Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

In accordance with Federal and State Regulations, these guidelines apply to all students requesting Title IV Funds regardless of whether the student has previously received Title lV Aid.

Financial Aid recipients are required to meet Compton College's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. Please click here to view the SAP policy for the Financial Aid Office. SAP provides qualitative, quantitative and incremental standards by which the college can determine that students receiving federal financial aid funds are maintaining the satisfactory academic progress required for their course of study. Failure to maintain SAP will result in loss of financial assistance. SAP for students will be determined at the end of each semester after the grade submission deadline.

Effective July 1, 2011, new Federal Regulations went into effect that significantly changed the SAP Policy. All students MUST meet the new SAP beginning on that date. Among the changes are the removal of Probation 1 and Probation 2 from the SAP calculation. There are no exceptions to these new regulations. The Financial Aid office reviews academic progress each semester for Compton College. All attempted units are counted, irrespective of whether or not financial aid was received. We count all incompletes (I's), Withdrawals (Ws), Excused Withdrawals (EWs), Credit/No Credit, Pass/No Pass and all repeated coursework. Academic Renewal is not recognized for financial aid purposes, and is always counted in units attempted, GPA calculation, and maximum time frame, even when a more favorable grade was subsequently received, both attempts would be counted. We will pay for failed courses and count the units in SAP, up to the maximum allowed by the College. Once a student passes a course, however, we will only pay for one subsequent attempt. Both attempts, even if aid was not received, will count in the SAP calculation. Any student who contests units as not degree applicable, would need to follow the maximum time frame appeal process as outlined below. When a student is not meeting SAP, Compton College will offer one semester (maximum) of Financial Aid Warning before aid is disqualified for progress. There is no Financial Aid Warning for maximum time frame.

California College Promise Grant (CCPG) eligibility is different and separate from the SAP eligibility for Financial Aid. Please contact the Financial Aid Office for further details.

Financial Aid Warning

Students who do not meet SAP Standards for progress (indicated above) will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. This is a warning to students and will not affect their financial aid. If, while on Financial Aid Warning, students do not meet the SAP Standards for the second time will be placed on Disqualified Status and all aid for the term will be canceled.
Maximum Time Frame

Generally 90 units or more for most AA/AS, AA-T/AS-T programs, but may be less. Students who have attempted 90 units (the maximum time frame limit of 150%) or more, are required to appeal to receive financial aid. Individual certificate programs have their own maximum time frame. To identify the maximum time frame, 100% of units required are taken plus an additional 50%. For example, a 30 unit certificate program has a maximum time frame of 45 units. It is critical that students take the correct classes required for their degree, as even passing one's classes with a high GPA, does not ensure the student will be able to graduate within the 150% maximum time frame. Taking courses not required for one's degree, may result in the student being cut off from receiving future financial aid (see below.)
Important Information

If at any point it is determined that the student cannot complete their course of study within the 150% time frame (90 units for AA/AS, AA-T/AS-T, other certificate programs will vary), they will be immediately disqualified from future financial aid, for the remainder of their program, even if currently meeting the standards.
ESL Courses

ESL coursework must be part of an eligible program of study to receive financial aid. ESL coursework is not an approved program in and of itself. A student enrolled in ESL classes, who is not in an eligible program of study, is not eligible for financial aid funds. ESL coursework will count toward the 2.0 GPA and 67% units completion requirements (SAP Standard). However, ESL units will not count towards the maximum time frame limit.
Regaining Eligibility

Students who are DISQUALIFIED from receiving aid can regain their eligibility by meeting the standards which is to complete the required 67% of the attempted units and raise the cumulative GPA to at least 2.0, and be under the maximum time frame for their program.
Chafee Grant SAP

Effective January 1, 2020, California adopted new rules regarding the Chafee Grant, as part of SB150. Specifically, beginning with the 2020-2021 award year, Chafee Grant recipients must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP.) If a student fails to meet SAP, for two consecutive semesters, the student may still receive their Chafee Grant but must meet with a Financial Aid Counselor, in order to receiving their remaining Chafee Grant funds. If a student subsequently fails to meet SAP for a third consecutive semester, the student must meet with the Financial Aid Counselor to update their plan and receive the remaining funds. A student who fails to update their plan or who fails to meet SAP for fourth semester, loses their eligibility but may appeal to be reinstated. The Compton College Financial Aid Office emails Chafee Grant students at the end of each semester in which they do not meet SAP. The first notification is a warning, the second advises the student, as a warning, to meet with the Financial Aid Counselor, the third email requires the counseling visit for payment and the fourth semester, to update the plan or appeal. Appeals will be “automatic” if one of the following applies: The student achieved a 2.0 or above during the prior term, or a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; or the student dis-enrolls for one or more terms and then subsequently enrolls. The student may appeal for extenuating circumstances (with documentation), or evidence of engagement with a supportive program, either on or off campus, with documentation, which indicates it is helping the student to make continued academic progress. Students who may appeal will be notified via email with further instructions, dates and the application process for the appeal.

