Satisfactory Academic Progress Procedure

2.9.1 Academic Standing and Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Procedure

Part 1. Qualitative Measure of Progress
Grade Point Average. All students are required to maintain the minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Monitoring begins with the first attempted credit. Grades of A, B, C, D, F and FN will be included in the GPA calculation.

Part 2. Quantitative Measure of Progress
Subpart A. Required Completion Percentage.
All students are required to earn a minimum of 67% of cumulative registered credits. Monitoring begins with the first attempted credit.
At the end of each semester, the college shall compare the number of credits the student successfully completed to the number of credits the student attempted to determine whether the student is progressing at a rate that will allow completion of the program within the maximum time frame. Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of A, B, C, D, and P are included in the calculation of cumulative credit completion percentage as courses successfully completed.
Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of I, NC, W, F and FN will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Blank (Z) grades will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Audited courses (V) and "in progress" (IP) are not counted into the calculation.

Subpart B. Financial Aid Recipients Maximum Time Frame for Program Completion.
All students are expected to complete their program within an acceptable period of time. The maximum time frame for financial aid recipients is 150% of the published credit length of their program. For example, the maximum timeframe for a 60 credit program is 90 attempted credits. Up to 30 attempted credits of developmental and ESL courses are exempt from a student's 150% completion rate.

The maximum timeframe pertains to any student seeking financial aid eligibility regardless as to whether the student received financial aid for attempted credits in the past.

Students who have only one active program at LSC will lose their eligibility for financial aid when the total number of attempted credits in combination with accepted transfer credits is equal to or more than 150% of the credit length of their active program. Withdrawals are considered attempted credits.

Students with more than one active program will lose their eligibility for financial aid when the total number of attempted credits in combination with accepted transfer credits is equal to or more than 150% of the credit length of the program with the highest amount of credits. Upon reaching 150%, students have the right to petition to the college's Petition Committee to receive continued financial aid for their second program.

Once students have graduated from a program, the required credits listed on the program planner for that program that do not transfer into a subsequent program will be subtracted from the total number of attempted credits in the maximum timeframe calculation for the subsequent program.

Each semester the college will project a student's ability to meet academic standards prior to the end of his or her program. If it is projected that the student cannot meet academic standards within 150% of the credits required to graduate, or the student cannot earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, he or she will be immediately suspended from financial aid eligibility.

Part 3. Evaluation Period
All students with registered credits during a semester will be evaluated against the satisfactory academic progress standards at the end of the semester. Programs less than one year in length must be evaluated at the midpoint of the program.

The deadline for submission of grades is 10:00 p.m. on the third business day following the end of the semester.

Non-standard classes shall be evaluated with the term or evaluation period in which they are transcripted.

Part 4. Failure to Meet Standards
Subpart A. Academic and Financial Aid suspension and probation.
1. Maximum Timeframe failure. If at the end of the evaluation period a student has failed to meet the college's standard for measurement of maximum time-frame, the college will suspend that student from financial aid eligibility immediately upon completion of the evaluation.

2. Qualitative Standard or Completion Percentage Failure for all students.
Any student who fails to meet the minimum satisfactory academic program requirements will be placed on academic and financial aid probation.

3. Reinstatement of Students on Probationary Status. If at the end of the probationary period, the student has met the college's cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards, the college will reinstate the student in good academic standing with financial aid eligibility.

4. Suspension of Students on Probationary Status. If at the end of the probationary period a student who has been on probationary status has not met the cumulative qualitative or quantitative standards, the student will be placed on academic and financial aid suspension immediately upon completion of the evaluation UNLESS: they meet the conditions outlined in subpart A #5 below.

5. Continuation of Students on Probationary Status. If the student has failed to meet the college's cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards, but has completed 100% of the semester's courses with a 2.5 minimum GPA, the student shall retain his or her academic and financial aid eligibility under a "continued probation" status, until such time as:

6. Continuation of students who successfully appeal suspension. Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress and are suspended from academic and financial aid eligibility have the right to appeal based on unusual or extenuating circumstances. If an appeal is approved for both academic and financial aid eligibility, the institution shall permit the student to retain financial aid eligibility under an appeal status as described below in Part 6. "Appeals".

Subpart B. Financial Aid Suspension of Student for Extraordinary Circumstances. The college may immediately suspend students from financial aid eligibility in the event of extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to previously suspended (and reinstated) students whose academic performance falls below acceptable standards during a subsequent term of enrollment; students who register for courses, receive financial aid, and do not attend any classes; and students whose attendance patterns appear to abuse the receipt of financial aid.

