completed. 

All attempted credit hours at Triton College will be counted towards the Pace completion rate and the maximum time frame standards. These include: College Success courses, repeated courses, withdrawn courses, courses that have grades forgiven and non-completed courses. Transfer and Dual Enrollment credits accepted towards the student’s degree will be included. Remedial and audit courses are not included.

3: Maximum Timeframe: Students must complete their degree or certificate program at Triton College within a time frame that is no longer than 150% of the published length of the program. The time frame includes all attempted credit course work at Triton College, as well as courses from other schools accepted for transfer at Triton College.

Federal regulations state that a student becomes ineligible for financial aid whenever it becomes mathematically impossible to complete degree program without exceeding the maximum time-frame/hours. Students in this scenario are no longer eligible for federal aid and are placed on financial aid disqualification. For example, if your associate degree requires 60 semester hours to be complete, you must be able graduate with no more than 90 credit hours attempted. If you have attempted 45 semester hours and have 50 hours remaining to complete the program, the total hours needed to graduate are 95 which is above the 90 credit hour max. You are no longer eligible for financial aid at the 45 attempted credit mark without an approved appeal.

  • Grades of A, B, C, D, and P count as credit hours attempted and completed. 
  • Grades of F, W, I, and R count as credit hours attempted but not completed. 

All attempted credit hours at Triton College will be counted towards the Pace completion rate and the maximum time frame standards. These include: College Success courses, repeated courses, withdrawn courses, courses that have grades forgiven and non-completed courses. Transfer and Dual Enrollment credits accepted towards the student’s degree will be included. Remedial and audit courses are not included.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Status: SAP is a cumulative measure reviewed at the end of each semester. Students who do not meet SAP are notified by receiving an email from the Office of Financial Aid. The following SAP statuses are indicators of a student’s SAP status.

  • SAP Good Standing: Students who are meeting all three Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.
  • SAP Warning: Students who do not meet one or more standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress will be placed on Warning Status for their next term of attendance. Students can receive federal and state aid while on Warning Status. An appeal is not required in Warning Status. 
  • SAP Financial Aid Disqualification: Students who do not meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress after a semester on Warning Status will become disqualified from receiving further federal or state financial aid. Students must submit an appeal to request reinstatement of their financial aid. 
  • SAP Probation: Students who have successfully appealed their Disqualification Status are placed on Probation. Students on Probation are eligible to receive financial aid for one (1) semester. Students must be in Good Standing or meeting the requirements of an academic program plan at the end of the Probation period to be eligible to receive financial aid in a future semester.
  • Meeting Academic Plan: Students who are meeting the terms of their academic plan will be placed under the Meeting Academic Plan status and will be eligible to receive financial aid. If the student fails to meet the terms of the academic plan in any subsequent semester, the student will become ineligible for financial aid until the student is able to once again meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Appeal Process and Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

Students who are disqualified from receiving financial aid may appeal their financial aid eligibility if the student feels that extenuating or unusual circumstances have prevented them from making satisfactory academic progress towards their program of study.  

To appeal, the student must submit an appeal online at triton.studentforms.com. The appeal should include all of the items below. Additional documentation may be requested in the review process.

a. Narrative Statement - The student must address the mitigating circumstances that prevented the student from meeting satisfactory academic progress in the past and what has changed that will allow them to achieve future academic success.

b. Supporting Documentation- Provide documentation that supports the circumstances impacting their academic progress, when the circumstances occurred, the duration of the circumstances, and how the circumstances affected the student’s ability to make academic progress. Examples of acceptable circumstances and their supporting documentation:

Circumstances Chart 

c. Academic Plan- Students will need to meet with an Academic Advisor and develop an Academic Improvement Plan for the upcoming semester. The academic plan must be uploaded along with the appeal and supporting documentation in order to be reviewed.

d. The SAP committee will make all appeal decisions within 10 business days upon review of the appeal and any applicable documentation.

e. Students whose appeals have been denied are not eligible to receive financial aid until they meet all three satisfactory academic progress standards. A notification will be sent to the student’s email informing them of the denial.

f. Students whose appeal was denied may email additional documentation to finaid@triton.edu up to 21 calendar days from the initial denial date for review. Students who do not submit this additional documentation within this timeframe will have their appeals stand as denied. Documentation submitted after 21 calendar days will not be reviewed and the appeal will remain denied.

g. If the student has met the required terms of the academic plan, the student may remain financial aid eligible based on meeting their academic plan and continue to receive financial aid the following semester. If the student fails to meet the terms of the academic plan in any subsequent semester, the student will become ineligible to participate in all federal and state financial aid programs until the student is able to once again meet the minimum requirements for satisfactory academic progress.

Deadlines
Students must submit their appeal at triton.studentforms.com each semester by the following deadlines below:

  • Fall semester appeals must be submitted by October 24th
  • Spring semester appeals must be submitted by March 26th
  • Summer semester appeals must be submitted by July 9thth

Appeals submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed and student will remain on disqualification.

If denied, students may submit additional supporting documentation within 21 calendar days from the initial denial date. Any documents received after the 21 calendar days will not be reviewed.

Incomplete Grades
Students receiving an Incomplete (“I”) grade or late grade that places them on Financial Aid Warning or Disqualified Status must complete the course in accordance with the 'Incomplete Grades' policy as outlined in the Triton College catalog. The Financial Aid Office is not notified when a student finishes an incomplete class. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office of the grade change.

Fraud
The SAP Appeal Committee is required to have a policy of when confronted with actual or suspected cases of fraud or abuse.

a. Students who willfully submit fraudulent information will be investigated to the furthest extent possible. All documented cases of fraud and abuse will be reported to the proper authorities.

b. If it is in the judgment of a member of the SAP Appeal Committee that there has been intentional misrepresentation, false statements, or alteration of documents, which have resulted or could result in the awarding or disbursement of funds for which the student is not eligible, all information must be forwarded to the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Education. If the decision is made by the Financial Aid Office to pursue the possibility of denying or canceling financial aid, the Financial Aid Office will send an email to request an appointment with the student. If the student does not make an appointment or if after meeting with the student the Office of Financial Aid determines fraud was committed, the Office of Financial Aid may not process or award financial aid until the situation is resolved and financial aid will not be processed for future years.