Financial Aid is designed to support you in reaching your educational goals in a timely manner. To be eligible for financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. The Office of Financial Aid at PCC follows federal regulations to assess your progress, so it's important to understand the guidelines and stay informed. 

Be proactive—know the rules and take the necessary steps to maintain your financial aid eligibility! If you have questions, the Financial Aid Office is here to help!

Standards of Academic Progress

The Office of Financial Aid uses the following three standards to assess academic progress:

Note: The financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are stricter than the college's progress rules.

1. Quantitative or Pace

All students are required to successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all units attempted including units transferred to PCC, to meet this standard. Completed units are enrolled units for which credit is received and final grades posted. Only grades of A, B, C, D, or P are considered units completed. Classes in which a student receives a grade of F, I, NP, IP, W, EW or other will not be counted as units completed for satisfactory academic progress purposes, but the units will be counted as attempted. 

2. Qualitative (GPA)

At the time of review, a student’s official cumulative grade point average (GPA) is evaluated to determine whether qualitative standards are being met. Students pursuing a course of study leading to an A.A. degree, an A.S. degree, a certificate, or transfer program to a 4-year college or university must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average.

3. Maximum Time Frame

Financial Aid is not infinite. This standard looks at how long it will take you to complete your program educational goal. Federal regulations state that you can receive financial aid for no more than 150% attempted units in your program of enrollment. This also includes all attempted and transferred units.

  • Example: A 2-year program with a published length of time is 60 units, the 150% time frame mark would be 90 units or 6 full-time semesters to complete their program.

  • Example: A certificate program with a published length of time is 30 units, the 150% time frame mark would be 45 units.

  • Up to 30 units of basic skills (400-level) courses are excluded from the 150%. However, students are expected to matriculate from basic skills to a regular program after one (equivalent) year.

The Office of Financial Aid will determine how long you have been in an undergraduate program or certificate program as well as the time required to complete your goal. Each time a course is repeated, it will count in the time frame calculation.

  • Example: At PCC, students will be notified that they have exceeded the time frame at 90 attempted units because normal matriculation time to complete an AA/AS degree goal is two years. However, if there are exceptional circumstances presented a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal may be submitted.

Your Academic Progress Status

Definitions of the various statuses you can fall into based on your academic status:

Good

You're on track and meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards—great job! Keep up the good work and stay focused on your goals. Your dedication is paying off! Students with this SAP status are eligible to receive financial aid.

Warning

The school assigns this status to a student who is failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). During this time, your financial aid remains active for one payment period—even without submitting an appeal.

At the end of the term, SAP is reviewed again. If you still don’t meet the requirements, you’ll be placed on Disqualified status for the following term, meaning you’ll lose financial aid eligibility.

While on Warning status, you can still receive financial aid as long as your enrollment and eligibility remain unchanged, but it’s important to take action now to avoid losing aid in the future. Stay focused and reach out for support if you need help getting back on track!

Disqualification

Disqualification occurs when a student who as been placed on "Warning" status fails to meet Satisfatcory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. When Disqualified, financial aid eligibility is lost due to not maintaining SAP requirements.

Students in Disqualified status still have options!

Here's what you can do:

  1. Continue enrollment in coursework without financial aid until SAP standards are met and eligibility is restored.
  2. Submit a SAP Appeal to request reconsideration of financial aid eligibility.   

150MAX

A student is placed on a 150MAX status if they have:

  1. Completed a Certificate Program or Exceeded the Time Frame of the Certificate Program (Ex. 18 units x 150% = 27 units Attempted)
  2. Attempted more than 90 units

Once in 150MAX status, you are no longer eligible for financial aid.

However, if you believe there are exceptional circumstances affecting your academic progress, you may submit a SAP Appeal to request reconsideration of your financial aid eligibility. The appeal should include a detailed explanation and supporting documentation demonstrating why additional aid is necessary to complete your educational goal.

For guidance on submitting a SAP Appeal, reach out to the Office of Financial Aid—taking action early can make a difference!

Probation

If you submit a SAP Appeal and get approved, you'll be placed on financial aid Probation, which means you regain eligibility for one semester. At the end of that term, your academic performance will be reviewed to determine your SAP status for the following semester—whether you'll be in a Good status, Disqualified, or remain on Continued Probation.