Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress that students must meet in order to receive financial assistance from Title IV programs. Failure to maintain academic progress will result in the termination of financial aid. The Title IV programs currently offered at Sampson Community College include: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant. In addition to the Title IV programs, North Carolina also offers financial assistance such as the NC Scholarship, and other special state scholarships. The same satisfactory academic progress standards apply for state funded programs. The Financial Aid Office monitors a student’s academic progress to verify continued eligibility when the student applies for financial aid and at the end of each semester. A student’s entire academic history is considered in determining eligibility which includes periods when financial aid was not received.

Once final grades have been posted at the end of each semester, an evaluation will be performed to determine the student’s satisfactory academic progress. To remain in good academic standing and to be eligible to receive financial aid, a student must meet the following conditions:

1. A student must maintain a cumulative 2.0 grade point average (GPA). All coursework completed at Sampson Community College is included in the student’s cumulative GPA.
2. A student must successfully complete a minimum of 67 percent of the cumulative attempted credit hours in the active program of study. Attempted hours include all developmental courses, all withdrawals, incompletes, and repeated courses. Transfer credits accepted by the college are also included. See the following example:

   Number of credit hours student is originally enrolled	Number of credit hours student must complete to meet 67%
   15	11
   12	8
   9	6

3. A student must complete degree, diploma, and certificate requirements within the maximum timeframe allowed. The maximum timeframe is 150 percent of the credit hours required to complete a program of study. All attempted credits count toward the 150 percent even if they are not required for the student’s current program of study. See the following examples:

   Program of Study	Number of Credit hours to complete program	Number of Credit hours equaling 150%
   Associate in Arts Degree	60	90
   Information Systems Security Degree	65	98
   Welding Technology Diploma	36	54
   Early Childhood Education Certificate	16	24

Students will be notified when they are nearing the maximum time frame for completion of their program. Developmental courses are included in the student’s attempted hours. Students may not receive federal financial aid for more than 30 credit hours of developmental coursework.

Limits on Financial Aid Eligibility

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2012 limits the receipt of a federal Pell Grant to a lifetime limit of twelve (12) semesters of full-time enrollment, which is 600 percent. This is monitored by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Once a student has reached the 600 percent lifetime eligibility limit, they are no longer eligible to receive additional Pell Grant and other state and federal funds. There is no appeal for process for the lifetime eligibility limit in accordance with DOE regulations.

Financial Aid Academic Warning

Students who do not meet the cumulative GPA of 2.0 and/or successfully complete the minimum cumulative credit hours (67%) at the end of each semester will receive an email notice sent to their SCC email account, and the warning will be posted in the student’s Self-Service account. Students on academic warning are eligible to receive financial aid for one additional semester. Students on academic warning are not permitted to preregister for the next semester until satisfactory academic progress is verified. Before students on academic warning are allowed to register for courses, they must meet with a Success Coach to review their academic progress and discuss strategies for improving academic success. Students who do not meet minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress during the next semester of enrollment may be subject to further sanctions and loss of financial aid.

When a student has successfully achieved both a cumulative 2.0 GPA and cumulative 67% passing rate as required by federal regulations their academic status will return to satisfactory.

Financial Aid Academic Suspension

Students who do not meet the cumulative GPA of 2.0 and/or successfully complete the minimum cumulative credit hours (67%) by the end of the academic warning period will be placed on academic suspension. Financial aid recipients on academic suspension are not eligible to receive Pell Grant and other state and federal funds. A student may appeal to have financial aid eligibility reinstated following the process for financial aid appeals.