Academic Standards Related to Federal and State Financial Aid

In order to continue to qualify for the federal and state financial aid programs listed above, each student recipient must meet certain academic standards as described below.

Federal Academic Progress Requirements

In order to maintain eligibility for the Pell grant, SEOG, Federal Work-Study, and Stafford Loan Programs, a student must meet two academic standards: a qualitative standard and a quantitative standard.

The Qualitative Standard: The Cumulative GPA Chart

In order to qualify for federal aid, a student must demonstrate academic achievement according to the chart below. Students matriculated into degree programs are evaluated once an academic year at the end of each spring semester; students matriculated into certificate programs are reviewed at the end of each fall and spring semester.

The Credits Attempted and the GPA used in this standard are calculated according to the College’s published academic policies. Note that non-credit-bearing, remedial and ESL courses are not calculated in the cumulative GPA; however, students are limited in receiving federal aid for remedial courses to one academic year, or 30 credits. ESL courses are not included in the 30-credit limitation.

Students failing to meet the qualitative GPA standard are notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office and are no longer eligible for federal aid unless they successfully appeal the decision to the Director of Financial Aid. The appeal process for federal aid is outlined below.

The Quantitative Standard: Pursuit of Program

In addition to meeting the College’s standards for academic achievement, students must also demonstrate program progress by accumulating credits toward a degree or certificate according to the time frames noted below. In order to retain eligibility for federal financial aid, students must complete their programs of study within a maximum time frame of 150% of the length of the program. For purposes of this calculation, the total number of credits needed to attain the degree or certificate defines the length of each individual program. Towards that end, the College will measure program pursuit for students matriculating in a degree program once an academic year at the end of the spring semester. Students matriculating in certificate programs will be measured after each fall and spring. Students are deemed to be making satisfactory academic progress for federal financial aid purposes if they meet the minimum standards described below.

*The percent achieved is calculated by dividing the total earned credits in the program by the total attempted credits in the program. All credit-bearing courses, including withdrawals and failures, are considered attempts for the purposes of program pursuit. Transfer credits and “X” grades are excluded from both the earned credits and attempted credits.

Those students who fall below the minimum percentage required are notified by the Financial Aid Office and are deemed not eligible for continued federal financial aid unless they successfully appeal the decision to the Director of Financial Aid.

Change of Major and SAP Determinations

The qualitative standard uses a GPA that is calculated using all attempted and earned credits in all programs. The quantitative standard, on the other hand, includes attempted and earned credits only in the student’s current major or program of study.

A student cannot change his or her major to avoid the consequences of unsatisfactory academic progress. If the effective date of a major change occurs simultaneously with an SAP determination, the Financial Aid Office will make the quantitative SAP determination using the credits attempted and earned in the old major. The student must complete one or more semesters in the new major in order for the credits in the new program of study to be considered in the quantitative SAP determination.

Appeal Process for Federal Aid

Students who fail to meet either the qualitative or quantitative federal standard may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid to regain eligibility. Appeals will be evaluated based upon mitigating or exceptional circumstances that caused hardships for the student during his or her program of study. Events such as illness, injury, personal tragedy, and medical or family emergencies will be considered.

The Financial Aid Director will notify the student in writing of the results of the appeal and the revised standards, if any, in which the student must maintain in order to continue eligibility. If an appeal is denied, a student has a right to request a grievance hearing following the procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.

New York State Academic Progress Requirements for TAP, Part-time TAP and APTS

Failure to make satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of a degree or certificate may result in the loss of one or more semesters of New York State TAP, Part-time TAP or APTS.

At the conclusion of each semester, the College reviews all grades to determine if recipients of New York State TAP programs are making satisfactory academic progress. To remain in good standing for TAP purposes, a student must achieve a certain GPA before being certified for the next semester’s TAP payment (see the TAP SAP chart below). Loss of good academic standing results in a loss of TAP for the next semester, unless the student is eligible to receive a one-time waiver for extenuating circumstances (see Waiver section below).

TAP Satisfactory Academic Progress Chart

Before being certified for this payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1       2        3        4        5         6         7 

A student must have earned at least this many credits . . . . 0       3        9       18       30       45       N/E

With this cumulative GPA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0      .5      .75      1.3      2.0      2.0      N/E

A student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0 after receiving two academic years, or 24 points, of TAP in order to maintain eligibility. TAP points used at other institutions count toward the 24 points. Therefore, a student who has used TAP at another New York State college may reach the 2.0 GPA standard earlier or faster than a new student at SUNY Rockland Community College who has not previously received TAP at any other institution.

For students who have TAP points that fall between payment levels, the College uses an enhanced TAP SAP Chart. This Chart incorporates the chart above, and also prorates earned credits and GPA’s for point levels up to 36. The enhanced chart allows the College to judge SAP in a fair and equitable manner for all students who have used points under the APTS or Part-time TAP programs. The chart is available in the Financial Aid Office.

TAP Pursuit of Program

In addition to academic achievement, TAP award recipients must demonstrate program pursuit by completing a reasonable number of credits each semester in order to remain eligible for TAP. In semesters related to the first two payments, a student must complete at least six credits; in the semesters related to the third and fourth payments, a student must complete at least nine credits; and, in the semesters related to the fifth and sixth payments, a student must complete twelve credits.

Credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing remedial and ESL courses with a passing or failing grade may count in the calculation of this standard. Courses graded with W, NA, AU, and X cannot be used to meet the pursuit of program requirement.

Another condition within the pursuit of program standard addresses students who fully withdraw from their studies. A student who withdraws from all of his or her classes or who does not meet the pursuit of program credit completion minimums previously described loses TAP eligibility for the subsequent semester unless the student is eligible to receive a one-time waiver for extenuating circumstances.

Waiver of SAP and Pursuit of Program Standards

If it can be documented that the loss of good academic standing for TAP purposes was a function of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student (such as illness, death of an immediate family member, fire, etc.), is unlikely to re-occur, and that the student was otherwise progressing in the program, the student may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid for a one-time waiver of pursuit and progress standards. All circumstances must be fully documented. A student is allowed to use this waiver for extenuating circumstances one time only.

Waiver of the 2.0 “C” Average Standard

If it can be documented that the loss of TAP due to the C average standard was a function of extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student (such as illness, death of an immediate family member, fire, etc.), and is unlikely to re-occur, the student may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid for a waiver of this standard. All circumstances must be fully documented. New York State does not prohibit the use of this type of waiver on more than one occasion.