Standards of Satisfactory Progress

Federal and state regulations require that students meet minimum standards of satisfactory progress toward completing their program of study in order to be eligible to receive financial aid funds.  The standards apply to all classes attempted at Daytona State College, including those not funded through financial aid assistance.  This standard is different from Daytona State’s overall academic standard for eligibility to re-enroll in classes.

The financial aid satisfactory progress standards at Daytona State are defined below and are applied uniformly to all federal, state and institutional financial aid recipients.  Some state programs have more stringent requirements.  In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes, students must meet all of the following requirements of the policy:

1. A student must maintain a cumulative grade point average (cum GPA) of at least a 2.0.  (The cum GPA does not include transfer credits.  The cum GPA does include remedial coursework.)
2. A student must earn 67% of all attempted credits
3. The maximum time frame for the completion of an A.A., A.S., A.A.S., B.A.S., B.S., or certificate program of study may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program

Number of Credits Attempted/Earned

This standard requires students to successfully complete (with letter grade of A, B, C, D or SP) a minimum of 67 percent of the total number of credits attempted. Attempted credits include all credits in which the student is registered at the end of the add/drop period.  Letter grades of F, W, I or IP will not be considered as credits successfully completed or earned.  Students who repeat a course for any reason should be aware that each time you enroll in a course it counts as an attempt, but only one attempt is considered earned.  Repeated courses will have an impact on a student’s ability to complete his/her program within the required maximum time frame.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 (C grade).  Refer to the Daytona State catalog for more information regarding grading policies.

Maximum Time Frame for Completion

Federal regulations require that the school set a maximum time frame in which students are expected to complete their program of study.  Under this standard, students must complete their degree or certificate within 150 percent of the published program length, including transfer credits. 

For example, if the published length of a credit program is 60 credits, the maximum time frame for completion is 90 credits (that is, 60 X 1.5).  This means that students can receive financial aid during the period of time they are attempting up to 90 credit hours only (including transfer credits).  If students exceed the maximum number of credits, they are no longer eligible to receive financial aid.  All attempted credits, including incomplete grades and repeats, are counted toward the 150 percent maximum time frame. Also, credits earned at other colleges that are accepted towards a student’s current program of study are counted in the maximum credit review. 

Students who change their education program or graduate and reapply to a new program must still adhere to the maximum time frame for completion.  In other words, all of previous attempted credits will count towards the 150 percent time frame. Consideration will be given to students completing a second degree or certificate.

Repeated Courses

For students pursuing a degree (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., B.A.S., B.S.):  When repeating a course, students may receive financial aid for a course if the previous grade was an F or W.  In addition, students may also receive financial aid for a repeated course if the initial grade earned does not meet the pre-requisite requirement for the next course in the sequence.  Students may only receive financial aid for a repeated course once.

For students pursuing a certificate:  Students may not receive federal or state grants when repeating a course.  Students may receive federal loans which repeating a course.

Developmental Courses

 A student may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 attempted developmental credits. 

Non-Credit Courses

These courses are not eligible for Title IV assistance and do not satisfy requirements of any Title IV eligible academic program.  As such they are not considered in the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress

For students pursuing a degree (A.A., A.S., A.A.S., B.A.S., B.S.), the evaluation of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid will occur once a year at the end of the spring semester.

For students pursuing a certificate, the evaluation of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid will occur twice a year; at the end of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester. 

Financial Aid Probation

Students who do not achieve the first two elements of the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress Standard (e.g., cum GPA /number of credits attempted/earned and grade point average) will be placed on financial aid probation for the next semester of attendance.  Students may continue to receive financial aid while on probation.

If, after the probationary semester, a student is not back in good standing, the student may be offered a subsequent probationary semester if he/she has earned a 2.0 GPA in the probationary semester AND completed all courses attempted.

A student who does not successfully complete a probationary semester will be placed on financial aid suspension for the following semester.

Financial Aid Suspension

Financial aid will not be awarded to students who do not meet Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress for two consecutive semesters and any subsequent semester in which Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress is not met.

Appeal Process

A student may appeal the decision of financial aid suspension or maximum credits attempted. Students must appeal in writing with supporting documentation attached.  In the appeal statement, students should state those circumstances that resulted in unsatisfactory performance, and the means by which they propose to meet the requirements in the future.  Documentation to verify the request for appeal based on extraordinary circumstances such as illness, death of a family member or other emergency circumstance should be attached. 

Once the written appeal and supporting documents are reviewed, a decision is made on a case-by-case basis.  If an appeal is granted, the student will be given another probationary semester.  During this semester the student must complete successfully 100% of the credits attempted for the semester, and earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 for each class during that semester, and any additional requirements required during the appeal approval process.

Students may be granted only one financial aid appeal for exceeding the maximum time frame for program completion.  If the appeal is approved, a student may not file another financial aid appeal to increase hours again. If the student exceeds the approved hours, his/her financial aid will be suspended.

Reinstatement

Student suspended from financial aid may request a reinstatement of financial aid after successfully completing a minimum of nine (9) credits, at their own expense. Students must complete 100 percent of the credits attempted and earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 for each class during that semester. 

rev. 4-23-08