Units Attempted	Must Complete	Units Attempted	Must Complete
1	1	14	9
2	1	15	10
3	2	16	11
4	3	17	11
5	3	18	12
6	4	19	13
7	5	20	13
8	5	21	14
9	6	22	15
10	7	23	15
11	7	24	16
12	8	25	17
13	9	26	17

FINANCIAL AID DISQUALIFICATION

Students who do not meet the SAP standards listed above will be subject to disqualification from receiving further Federal and State Financial Aid (may include the CCPG). SAP standards are checked and verified during the following terms: Fall, Spring, & Summer. Generally, a student who is disqualified from financial aid must meet SAP standards by completing at least a successful semester without financial aid, and meet all SAP eligibility criteria to regain eligibility.

Students may not meet SAP for the following reasons:

Students have reached the maximum time frame of their program. 90 units have been attempted (unit count varies for certificate programs).
Did not complete with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better.
Did not complete 67% of attempted units cumulatively.

Once the student reaches their maximum time frame, and/or does not meet the SAP Policy after one semester of financial aid warning, they will be disqualified from receiving additional assistance other than the CCPG fee waiver. Under certain conditions, a student may be eligible to appeal for reinstatement of aid, without meeting the SAP Policy. Each institution has the option of allowing or not allowing appeals and if allowed, must explain what options are available and who is eligible for an appeal. At Compton College, appeals are offered in the falI, spring, and summer terms during the academic year.

Students who are disqualified will receive notification of their option to appeal via myCompton, and will include the time period that appeals will be accepted during a given semester/term.

Reasons a student may be eligible to appeal include:

Extenuating circumstances (beyond the student’s control) that prevented him/her from meeting SAP standards (documentation substantiating statements must be submitted.)
Change in major or program of study. In order for an appeal to be approved, the new unit count must be under the new maximum time frame. An Educational Plan would be required. A formal change of major form must be submitted prior to completing the appeal process.

Extenuating circumstances must ALWAYS be documented or the appeal will not be approved.

Serious illness, injury or medical condition requiring doctor’s care.
Death of an immediate family member or
Extenuating circumstances that were beyond the student’s control.

Currently, we will only allow for a maximum of one program change in order to receive aid, with certain caveats. Students are encouraged to see a FA counselor and develop an Educational Plan within completion of their first calendar year at Compton College, to ensure they are taking the appropriate required coursework for their program, so that they are not disqualified for continued financial aid assistance before they complete their program.

APPEAL PROCESS

Students will be able to complete the appeal electronically at the https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ website. Supporting documentation for extenuating circumstances is required for the appeal process and must be submitted in order for the student’s appeal to be reviewed. Students are required to upload all supporting documents using a scanner, smartphone, or PDF via the https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ website. Incorrect or incomplete appeals will be denied and the student will not be able to resubmit their appeal during that semester.

Please view this helpful video on how to submit a SAP Appeal.

On the appeal, students must provide the following information for consideration:

Why the student failed to meet SAP
What has changed to allow the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation

Each appeal will be reviewed by the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Committee and either approve or deny based upon the student’s individual circumstances. All decisions are final and there is no higher appeal. Appeals approved will be placed on financial aid probation and receive payment for one semester. Appeals considered for approval must pass the litmus test of determining that the student will be able to meet the SAP Policy at the end of the financial aid probation period. If a student’s progress is such that there is no way they will be able to meet the SAP Policy at the end of the financial aid probation, their appeal will be denied. Students will be notified via email of the decision.

Disqualified Students

Students must state in their appeal what event(s) took place and were out of their control that caused them not to meet SAP. If a student has not met SAP for more than one semester/term (may not be consecutive) they will need to provide a statement for each individual semester/term progress was not made. Each statement of the extenuating circumstances must have its own supporting documentation, uploaded as a third-party document in the Verification Portal. If a student is unable to provide documentation for the extenuating circumstance stated on the appeal, it cannot be mentioned or stated on the appeal. Failure to provide supporting documentation for each circumstance may cause the appeal to be denied. Students must also indicate on their appeal 1) Why the student failed to meet SAP, 2) What has changed to allow the student to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

Steps to Appeal

Students who will be submitting a SAP appeal for financial aid should follow the following steps:

View the online SAP Workshop and upload the certificate of completion via https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ account.
Meet with a Financial Aid Counselor (If at the Maximum Timeframe). Please click here for contact information.
Complete the electronic SAP appeal form online at https://compton.studentforms.com/school/ and upload all supporting documents.

It is important to remember that generally, students become eligible for financial assistance again when they are once again meeting the SAP Policy. The appeal process is designed to be the exception to the rule when extenuating circumstances exist outside the student's control and/or a change of major occurred where the student is now under the maximum time frame for the new program. Students should identify why they were disqualified and what their reasons are before they consider submitting a formal appeal.

All appeal decisions from the Financial Aid SAP Appeal Committee are FINAL.