Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal Regulations mandate that a student receiving financial aid under Title IV programs must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in their program of study regardless of whether financial aid is awarded each semester. KCTCS evaluates the SAP status of each financial aid recipient at the end of every semester. Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to the SAP requirements.
How to Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress:
- Maintain a 2.0 or higher cumulative Grade Point Average (Qualitative standard) and
- Complete at least 67% of all the classes you attempt. This includes transferred courses and repeated coursework (Quantitative standard) and
- Complete your degree within Maximum Time Frame (MTF) of 150% of the required hours
needed to obtain the degree (see chart below).
Credential Number of Attempted Hours Allowed Certificate 46 Diploma 73 Degree 90
What is a Warning Status?
If your overall completion rate or GPA were to fall below SAP standards, you will be placed on a warning semester to allow you the opportunity to achieve SAP status once again. During your Warning semester, you will still be eligible for Financial Aid.
If your overall completion rate or GPA were to fall below SAP standards, you will be placed on a warning semester to allow you the opportunity to achieve SAP status once again. During your Warning semester, you will still be eligible for Financial Aid.
When would I be ineligible for Financial Aid?
- After a Warning status, your cumulative GPA is below 2.0, and/or
- After a Warning status, your cumulative completion is below 67%, and/or
- You have attempted more than 150% of the required number of credits to earn your degree or certificate.
How do I re-establish aid eligibility?
- Submit a SAP appeal to the Financial Aid Office for review. The submission of an appeal is not enough to re-establish your eligibility, you must submit documentation and be approved. (If approved, you will be placed on a SAP contract and will receive financial aid as long as you are successfully following your Academic Plan.)
- Pay out of pocket until meeting the SAP standards.
What are some reasons for submitting a SAP appeal?
- You experienced circumstances that were outside of your control during the affected semester(s), such as medical problems, military duty, a family emergency, etc.
- You are seeking another certificate or degree.
- You changed majors during your academic career.
How many times may I submit a SAP appeal?
You may only submit one SAP appeal each semester. If you are approved and do not meet your SAP contract you will once again be ineligible to receive financial aid. If you are re-appealing after breaking your contract, federal regulations mandate that you cannot appeal for the same extenuating circumstance more than once. Any re-appeals with same extenuating circumstance will be denied.
If you believe that you had extenuating circumstances that prohibited you from meeting SAP standards, you may appeal to the SAP Appeals Committee. You can find the link to begin the appeal process in your Student Self-Service. Keep in mind that you must provide our office with supporting documentation of your extenuating circumstances (e.g., medical records, obituary, etc.) or provide reasoning why you are unable to provide that documentation.
| Extenuating Circumstance | Documentation Examples |
|---|---|
| Extenuating Circumstance | Documentation Examples |
| Student’s illness (mental or physical), hospitalization, injury, or disability. Provide only the information that clearly and easily supports the information you discussed in your appeal. The best documentation is simply a summary of a diagnosis and its successful treatment or accommodation. DO NOT SUBMIT ENTIRE COPIES OF YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY. |
Written documentation from the health care provider detailing:
|
| Written documentation from the health care provider detailing: 1. Approximate date that the illness, injury, or disability started and how long it continued. 2. The date that you are can resume your education without the illness, injury, or disability interfering with your academic success | Provide documentation (e.g., physician’s statement, police report, or documentation from a third party professional) related to the condition of the person you were assisting, and a statement from that person attesting to your assistance |
| Death of a family member or significant person in the student’s life | Provide a copy of an obituary or death certificate and proof of the student’s relation to that person |
| Divorce or separation | Provide copy of divorce decree, petition of dissolution, or letter from an Attorney |
| Personal problems with a partner, family member, friend, roommate, etc. | Provide court documentation, police reports, written statements from an attorney, a professional, or a counselor |
| Victimization of a violent crime | Provide police reports, court documents, legal statements |
| Exceeding the timeframe of your degree because of multiple changes in declared majors, excessive transfer credits, poor grades, and/or excessive withdrawals. | Provide documentation from a career counselor, personal counselor, tutor, advisor, or other academic professional supporting your plan for academic success and completion |
| Exceeding the timeframe while in a successive program plan or selective admissions program | Provide documentation relating to the academic advantage, financial advantage, or professional necessity of the successive degree |
The decision of the SAP Appeal Committee is final.
You can review the SAP Appeal due dates on our Important Dates page.
Bluegrass Community and Technical College
Financial Aid Office Contact Information
Phone: (855) 246-2477
Fax: (859) 246-4698
Email: Bluegrass-FinancialAid@kctcs.edu
Mailing Address:
500 Newtown Pike
Lexington, KY 40508
