Satisfactory Academic Progress

Effective July 1, 2011, financial aid recipients at the College are required to maintain Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP) in accordance with this policy. This policy supersedes all previous satisfactory academic progress eligibility requirements. Federal financial aid regulations require the College to consider the student’s entire academic history, including any periods of enrollment in which the student did not receive federal/state financial aid, under this FASAP policy.

FASAP includes Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA), Completion Rate, and Maximum Credits Allowed (MCA) requirements, as set forth below, that a student must meet in order to be eligible to receive federal/state financial aid. FASAP is just one of the financial aid award conditions that must be met. Students should visit the Financial Aid Eligibility web page see for a complete list of requirements. This FASAP policy is limited to the determination of federal/state financial aid eligibility and is separate from and in addition to the Delaware Tech Academic Standing Policy and any other academic policy at the College.

The College’s Financial Aid Office shall review academic progress and compliance with any existing academic plan at the end of the fall, spring and summer semesters, each of which is a financial aid payment period.

As a condition of receiving federal/state financial aid, each student at the College must make satisfactory academic progress toward the attainment of his or her degree according to the following three requirements that comprise FASAP.
(Other award requirements also apply.)

1. Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average:

The table below represents the minimum CGPA needed to be eligible for federal/state financial aid. Official withdrawal grades are not calculated in this CGPA calculation. The CGPA is calculated using all courses taken.

Credits Attempted	CGPA
1-15	≥1.5
16-30	≥1.6
31-45	≥1.8
46+	≥2.0

2. Completion Rate:

Students at the College must successfully complete, on a cumulative basis, 67 percent of all credits attempted. All non-completion grades (“W,” “U,” “R,” “S,” and “I”) are used in the calculation of completion rates. As an example, the following table shows the minimum number of credits a student must successfully complete (with an “A,” “B,” “C,” or “S”) on a cumulative basis to be eligible for federal/state financial aid.

Completed Credits Required To Achieve Satisfactory Completion Rate

Attempted Credits	Completed Credits	Attempted Credits	Completed Credits
1	1	16	11
2	2	17	12
3	2	18	12
4	3	19	13
5	4	20	14
6	4	21	14
7	5	22	15
8	6	23	16
9	6	24	16
10	7	25	17
11	8	26	18
12	8	27	18
13	9	28	19
14	10	29	20

3. Maximum credits allowed for a Degree/Diploma or Previous Associate Degree:

A financial aid recipient is restricted to a maximum number of credits for which he/she can receive financial aid. The maximum credits allowed (MCA) credit allowance is 150% of the published length of the eligible educational program in which the student is currently enrolled. For example, if 60 credits are required for a specific degree, the MCA for the degree program would be 90 credits (60 x 150% = 90). The published program lengths are available on the College web site and in the Catalog.

In addition, the credits from a previous diploma or degree program earned at Delaware Tech or elsewhere that are applied to a new degree program at Delaware Tech will be counted toward the MCA for the new degree program.

Maximum Credits Allowed for Remedial Courses:

Basic and Pre-technical classes are considered remedial courses. Basic classes are not eligible for federal financial aid payment, but are used in calculating the remedial MCA.
The MCA for a student enrolled in remedial courses is 30 semester hours. This MCA value is separate from the degree or diploma MCA value. No extension is permitted for a student who exceeds the 30-credit remedial limit.

Repeat Coursework:

Repeating failed coursework may be funded by financial aid. In addition, one repetition of previously passed coursework is eligible for federal financial aid. However, a previously passed course is not eligible for financial aid if it is being repeated because the student failed other coursework (e.g., must repeat the course again because of co-requisite requirements).

Repeating a course may improve CGPA, but each attempt impacts the completion rate and maximum credits allowed.

Transfer Students:

Coursework completed at another institution that is officially accepted as transfer credit by the College counts toward MCA and the cumulative completion rate. However, the grades from other institutions do not transfer to the College and are not considered under the minimum CGPA component of FASAP.

