Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture is required by federal regulations to establish a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy students must meet to be eligible or maintain eligibility for federal and state financial aid. This includes but is not limited to grants, loans and federal work study. There are three components to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy which are: 1)pace, 2)grades and 3) time frame. These are monitored each semester.

Pace

A student must be making progress through his/her educational program at a pace of 67% or higher. Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of successfully completed credit hours by the cumulative number of attempted credit hours. Credit hours that will not count as successfully completed include letter grades of F(Fail), I(Incomplete), NP(No Pass), W(Withdrawal), AU(Audit) or NR(Not Reported). A student that is able to have one of the above listed grades changed to a grade of D or higher should contact the Financial Aid office to see if the change impacts the pace calculation. A repeat class will be funded only the second time taken provided the student is meeting the SAP policy.

Grades:

A student must maintain a minimum grade point average depending on the number of credit hours attempted:

  • 1 through 17 credit hours: Cumulative Grade Point Average 1.5 or higher
  • 18 through 35 credit hours: Cumulative Grade Point Average 1.75 or higher
  • 36 and above credit hours: Cumulative Grade Point Average 2.0 or higher

Time Frame:

Students are permitted to receive financial aid only until the total number of credit hours attempted equals 150% of the length of his/her program. (see program descriptions in the NCTA course catalog) For a 76 credit program, the total allowed credit hours attempted would be 76 X 150% = 114 hrs. Transfer hours count toward the total number of credit hours attempted. A second course of study must also fall within this 150% time frame in order to receive federal financial aid.

Warning:

A student will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester if he/she fails to maintain the required cumulative GPA and/or fails to meet the 67% pace requirement. All aid will be paid during the warning semester. If standards are not met at the end of the warning semester, all aid will be suspended until eligibility is re-established.

Suspension:

A student will be placed on financial aid suspension and receive no federal or state financial aid if he/she fails to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements at the end of the warning semester.

Regaining Eligibility after Suspension:

A student that has had financial aid eligibility suspended has two options for regaining his/her eligibility:

  1. A student may qualify for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility by enrolling at his/her own expense. A student must bring his/her cumulative GPA back to the level necessary in the above chart for the number of hours attempted and bring his/her pace up to the 67% to meet the minimum requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.
  2. A student may appeal his/her financial aid suspension if extenuating circumstances (death of a relative, injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances) exist. A Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form should be completed and must include supporting documentation of the extenuating circumstances. Examples: Letters from health providers, copies of medical bills showing health provider visits, or any other statements or documentation to support the extenuating circumstance that prevented the student from making satisfactory progress. Also include information about what has changed in the student's situation that would allow him/her to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation.

If the Appeals Committee approves the appeal, the student is placed on Financial Aid Probation for the subsequent semester of enrollment. At the end of Financial Aid Probation, the student must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards or meet the expectations of the Academic Plan the Appeals Committee established to continue receiving financial aid.

Refund Policy:

Federal regulations require that each institution publish its refund policy and make the information available to students upon request. Examples of the application of this policy are available upon request. Because the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture does not charge full tuition at the beginning of the enrollment period, this is a billing policy rather than a refund policy. Tuition and fees will be billed to students receiving financial aid who withdraw according to the following schedule:

Withdrawal time percentage of tuition/fees billed (fall & spring)

1st Week 0%
2nd Week 25%
3rd Week 50%
4th Week 75%
5th Week 100%

Any refunds from payment of tuition, fees, and campus housing charges or any refunds created by a reduction in charges resulting from withdrawal from classes may be returned to financial aid funds if you received federal financial aid during that semester.
Students who receive financial aid and withdraw during an 8 Week Session will have tuition and fees billed on a prorated basis.
During the first week of a summer session, tuition and fees will be billed on a prorated basis to students receiving financial aid who withdraw. Students will be billed 100% of tuition and fees after the first week of the summer session.

Return of Title IV Funds

All students receiving federal Title IV financial assistance who withdraw will be subject to a calculation that determines 'earned' and 'unearned' Title IV funds.

Calculation of Title IV assistance earned

Up through the 60 percent point in time, the percentage of assistance earned is equal to the percentage of the payment period or period of enrollment for which it was awarded that was completed as of the day the student withdrew. If the student withdrawal occurs after the 60 percent point, then the percentage is 100 percent. That earned percentage is applied to the total amount of Title IV grant and loan assistance that was disbursed (and that could have been disbursed) to the student for the payment period or enrollment for which it was awarded as of the day the student withdrew.

Calculation of Title IV assistance not earned

The amount of Title IV grant and loan assistance not earned by the student is calculated by determining the complement of the percentage of assistance the student earned and applying it to the total amount of grant and loan assistance that was disbursed (and that could have been disbursed) to the student for the payment period or period of enrollment as of the day the student withdrew.
The amount the school must return to the federal aid programs is the lesser of the unearned amount of Title IV assistance or the institutional charges incurred, multiplied by the unearned percentage. Title IV funds will be returned to the various federal aid programs in the following order:

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
3. Federal Perkins Loan
4. Federal Direct PLUS Loan
5. Federal Pell Grant
6. Federal SEOG