Federal regulations mandate minimum standards of “Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)” for students receiving financial assistance.  This requirement applies to a student’s entire academic history whether financial aid was received or not.  The standards for determining progress at El Paso Community College are comprised of  calculated cumulative grade point average (Calc’d Cum. GPA), completion rate (percentage of hours attempted), length of eligibility, and Academic Standing.

 

Calculated Cumulative Grade Point Average (Calc’d Cum. GPA): 
Students are required to maintain a calculated Cum. GPA of at least 2.0, which includes all developmental course work.

Completion Rate: 
Students are required to successfully complete two thirds (2/3) of hours attempted in order to remain eligible.  The Financial Aid Office will calculate the completion rate at the end of each academic year based on the enrollment status confirmed on the College’s official census dates for that period.  To determine the hours you must complete at EPCC to maintain eligibility see below:

 

Hours enrolled	24	23	22	21	20	19	18	17	16	15	14	13	12	11	10	9	8	7	6
Hours to be completed	16	15	15	14	13	13	12	11	11	10	9	9	8	7	7	6	5	5	4

 

Note:   If enrolled for more than 24 hours, determine # hours to be completed by multiplying .67 x hour's enrolled (round to nearest whole number)

Students who repeat courses to improve their GPA should be cautioned that, in some cases, previously earned hours remain on their record but are not calculated as part of total hours earned and therefore could affect a student’s satisfactory academic progress.
 
   The following are not considered credit hours successfully completed: F, W, I, NC, I*, F*

 

Length of Eligibility: 
Federal regulations require that the college set a maximum time frame in which a student is expected to finish a program. A student may receive financial aid for a certificate or degree program for no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program. Associate degree programs at EPCC require between 60 and 72 semester credit hours for completion.  Therefore, a student working toward an associate degree that requires 60 hours must complete that program within 90 attempted semester credit hours (60 hrs. x 150%).  The maximum time frame for a certificate program would be similarly calculated.  A student’s entire enrollment history is considered when evaluating academic progress within the established time frame, whether or not aid has ever been received.  Transfer hours are also considered in the 150% limit.

 

Academic Standing: 
A student on Academic Suspension, Returning Probation, or Continuing Probation does not meet satisfactory progress requirements and is therefore not eligible for financial aid.