The following standards are effective and are adopted according to federal mandates for the purpose of determining a student’s continued eligibility for financial aid. All students receiving federal or state financial aid must maintain satisfactory progress for all periods of enrollment regardless of the receipt of financial aid. Academic progress is evaluated at the end of each fall, spring, and summer semesters.

NOTE: Some non-federal student aid programs (i.e., state and private foundations) have specific SAP requirements unique to the individual program. In those instances, the program requirements will supersede the general SAP policy stated here. It is the student’s responsibility to understand the requirements of each financial aid program from which aid is received.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

SAP is evaluated based on three measures at Weatherford College (WC):

  1. Cumulative Financial Aid Grade Point Average (GPA) – must be 2.0 or above
  2. Successful Pace of Completion of Courses – must complete a minimum of 67% of all cumulative hours toward declared major. WC will round upward in cases where the calculation comes to 66.5% or higher.
  3. Time Frame – must graduate within 150% of required hours in program of declared major

Cumulative GPA includes only WC course work and any transferred hours that apply to the student’s declared major. Students enrolled in college-level coursework must maintain a cumulative financial aidGPA of 2.0 or higher. Grades of A, B, C, D, and F contribute toward the cumulative GPA. Grades of W, I, S, CR, X, AU, and P do not.

  1. Students who do not have a WC academic history and are enrolling in college for the first time are assumed to be making SAP at the time of enrollment.
  2. All continuing students applying for financial assistance must have a cumulative GPA
    of 2.0 on all credit hours earned prior to the semester for which aid is requested.
  3. Transfer hours will not be counted in a student’s cumulative GPA, completion rates, or
    a maximum time frame unless those hours are accepted towards degree completion at WC.
  4. This includes any dual credit courses taken during the high school years that count
    toward a degree or certificate program at WC.

To avoid exceeding the maximum time frame required to complete a program of study using financial aid, students are expected to maintain a specific completion rate that is known as the “pace of completion.” At the end of each period of enrollment, students must have a cumulative completion rate of at least 67 percent of all classes attempted.

  1. Successful pace of completion is measured by grades of A, B, C, or D. These are considered passing grades at WC.
  2. A grade of F is not a completed grade but will be taken into consideration when calculating the cumulative number of hours attempted and the cumulative GPA.
  3. A grade of I or W is not punitive in determining the GPA but does reflect the lack of progress under “quantity of work” for the minimum pace of completion of all courses attempted for federal and state aid recipients. A grade of I (Incomplete) not made up
    by the end of the next long semester will become a grade of W.
  4. Courses where a grade of F, I, or W was received may be repeated until a passing grade is achieved. However, all courses attempted (repeated and regular) will be counted in the time frame and completion rate calculations. If the grade in the repeated course is not an improvement, both class hours and grades will count against the student’s cumulative GPA. Financial aid will only cover the repeated class IF the student originally received a grade of F, I, or W, or the program requires a grade ofC or higher and the student received a D.
  5. Remedial course work will be included in the cumulative GPA as well as included in both the time frame and completion rate calculations. Federal regulations state that a student may not receive federal financial aid for remedial course work after they have attempted 30 hours of remediation. Therefore, a student who attempts more than 30 hours of remedial classes may not receive federal financial aid for those classes. Foundational Math is not covered by financial aid.
  6. This includes any dual credit courses taken during the high school years that count toward a degree or certificate program at WC.
Students must demonstrate they will graduate within 150% of the length of the degree or certificate of their declared major. Maximum time frame calculations for students pursuing a one-year program of study (certificate) will begin when the student has attempted 45 semester hours. For students pursuing a two-year program of study (Associate’s Degree) maximum time frame calculations will begin once the student has attempted 90 semester hours. Students who exceed the time-frame limit will no longer be eligible for financial aid and will be placed on financial aid suspension.
Students who fail to meet one or more of the Satisfactory Academic Standards will be placed on financial aid warning. While on warning, students will be eligible to receive financial aid but must complete the subsequent term by meeting all of the minimum requirements at the close of that term. The student who fails to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress during the semester of attendance while on warning will be placed on financial aid suspension.