Part 5. Notification
The college will notify the student via his/her student email account any time the student is placed in a probationary status or suspended from the institution. Notification of probationary status will include the conditions of the probationary status. Notification of suspension will include the process by which a student may appeal for reinstatement.

Part 6. Appeals
A student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress and is suspended has the right to appeal for reinstatement to the college for enrollment eligibility. Reinstatement to the college is determined separately from reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

For first-time suspension, the student must file a "Suspension Appeal" to request to return and may not re-enroll without an approved appeal.

For a second or subsequent suspension, the student may not appeal for reinstatement for two full semesters (excluding summer) and may not re-enroll without an approved appeal. Please refer to the chart below:

Suspended at end of:	Earliest Semester to Appeal:	Earliest Semester to Return:
Fall Semester	Fall semester of the following year	The semester following the semester of appeal.
Spring Semester	Spring semester of the following year	The semester following the semester of appeal.
Summer Semester	Spring semester of the following year	The semester following the semester of appeal.

Reinstatement to the college will be considered in cases where the student can demonstrate/document that the circumstances that led to his/her suspension no longer exist or impact the student.

Reinstatement of financial aid eligibility is determined by the Financial Aid Director independently of approval for reinstatement to the college. Reinstatement of financial aid eligibility is based on documented unusual or extenuating circumstances, including but not limited to the death of an immediate family member, serious illness, hospitalization or injury to the student, student's parents/spouse/children. In cases, where the circumstances were beyond the student's control,professional documentation should clearly verify the circumstances. In cases where the circumstances were within the control of the student, professional documentation should reflect that the circumstances have been corrected and should support the likelihood that the student can be successful in college.

All students returning from academic and/or financial aid suspension will enter on probationary status and must comply with any specific conditions established by the Suspension Appeals Board. Students must also meet the standards listed under Part 4 Subpart A5 during the probationary period. Failure to do so will result in immediate suspension.

A student who is approved for reinstatement to the college, but not approved for financial aid eligibility, must achieve the cumulative grade point average of 2.0 and the cumulative completion rate of 67% in order for financial aid eligibility to be reinstated.

A student has the right to appeal adverse financial aid decisions to the Vice President of Student Services in conjection with the appropriate academic dean.

Part 7. Reinstatement
Students who have been suspended may regain their eligibility only through the college's appeal process or when they are again meeting the college's cumulative academic progress qualitative and quantitative standards. Neither paying for one's own classes nor sitting out a period of time is sufficient in and of itself to re-establish a student's financial aid eligibility.

Part 8. Additional elements
Subpart A. Treatment of grades
Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of A, B, C, D, and P are included in the calculation of cumulative credit completion percentage as courses successfully completed. Courses for which a student receives a letter grade of I, NC, W, F and FN will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Blank (Z) grades will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Audited courses (V) are not counted into the calculation.

Subpart B. Fresh Start. Credits for which students have been granted academic amnesty (Fresh Start 3.4.8) will be recorded and retained in the student data system in such a way that they will be included in both the qualitative and quantitative measurement of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.

Subpart C. Audited Courses. Audited courses will not be funded by financial aid and are not included in any satisfactory academic progress measurements.

Subpart D. Consortium Credits. Credits for which financial aid is received under a consortium agreement will be recorded in the student data system to be included in cumulative GPA, completion percentage, and maximum time-frame calculations.

Subpart E. Remedial/Developmental and ESL Credits. Remedial/developmental and ESL credits are included in the qualitative and completion percentage measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Up to 30 attemped credits of developmental and ESL courses are exempt from a student's financial aid 150% completion rate.

Subpart F. Repeated Courses. Repeated credits will be calculated into completion percentage for satisfactory academic progress but are not financial aid eligible. The higher grade will be used to calculate cumulative GPA. A student may repeat a course up to two times.

Subpart G. Transfer Credits. Transfer credits accepted by Lake Superior College are not counted as credits attempted for calculation of cumulative completion percentage, and grades associated with these credits will not be used in calculating cumulative GPA.
Transfer credits accepted by the college and applied toward a student's general education, program, or degree requirements will apply toward the maximum time-frame calculation (see Part 2 Subpart B).

Subpart H. Withdrawals and Incompletes. Credits for which a grade of "W" or "I" is received are considered attempted credits but not successfully completed credits for the purpose of monitoring satisfactory academic progress. Thus, a "W" or "I" does not impact GPA but does negatively impact the cumulative completion percentage.