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FINANCIAL AID SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS 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

ELIGIBILITY

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

  1. Submit a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the Department of Education (DOE) to establish eligibility; and
  2. Submit completed Student Aid package to the Financial Aid Office; and
  3. Enroll in an eligible program to complete an Associate’s Degree, a certificate program of at least 6 months in length, and transfer requirements;(enrollment in transfer units exclusively, is not considered an “eligible” program); and
  4. 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.

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

  1. Complete 50% or more of attempted units each semester in an eligible program; and

  2. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher; and

  3. Maintain education plan requirements as defined in the VVC catalog; and

  4. Received less than six semesters (full time equivalent) of aid.

FINANCIAL AID PROBATION

A student who is not meeting the SAP eligibility criteria of 50% or more units each semester and maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above will initially be placed on financial aid probation.  During the probationary period, the student will still be entitled to receive FSA funds.  If the student continues to not meet the SAP eligibility criteria for at least two consecutive semesters, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Dismissal.  Conversely, if a student meets the SAP eligibility criteria after being placed on Financial Aid Probation, that student will be considered to be back in good standing.

FINANCIAL AID DISMISSAL

Students who do not meet the SAP standards listed above for two consecutive semesters will be subject to dismissal from receiving further financial aid (other than the BOGG Fee Waiver.)  SAP standards are checked and verified once annually when the student submits their financial aid paperwork for the following academic year.
Generally, a student who is dismissed 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.  Once the student has regained eligibility, they may petition for 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:

  1. Received financial aid for six semesters (full time equivalent) in an eligible program; or
  2. Attempted 70 units; (excluding up to one year of remedial coursework) or
  3. Completed a degree.

* 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.
Students may only submit an appeal for the following reasons:

  1. 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, etc.

  2. Change in major or program of study.

  3. Student has reached 70 attempted units, but a portion of the unit total is comprised of remedial coursework, 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:

  1. Obtain an updated education plan from a Victor Valley College counselor.
  2. Submit a completed Petition Application with the updated education plan and supporting appeal documentation (i.e. medical or personal crisis) to the Financial Aid Office.

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the completed Petition 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 academic year.

Notification of the appeal outcome is posted on the “My Documents” tab in Web Advisor.  The student will also receive a hard copy in the mail.