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Federal regulations require Butte College to establish, publish, and apply satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards for all financial aid recipients. SAP standards apply for all federal, state and institutional grants, loans, and work-study. It is the responsibility of all financial aid recipients to understand the terms and conditions of the Butte College Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy in order to maintain their eligibility to receive aid. In addition to maintaining SAP standards, a student will be eligible for financial aid ONLY if college records indicate that they are enrolled BOTH in a current ELIGIBLE Education Goal AND a current ELIGIBLE Academic Program.
Satisfactory Academic Progress:
3 Required Standards
- GPA, or required cumulative (overall) minimum Grade Point Average
- Pace, or required cumulative (overall) completion rate, computed by dividing total Units Completed by Total Units Attempted
- Timeframe, or maximum time allowed a student to reach their educational objective, set at 150% of program length.
How Standards Are Applied
Each financial aid student's academic achievement is reviewed at the end of each semester and summer term (if applicable). Students must meet all three standards for continued eligibility.
SAP Standards in Depth
Students are required to have a 2.0 minimum cumulative GPA.
- The GPA will include all aided and unaided terms at Butte College
- The GPA will also include grades obtained for all courses completed at all prior institutions of higher education.
Students with fewer than 18 units (all prior coursework included) are required to have a 1.75 minimum cumulative GPA.
Included in the GPA calculation are units in Basic Skills classes in English, Math, and Reading that are below college transfer level.
GPA Calculator: Use the GPA calculator to see what you need to do to raise your GPA.
Students are required to be enrolled in BOTH a current ELIGIBLE Education Goal AND a current ELIGIBLE Academic Program leading to transfer, the completion of an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T/AS-T); a Transfer or Career and Technical Education Degree (AA/AS), or an eligible Certificate of Achievement. Pace is the rate at which a student completes requirements for their educational goal.
- Pace is calculated by dividing the number of cumulative units completed by the number of cumulative units attempted. A fixed percentage of all cumulative units attempted ('DR' grades excluded) is required.
- For 0-17.9 cumulative units attempted, 50% is the minimum needed.
- For 18+ cumulative units attempted, 66.66% is the minimum needed.
All units count as attempted units, whether they were completed with a 'W', were repeated for a better grade, or eliminated from the GPA calculation through the Academic Renewal policy. As per federal policy, units transferred from schools previously attended count as both units attempted and units completed. Also included in the Pace calculation are units in Basic Skills classes in English, Math, and Reading that are below college transfer level.
Time frame is used to determine the maximum number of units for which you may remain eligible for financial aid for your Education Goal and Academic Program. Time frame includes transfer units and all unaided terms of attendance. Not included are up to 30 units in Basic Skills classes in English, Math, and Reading that are below college transfer level.
Maximum Time Frames:
Associate Degree: 90 Attempted Units
Transfer Objective: 90 Attempted Units
Certificate Of Achievement: 45 Attempted Units
SATISFACTORY
Status indicating student has met all SAP criteria.
WARNING
Status assigned when student fails to make SAP for the 1st time. Student on "Warning" status are eligible for financial aid for ONE SEMESTER ONLY. Does not require an appeal.
DISQUALIFICATION (UNAIDED unless appealed successfully. If not appealed, will remain unaided until can be reinstated in the future by attaining
SAP standards.)
Status assigned to:
- Students who did not meet overall cumulative SAP status during a "Warning" semester. Can appeal for reinstatement of aid eligibility. See Appeal section below
for appeal criteria. Approval is on a case-by-case basis and not granted automatically.
- Students who are on a "Probation Approved" status and did not meet semester minimum SAP requirements and the terms of their probation contract. Can appeal for
reinstatement of aid eligibility. See Appeal section below for appeal criteria. Approval
is on a case-by-case basis and not granted automatically.
PROBATION APPROVED (Reinstatement of aid eligibility)
Status assigned to:
- Students who have been disqualified and have successfully appealed, resulting
in reinstatement of aid eligibility for one semester. See Appeal section below for
appeal criteria. Approval is on a case-by-case basis and not granted automatically.
- Students who continue to meet semester minimum SAP requirements and the terms of their probation contract, resulting in
continued reinstatement of aid eligibility. Approval is granted automatically.
If a student loses their eligibility due to failure to make SAP after WARNING status,
they may file a SAP APPEAL. An appeal will be reviewed only for documented extenuating circumstances. Appeals not meeting the definition of "extenuating circumstances" will not be accepted. Submission of an appeal does NOT GUARANTEE reinstatement of a student's financial aid. Therefore, students should be prepared
to pay for their books and other school-related expenses pending the outcome of their
appeal. If an appeal is approved, the student will receive financial aid for the semester
at the soonest payment date following approval.
