Academic Eligibility Guidelines for Financial Assistance Recipients

The U.S. Department of Education requires the college to establish standards and monitor the academic progress of students receiving Title IV federal financial assistance. All forms of federal, Maryland and College financial assistance are subject to the same satisfactory progress standard, outlined as follows. In addition to the overall grade point average standards published in the college catalog, persons receiving financial assistance must meet the following minimum standards- based on the federal requirement that the maximum timeframe for completion of a program of study may not exceed 150 percent of the length of the student's program:

1. Students must complete associate degree requirements within a maximum time frame of eight semesters as a full-time student; eleven semesters as a three-quarter-time student; or sixteen semesters as a half-time student (four, five, and eight semesters, respectively, for certificate programs).   NOTE:  Students changing academic programs while receiving financial assistance, should be aware that under the financial assistance policy, any appeal you are granted under the 150% rule is allowed for 1 time only.  Meaning you may continue to receive assistance under that appeal.  Should you change your program again, the financial assistance will not be continued and no future appeal will be granted.
2. In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress and continued eligibility for financial assistance, the timeframes set in (1) above require students to successfully complete 67% of attempted credits each academic year while maintaining the required minimum cumulative grade average (GPA), according to the chart below. Successful completion means a grade of A, B, C, D, or P. Audited classes do not count towards your enrollment status for financial assistance purposes.

• Degree Completion: Within 90 attempted credits (may vary by program of study)

• Certificate Completion: Within 45 attempted credits (may vary by program of study)

3) The student's academic record will be evaluated once each academic year he/she is enrolled and receiving financial assistance. The student's cumulative record will be used to determine satisfactory progress, not just the most recently completed semester. Semesters during which the student did not receive financial assistance will also be considered in determining satisfactory progress. If the student does not meet the minimum standards outlined above, his/her eligibility for financial assistance will be terminated. Financial assistance termination means the loss of scholarship, grant, loan or work-study eligibility until conditions for reinstatement of eligibility are met.

4) The student must have at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the end of his/her fourth semester of attendance and each subsequent semester. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress Example:

Susan, a freshman at the college, attended full-time (12 credits per semester) during the past academic year.  Her courses appear on her transcript as follows:

*equivalent credit

Susan's Cumulative GPA at the end of Spring 2000 is 1.50.

Thus far in her studies at the college, Susan has attempted 24 credits (12 in the Fall plus 12 in the Spring).  Of those 24 attempted, Susan has successfully completed (received a grade of A, B, C, D, or P) 12 credits.  To calculate her completion percentage, Susan does the following division calculation:

           12 credits completed  =   50% Completion percentage
              24 credits attempted

Because Susan has not yet attempted 48 credits at the college, the minimum GPA requirement of at least 2.0 does not affect her, but she has not met the minimum completion percentage requirement of 67%, and would therefore be considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress.  Susan would be ineligible to receive further financial assistance until she increased her completion percentage to 67% or higher.

Appeal and Reinstatement

A student whose academic progress has been deemed unsatisfactory may appeal that determination. Documentation of mitigating circumstances claimed by the student may be required. Download the necessary appeal form here.

Students placed on financial assistance termination may request reinstatement of financial assistance eligibility in writing (such as email) if they have regained both the required 67% credits attempted vs. credits earned ratio and/or have regained the required minimum cumulative GPA. This correspondence is sent to FAD.

Effect of Course Withdrawals, Incompletes, Repetitions, or Non-Credit Developmental Courses on Satisfactory Progress

Withdrawals ("W" grade): Withdrawal from a course will be considered unsatisfactory completion of that course, unless, on appeal, there are judged to be mitigating circumstances.

Audited Classes do not count count towards your enrollment status for financial assistance purposes.

Incompletes ("I" grade): An incomplete grade will be considered unsatisfactory completion of that course. If the student satisfactorily completes all outstanding work to make up the incomplete grade and later receives a satisfactory grade, the student's financial assistance status will be re-evaluated accordingly.

Course Repetition: Since repeating a course causes the recalculation of the grade average and credits earned on a student's transcript, it may also necessitate the re-evaluation of a student's satisfactory progress. However, repeated courses should not lengthen a student's program of study beyond the maximum timeframe for completion of that program.

Non-credit Developmental Courses: Developmental courses will be considered in the same way as any other courses (using their credit equivalencies) in calculating satisfactory progress. Students may not receive financial assistance for more than 30 equivalent credits of developmental courses.