Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
Below is a brief summary of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards at Bishop State Community College, for the complete SAP Policy, please see the College catalog by clicking here SAP Policy.
Students receiving any form of Federal Student Aid and Alabama Student Assistance from Bishop State Community College will be expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward their program objective. Failure to achieve the qualitative and quantitative levels required by SAP will result in the termination of the student’s Federal Student Aid. SAP will be checked at the end of each semester or term.
Students are allowed to file an appeal to regain and/or maintain their financial aid eligibility. SAP appeal forms are on the website under forms. If you have questions about filing an appeal please email financialaid@bishop.edu.
Students must pass a minimum percentage of all courses attempted (quantitative) and must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) as shown below and calculated by the student information system in the Office of Admissions and Records. SAP will be measured at the end of every term according to the following criteria:
Long-Term Certificate and Degree Seeking Qualitative and Quantitative Measures.
Hours Attempted | Minimum Required GPA(Qualitative) | Minimum Required Completion Rate* (Quantitative) |
0 – 21 | 1.50 | 58% |
22 – 32 | 1.75 | 67% |
33 or more | 2.00 | 67% |
*Completion rate is calculated by dividing the number of hours the student has completed by the total number of hours the student has attempted (including withdrawals and failing grades).
Short Term Certificate Qualitative and Quantitative Measures.
Hours Attempted | Minimum Required GPA (Qualitative) | Minimum Required Completion Rate* (Quantitative) |
0 – 12 | 1.50 | 58% |
13 or more | 2.00 | 67% |
150 percent rule. Students must complete the educational program (major/program of study/degree plan) within 150 percent of the published length (according to the Bishop State Community College Catalog). For example, a major or program requiring 60 hours for a degree allows a maximum of 90 attempted hours (60 hours x 150% = 90). Once a student exceeds 150 percent of hours needed to complete the degree, he/she will no longer be eligible for Federal Student Aid. All attempted courses, to include transfer credits accepted by the institution, incompletes, periods where Academic Bankruptcy was applied, forgiven courses, and developmental courses, must be factored into the calculation for Maximum Time Frame.
Transfer hours. A student’s entire academic record is evaluated to determine eligibility for Federal Student Aid. All official transcripts must be on file and evaluated. Transfer students not meeting SAP at the end of their first semester of enrollment will be placed on suspension and may follow the appeal process.
Exceeding the maximum hours that may be attempted. Students exceeding the maximum hours attempted, generally 90 credit hours, will have their financial aid suspended and are no longer eligible for Federal Student Aid. Students may appeal the suspension and there is no warning semester.
Financial aid warning. Students not meeting SAP at the end of the semester will be placed on financial aid warning for the next semester and may continue receiving aid for one semester. Students failing SAP at the end of the next semester of enrollment will be placed on financial aid suspension and will no longer be eligible for Federal Student Aid and may follow the appeal process.
Financial aid suspension. Students on financial aid suspension are no longer eligible for Federal Student Aid. The student may pay out-of-pocket and attempt to regain compliance with the SAP requirements, or the student may appeal the suspension if there were any extenuating or special circumstances that prevented them from meeting the SAP requirements.
Financial aid probation. Students on financial aid suspension and who have an approved appeal will be placed on financial aid probation and will be eligible for Federal Student Aid for one semester. At the end of the semester, the student must be meeting SAP requirements or successfully following an academic plan, generally the student’s degree/academic plan. Students following an academic plan must pass all work attempted with a 2.0 GPA or higher each semester. Repeat courses do not count unless the student needs a higher grade to graduate or transfer. Students who fail to meet the conditions of their appeal will be returned to financial aid suspension. These students may be required to regain eligibility without an appeal.
RETURN TO TITLE IV REFUND POLICY - Below is a brief summary of the return to Title IV policy at Bishop State Community College, for the complete R2T4 Policy, please see the College catalog by clicking here Return to Title IV Policy and Calculation.
When a student completely withdraws, officially or unofficially, from a college during any given semester the Higher Education Act f 1998 dictates how federal financial aid is handled. A Return to Title IV (R2T4) Calculation may be performed to determine how much federal aid the student has earned and has no relationship to the student’s incurred institutional charges or to the College’s institutional refund policy.
Even though students are awarded and have had federal funds disbursed to them at the beginning of the semester, students are required to “earn” the financial aid disbursed to them by attending classes up to the point that at least 60% of the semester. Please see the college calendar for all dates. Completely withdrawing from the College before 60% of the semester has expired, will result in a return of federal money previously disbursed. This will likely result in a debt owed to the College.
Students who enroll at Bishop State Community College and decide, for any reason, that they no longer want to be enrolled at the College must officially withdraw from a class. Students can obtain the withdrawal form and procedures for withdrawing from the Admissions/Registrar’s Office. Please note: For purposes of Return to Title IV Aid Calculations, the last date of attendance, as reported by the Registrar will be used for all calculations. Failure to properly withdraw from classes may result in the student receiving failing grades in all of his or her classes. This may negatively impact the student’s eligibility for financial aid in future semesters.