Academic Progress

 

CROWDER COLLEGE SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS STANDARDS FOR FINANCIAL AID

The U.S. Department of Education requires institutions of higher education to define, establish, and enforce minimum standards of satisfactory progress for students receiving financial assistance. These standards must include qualitative and quantitative measures for evaluating the progress of financial aid recipients towards their educational goals. An assessment of these efforts will be performed after each semester. State, Non-Federal, and Institutional programs have differing standards of satisfactory academic progress.

A. LENGTH OF TIME (Quantitative Standard)

Federal financial aid regulations provide for assistance up to 150 percent of the length of the program. All periods of enrollment and credits granted/earned must be counted towards this maximum (whether or not financial aid assistance was received for all periods of enrollment). Students transferring into Crowder College must have all academic records from previously attended institution(s) on file before any possible aid awards can be determined. No aid will be given to those transfer students who are at or over the maximum hours allowed for their chosen program of study at Crowder College.
Students pursuing an associate’s degree may only accumulate a maximum of 96 credit hours. Students pursuing a certificate may only accumulate a maximum of 45 credit hours. Students who are accepted into the nursing or veterinary technology programs and have begun the nursing and veterinary technology curriculum may accumulate a maximum of 114 credit hours. Accumulated hours will be the total of: Crowder College hours, hours from previously attended accredited institutions, and any granted or non-traditionally earned hours. No additional time will be allowed for program completion due to a change of major or program.

B. HOUR COMPLETION REQUIREMENT

Students must complete two-thirds (67%) of their total credit hours attempted. Attempted hours will be verified at the census date for each semester. The census date is the 15% point of each semester. The census date for each semester is published on the Academic Calendar. In figuring the student aid award, based upon the number of credit hours attempted each semester, the following will not be considered: audited courses, credits granted, credits earned non-traditionally, noncredit remedial courses, and withdrawals. In-completes, failed courses, and withdrawals will not be counted as credits earned. All transfer hours accepted from other colleges and universities will be included in the cumulative number of credits hours attempted and earned. Coursework attempted during all semesters, including fall, spring, and summer will be evaluated cumulatively for the required 67 % completion.

C. GRADE POINT AVERAGE (Qualitative Standard)

Students receiving financial assistance must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) as outlined below:

1 -14 cumulative credits attempted 1.75 minimum cumulative g.p.a.

15 & above cumulative credits attempted 2.00 minimum cumulative g.p.a.

D. FINANCIAL AID PROBATION AND SUSPENSION

Student progress will be evaluated at the end of each semester. If the student falls below the cumulative grade point average requirement or the standard hours of completion requirement at the end of any semester, he or she will be placed on financial aid probation for one semester. Students may continue to receive aid in the probationary semester as long as they are otherwise eligible. At the end of the probationary semester, the student must meet the cumulative grade point and credit hour completion requirements based upon hours attempted and earned, in order to avoid being placed on financial aid suspension.

Any student accepting financial aid and then totally withdrawing from, or failing, all classes will automatically be placed on FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION.
Student’s who have reached the maximum number of accumulated hours allowed for their program of study, will be placed on financial aid suspension.
If at any time in the past you were given aid at Crowder College and you did not complete the hours for which you received aid (or your grade point average was unsatisfactory), you will have been placed on probation or suspension status. Anyone who does not complete probationary requirements is placed on aid suspension until after the requirements are met. Students completing suspension requirements during the affected semester do not regain financial aid eligibility until the first day of the next semester.

Financial aid suspension means that a student will receive no further aid until the minimum standards have been met. Financial aid includes Federal PELL Grant, Academic Competiveness Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Work-Study, Federal Family Educational Loan Program, Missouri Access Grant, and the Marguerite Ross Barnett Memorial Scholarship Program.
Once the student has established the minimum standard requirement for grade point average and hours earned, he or she may be eligible for financial assistance, excluding those students on financial aid suspension due to having accumulated the maximum allowable credit hours for their program of study.
Students who attend Crowder College without financial assistance and then apply for assistance will have to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards as if they had received assistance from the beginning of their attendance at Crowder College. Transfer students must have fewer accumulated hours than the maximum allowed at Crowder College in order to receive financial assistance. Students transferring into Crowder with cumulative hours earned and/or a cumulative g.p.a. that falls below the guidelines as previously outlined, will be automatically placed on financial aid probation. If, at the end of that probationary semester, the cumulative hours earned and/or g.p.a has not been raised to an acceptable level, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension until the guidelines have been met.

Do not assume that if aid papers are accepted from you in the Financial Aid Office as preliminary application that you will automatically qualify for payment. If you know or suspect that you have possible problems, you need to be certain that you make that clearly known to the financial aid staff so they will be able to pursue your situation. Students who are not eligible for financial aid are responsible for all charges incurred.

E. APPEALS PROCESS

Students placed on financial aid suspension may appeal in writing to the Director of Financial Aid. Students should explain any mitigating circumstances concerning their academic performance. Student’s who are suspended due to exceeding the maximum time frame, must provide documentation in accordance with the SAP Appeal Form available in the FA Office. The FA Director will review each appeal on a case-by-case basis and provide a written response to the appeal. If the FA Director denies the appeal, the student may then appeal to the Student Services Committee. The student must provide the committee with a written explanation of the special circumstances that the committee should take into consideration. The student will receive written notification of the committee’s decision. The decision of the committee will be final. A maximum of two appeal requests will be considered from an individual student.