Students have the primary responsibility for their own academic progress and for seeking assistance when experiencing academic difficulty. Students are encouraged to keep a file of their grades and transcripts.
Standards of Progress
In accordance with Minnesota State Policy 2.9 and federal and state regulations, St. Cloud Technical & Community College shall monitor all credits for all students and shall apply the following minimum cumulative standards of progress beginning with a student’s first attempted credit:
- Qualitative: Students are expected to meet or exceed a minimum cumulative earned grade point average (GPA) of 2.00.
- Quantitative /Pace of Progression: Students are expected to meet or exceed a cumulative earned percentage of 66.67%.
- Maximum timeframe for financial aid recipients: Students may continue to receive financial aid through 150% of the published credit length of the current declared program (example: 150% of a 60- credit AA degree equals 90 credits). All terms of enrollment are included, whether or not aid was received. This includes summer. When students pursue multiple majors, the total of all the unique credits will be used for maximum timeframe. Students with more than one active major should contact financial aid regarding their maximum time frame. A student reaching 150% of the published credit length of the program is immediately suspended from financial aid eligibility. All terms of enrollment are included, whether or not aid was received.
- PSEO students: PSEO students must meet the cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards to maintain eligibility as a PSEO student.
Evaluation Period
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A student’s academic progress shall be evaluated by the first day of the subsequent academic term.
Failure to Meet Standards
Students from other institutions will be held to the same acceptable standards and may be placed on immediate suspension.
- Warning:
- Warning: A student failing to meet the minimum cumulative qualitative or pace of progression/quantitative standard of academic progress is immediately placed on warning. A student on warning remains eligible to enroll and receive financial aid. A success plan must be completed by students on warning status and reviewed with an advisor.
- Reinstatement of good academic standing for students on warning status: If at the end of the warning period a student who has been on warning status has met both the institution's cumulative grade point average and cumulative completion percentage status, the institution shall end the student's warning status.
- Suspension of students on warning status: A student on warning status failing to meet the minimum cumulative qualitative or pace of progression/quantitative standard of academic progress during their next term of enrollment is immediately placed on suspension. A student on suspension is not eligible to enroll or receive financial aid.
- Suspension of Students for Other Reasons
- Maximum Time-Frame: A student reaching 150% of the published credit length of the program is immediately suspended from financial aid eligibility. Since Maximum Time-Frame is cumulative, changing a major will not extend a student’s maximum time frame. Students with more than one active major should contact financial aid regarding their maximum time frame.
- Suspension of Students for Extraordinary Circumstances: Students may be immediately suspended in the event of extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to:
- previously suspended, and reinstated students whose academic performance falls below acceptable standards during a subsequent term of enrollment
- students who register for courses, receive financial aid and do not attend any classes; or
- Students whose attendance patterns appear to be an abuse of the receipt of financial aid.
- Suspension for inability to meet program requirements within the maximum time frame: If at the end of any evaluation period the institution determines that it is not possible for a student to raise their GPA or pace of course completion percentage to meet the institution's standards before the student would reach the end of the program for which they are receiving financial aid, the institution shall suspend the student from financial aid eligibility immediately upon completion of the evaluation.
Appeals and Probation
A student has the right to appeal their suspension based on unusual or extenuating circumstances, including but not limited to the death of a family member, student injury, illness or hospitalization. The Suspension Appeal must be submitted in writing for consideration by the Suspension Appeal Committee, and include an explanation of the circumstances that negatively affected academic progress, a plan to correct deficiencies, and supporting documentation for both.
The Maximum Time-Frame appeal must be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office for the term the student is seeking financial aid. The college may consider processing a Maximum Time Frame appeal if a student has graduated from a program at this college or is attempting to complete a double major.
Students may appeal an initial adverse decision and shall have their appeal considered by an alternate process. The result of a student’s appeal shall be communicated in writing.
An appeal may be approved only if the institution: Has determined that the student should be able to meet SAP standards at the end of the next evaluation period or develops an academic plan with the student that, if followed, shall ensure that the student is able to meet SAP standards by a specific point in time. All students placed on probation will have an individualized academic plan that will minimally include term standards of a 2.5 GPA and 100 percent of completion.
Probation Status, Reinstatement or Resuspension
A success plan must be completed by students on probation status and reviewed with an advisor.
If at the end of one academic term a student on financial aid probation status:
- Has met the institution’s cumulative grade point average and completion percentage standards, the student will regain financial aid eligibility, or
- Has not met the institution’s cumulative grade point average and completion percentage standards, but has met the conditions specified in their academic plan, the student will regain financial aid eligibility subject to the terms of the student’s academic plan for a subsequent evaluation period, or
- Has not met the institution’s cumulative grade point average and completion percentage standards and has also not met the conditions specified in the student’s academic plan, the student’s financial aid eligibility will be re-suspended immediately upon completion of the evaluation.
Notification of Status and Appeal Results
Students failing to maintain academic progress standards shall be notified in writing. Notification shall include conditions of warning, suspension or probation and the process to appeal suspension status.
