Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

For more information

Please contact the Office of Financial Aid, Room 155, Main Building, phone (513) 569-1530 or email fam@cincinnatistate.edu .

The Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 requires institutions of higher education to establish and apply standards of academic progress that must be met by all students receiving Federal Student Aid (FSA), under Title IV programs, including College Work-Study, Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loan, and Parent PLUS Loan programs. These standards also apply to the following State of Ohio funded programs: Ohio Academic Scholars, Ohio War Orphan, NEALP, Frank O’Bannon, Choose Ohio First, and Ohio Safety Officer Scholarships. All Cincinnati State scholarship recipients are expected to adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy was established to encourage students to successfully complete courses for which financial aid is received and to progress satisfactorily toward degree completion.

Successful completion of a course is defined as receiving one of the following grades: A, B, C, D, or S.

The following grades/statuses are not considered as successful completion of a course: F, W, I, IP, U, N, or NS.

Satisfactory academic progress includes a student’s total academic history including any enrollment periods in which a student did not receive financial aid.

SAP will be reviewed after Spring Semester for financial aid recipients. If it is determined that a student is not making satisfactory academic progress, the student will receive a suspension e-mail at the end of the semester. He/she must submit an appeal in order to receive any financial aid for the upcoming semester.

It is the student’s responsibility to read, understand, and adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy in order to remain eligible for financial aid. Failure to comply with this policy can result in the student’s financial aid being terminated at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.

Standards

There are two specific measurements of academic performance pertaining to financial aid eligibility. A qualitative standard evaluates the student’s grade point average. Quantitative standards ensure that students will complete their program within the maximum time frame.

Qualitative Standard

GPA

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in order to remain eligible for financial aid.

Quantitative Standards

Maximum Time Frame

Students are expected to complete a degree/certificate within a maximum time frame of 150% of the published length of that program. To determine how many credits a student may attempt for a given program, multiply the number of credits required to complete the program by 150%.

For instance, if a program requires 73 credit hours to graduate, a student must complete their program within 109 credit hours (73 x 1.5 =109).

Students will be notified when they have attempted a number of credit hours equivalent to 100% of their curriculum. If the student has not completed all courses necessary for graduation at that time, they may appeal for additional financial aid up to 150% of their program.

Course Completion

In order to ensure that students will graduate within the maximum time frame of their program, they must complete 67% of all attempted credits. To determine a student’s completion rate divide the number of completed credits by the number of attempted credits. For instance, if a student registers for 12 credits, but completes only 4 credits, their completion rate is 33% (4/12 = 33%).