Credit Hours and GPA

Students receiving financial aid must satisfy the qualitative component, credit hours attempted and earned (ratio) and qualitative component, the cumulative grade point average (GPA) needed to maintain eligibility.

• Quantitative Standard: Complete at least 70% of attempted courses.
  • Formula: (Total Hours Earned / Total Hours attempted)  X 100 = Completion %
  • Satisfactory Academic Progress bases enrollment status on the number of hours in which the student is enrolled as of the college census date or when financial aid funds were received (whichever is later) for each semester.
  • NOT CONSIDERED SATISFACTORY COMPLETED HOURS – Grades of F (Failed), Q/Q6 (Dropped), I (Incomplete), U (Unsatisfactory), W (Withdrew), or NG (No Grade).
  • DEVELOPEMENTAL COURSES – Each required developmental course which has been successfully completed will be considered as hours earned for calculating SAP. However, the total number of developmental courses to be accepted toward the minimum hour requirement listed above cannot exceed a total of 9 semester hours. (Developmental courses in which a grade other than A, B, or C will not be accepted as SAP and will not be considered as hours earned.)
• Qualitative Standard: Students must meet the minimum GPA of 2.0 as defined in the college catalog.

Time Frame

With regard to the time frame needed to maintain eligibility, students will be considered for financial aid for a limited time only. Their enrollment in all postsecondary institutions, regardless of financial aid support, is considered when determining the total number of credit hours that they are allowed to enroll in with the benefit of financial aid.

Normally students cannot receive financial assistance for periods of enrollments beyond 150% of the published program length (to be measured by all hours attempted).

If a specific two-year associate degree program has a total published program length of 60 semester credit hours the maximum time frame a student has to complete that program is 90 semester credit hours. All work from other institutions that will transfer into the LSCPA degree plan, as required courses, will be included in the program completion time frame. A student may continue to attend LSCPA after the program completion time frames have expired, but no financial assistance can be awarded to the student. Exceptions can be made through an appeal process on a case by case basis. Student must complete the Excessive Hours /Earned Degree Appeal and submit to the Financial Aid Office.

• Entering Freshman are considered to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress when the student is accepted for enrollment at LSCPA.  Thereafter, the student must successfully meet the minimum academic requirements of this policy.
• Returning Students who have missed the equivalent of at least one long semester (Fall or Spring) will be considered to have remained academically eligible if the student meets the GPA requirements, successfully meets the requirement pertaining to the number of hours completed, and is accepted for readmission at LSCPA. 
• Entering Transfer Students will be considered eligible if   the student is successfully meeting the minimum academic requirements of this policy as well as gpa of 2.0.
• Continuing LSCPA Students who meet SAP requirements as outlined in this policy. (The evaluation will be based on the student’s records, academic history, and documented circumstances. This includes all academic periods, even those in which the student didn’t receive financial aid.)

Lamar State College Port Arthur Calculates SAP annually at the end of spring semester. Programs that are one year or less, SAP is reviewed every semester. If you attend summer term, SAP will be reviewed at the end of summer term. Review of SAP will occur once grades are posted in the college’s system. If the student meets all three of the conditions listed above, they will remain eligible to receive federal student aid funds until the next evaluation period.

Students who fail to earn the required semester credit hours, achieve the required GPA, or who have exceeded the maximum time frame will be placed on financial aid suspension. Thus, they will no longer be eligible to receive federal student assistance. The student must submit a financial aid appeal for consideration of reinstatement of aid. Completion of a waiting period or submission of an appeal does not guarantee that financial aid will be reinstated. In order to return to an eligible status, students must meet the minimum financial aid satisfactory academic requirements. Students failing to meet the minimum requirements must earn a 2.0 in at least 6 hours at an accredited two-year or four-year university prior to appealing for reinstatement of the financial aid eligibility. Submission of an appeal after achieving a 2.0 does not automatically reestablish eligibility to receive aid; appeals will be considered on a case by case basis for reinstatement of aid.

