Financial Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Louisiana College is required by federal regulations to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to determine a student's eligibility for federally funded financial aid programs. These programs include federal grants, federal work-study, and Stafford and PLUS loans. The student must meet these minimum satisfactory progress standards in order to initially receive and/or to maintain eligibility for Title IV federal funds.

These satisfactory progress standards apply to all students, including transfer, re-entry, and continuing, regardless of whether or not they previously received aid. For transfer or re-entry students, SAP will be reviewed and determined before aid is initially awarded, then once every academic year, after the spring semester. For continuing students. SAP will be reviewed and determined once every academic year, after the spring semester. Students enrolling in college for the first time are considered to be make satisfactory academic progress if they meet LC's admissions requirements.

Grade Point Average
Students must maintain the following minimum cumulative GPA to be considered making SAP:

Hours Attempted	Minimum Cumulative GPA
1-25	1.50
26-59	1.75
60+	2.00

Minimum Hour Standards
Listed below are the minimum number of hours that must be successfully completed per semester. These hours are based on registered hours (as of the last day of late registration) versus earned hours.

Registered Hours Per Semester	Minimum Semester Hours Earned	Minimum Academic Year Hours Earned
12+	9	18
9-11	6	12
6-8	6	12
1-5	3	6

Total credit hours earned during fall and/or spring will be evaluated at the end of each spring semester. Students who do not successfully earn required hours for the fall may fulfill the minimum hour requirement during the spring semester by making up the lost hours from fall. For example, if a student earned 8 credit hours for the fall and 15 for spring, he or she would have earned the minimum of 18 credit hours for the academic year.

Earned hours will have grades of A, B, C, D, and P. Hours attempted with grades of F, I, AU, W, WF, WP will not be considered as earned hours. Repeat, remedial, and "pass/no credit'' courses will be used to determine enrollment status and hours attempted. An "I'' will be considered an "F'' until a letter grade is assigned in its place. It is the student's responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office of the grade change.

Transfer or re-entry students: Financial aid eligibility will be determined once the student enters or re-enters LC. He or she must have earned at least 75 percent of total hours attempted. Attempted hours include all hours as they are evaluated on the academic transcript. All of these hours are counted as attempted even if the student did not receive aid.

Maximum Hour Standards
A student may receive aid for up to 191 hours attempted to earn a bachelors degree at LC. Attempted hours include all hours as they appear on the academic transcript, including those with W, WP, WF, P, NC, and I. Attempted hours also include any repeated and transfer hours. All of these hours are counted as attempted even if the student did not receive aid. Second degree seeking students may receive aid for up to 90 hours beyond the 1st bachelor's degree. Teacher certification students may receive aid for up to 45 hours.

Appeals Process
If a student feels there are mitigating circumstances, he or she may appeal the adverse determination that he or she has not met the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements. Special circumstances include such examples as personal injury, death of a family member, illness, etc. Documentation such as doctor's note, hospital records, etc. must be provided.

All appeals must be submitted on the Financial Aid Appeal form, available in the Financial Aid Office, and must include complete and appropriate supporting documentation. All properly submitted appeals will be considered by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, appointed under the authority of the Administrative Council. Incomplete appeal requests will not be considered and will be returned to the student.

The Financial Aid Office will mail out notification to all students who are ineligible for aid. The deadline for submission of appeals will be stated on this notification. Students will receive notification of the committee's decision no later than 2 weeks after the committee's meeting.

The appeal may not be based upon the student's need for financial assistance or lack of knowledge that his or her aid was in jeopardy. The mere passage of time will not restore eligibility to a student who has lost eligibility of aid due to lack of SAP.

These policies apply only to appeals for continuation of federal financial aid. Students must meet all requirements for continuation of scholarships, as stated in the scholarship acceptance letter. Students must also meet all Academic regulations as outlined in the LC catalog (see policies on Scholastic Probation, Suspension, and The Academic Counseling Program in the current LC catalog).

Students whose appeals are denied can regain their federal aid eligibility by completing specific requirements outlined in the Resolution Letter that will be mailed to them from the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.

Regaining federal financial aid eligibility
Students who have lost their federal aid eligibility due to not meeting SAP may become eligible after any semester in which they achieve SAP It is the student's responsibility to notify the LC Financial Aid Office that he or she has achieved SAP.

Repayment of aid
If a student must drop a class(es) or resign from LC, he or she may be required to pay back the financial aid received for that semester. Students who stop attending all classes and receive all F's may also be required to pay back the financial aid received for that semester.