Financial aid suspension occurs when the SAP standards are not met for two consecutive semesters. Notification of suspension status includes verbal, postal mail, or email. While on suspension, students will not receive financial aid. Students can appeal their financial aid status; see Appeal Process below. The student is responsible for payment of courses.

NOTE: Students who exceed the time frame limitations (90 hours for Associate Degrees or 45 hours for Certificate degrees) will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension and will
no longer be eligible to receive financial aid unless an appeal has been approved. Students completing their declared major may also be placed on financial aid suspension.

Students on suspension are encouraged to continue enrollment at WC. Enrolling and paying for courses as well as successfully completing courses can assist in regaining the student’s eligibility. The student must alert the Financial Aid Staff for a re-evaluation of their SAP status. If the student successfully regains eligible SAP status, then they will be eligible again for federal aid.

Students, who were previously put on suspension due to not meeting the minimum satisfactory academic progress, may be granted one long semester of financial aid with an approved appeal.  Once the one semester is completed and if the student does not meet the minimum satisfactory academic progress, they will be placed on suspension. The student may appeal this status.

A student who has been denied financial aid because of a failure to meet any of the SAP standards may complete an appeal form. Appeal forms for grants and loans can be submitted through WC Aid Verification. A student must also have a FAFSA on file for the term in which they are requesting the appeal. The student will receive notification of appeal decision within three weeks from the date the completed appeal form and documentation was submitted through through WC Aid Verification.

NOTE:  There is a separate appeal form for Exemptions/Waivers.  This form will need to be submitted to appeal an exemption suspension status.  If the student is on suspension for grants and loans and also for exemptions, both appeals will need to be completed. The Exemption Appeal form is located in Forms and Documents.

There are times when a student is placed on suspension for various reason such as pace of completion, cumulative GPA, maximum time frame (45/90 plus hours), etc. When a student appeals their suspension, the financial aid committee may decide to put the student on an Academic Plan. This plan is designed to give the students another opportunity to make satisfactory progress in order to complete their degree program or certificate. Each Academic Plan is designed based on the student's needs to obtain maximum success.

Financial Aid will not be provided for:

  1. Courses taken by audit;
    b.  Credit hours earned by placement tests;
    c.  Non-credit coursework;
    d.  Any class attempted more than two times if a grade was earned;
    e.  Transfer or transient students attending for only one term(ex: summer courses only)
  2. Students may change majors while at WC. Only the hours that transfer to the new major
    will count towards the student’s SAP. However, excessive major changes (as defined by
         the Financial Aid Office)     can result in a suspension status.
  3. Support Services: Many services are available to help students attain academic success,
       including counseling, testing, tutoring, placement, and resources found in the Academic
         Support Center. Information on such services is available to all students and can be
         found on the WC website or in the WC Student Services Office.
  4. WC does not offer ESL programs at this time; an ESL tutor is available through the
    Academic Support Center.

Examples:

Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average

  • 0 or Higher
  • GPA Calculation: Points / Attempted = GPA

Minimum Pace of Completion Rate

  • 67% of cumulative hours
  • Pace of Completion Rate Calculation:
    Cumulative Hours Completed/Cumulative Hours Attempted = Pace of Completion Rate
  • Example: 30/60=50% Pace of completion rate

Maximum Time Frame

  • 150% of the length of the degree or certificate
  • Maximum Time Frame Calculation:
    Total number of hours in degree/certificate x 1.5 =150% of degree/certificate

Standards of Progress – State of Texas

The initial TEOG funds are awarded to students with financial need that are enrolled in Texas public two-year colleges. The amount of the awards depends on what the Texas Higher Education Coordinating recommends each year. They range from $500 to $1,500 per semester based on full time students down to half-time students. The first-year award is based on the school's satisfactory academic progress policy

which is a 2.0 Cumulative GPA and a 67% pace of completion rate. The renewal year is based on 2.5 cumulative GPA and 75% pace of completion rate.

Financial