To be eligible for federal and state financial aid programs, students are required by the U.S. Department of Education and the State of California to maintain satisfactory academic progress as they work toward completing their educational objective – Certificate, AA or AS degree, or Transfer Program. 

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has established guidelines to promote timely completion of its educational programs, which are applied to all classes taken in the LACCD. This document is designed to provide answers to most common questions about the SAP policies. A complete policy statement is available in the Financial Aid Office.

Which financial aid programs are affected by SAP requirements?

Programs governed by the LACCD SAP policy include:

The California Chafee Grant has different requirements for maintaining eligibility. 
The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) is exempt from these SAP requirements.

Who is affected by the SAP policy?

All students who apply for, receive, and/or wish to receive financial aid are affected by the SAP policy and requirements.

All students are monitored for Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each payment period (summer, fall/winter, and spring comprise our payment periods). Federal guidelines require we count all classes even if a student was not receiving financial aid when enrolled. Units from all semesters and terms are counted and evaluated. Also, units from non-LACCD colleges noted on transcripts received by Admissions & Records Offices in the LACCD will be counted and evaluated.
Classes taken at any of the colleges in our District count toward your enrollment status when determining how much you will be disbursed. Therefore, you are accountable for all the classes that you take within the District.

What are the standards for maintaining SAP?

• Grade Point Average (GPA): Maintain a 2.00 or higher cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA).
• Pace of Progression: Successfully complete a minimum of 66.5% of your cumulative units attempted.
• Maximum Time Frame: Attempt less than 150% of the number of required units for your academic program.

What is a 2.00 GPA and how is the GPA calculated?

A 2.00 GPA is a ‘C’ average. Your GPA is calculated by dividing the number of Grade Points you received by the number of units completed with a Grade Point Equivalent (for example, letter grades of A, B, C, D, or F). Grades are assigned the following point values:

How is the Pace of Progression calculated?

Students must successfully complete a minimum of 66.5% of the cumulative units they attempt. Classes in which you earn grades of A, B, C, D, P, or CR are considered successfully completed. Classes in which you earn grades of F, W, EW, INC, NP, or NCR are not considered successfully completed and will negatively affect your Pace of Progression.

Military Withdrawal (MW) grades are not used in calculating a student's Pace of Progression.

How is the Maximum Time Frame determined?

Federal guidelines allow colleges to account for circumstances that may extend the time a student requires to complete their academic program. As such, the LACCD will allow students to attempt up to 150% of the number of units normally required for their academic program.

For example, most associate degree and transfer programs require 60 units, so students may attempt up to 89 units (less than 150%) before being disqualified from financial aid.

The Maximum Time Frame for students enrolled in certificate programs is generally shorter as most certificate programs require fewer units to complete compared to associate degree and transfer programs.

Remedial ESL, Basic Skills, and remedial classes are excluded from the Maximum Time Frame calculation. All other credit coursework is counted in the Maximum Time Frame calculation.

Warning Status:

Students will be placed on Warning Status if 

• they were in good standing in the previous term evaluated (based on SAP standards) or they do not have a previously calculated standing, AND
• at the end of their most current semester, they do not meet the GPA and/or Pace of Progression standards.

Students will remain eligible for financial aid during their Warning Status, assuming they are not disqualified due to the Maximum Time Frame standard. Students will be sent a Warning Status notification.

Students on Warning Status should see an academic counselor as soon as possible. Students should work with their counselor to determine the steps to improve their GPA and/or Pace of Progression (percentage of successfully completed classes)

Disqualification: 

Students are disqualified if they have one or more of the following academic deficiencies:

• Do not meet the GPA standard following a semester of attendance for which they were placed on Warning Status (cumulative GPA is below 2.00)
• Do not meet the Pace of Progression standard following a semester of attendance for which they were placed on Warning Status (cumulative pace of progression is below 66.5%)
• Exceeds the Maximum Time Frame standard for their academic program (have attempted 150% of the number of units normally required for their academic program)

Notifications

Disqualification notifications are sent to students if they have one or more academic deficiencies noted above.

Advisory notifications are sent to students after the end of the first semester where their number of units attempted reaches or exceeds 75% or 100% of the number of units required for their academic program. Students should see an academic counselor to ensure they are taking the classes needed to reach their educational goal before reaching the 150% Maximum Time Frame limit.

Students may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Office explaining why they were unable to meet the SAP standards. Questions regarding the petition process should be directed to your college's Financial Aid Office. Students must submit their petition during the semester for which they want their financial aid eligibility reinstated or extended. Check with the Financial Aid Office for deadlines.

Reinstatement Appeal

Students who do not meet the GPA and/or Pace of Progression standard should complete an Appeal for Reinstatement of their financial aid eligibility. The appeal form is available online through the Financial Aid Portal of your home school:

The appeal for reinstatement should address why the student's academic progress has not met standards and what the student has done to rectify this situation. Students should include any documentation that supports their written statements regarding their past academic performance. The Financial Aid Office may also require the submission of a Student Educational Plan approved by an academic counselor.

Extension Appeal

Students who have attempted 150% or more of the units required for their academic program should complete an Appeal for Extension of Financial Aid eligibility. The Extension Appeal form for all colleges is available through the Student Portal. Extension Appeals require an updated and if possible, comprehensive, educational plan.

Petitions for extension should address either why the student needs additional classes to complete their program or why they are working on a new academic program. 

Appeal Outcomes

Approved Appeals

When a reinstatement appeal is approved, the student will regain eligibility for the semester for which the appeal is approved. Approved appeals may include conditions, which if they are met, the student’s eligibility will be extended to the following semester. These conditions may consist in completing the current term with a certain GPA and completion rate, for example: 2.25 GPA and 70% completion rate. Failure to meet the conditions will result in a new disqualification and the student will have an opportunity to appeal again.

When an extension appeal is approved, the student will enter a contract where only the courses applicable to the academic program at the home college will be eligible for financial aid. Revisions to this contract may occur and may require an updated educational plan. Check with your financial aid office for more details on this process. Students should keep in contact with their academic counselor to ensure any present and future courses are updated on their educational plan.

Denied Appeals

If a student's first petition is denied, they may request a review of the decision during the semester and prior to the deadlines established. There is no guarantee that a student will have time to submit a second petition if their first petition was not submitted in a timely manner. 

The outcome of the second review will be assessed by a different committee. If the second review is approved, the outcome will be the same as if the first appeal was approved.

Appeal Resolution Notification

The appeal's result will be emailed to the students LACCD email within 45 days of receiving the completed appeal. If a first-level appeal is denied, students will have a chance to submit a request to have the decision reviewed. Students can add additional statements and documentation in the same way as in the first appeal; a second committee will review the request.