If they are successful in appealing the financial aid suspension the student’s eligibility is reinstated for the term. If the student has an established academic plan and meets the standards outlined in the academic plan, the student is continued for the subsequent term. If these conditions are not met the student will be placed on financial aid suspension and may not regain eligibility until the student has met the minimum financial aid satisfactory academic progress requirements for their category or meets other federal acceptable terms for reentry into the financial aid programs. Students who meet the conditions outlined in the approved appeal and an academic plan, but continue to fall below the minimum requirements continue to receive aid on probationary status. Students must complete the requisite number of semester credit hours with the corresponding GPA to regain unconditional eligibility under the Satisfactory Academic Progress (or SAP) policy.

Students with mitigating circumstances contributing to failure to maintain SAP may submit an appeal with any supporting documentation to the Financial Aid Appeals Team. If a further appeal is desired, the student may submit additional information in support of the appeal to the Director of Student Financial Aid. If the student desires a further appeal after these first two levels, the student may submit additional information in support of the appeal to the Dean of Student Services. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee the approval of aid eligibility. Therefore, students who have been denied financial aid due to lack of SAP must be prepared to pay their registration costs.

Mitigating Circumstances

The evaluation of unusual circumstances, which may have influenced academic performance during the semester/year; might be used in the determination of academic eligibility. Mitigating circumstances may be considered even though the student does not meet all of the requirements for academic eligibility. Some unusual circumstances which may be considered are:

1. Verifiable employment of 30-40 hours or more per week while attending the college less than full-time status.
2. Personal injury of extended illness supported by specific documentations.
3. Returning student after several years of non-enrollment.
4. Unusual circumstances that affected students’ academic performance including death or illness of a family member.
5. Other special circumstances as determined by the institution.

Information to Include in Appeal

Specify why SAP was not maintained and what plan you have in place that will allow SAP to be maintained at the end of the next term. Complete the Academic Progress Appeal and submit to the Financial Aid Office.

Results

Once a decision has been finalized an email will be sent to you. The decision could be, Granted Financial Aid Probation, Academic Plan Approved, and Academic Plan Approved for Change of Major or Denied. If your appeal is denied, you will not be eligible for that semester. If you’re extenuating circumstances change, then you have the right to appeal for a future semester that you wish to attend. The Financial Aid decision is final.

Inform the Student Financial Aid Office- Once SAP has been achieved, students meeting any of these criteria may be reinstated for financial aid consideration. Students who fail to maintain academic eligibility after being reinstated will become ineligible for aid consideration at LSCPA until they have achieved SAP requirements. Students will need to appeal to be considered for further eligibility.

*Financial Aid Reinstatement: Students terminated from financial aid participation due to lack of SAP may become eligible again for financial aid once they meet SAP requirements. During this time the student must achieve academic progress sufficient to bring his/her overall performance into alignment with the standards of this policy.

A student can retake any previously passed course (one time only). This retaken class will be counted towards a student’s enrollment status, and the student may be awarded Title IV aid. However if student passed a class once then is repaid for retaking it and fails the second time that failure counts as their paid retake and the student will not be paid for retaking the class a third time. Student should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to repeating a course.

• Students who have re-entered LSCPA on Academic Probation will be considered ineligible for financial aid.  Students must follow proper appeal procedures for any mitigating circumstances.
• Students Who Withdraw from the College: Students must maintain SAP according to this policy including the semester of withdrawal. 
• Returning students who left LSCPA on academic suspension and readmitted to LSCPA on academic probation will not be considered for federal financial aid until the student has met the minimum SAP requirements.  LSCPA recommends that students attend the summer semesters in order to complete the required hours.  Students may follow proper appeal procedures for any mitigating circumstances.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress bases enrollment status on the number of hours in which the student is enrolled as of the college census date or when financial aid funds were received (whichever is later) for each semester.
• Students must be enrolled at least 6 semester credit hours to be considered for financial assistance and to maintain SAP.
• Under Federal regulations once a student has received a Bachelor’s Degree from any institution or reaches 600% of Pell eligibility, they are eligible to receive Federal Loans but not the Pell Grant. 
  • Lamar State College Port Arthur participates in the Direct Loan Program offering Subsidized and Un-Subsidized loans.
  • Lamar State College Port Arthur does not offer Parent PLUS loans.