Satisfactory Academic Progress

All students receiving any type of financial aid must meet the standards of progress outlined below. The requirements for these standards are set by Federal regulations (34CFR Section 668.19).  Satisfactory progress requirements are:

1. You must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA), or;
2. If your cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 you must maintain at least a 2.0 Semester GPA to maintain probation status to continue receiving aid, and;
3. You must successfully complete at least 67% of all Valencia courses taken including transfer courses accepted, and;
4. You must successfully complete at least 67% of the courses you attempt for the Semester to maintain good standing or probation status;
5. You may attempt no more than 150% of the total credit hours
   in your degree or certificate program.

If you attended other colleges, the courses you took that are accepted as transfer credit by Valencia may be considered in the evaluation of your progress. At Valencia, for financial aid purposes, being enrolled in a course for credit beyond the official Drop/Refund Deadline counts as an attempt. All successfully completed transfer courses accepted and courses taken at Valencia, including those taken as part of another program of study, will be included in determining your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). For financial aid purposes, successful completion of a course means an earned grade of A, B, C, or D. However, a grade of “D” is “Passing below average”.  All other grades (grades of F, I, W, WW, WF, WP and AR) are considered unsuccessful completions and will impact your progress determination. The formula for calculating the completion rate is: total hours earned divided by total hours attempted. The resulting percentage must be 67% or greater. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be evaluated at the end of each Semester. If you do not meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) due to your GPA or completion ratio, you will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one Semester. If you do not meet the requirements during your Probation Semester, you will be placed on Suspension and will not be eligible for further financial aid at Valencia. If you have attempted 150% of the hours needed for your Valencia degree program (for most students this is 90 credit hours), you will no longer be eligible for financial aid.

You have the right to appeal a Financial Aid Suspension if you have special circumstances that affected your ability to meet the satisfactory progress requirements. Appeal forms are available in the Answer Centers on each campus or can be downloaded HERE. Documentation of your special circumstances will be required. Appeal forms must be submitted to the Answer Center by the Appeal Deadline printed on the form. If you are placed on Financial Aid Suspension and you do not have special circumstances or your appeal is denied, you may regain your eligibility for financial aid by bringing your Cumulative GPA up to a 2.0 or better and your Cumulative Completion Rate to at least 67%. You will need to pay for the courses you take while under Suspension.

The chart below demonstrates 67% for attempted hours in a semester.  The left hand column is the attempted hours and the corresponding number in the right column is the number of hours you must successfully complete with a 2.0 GPA to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress. For example, if you register for 14 credit hours, you must complete 10 credit hours with a 2.0 GPA or higher to meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements for the semester.  Both the 2.0 GPA and completion rate of 67% applies to both the semester and cumulative credit hour on your transcript.

TOP