College policy 4.13

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Part 1. Institutional Satisfactory Academic Progress Policies

MnSCU Colleges are publicly supported colleges. A student's tuition covers less than half of the cost of education. The Minnesota Legislature provides taxpayer's money to support the additional cost. MnSCU colleges provide a variety of programs and services to help students be successful. In addition, MnSCU Colleges must be accountable to the public by reporting students' successful (or unsuccessful) academic progress. In the event a student does not use the various academic support programs available or is unable to achieve satisfactory academic progress, MnSCU colleges cannot let the student continue to enroll and/or receive financial aid.

MnSCU colleges are required to publish Satisfactory Academic Progress Regulations. Colleges shall develop their own systems of notification and programs of probation, intervention and assistance for students experiencing academic difficulties. Colleges may also establish pre-registration requirements, academic improvement plans, and/or College participation restrictions for students who are not achieving satisfactory academic progress. Students bear primary responsibility for their own academic progress and for seeking assistance when experiencing academic difficulty. Students are encouraged to keep a file of their grades and transcripts.

Part 2. Qualitative Measure of Progress

Qualitative: All students are required to maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0.

Part 3. Quantitative Measure of Progress

Quantitative: All students are required to earn a cumulative completion rate of 67% and complete their program within a Maximum Time Frame no greater than 150% of the required program length.

Cumulative Registered Credits	Minimum Required GPA	Minimum Required Completion Rate
0 - 5	--	--
6 or above	2.00	67%

Maximum Time Frame: All students are expected to complete their degree/certificate within an acceptable period of time. Financial aid recipients may continue to receive aid through their cumulative registered credit that equals 150% of the required number of credits needed to complete their degree/certificate, including transfer credits from another college.

Part 4. Evaluation Period

All students with registered credits during a semester will be evaluated at the end of the semester.

Part 5. Failure to Meet Standards

Any student found not meeting minimum required GPA or Credit Completion requirements will be placed on probation. While on probation, the student is allowed to register for classes and receive financial aid.
There is no probationary term for the maximum timeframe requirement. A student who has reached the maximum timeframe for his/her degree or certificate will be suspended from financial aid.
Students on probation are expected to seek support services during probationary periods for assistance attaining the minimum academic requirements.
If at the end of the probationary period a student who has been on probation has met the college's cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards, the student shall be removed from probation status.
If at the end of the probationary period a student who has been on probation has not met the college's cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards, the college will suspend the student immediately upon completion of the evaluation unless:
If at the end of the probationary period a student who has been on probation has met the college's qualitative and quantitative standards for all courses in which she or he was enrolled during the period of probation but has not met the college’s cumulative standards, the student shall remain on probation until such time as:
1. the student has met the college’s cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards, at which time the student shall be removed from probation status, or
2. the student fails to meet the college’s qualitative and quantitative standards for the courses in which he or she was enrolled during the probation period, at which time the college shall suspend the student immediately upon completion of the evaluation, or
3. the college determines that it is not possible for a student to raise her or his GPA or course completion rate to meet the college’s standards before the student would reach the end of the program, at which time the college shall suspend the student immediately upon completion of the evaluation.

The College may immediately suspend a student in the event of extraordinary circumstances, such as, a student who was previously suspended and whose academic performance falls below acceptable levels during a subsequent term, a student who registers for but does not earn any credits for two consecutive terms, or a student who demonstrates an attendance pattern that abuses the receipt of financial aid, etc.

Part 6. Notification

A letter will be sent to all students placed on probation and/or suspension. The letter will explain the terms of the probation/suspension status as well as state the process by which a student may appeal for reinstatement.

Part 7. Appeals

A student who is unable to achieve satisfactory academic progress and is suspended from enrollment and/or financial aid has the right to appeal based on unusual or extenuating circumstances, including but not limited to death of a relative, illness, hospitalization, or injury of the student. Appeals will be reviewed by a committee consisting of representatives of Student Affairs. Appeal forms are available in Counseling and Student Affairs.

Appeals must:

Be prepared in writing by the student prior to meeting with a counselor or advisor.
Be reviewed by a counselor or advisor.
Be submitted in writing, by the established deadline.
Include an explanation of the circumstances that affected academic progress.
Include supporting documentation beyond the written explanation.

Students receiving Veterans Assistance (V.A.) educational benefits should be aware that academic suspension will interrupt those benefits, regardless of an appeal. Students so affected should promptly contact the V.A. Representative on campus.

Part 8. Reinstatement

A student who has been suspended may enroll and reestablish eligibility for financial aid following suspension only by going through the appeal process outlined in Section 7 above and having his or her appeal approved. If a student’s appeal is approved, the student remains on probation until cumulative minimum standards are met, as outlined in Section 5 above. Note that sitting out a period of time is not sufficient in and of itself to re-establish a student's eligibility.

Part 9. Additional Elements

Credits - units by which academic work is measured.
Registered Credits - credits for which a student is officially enrolled at the end of the registration drop period each term.
Cumulative Credits - total number of credits evaluated (registered, earned, etc.) for all periods of enrollment at the College, including summer terms or terms for which the student did not receive financial aid.
Earned Credits - successfully completed credits counted towards the required percentage of completion; includes only A, B, C, D, and P (pass); does not include I (incomplete), W (withdraw), AU (audit), F, and NC (no credit) or Z (no grades).
Grade Point Average - calculated using a grade point value for grades of A, B, C, D, and F. (Although a P will count as a credit earned, it carries no grade point value.)
Incompletes - an I is assigned only in exceptional circumstances and is a temporary grade. Incompletes count against the completion rate.
Academic Amnesty - is not available. All attempted credits are counted toward satisfactory academic progress.
Audited Courses - audited courses will not be funded by financial aid and are not included in any satisfactory academic progress measurements.
Consortium/Joint Program Credits - credits for which financial aid is received under a consortium agreement will be recorded in the Student Data System to be included in cumulative GPA, completion percentage, and maximum time frame calculation.
Developmental Credits - remedial coursework typically below 1000 level will be included in the qualitative and completion percentage measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Up to 30 developmental credits shall be excluded from maximum time frame calculation.
ESOL Coursework – all ESOL coursework is included in the qualitative and quantitative portions of the satisfactory academic progress measurements. However, students may appeal to have the 150% limit extended.
Repeat Credits - repeats may be allowed in order to improve a grade. The higher grade will become the grade calculated for GPA. Liberal arts courses do not require permission to be repeated and may be repeated more than twice. Only the highest grade earned will be applied toward an award and in grade point average calculations. Both classes and grades will appear on the student's transcript. Tuition and fees will be charged each time. In order to change the computation of overall grade point average to reflect the repeated course or highest grade, students must notify the Registrars Office at the end of that semester after repeating the course. Repeated coursework is not updated automatically on the student's transcript. All attempted repeated credits will be counted toward the completion percentage. Upon completion of a GPA recalculation, only the highest repeated grade will be counted toward the cumulative GPA measurement.
Transfer Credits - Grades associated with transfer credits are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation, and transfer credits accepted by the College are not counted as credits attempted for calculation of the cumulative completion percentage. Transfer credits accepted by the College do apply toward the maximum timeframe calculation.
Withdrawals - credits for which a grade of "W" is received are considered attempted credits but not successfully completed credits. A grade of "W" does not impact GPA but does negatively impact the cumulative completion percentage and counts toward the maximum time frame.

Date effective: 7/1/1999
Date last amended: 6/25/2007