Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students that apply for financial assistance have their academic progress reviewed to determine that they are on track to complete their program of study.

About Satisfactory Academic Progress

The United States Department of Education requires students applying for financial assistance to be enrolled in an eligible program for the purpose of completing an Associate of Arts or Science (AA/AS) degree, transfer requirements, or certificate program. All students must have their academic progress reviewed to determine if Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) has been achieved.  

Students who apply for financial assistance must meet two standards: qualitative and quantitative. 

Jump to the Appeal Process

Qualitative Standard

Students at Riverside Community College District (RCCD) must have a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.

Quantitative Standard

All students must complete a certain percentage of units attempted in order to make progress toward their goal. There are two parts to this standard: 

Students must complete at least 67% of the total (cumulative) units attempted. For example, a student has attempted 20 units at Moreno Valley College. They successfully completed 13.5 of those units. Their completion would be 67.5% (units completed divided by units attempted equals completion percentage– 13.5 ÷ 20 = 67.5%). 

The Maximum Time Frame for completion of a degree or certificate is 150% of the published length of the program. All units attempted at RCCD as well as any transfer units will be included since the Maximum Time Frame is based upon units attempted. A student can receive financial assistance for a maximum of 150% of the published length of the program. For example, if the published length of a degree program is 60 units, the student may receive financial assistance for up to 90 attempted units (60 units x 150% = 90 units). If the published length of a certificate program is 40 units, the student may receive financial assistance up to 60 attempted units (40 units x 150% = 60 units). If students are unable to finish their program within the Maximum Time Frame, as explained, they may lose eligibility for Title IV aid. 

Evaluation

All students will be evaluated at the end of each primary term (fall, spring and summer) to determine if they are meeting the qualitative and quantitative standards.  

If you have attempted less than 12 units at RCCD: you will be required to maintain a minimum 1.5 Cumulative GPA and must complete at least 50% of the courses you attempt to maintain SAP. Once you have attempted 12 or more units, you will be held to the standard as explained.

Grade Standards

All semester units at RCCD include: 

  • Attempted units include A, B, C, D, F, EW, CR, P, NC, NP, FW, W, I, IB, IC, ID, IF
  • Completed units are units with a grade of: A, B, C, D, CR, P 
  • Transfer credits from other institutions will be included as attempted and completed units in the SAP calculation. 
  • Courses in which a student receives an EWC will not be counted as completed units for satisfactory academic progress purposes, but the EW grade will count against pace of progression.

Courses in which a student receives a grade of F, NC, NP, FW, W, I, IB, IC, ID and/or IF will not be counted as completed units for satisfactory academic progress purposes but will be counted as attempted units. 

Only practicum/labs that are required, recommended or academically beneficial should be taken at the same time as the corresponding course. 

Repeated Courses

Repeated course units will be counted in the pace of progression calculation as attempted units. When courses are repeated, only the earned units associated with the higher grade will be counted in the pace of progression calculation as completed units. If both grades are equal, only the earned units from the earlier course will be included as completed units in the pace of progression calculation. 

Adding and/or dropping units after the first grant disbursement will require a review and possible adjustment of any future disbursements. Student Financial Services follows all Title IV regulations in relation to financial assistance for repeated courses and IP grades. 

Student SAP Status

Below are the various SAP statuses that a student can be on, including the status codes that you may see.

A student is meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress as long as the student maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (Qualitative Standard), a completion percentage rate of 67% (Quantitative Standard) and the student has not exceeded the Maximum Time Frame of their selected program of study (Quantitative Standard).

Students failing to meet SAP will be placed on a one semester “Warning” which will allow students to receive financial assistance even though they are not meeting the SAP standard. If after the “Warning” semester students are still not meeting the SAP standard, they will become Ineligible. (Students who have exceeded the 150% Maximum Time Frame do not receive a Warning semester). 

Students on Warning status are encouraged to meet with a Counselor to complete an official and current comprehensive Academic Plan (AP)/Student Educational Plan (SEP). You may schedule an appointment to meet with the Student Financial Services Academic Counselor or any Academic Counselor to complete an AP/SEP. Please contact Moreno Valley College’s Counseling Department at (951) 571-6104. Students on financial aid Warning status will continue to receive certain types of financial assistance during the Warning period. Warning status students must improve their cumulative academic standing. Students who do not meet the SAP standards after their Warning period will be declared Ineligible for financial assistance. 

A student can become Ineligible for two reasons: 

  1. Student failed to meet SAP standards after their “Warning” semester and/or  
  2. Student exceeds the 150% Maximum Time Frame of program of study under the quantitative Standard. 

