1. SAP: Must or may 2018 new aid officer workshop Danchees Ingram
Financial Aid Specialist
Tarrant County College

2. What you will learn Definition of SAP Legislation behind SAP
What must be and what may be included in your Policies and Procedures
Determining SAP
SAP Terms

3. What & Why
To be eligible for FSA funds, a student must make Satisfactory Academic Progress, and your school must have a reasonable policy for monitoring that progress
The Department considers a satisfactory academic progress policy to be reasonable if it meets both the Qualitative and Quantitative criteria explained in this section.

4. SAP Must…
…be published and include reasonable qualitative and quantitative standards
…explain how GPA and pace of completion are affected by course incompletes, withdrawals, and repeats, as well as transfer credits
…be at least as strict as your SAP policy for students not receiving FSA funds
Boeing 737, First flight: April 9, 1967

5. MORE SAP Must…
…apply to all students (different SAP policies may apply to different programs)
…require evaluation at the end of each payment period for program one year or less; annual evaluations required for program greater than a year
…must notify and describe status that affects eligibility for FSA funds
…must explain how to regain eligibility
Boeing 737, First flight: April 9, 1967

6. Qualitative Standard Grade based (most commonly GPA)
Must achieve standard at the end of each period
In addition, HEA requires a specific review at the end of the 2nd academic year
ATM : “The world's first ATM debuted at Barclay's Bank in London on June 27, 1967”

7. Qualitative Standard Programs greater than 2 academic years
at least a “C” or its equivalent, or
Must have a academic standing consistent with your school’s graduation requirements
ATM : “The world's first ATM debuted at Barclay's Bank in London on June 27, 1967”

8. Quantitative Standard
Time-related
May use graduated completion percentages
May include, but not required to include, remedial courses
Total Cumulative Hours Completed
Total Cumulative Hours Attempted

9. Quantitative Standard
Ensure program completion within the maximum timeframe
A Student is ineligible when it become mathematically impossible to complete the program within maximum timeframe
Appealable
What is your school’s minimum completion rate?
Is it the same for all students?

10. Let’s Calculate BA requires 120 credits for graduation
Maximum Time Frame = 150% X 120 = 180 credits
Pace calculation :
120/180 = 67% (also 100/150 = 67%)
Student earning 67% of credits attempted is on pace to complete the program within the maximum time frame.
Applicable at any enrollment status

11. Change of Major & Transfer Credits
Generally, all periods of enrollment count
Even when not receiving FSA funds
May exclude courses not part of new major
May limit # of times student changes major
Must count transfer credits for current program
May count transfer grades
Establish rules for those who want new degrees

12. Repeat, Drop, Incomplete, Remedial & ESL Courses
Explain course repeats including which grade will count.
Quantitative standard includes all repeated courses
Policy must explain remedial, incomplete grades, and ESL course work
Cannot exclude course work from the Summer term or mini-terms

13. When Do You Check SAP
No longer than one academic year or the length of the program, whichever is less
Increments generally coincide with payment periods
New/conflicting information is received
FAFSA on the Web has a threshold question that will cause the asset questions to be skipped when the student seems eligible for the simplified formula or an automatic zero EFC. But in some instances, such as when using a paper FAFSA, a student who qualifies for the simplified formula will provide asset information. In those cases the CPS will calculate two EFCs: one using the assets and one excluding them. The EFC from the simplified formula (which excludes assets) is called the primary EFC and is printed on the front of the student’s SAR, while the EFC from the full calculation is called the secondary EFC and is printed in the FAA Information section.

14. Regaining SAP Eligibility
Policy must explain how to regain eligibility
Placing them on probation
Submitting an appeal
Using non-FSA until all standard are met
Sitting out a term doesn’t regain eligibility
Probation nor Appeals are required (may)
Paying for one term doesn’t automatically regain eligibility

15. Probation/Warning Status
Policy explains circumstance and procedures
Continue to receive FSA funding
Must regain eligibility by the end of the payment period
Cannot allow over two consecutive periods
LUNAR ORBITER 3
Launched: February 5, 1967
A person need not have received the benefit for an entire year; receiving it at any time in the base or prior year qualifies. Also, an FAA may use professional judgment (PJ) to count a benefit if a person did not receive it during those 24 months but is receiving it now.

16. Appeal Policy
Appeal - A process by which a student who is not meeting SAP petitions for reconsideration.
May have an appeal policy for mitigating circumstances, but not required
Appeal must explain mitigating circumstances and what has changed to ensure compliance going forward.
Approved appeals receive FSA funding
Must regain eligibility by your policy standards

17. Appeal Policy (cont.) May have an appeal procedure
How the student may re-establish T4 eligibility
Basis for filing an appeal
Petition must include why the student failed to meet SAP, what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP at the next review.
See IRS Publication 17 page 7:
1040 – must use if there is income that cannot be reported on a 1040A or 1040 EZ – i.e. alimony, business/farm, capital gain or loss/rental property; itemized deduction on Schedule A
A foreign tax return counts as an IRS Form 1040, while a tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, or the Virgin Islands counts as a Form 1040A or 1040EZ.

18. Evaluation Frequency Warning at 1st violation*
FSA funds eligible
Ineligible at 2nd violation
FSA funds suspended
If appeal process offered & approved, FSA funds are reinstated
Probation: if can met SAP by the end of next period
Academic plan: if more than one period is need to met SAP
If no appeal process or declined, meet SAP using non-FSA funds
*May be ineligible if warning not offered
Ineligible at 1st violation
FSA funds suspended
If appeal process offered & approved, FSA funds are reinstated
Probation: if can met SAP by the end of next period
Academic plan: if more than one period is need to met SAP
If no appeal process or declined, meet SAP using non-FSA funds
Warning period not available

19. Academic Plan
School and the student must define the steps needed to meet SAP standards by a specified time
Can also take the student to successful program completion
Review of progress at each SAP evaluation period
Must specify timeframe by which SAP standards must be met
Must appeal to change plan
Must explain what happened to make the change necessary
and how they will be able to make SAP

20. Terms
Parent Information
Student Information
Appeal – A process by which a student who is not meeting SAP petitions for reconsideration
FA probation – A status assigned to a student failing SAP and successfully appeals. Eligibility may be reinstated for one payment period.
FA warning – A status assigned to a student failing SAP. Eligibility may be reinstated for one payment period without an appeal. May only be used by schools that evaluate at the end of each period.

21. Terms (cont.) Maximum timeframe
Undergraduate program (credit hours), cannot exceed 150% of published length of program
Undergraduate program (clock hours), cannot exceed 150% of published length of program, measured by cumulative # of clock hours required to complete
Graduate program, school defines based on the length of the program
You may be asking yourself, “Why learn to do this”? The FAFSA does this for us.

22. Discussion Questions Is the school required to have an appeal process?
Is an institution required to use the same SAP policy for all students?
Qualitative & quantitative standards must always be applied how?
What is included in the Academic Plan?
Can a school limit the # of appeals?

23. Resources Federal Register 668.34 (c); (d); (a) (3-7), (b)
Federal Student Aid Handbook
Volume 1- student eligibility, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), pages 1-9 through 1-13
Volume 5- Withdrawals and the Return of Title IV Funds
Program Integrity Final Rules
Industry Webinars

24. Financial Aid Specialist Tarrant County College
Thank you!
Contact Information
Danchees Ingram
Financial Aid Specialist
Tarrant County College