To be eligible for federal and state financial aid, students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Modesto Junior College has adopted the following SAP policy, which contains elements specified in federal regulations.
Qualitative and Quantitative Requirements: GPA / Pace Rate / Maximum Time Frame
All financial aid students are expected to complete their program of study within 150% of the published length of the program. Students enrolled in 60-unit AA/AS degree, 4-year transfer, or vocational programs are expected to complete their programs by the time they attempt 90 units. Students enrolled in vocational programs of less than 60 units are allowed a maximum time frame (attempted units) that is 150% of their program’s length. Units earned through high school AP coursework and military service credit are included in the Maximum Time Frame evaluation.
Degree and Transfer Programs: 60 units or more are needed to graduate; therefore, the maximum time frame to complete a degree or transfer program would be 90 attempted units (60 x 150% = 90).
Certificate Programs: Most certificate programs require 30 units; therefore, the maximum time frame to complete a certificate program is 45 attempted units (30 x 150% = 45).
Students who have already earned an AA / AS degree or beyond will be considered to have reached Maximum Time Frame.
Please Note: Students who enroll in classes after applying for a degree, may experience a delay in financial aid processing while eligibility for the degree is being evaluated.
The academic progress of financial aid students is evaluated after grades are posted at the end of each semester, including summer. Students who are not meeting SAP standards will be placed on Warning or Disqualification status.
When academic progress is evaluated, students whose cumulative GPA is below 2.0 and/or whose cumulative pace rate is below 67% are placed on Financial Aid Warning. In addition, students who are either transferring to Modesto Junior College or who are continuing Modesto Junior College students, but never previously applied for financial aid, are placed on Financial Aid Warning if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0 and/or if their cumulative pace rate is below 67% at the time they enter the Financial Aid program. Students on Financial Aid Warning will continue to be considered for financial aid during the Warning semester. Students will be removed from Financial Aid Warning after the Warning semester if their GPA and pace rate meet the Federal guidelines minimum standard. Students who do not meet the GPA and pace rate standards will be placed on Disqualification status.
Students who do not meet all cumulative academic requirements at the end of the Warning semester will be placed on Financial Aid Disqualification. Students who are disqualified from financial aid may reestablish financial aid eligibility by meeting all cumulative SAP criteria outlined in the Qualitative & Quantitative requirements sections of this document.
Students placed on Disqualification status are not eligible to receive financial aid except for a California College Promise Grant (Fee Waiver), if eligible. Students who complete a semester on Disqualification must have their academic progress reviewed before financial aid eligibility is determined for the following semester. Due to the short time period between semesters, there will be a delay in the notification of eligibility. If eligible, any disbursements of student aid will also be delayed.
Under certain conditions, students placed on Disqualification may file an appeal for consideration of reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Circumstance must have occurred during the deficient semester(s). Students who are disqualified and are not meeting GPA and/or Pace Rate requirements are not eligible for Federal Work Study.
To file an appeal, students are required to submit a complete appeal packet prior to review which includes:
The Student Financial Services Office reserves the right to request additional information and/or documentation following the initial review of an appeal request.
Once appeal documents are reviewed, students are notified of the decision by email.
Students on an approved appeal will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. To maintain Financial Aid eligibility, students must complete the probation semester with a 2.0 GPA with a 75% completion rate as indicated on the Appeal Contract.
Failure to meet the criteria listed on the Appeal Contract will result in termination of Financial Aid.
Students whose appeal is denied have the option to have their appeal reviewed by the Appeal Committee. An additional request is required. See the Q & A section of your Appeal email for more information. Decisions made by the committee are final. The Appeal Committee is not available for the summer semester.