FASAP Process

End of Semester Review

The Financial Aid Office will review the academic record of each financial aid recipient at the end of each semester to determine if she/he is making satisfactory academic progress for program completion. Students who do not meet one or more of the CGPA, completion rate, or MCA requirements listed above are not considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and are subject to the following:

Financial Aid Warning

Beginning with the Fall 2011 semester, the first time the student has not met the CGPA or the completion rate, the student will be notified that he/she has been placed on Financial Aid Warning status. A Financial Aid Warning allows a student to continue to receive financial aid for only the next semester. A Financial Aid Warning will be assigned automatically and does not require an appeal or other action by the student. At the end of the Financial Aid Warning semester, the student who does not meet the FASAP requirements is ineligible to receive further federal/state financial aid unless the student makes a successful Financial Aid Appeal as described below. In the absence of a successful Financial Aid Appeal, the student may only regain eligibility for federal/state financial aid by meeting the College’s FASAP requirements at his or her own expense.

A student who exceeds MCA requirements is not eligible to be placed on Financial Aid Warning status. Instead, beginning with the Fall 2011 semester, the first time the student has not met MCA the student must make a successful Financial Aid Appeal in order to be eligible for further federal/state financial aid.

Financial Aid Appeal and Probation

A student who does not meet FASAP requirements after the Financial Aid Warning semester, or a student who exceeds MCA for the first time, may appeal to have financial aid eligibility reinstated.

The Financial Aid Appeal process requires the student to complete two (2) forms

Financial Aid Appeal Form
Academic Plan

The student must explain on the Appeal Form the reason(s) the student failed to make FASAP and what has changed in the student’s situation that would allow the student to make FASAP at the next evaluation.

In addition, the Financial Aid Appeal process requires the student to submit an academic plan signed by a program advisor with the completed Financial Aid Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Office by the appeal deadline for that semester. The academic plan sets forth the requirements the student must meet to make FASAP. The academic plan must include the maximum number of credits recommended by the program advisor for the time period of the academic plan. Please note that if a student registers for additional credits beyond the number approved in the academic plan, then the student is responsible for the cost of those additional credits. However, a student may receive financial aid for additional credits beyond those approved in the academic plan only if a new academic plan signed by a Program Advisor and Dean of Instruction authorizing these additional credits is submitted by the student to the Financial Aid Office by the appeal deadline for that semester.

Submitting an appeal does not guarantee that the student will regain financial aid eligibility. The Financial Aid Office will respond in writing if the appeal is not approved. The decision of the Financial Aid Office regarding the Financial Aid Appeal is final.

If a FASAP appeal is not approved, then the student is ineligible for financial aid until satisfactory academic progress is achieved at his/her own expense.

If the appeal is approved by the Financial Aid Office, the student is then placed on Financial Aid Probation. A student placed on Financial Aid Probation may receive federal/state financial aid as long as the student is satisfying the requirements of an approved academic plan.

Financial Aid Probation

If after the one semester of Financial Aid Probation, the College determines that the student achieved FASAP, he/she will have his/her financial aid eligibility reinstated for the next semester of attendance. Thereafter, such student’s academic progress will be evaluated in accordance with this FASAP policy.

If after the one semester of Financial Aid Probation, the College determines that the student met all the requirements of his/her academic plan, but did not achieve FASAP, he/she will be permitted to continue to receive financial aid for the next semester for the same number of credits that were approved on the academic plan, and subsequent semesters of attendance provided that the student continues to meet all of the requirements of the academic plan. If the student would like to receive financial aid for additional credits, a new plan must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for approval.

Did Not Meet Plan (DNMP)

If after the one semester of Financial Aid Probation, the College determines that the student did not meet all the requirements of the academic plan nor successfully achieved FASAP, the student will be granted the status of DNMP and lose financial aid eligibility until the student achieves FASAP at his or her own expense.

Students may make another appeal for financial aid eligibility by submitting a new Financial Aid Appeal Form and providing a new academic plan. However, students are advised that Financial Aid Appeals for academic plan deficiencies will only be approved for changes to the student’s major and required courses – or in the most extenuating of circumstances - as determined by the Financial Aid Office, and relevant documentation must be attached.

Such circumstances include:

Medical condition, illness or injury, to the student or an immediate family member
(Provide documentation)
Death of an immediate family member (Provide documentation)
Change or loss of employment for you or an immediate family member (Provide documentation)
Other special circumstance (Be specific)

Denied

An appeal that is submitted to the Financial Aid Office with a status of Did Not Meet Plan that is not approved, is given the status of Denied and financial aid eligibility is lost until the student achieves FASAP at his or her own expense.

All information is subject to change based on revisions to federal laws, regulations, or college policies and procedures. Students are required to abide by any such revision