Financial Aid

Standards of Academic Progress Policy

Federal regulations require students to be in good academic standing to receive financial aid. The awards affected by this rule include: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Student Loans, TEACH Grant, and some state and institutional aid. Below are important questions to help you understand the College's SAP Policy:

SAP is checked at the end of each spring term and will set your status for the upcoming summer, fall and spring terms. If you enroll in a program shorter than one year, SAP is checked at the end of each term.
Your program confirms financial aid eligibility. It is also used to assess how many credits you can take to finish your program of study.
  • Pass 67% of your attempted credits 
  • Complete your program of study within the amount of time allowed.
  • Meet the required GPA
Eligibility Status: Eligible
Credit Hours Attempted Required Cumulative GPA
8 - 45.99 1.5 or greater
46 or more 2.0 or greater

GPA Calculation

For GPA purposes, the cumulative GPA is calculated using the following grades: A, B, C, D, F and U. Grades of I, S, P, NR and W do not affect your cumulative GPA.

Grade changes may affect your GPA calculation.

Eligibility Status: Ineligible
Credit Hours Attempted Required Cumulative GPA
8 - 45.99 Less than 1.5
46 or more Less than 2.0

Estimated GPA Calculator

The required completion rate is 67%.  See formula below:

Earned Credits divided by Attempted Credits

Example: 9 earned credits ÷ 12 attempted credits = 75%

Completion Rate

All attempted and transfer credits will be used to calculate the completion rate.  Grades of F, U, W, I and NR will not count as earned credits. Any grade changes may affect your completion rate.

Completion of a program of study may not exceed 150% of the length of the program. For example, if the length of an AA or AS degree is 60 credits, a student cannot attempt more than 90 credits to complete the program and receive financial aid.

The chart below shows the total number of credit hours allowed to complete a program of study. Students who exceed the number of credits allowed will lose eligibility.

Maximum Time Frame Eligibility Chart
Classification Time Frame Allowed
A.A., A.S., A.A.S. = 60 credits 90 credits (including transferred credits)
Bachelor's = 120 credits 180 credits (including A.A., A.S., A.A.S. credits)

Transfer credits are used to assess SAP status. Official transcripts must be submitted to the College before SAP is determined.

Developmental courses prepare students for college level coursework. These credits are counted in your GPA and completion rate. Credits in excess of 30 may affect the total credits allowed to complete your program of study.

Multiple changes to your program of study may impact your SAP status. These changes may result in excess credits that exceed the total amount allowed for your program of study.
Academic amnesty does not apply to federal, state and MDC financial aid regulations. The academic record impacted by academic amnesty is not excluded from federal, state and MDC financial aid policies. Students should consult anMDC Financial Aid Advisor prior to requesting academic amnesty.
You may regain aid via a SAP appeal approval. You may also regain aid by meeting all standards by the next review period.

Appeal approvals will not be applied to prior terms. For example, you may not submit an appeal for the fall term after the fall term has completed.

The Financial Aid team will review your progress at the end of the first term after approval. You must follow and pass your courses as listed on the MAP to remain eligible for aid.