Notification of approved appeals shall include the individual academic plan standards that the student is expected to meet in order to retain enrollment and financial aid eligibility at the end of the next evaluation period.
Notification of denied appeals shall describe the reason(s) for the denial and the institution’s process for appealing that denial.
Reinstatement
- A probationary student will have their academic good standing reinstated upon meeting or exceeding the minimum cumulative grade point average and pace of progression/completion standard.
- A suspended student may have their eligibility to enroll and receive financial aid reinstated only after an appeal has been approved. Neither paying for one’s own classes, nor sitting out a period of time is sufficient in and of itself to reestablish eligibility for enrollment or financial aid.
Treatment of Grades and Credits
Treatment of grades:
- Attempted Credits: Credits for which a student is officially registered at the end of the drop period each term.
- Cumulative Credits: Sum of registered credits for all terms of enrollment, including summer terms.
- Earned Credits: Successfully completed credits with a grade of A, B, C, D, or P (pass). Earned credits do not include credits with a grade of F (Fail), I (Incomplete), IP (In Progress), NC (No Credit), or with a designation of W (Withdraw), FW (failure due to unofficial withdrawal), FN (Never Attended) or Z (in progress).
- Earned Percentage: Percentage is calculated by dividing the number of earned credits by the number of attempted credits.
- Grade Point Average (GPA): Calculated using a grade point value for grades of A, B, C, D, F and FW (through spring 2016). P counts as a credit earned, but it carries no grade point value. Grades of FN, I, W, FW (effective summer 2016) do not calculate in the GPA.
- Academic Forgiveness: Credits for which the student has been granted academic forgiveness will be included in the calculations for financial aid eligibility.
- Audited (AU) Courses: Audited courses shall not be funded by financial aid and shall not be included in the GPA, earned percentage, or maximum time frame calculations.
- Consortium Credits: Credits for which financial aid is received under a consortium agreement shall be included in the cumulative GPA, and completion percentage, and maximum time-frame calculations.
- Grade changes for courses previously graded with an I or IP. Once a grade change is processed for a grade of I or IP, a student is reevaluated for both qualitative and quantitative standards of progress at next evaluation period in which the I or IP was assigned.
- Repeated Courses: Students may repeat a course for the purpose of achieving a higher grade or to review course material. With the exception of those courses designated as repeatable, completion rate and GPA shall be calculated as follows:
All repeat courses shall be included in the attempted completion percentage and maximum time frame calculations. Credit earned for a repeated course is determined by the number of passing grades (A, B, C, D, or P) the student has for the course. For a first repeat of a course, earned credit will only be counted once. Repeating a course more than once will result in the removal of only one of the previous course’s credits earned from the completion rate calculation.
The highest grade of a repeated course shall be used in the GPA calculation. Repeating a course more than once will result in the removal of only one previous grade from the GPA calculation.
Students are permitted to receive financial aid for the first repeat of a previously passed courses (A, B, C, D, or P). If the course was designated to be repeated financial aid is available for the required number of repeats.
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Transfer Credits: Transfer credits accepted by the institution and applied to the student’s program requirements shall be counted as credits attempted and completed for calculation of cumulative completion percentage. Grades associated with these credits shall not be used in calculating cumulative GPA.
Transfer credits accepted by the institution shall apply toward the maximum time-frame calculation.
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Withdrawals: Credits for which a designation of “W” or “FW” is received shall be included in attempted credits, but not earned credits. A grade of “W” does not impact GPA, but does negatively impact earned percentage. Effective summer of 2016 a grade of “FW” does not impact GPA, but does negatively impact earned percentage.
Definitions:
- Academic Plan - A student who successfully appeals their suspension status will be required by the College to complete specific requirements contained in an academic plan. The academic plan is discussed with the student at an advising meeting, reviewing a completed Success Plan form. At a minimum the academic plan will require a student to achieve 2.5 GPA during their probationary term and a 100% completion rate during their probationary term, depending upon the deficiency.
- Developmental/Remedial credits - Credits earned from developmental courses numbered under 1000. Referred to as “remedial” credits in federal financial aid regulations.
- Evaluation Period - Institutions shall measure Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each academic term or at the mid-point of programs less than one year in length.
- Financial Aid Suspension - A student on financial aid suspension status is not eligible to receive financial aid. Students whose financial aid eligibility has been suspended may regain their only through the institution's appeal process or when they are again meeting the institution's financial aid satisfactory academic progress cumulative grade point average and completion percentage standards.
- Maximum Time Frame - the maximum number of cumulative attempted credits within which a student must complete their academic program.
- Probation Status - a student who has successfully appealed a suspension shall be placed on probation with an academic plan for one evaluation period.
- Qualitative Measure - the Grade Point Average (GPA) a student must maintain in order to retain financial aid eligibility.
- Quantitative Measure - the "Pace" at which a student must progress through their program in order to retain financial aid eligibility.
- Required Completion Percentage - the percentage of cumulative attempted credits that a student must successfully complete in order to retain financial aid eligibility.
- Warning Status - a status under which a student shall continue to retain their financial aid eligibility for one- evaluation period despite a determination that they have not met either an institution's grade point average standards, or completion percentage standard or both.