FINANCIAL AID SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) POLICY

Financial Aid Satisfactory Standards must meet the criteria set by Section 484 of the Higher Education Act (HEA), Title IV Regulations, published in 668.16 of the Federal Register.

THE WORKSHOPS WILL START ON TIME, NO LATE ENTRIES. Workshop is designed for students only, please do not bring children.

SAP WORKSHOPS FOR 2011/12 SEMESTER

Please pay attention to SAP locations due to their subject to change.

The following SAP workshops will be in the Student Activities Center (SAC), Bldg. 44 on the following dates: Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 10:00am

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 2:00pm

Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 10:00am

Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 2:00pm

Monday May 21, 2012 at 10:00am (Last one for the semester)

ELIGIBILITY

To become eligible to receive financial aid from Victor Valley College, students must:

Submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Department of Education (DOE) to establish eligibility; and
Submit completed Student Aid package to the Financial Aid Office; and
Enroll in an eligible program to complete an Associate’s Degree, a certificate program of at least 6 months in length, and/or transfer requirements; and
Declare a major and obtain an education plan as approved by a Victor Valley College counselor,which also must be on file in the Financial Aid Office and meet satisfactory academic progress

To continue to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements to receive financial aid from Victor Valley College, students must:

Complete 67% or more of attempted cumulative attempted units in an eligible program; and
Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; and
Maintain education plan requirements as defined in the VVC catalog; and
Attempted less than 150% of program length.

FINANCIAL AID DISMISSAL

Students who do not meet the SAP standards listed above will be subject to dismissal from receiving further financial aid (other than the BOGG Fee Waiver.) SAP standards are checked and verified after spring semester for the following academic year.

Generally, a student who is dismissed from financial aid must meet SAP standards by completing at least two successful semesters without financial aid, and meet all SAP eligibility criteria to regain eligibility. Once the student has regained eligibility, they may file an appeal for consideration of reinstatement.

APPEAL PROCESS

Federal regulations limit financial aid to the maximum time frame of no more than 150% of the particular program as stated in the Victor Valley College catalog. To continue to receive financial aid from Victor Valley College, students must submit a petition/appeal form to the Financial Aid Office if the student has:

Received financial aid for six semesters (full time equivalent) in an eligible program or (attempted 150% of program length); or
Attempted 90 units; (excluding up to one year of remedial coursework) or
Completed a degree.
Not maintained SAP standards (2.0 overall cumulative GPA and 67% of cumulative attempted units.)

All attempted units that are accepted toward the student’s major are counted in the total, whether or not financial aid was received. Units from other schools that are accepted toward the student’s current program are also counted in the total. One year of remedial coursework is counted to include; ESL, and any pre-college level math or English course.

Important Information: If at any point in time it is determined that the student cannot complete their course of study within the 150% time frame, they will be immediately disqualified from future financial aid (with the exception of the BOG-FW),for the remainder of their program, even if currently meeting the SAP standards. Students may only submit an appeal for the following reasons:

Student has mitigating circumstances or extenuating circumstances (beyond the student’s control) that prevented him/her from meeting SAP standards (documentation substantiating statements must be submitted.) Examples can include but are not limited to: change in family circumstances, medical conditions requiring doctor’s care.
Change in major or program of study or coursework for transfer to a 4-year college or university. *(Note: Only students completing a program at VVC, and completing transfer requirements in order to transfer to a 4 year institution will be considered for reinstatement. A student coming to VVC from a university, taking classes, and then returning to a university would not be eligible for Title IV funds at VVC.)
Student has reached 90 attempted units, but a portion of the unit total is comprised of remedial coursework, the student is working on transfer units, or the student has a change in program.

To petition for reinstatement of financial aid, students who have been disqualified from receiving financial aid must:

Attend a Satisfactory Academic Workshop at which time an Appeal Application will be distributed
Obtain an updated education plan from a Victor Valley College counselor.
Complete an Appeal Application and attach the updated education plan and supporting appeal documentation (i.e. medical or personal crisis).
Submit the completed Appeals Application and documentation to the RED BOX in the atrium of the Financial Aid Office.

Students may only appeal one time per academic year, so it is advised that all supporting documentation be submitted at the time of the appeal.

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the completed Appeal Application packet after which the student will be sent a copy of the Committee’s decision. If the Committee approves the appeal, the Financial Aid Office will verify the student’s progress at the end of each spring semester. Notification of the appeal outcome is posted on the “MyDocuments” tab in WebAdvisor. The student may also receive a copy in the mail. The decision of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee is final.

Revised 11/21/2008, effective 8/30/10.

Last Updated: 12/7/11