Satisfactory Academic Progress
Hinds Community College is required by federal regulations to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to determine a student’s eligibility for the following Title IV Federal Financial Aid programs:
- Federal Pell Grant (PELL)
- William D. Ford Direct Loan Program (SUB & UNSUB)
- Federal College Work-Study (FWS)
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Hinds Community College has determined that all students will fall under the same Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. To receive and maintain financial assistance, students must make satisfactory progress toward the completion of an eligible academic or career- technical program of study.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
The following policy is in compliance with the federal guidelines for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- A student must pass 2/3 of cumulative semester hours attempted. This includes withdrawn and repeated class hours.
| Semester Hours Attempted | 1 | 2-3 | 4 | 5-6 | 7 | 8-9 | 10 | 11-12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16 | 17-18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours to pass | 1 Hr. | 2 Hrs. | 3 Hrs. | 4 Hrs. | 5 Hrs. | 6 Hrs. | 7 Hrs. | 8 Hrs. | 9 Hrs. | 10 Hrs. | 11 Hrs. | 12 Hrs. | 13 Hrs. |
| Semester Hours Attempted | 20-21 | 22 | 23-24 | 25 | 26-27 | 28 | 29-30 | 31 | 32-33 | 34 | 35-36 | 37 | 38-39 |
| Hours to pass | 14 Hrs. | 15 Hrs. | 16 Hrs. | 17 Hrs. | 18 Hrs. | 19 Hrs. | 20 Hrs. | 21 Hrs. | 22 Hrs. | 23 Hrs. | 24 Hrs. | 25 Hrs. | 26 Hrs. |
| Semester Hours Attempted | 40 | 41-42 | 43 | 44-45 | 46 | 47-48 | 49 | 50-51 | 52 | 53-54 | 55 | 56-57 | 58 |
| Hours to pass | 27 Hrs. | 28 Hrs. | 29 Hrs. | 30 Hrs. | 31 Hrs. | 32 Hrs. | 33 Hrs. | 34 Hrs. | 35 Hrs. | 36 Hrs. | 37 Hrs. | 38 Hrs. | 39 Hrs. |
| Semester Hours Attempted | 59-60 | 61 | 62-63 | 64 | 65-66 | 67 | 68-69 | 70 | 71-72 | 73 | 74-75 | 76 | 77-78 |
| Hours to pass | 40 Hrs. | 41 Hrs. | 42 Hrs. | 43 Hrs. | 44 Hrs. | 45 Hrs. | 46 Hrs. | 47 Hrs. | 48 Hrs. | 49 Hrs. | 50 Hrs. | 51 Hrs. | 52 Hrs. |
| Semester Hours Attempted | 79 | 80-81 | 82 | 83-84 | 85 | 86-87 | 88 | 89-90 | 91 | 92-93 | |||
| Hours to pass | 53 Hrs. | 54 Hrs. | 55 Hrs. | 56 Hrs. | 57 Hrs. | 58 Hrs. | 59 Hrs. | 60 Hrs. | 61 Hrs. | 62 Hrs. |
| Semester Hours Attempted | Hours to Pass |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Hr. |
| 2-3 | 2 Hrs. |
| 4 | 3 Hrs. |
| 5-6 | 4 Hrs. |
| 7 | 5 Hrs. |
| 8-9 | 6 Hrs. |
| 10 | 7 Hrs. |
| 11-12 | 8 Hrs. |
| 13 | 9 Hrs. |
| 14-15 | 10 Hrs. |
| 16 | 11 Hrs. |
| 17-18 | 12 Hrs. |
| 19 | 13 Hrs. |
| 20-21 | 14 Hrs. |
| 22 | 15 Hrs. |
| 23-24 | 16 Hrs. |
| 25 | 17 Hrs. |
| 26-27 | 18 Hrs. |
| 28 | 19 Hrs. |
| 29-30 | 20 Hrs. |
| 31 | 21 Hrs. |
| 32-33 | 22 Hrs. |
| 34 | 23 Hrs. |
| 35-36 | 24 Hrs. |
| 37 | 25 Hrs. |
| 38-39 | 26 Hrs. |
| 40 | 27 Hrs. |
| 41-42 | 28 Hrs. |
| 43 | 29 Hrs. |
| 44-45 | 30 Hrs. |
| 46 | 31 Hrs. |
| 47-48 | 32 Hrs. |
| 49 | 33 Hrs. |
| 50-51 | 34 Hrs. |
| 52 | 35 Hrs. |
| 53-54 | 36 Hrs. |
| 55 | 37 Hrs. |
| 56-57 | 38 Hrs. |
| 58 | 39 Hrs. |
| 59-60 | 40 Hrs. |
| 61 | 41 Hrs. |
| 62-63 | 42 Hrs. |
| 64 | 43 Hrs. |
| 65-66 | 44 Hrs. |
| 67 | 45 Hrs. |
| 68-69 | 46 Hrs. |
| 70 | 47 Hrs. |
| 71-72 | 48 Hrs. |
| 73 | 49 Hrs. |
| 74-75 | 50 Hrs. |
| 76 | 51 Hrs. |
| 77-78 | 52 Hrs. |
| 79 | 53 Hrs. |
| 80-81 | 54 Hrs. |
| 82 | 55 Hrs. |
| 83-84 | 56 Hrs. |
| 85 | 57 Hrs. |
| 86-87 | 58 Hrs. |
| 88 | 59 Hrs. |
| 89-90 | 60 Hrs. |
| 91 | 61 Hrs. |
| 92-93 | 62 Hrs. |
- A student must also maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) based on semesters attempted as outlined in the chart below.