Examples Of Extenuating Circumstances |
Required Documentation |
|---|---|
|
Serious injury or illness of student or immediate family member |
Provide documentation of your Injury or illness or a relative or other significant person, which may include, but is not limited to, behavioral health conditions, domestic violence. |
|
Death of Immediate Family Member |
Death of immediate family member (spouse, mother, father, guardian, sister, brother, son or daughter). Provide copy of death certificate or obituary. |
|
Loss of Employment |
Provide official documentation, from your employer that verifies the circumstances and dates of loss or change in employment. i.e. may be a Letter of Support or Letter of Separation from your employer on company letterhead, paystubs that indicate "final pay period" or paystubs showing an increase of your hours over the period of time that impacted the term you did not meet SAP requirements. |
| Extenuating Circumstances That Were Beyond Your Control |
Provide proof of having extenuating circumstances that were beyond your control. These can include, but are not limited to, pregnancy during a semester that SAP wasn't met, loss of childcare, change of major due to physical limitations. |
Reasons NOT CONSIDERED for appeal: Wrong or difficult classes, too many units in the term, bad time management, transportation
issues, not having the assigned books or course materials.
When A Student Fails To "Make Sap" (GPA Or Pace)
2024-2025 Appeal Deadlines
Fall 2024: November 30, 2024
Spring 2025: April 30, 2025
Appeal Process (Checklist Items)
To request this appeal, log in to your MyBC Self-Service student portal, navigate to the Financial Aid Tab and click on "StudentForms" in the Form Links under Resources on the right-hand side of the screen (You may be prompted to register your account, if so, fill in all requested information).
Once you are in the StudentForms portal:
- Click on the "Manage Requests" button at the top right corner of the screen
- Click the plus sign to the right of "Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal" for the appropriate academic year
- To open the form, click on the newly created box in your "Needs Action" center at the top: "2024-25 Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal"
- Complete all sections of the SAP appeal, e-sign & submit.
- For required supporting documentation: After completing your appeal, you will need to upload the proper documents based on your extenuating circumstance that you indicated on your appeal.
When A Student Exceeds Maximum Timeframe (MT)
Students who exceed the maximum unit timeframe for their educational goal are no longer eligible for financial aid. Students disqualified for exceeding time frame requirements may submit an Maximum Timeframe Appeal (see Forms & Links). Appeals will be accepted only from students who meet both GPA and Pace requirements. Complete instructions are included on the appeal form.
The Financial Aid Office may determine to extend a students maximum timeframe for continued eligibility of financial aid for courses listed on an approved Maximum Timeframe appeal provided that the courses in which the student is enrolled apply to the students program of study or the courses are required for transfer. Approved appeals may not be amended unless a student has extenuating circumstances. The Financial Aid Office will review requests for an amended appeal on a case-by-case basis. The appeal will be considered nullified if the student does not meet GPA and PACE requirements.
Students Who Do Not Make SAP While On A Maximum Timeframe Appeal
Students who do not make SAP while on an Maximum Timeframe Appeal are disqualified from receiving further financial aid, including loans, and will be unaided until or unless they are able to reestablish eligibility. Reinstatement of eligibility will not be automatic, will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and requires achieving SAP standards and taking courses only from the approved Maximum Timeframe Appeal:
-
Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
-
Minimum cumulative completion rate (PACE) of 66.66%.
Repeated Coursework
Classes that a student wishes to repeat may be included when determining the student's enrollment for financial aid as long as the repeat is NOT a result of:
-
More than one reappeal of a previously passed course, or
-
Any reappeal of a previously passed course due to the student failing other coursework required to be taken simultaneously, or
-
Any reappeal of a previously passed course for the sole purpose of gaining eligibility for financial aid.
Satisfactory Academic Progress And Loans
Loans are a form of financial aid that supplements other types of aid. Federal Direct Loans are low-interest loans for students to help pay for the cost of a student's college education. Repayment is required when a student graduates, drops below 6 units a semester, or withdraws from all their classes. Butte College has the right to reduce or deny loans on a case-by-case basis for students at high-risk for default, including students on Warning, Probation status or on a Maximum Timeframe Appeal. Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are considered to be high-risk and should plan accordingly to meet their educational costs without dependence on maximum annual loan limits.
Contact Us
Butte College School Code
006972
SAS 160 Rm. 110
3536 Butte Campus Drive
Oroville, CA 95965
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Content Editor:
Zariel Torres
530-895-2311