Students will be placed on Financial Aid “Probation” status only if their appeal is approved. Students on Probation must meet the SAP standard each term beginning with the term of approval in order to maintain their Probation Status. If students fail to meet SAP while in a Financial Aid Probation Status, they will become Ineligible to receive financial assistance until they bring their SAP up to Qualitative Standard of 2.0 GPA and Pace of Progression of 67% completion rate prior to exceeding the Maximum Time Frame. 

Appeal Process

Students on an SAP Ineligible status can appeal for additional aid if there is a documented extenuating circumstance that occurred during the period that the student did not meet SAP. To appeal, the student must document the circumstance for not meeting SAP and must provide official documentation. 

If an Appeal Approved student fails to meet the terms of their appeal contract and becomes Appeal Ineligible for any reason, the student will become SAP ineligible and would have to re-submit another appeal to regain eligibilty. . 

         *Appeals must be approved by the final day of classes of the semester before finals begin in order to receive financial assistance for that semester

Petitions and Forms Meet with a Counselor SAP Appeal Session

All financial aid forms, including those related to SAP appeal, can be found and completed online through the StudentForms platform. Set up or log into your account by visiting mvc.studentforms.com.

Appeal Examples and Process

Some examples of Extenuating Circumstances that must be supported by providing official documentation may include: 

  1. Death of an immediate family member, documented illness, major accident or injury of yourself or an immediate family member 
  2. Victim of a crime 
  3. Homelessness 

The four (4) documents that must be submitted if the student has extenuating circumstances are: 

  1. Appeal form with a written statement of the extenuating circumstance
  2. Official documentation verifying the student’s extenuating circumstances (i.e., court documents, police reports, medical records, doctor’s note, death certificate) 
  3. Official Comprehensive Student Educational Plan (current within the last year) 
  4. Proof of completed online SAP Appeal Counseling Session (students must attach Completion Certificate or Email Confirmation) 

Transcripts

For a Comprehensive Student Educational Plan to be official, official transcripts from ALL previously attended colleges or universities must be on file at Riverside Community College District. If a student's official transcripts are not on file, then the student's two-year Academic Plan/Student Educational Plan/Academic Evaluation is Invalid. 

Students planning to graduate from Moreno Valley College or needing to use courses from another college/university as a prerequisite, must submit all official transcripts to Riverside Community College District. See Graduation Requirements in the catalog for further information on course acceptance from other institutions. 

Therefore, all official transcripts from previously attended colleges or universities must be received at RCCD for a counselor to complete an official two-year Student Educational/ Academic Plan that will be accepted for your financial aid appeal.

Submitting Transcripts

Appeal Examples 

Students who have exceeded the Maximum Time Frame must have one of the following valid reasons: 

  • One time change of major or goal 
  • Returned for a second goal 
  • Completed ESL courses (ESL 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 71, 72, 73, 91, 92, 93...) 
  • Completed Basic Skills courses (ENG 60A, 60B, 80, 91 MAT 50, 51, 63, 64, 65, REA 81, 82, 83, 90) Note: MAT 52 if student started classes the fall 2011 semester or later. 
  • High unit majors (Nursing, Vocational Nursing, Dental Hygiene...) 
  • High unit transfer majors (Math, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, Engineering...) 
  • Completed Military or AP courses/credit 

Appeal Process

The three (3) documents that must be submitted if the student has exceeded the Maximum Time Frame are:  

  1. Appeal form with a written statement explaining the valid reason for exceeding the Maximum Time Frame  
  2. Official Comprehensive Student Educational Plan (created within the last year) 
  3. Proof of completed online appeal session (make an appointment) (Students must attach Completion Certificate or Email Confirmation) 

Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that a student will regain financial assistance eligibility. After reviewing the appeal, the Student Financial Services office will render a decision, and the student will be notified in writing of the decision.  

Moreno Valley College students must submit their appeal to Moreno Valley College only. Each student who is approved for a “probationary” period must have an official Academic Plan/Student Educational Plan developed, which will outline the courses for which the student may receive financial assistance. 

Approved Class List

Probation students will only receive financial assistance for courses that are listed on their Approved Class List (ACL) which is created from the student's Educational Plan. If an appeal is submitted late in the academic year and approved, funding will only be disbursed for the term in which they were approved and subsequent terms. Eligibility for federal, state and institutional financial assistance will be determined after the appeal has been approved and the appeal contract received. No retroactive disbursements will be made. Change of program of study/major after approval may not be considered for financial aid purposes.