Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a federal requirement that states you must meet and maintain good academic standards in order to be eligible for Federal and State aid. If you do not meet the standards listed below, you may lose financial aid eligibility.
Determining SAP Status
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Criteria
There are three components to calculate a student's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):
Grade Point Average (GPA) Minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
Completion Rate Minimum 66.66% successful completion rate of all credit hours attempted
Example: a student with 54 earned credit hours out of 69 attempted credit hours would have a calculated completion rate of: (54 ÷ 69) x 100 = 78%
Maximum Hours The maximum time frame a student may receive financial aid may not exceed 150% of the published length of their degree program.
Example: a student with a 60 credit hour associates degree program would be calculated as: 60 x 150% = maximum of 90 attempted hours of college-level coursework allowed
Example: a student with a 120 credit hour bachelors degree program would be calculated as 120 x 150% = maximum of 180 attempted hours of college-level coursework allowed
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Determining SAP Status
The Alamo Colleges District will run a review of SAP status once a year after spring grades are posted, typically the last week of May.
Once the process is run, students not meeting SAP will be placed on "financial aid suspension" and will no longer qualify for financial aid. Any offers of future semester awards will be removed from your account. If you are placed on financial aid suspension, you have the option to submit an appeal to regain eligibility.
How To Check Your SAP Status on ACES
Awards
All summer and future fall and spring awards are tentative based upon final evaluation of SAP. Additionally, summer awards will not disburse until SAP has been reviewed.
Financial Aid Appeals
Federal regulations provide the opportunity to appeal the loss of your financial aid eligibility once you are placed on "financial aid suspension", recognizing that there may be circumstances that prevented you from meeting the minimum SAP standards.
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Appeal
Financial Aid Appeals are submitted via your ACES portal after you have met with your Certified Academic Advisor.
How to Submit Your Appeal on ACES
Supporting Documents
After submitting your appeal via ACES, you must submit any documentation that will support and prove the circumstances that occurred which caused you to not maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
You will have 7 days to submit any documentation to the financial aid office through ACES or in person at your Financial Aid office.
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Financial Aid Appeal Submission Dates Fall 2024: May 1 – Jun 27, 2024
Spring 2025: Sep 9 - Nov 1, 2024
Summer 2025: No Appeal Process
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Processing
The review time of a SAP appeal can take up to 7 weeks during peak processing periods. Appeals are reviewed according to the date they are received and cannot be expedited.
Decisions
There is no guarantee your appeal will be approved and all decisions made are final. A message will be sent to your ACES financial aid portal once an approval or denial has been made. If approved, SAP appeals allow financial aid eligibility to be renewed.
Students who are resuspended, or who's appeal is denied, may submit a new appeal during the next scheduled appeal period.
FAQs
Avoid dropping classes or earning grades not considered to be passing according to the SAP policy, and follow your degree plan and meet with an advisor regularly.
If you do not attend the Alamo Colleges District during the term for which the appeal was submitted and approved, the approval will be voided and your SAP status will be returned to suspension.
However, if you do complete attendance at the Alamo Colleges District during the term for which the appeal was submitted and approved, your renewed financial aid eligibility may be extended for up to one (1) academic year of non-enrollment. At the end of this non-enrollment period, your financial aid eligibility will be returned to suspension.
Due to prior college credit hours earned before attending the Alamo Colleges District, new incoming dual credit students entering fall or spring will be placed on SAP probation until the regular SAP process runs at the end of spring.
Please make sure you have
1) completed the ApplyTexas application for admission,
2) completed your FAFSA and
3) that the Alamo Colleges District has successfully received your FAFSA.
Your academic history, including hours transferred into the Alamo Colleges District, is cumulative and never resets itself. Once you are in violation of SAP requirements, the suspension status remains until an appeal is approved or sufficient progress is made. Transferred hours count towards maximum attempted hours.
No. An approved petition or Academic Fresh Start does not impact your financial aid suspension. Only an appeal approved through the financial aid appeal committee can reinstate students.
No. Your suspension status impacts eligibility for all federal aid, including Direct Loans.
No. The Priority Processing Date does not apply to Financial Aid Appeals for Reinstatement.
