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What is the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Process?

Federal regulations require that students' to make measurable progress towards completion of their course of study' in order to continue to remain eligible for federal aid. Tri-C reviews the academic progress of all students and notifies students receiving federal financial aid each semester of their status. This includes students who have received or are applying for the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study and Federal Student Loans.

Financial aid students are required to maintain and meet ALL of the following to continue receiving federal financial aid:

  1. Maintain an overall grade point average of 2.0 or higher;
  2. Complete at least 67% of all courses attempted;
  3. Meet all degree requirements within 150% of the published credits required for the program.

Failure to maintain compliance with these standards may result in loss or disqualification for future federal financial aid. Student Financial Aid & Scholarships reviews the academic progress of all students at the end of each semester, including summer. Students that become ineligible for financial aid will be notified. Please note: students that are either missing a grade(s) or have a grade(s) of ‘I’ as part of their academic history cannot have an accurate SAP Status determined and therefore will have financial aid eligibility suspended until the grade(s) have been recorded and the SAP status determined.

Students should review and be familiar with Tri-C's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to ensure compliance.

Specific steps on how to appeal are outlined in both the disqualification notice as well as the SAP Appeal Form, but in general, a student will be required to submit all of the following by posted deadlines each term.  Appeals received after the deadline will be reviewed for the next semester. 

  1. Contact the Student Financial Aid & Scholarships Office for the SAP Appeal application if the form is not available to you after creating your account in the student portal.   You can contact the financial aid office via Tri-C FA Chat, email us at financialaid@tri-c.edu,  or call us at 216-987-6000, Option #2.
  2. Student are required to complete a FAFSA prior to submitting the SAP appeal.
  3. After accessing your electronic SAP appeal, type in a detailed personal statement telling us why you were unable to meet the minimum requirements of SAP for the specified term(s), addressing all insufficient terms and what happened.  Be clear and concise regarding your situation and specifying timeframes of what took place.  Please review the Personal Statement Outline for further guidance.
  4. Upload the following documentation: 
    • A completed Academic Plan that consists of courses in your program of study (major). Courses that are not part of your program of study will not be covered by financial aid. *Optional: For assistance completing the Academic Plan, contact Academic Counseling to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.
    • A copy of your Degree Works The audit can be printed to a pdf document from your student portal.
    • Any additional documentation that helps support your appeal. For example, if your situation was medical related, submit the SAP Medical documentation signed by your doctor’s/healthcare professional.

For more information, concerning the SAP appeal process please visit the Student Financial Aid & Scholarships OfficeLive Chat or call 216-987-6000 and select option 2.

Have questions about Financial Aid?  Check out FINANCIAL AID TV, a 24x7 online resource of videos - all about Financial Aid topics.

 

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