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Satisfactory Academic Progress

Maintaining satisfactory academic progress is essential to a student’s ability to receive federal student aid and financial aid throughout their college career.

Criteria for Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to qualify and receive Federal Student Aid, the U.S. Department of Education requires that students maintain satisfactory academic progress in a program of study that leads to a degree or certificate program.

Federal Student Aid includes:

Other agencies including tribal and scholarship programs may require students to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress for their aid programs.

The entire academic record of all students will be monitored at the end of each term to ensure compliance with all specified requirements. Therefore, even the academic record of those who have not received Federal Student Aid in the past will impact future eligibility.

Failure to meet the following standards will cause Federal Student Aid ineligibility for students who may have otherwise qualified for Federal Student Aid.

Satisfactory academic progress has both a qualitative and quantitative measure to monitor a student's progress toward a degree or certificate:

Qualitative Requirement: Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average as outlined below.

  • Freshman (1-30 attempted credit hours) - 1.50
  • Sophomore (31-60 attempted credit hours) - 2.00
  • Junior (61-90 attempted credit hours) - 2.00
  • Senior (91 or more attempted credit hours) - 2.00

Students must demonstrate their pace of progression throughout their program of study. This pace is measured at the end of each term. Students must satisfactorily complete 67% of their courses in which they have attempted overall.

"Satisfactory Completion" means earning a passing grade of A, B, C, D, or P. Grades of I, W, or F are not considered passing grades.

If a student withdraws during the first two weeks of the term, related course credits will not be considered credit hours attempted. All courses withdrawn from the third week of the term to the end will be counted as credit hours attempted. Incomplete grades are considered credit hours attempted.

*Please see the Credit Hour Maximum Policy for the required completion rate to receive a degree at Oglala Lakota College.*

Student Handbook

Calculate their Satisfactory Academic Progress with Oglala Lakota College’s Convenient SAP Calculator

This calculator can help students project their cumulative completion rate and cumulative GPA, as measured by Financial Aid SAP Standards. To access your transcripts please fill out the request form below.

Request Access To Transcripts

Please note that credits passed repeatedly cannot be counted more than once toward a student’s program of study and are excluded from their passed credits. However, they are included in their attempted credits. Check the "repeated course" box if BOTH of the following conditions apply:

  1. Credit has been earned for this course in the past (i.e., received a grade of 'D-' or higher or 'P')

        AND

  1. This course is not marked as "Repeatable" in the course catalog for a student’s program.

IMPORTANT: While this calculator will provide students with their term completion rate and term GPA, this is for their information only and is not an official measurement of SAP.

Attempted Hours Earned Hours
Current Credits
Future Credits
Totals: 0 0
SAP Results
Projected Attempted Hours
Projected Earned Hours
Projected Completion Rate
 

Financial Aid Warning

If a Financial Aid recipient fails to satisfy the Satisfactory Progress Rule in a particular term, the recipient will be given a Financial Aid Warning during the succeeding term of enrollment. Students are still eligible to receive Financial Aid during the warning period, but they must satisfactorily complete 67% of their overall enrollment with a cumulative Grade Point Average of: 1.50 for Freshman and 2.0 for Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors, or risk losing their Aid.

Non-Satisfactory Academic Progress

If a Financial Aid recipient fails to comply during the warning period. They will not be eligible for any type of aid.

Appeal of Financial Aid Non-Satisfactory Academic Progress Process

  1. A student may appeal Non-Satisfactory Progress by completing the Financial Aid Appeal Form and attach supporting documents to the Financial Aid Office by mid-term of the term during which the student is not eligible for financial aid.
  • Reasons why they did not achieve minimum academic requirements which should include any type of unusual circumstances they may have been experiencing at the time. Unusual Circumstances that will be considered but are not limited to include: illness, death in the family, injury, casualty losses due to weather (hurricane, tornado, mud slides, ground subsidence and other natural disasters), fire, theft, acts of God, or terrorism.
  • An explanation of what has changed that will allow the student to make Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the next term.
  • The appeal request must include an academic plan showing how the student will make SAP. Students appealing must make academic progress under the plan at the end of the next term.
  • Students may have multiple appeals, so long as their purpose for appeal pertains to different reasons and/or circumstances.
  1. Upon submission of an appeal, Oglala Lakota College’s Appeal Committee will review all components of said appeal and determine whether the Financial Aid appeal is justified. Students can expect to be advised of the decision of his/her appeal in writing no later than five days after receipt of such appeal.
  • Should students demonstrate improvement in making Satisfactory Academic Progress in the term following appeal, they will remain on Financial Aid Probation for one term.
  • If the student cannot demonstrate that they can make Satisfactory Academic Progress in one term and the appeal is approved, they will be required to submit an academic plan.
    • This plan has to show how they are going to get back on track in a reasonable time. The plan will demonstrate the students map to graduation.
    • This academic plan will then replace the SAP standards. At the end of each term, the student's Satisfactory Academic Progress will be measured against their plan.
    • Students will have to follow the plan in order to receive financial aid.
  • If a student's appeal is not approved, they will not be eligible for financial aid.
  1. Students wishing to appeal the decision of the Appeal Committee may do so in writing to the Student Service Committee. Students must state exactly what they disagree with and provide additional pertinent data related to the matter.
  2. The Student Service Committee will consider any proper appeal it receives at the next regularly scheduled meeting and indicate its decision to the student in writing by the end of the term during which the student is not eligible for financial aid.

Financial Aid Appeal Form