| Cumulative semesters attempted (full or part-time) | 1st | 2nd | 3+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average | 1.75 | 1.85 | 2.00 |
- A student receiving financial aid is expected to complete his/her program of study within a time frame not to exceed 150% of the published length of that program. Based on the standard 62 hours AA or AAS degree program of study, 92 semester hours is the maximum number of hours for the 150% rule.
At the end of each semester, including summer, the Office of Financial Aid will notify in writing a student who fails to meet conditions 1 and/or 2 above that they are on financial aid warning status. A student placed on financial aid warning will be able to receive financial aid. The written notice will serve as a notice to a student that failure to meet the above conditions during the warning semesters will result in an unsatisfactory financial aid status. There is no warning status/semester for condition 3. A student placed on financial aid unsatisfactory progress (suspension) will be unable to receive financial aid. Students who are in an unsatisfactory financial aid status will be notified in writing. A student may re-establish his/her eligibility to receive financial aid by attending school, paying his/her own fees without financial aid and meeting conditions 1 and 2 above. A student who fails condition 3 may re-establish eligibility by completing the program or, in some instances, beginning a new program.
- “W’s” will be counted in evaluating the number of semester hours attempted for the purpose of determining eligibility to receive financial aid. . “W’s” will not be used in calculating a student’s grade point average (GPA).
- A student will be allowed to repeat a course according to the policies stated in the College Catalog; however, all repeated courses will be included in total hours attempted and GPA for the purpose of determining eligibility to receive financial aid.
- Semester hours for remedial/developmental courses will not be recorded as hours Attempted. Non-credit courses will not be counted in hours attempted.
- An incomplete (I) grade will have the same effect as a failing (F) grade when calculating quality points and hours attempted.
- Remedial courses will be included in the calculation of a student’s grade point average (GPA).
Satisfactory academic progress is measured at the end of each payment period to determine if a student is eligible for a subsequent Title IV payment. Clock hour programs must adhere to the same 2/3 cumulative completion rate as the credit hour programs and are subject to the 150% time frame in that a 1500 hour program generally takes 14 months to complete so Hinds Community College may allow 21 months for completion.
A student who has changed majors or has completed one program and begun another, may contact the Financial Aid office in writing and the academic progress can be reset to include only those credits and grades that count toward the requirements of the new major. No student may have this reset more than two times unless a written request is approved by the Financial Aid Director.
Students attempting 150% of the hours in a program are no longer eligible for financial aid in that program unless an appeal has been approved.
A student transferring to Hinds Community College from another college shall be assumed to have maintained satisfactory academic progress at his/her previous college. Hours transferred from previously attended colleges and accepted by Hinds Community College will be posted to the student’s transcript by the Office of Admissions and Records after the student has completed at least 12 semester hours at Hinds. Credit hours transferred from a previous college will be counted toward the attempted and completed hours. If transfer credits do not apply toward the current program of study, the student may contact Financial Aid in writing to have this re-evaluated.
The Office of Admissions and Records will notify the Financial Aid Office of any grade/enrollment changes posted subsequent to the SAP process.
In extenuating circumstances such as personal illness or illness/ death of an immediate family member or legal guardian, a student may appeal an unsatisfactory financial aid status by submitting a written Letter of Appeal form to Financial Aid-Appeals Office at the Raymond campus. For convenience, the student may submit the form (and accompanying information) to the Dean of Students Office/Campus Dean at any location.
An appeal must contain the following information:
- A written plan for success listing required courses to take. This information may be found through My.Hinds, the online College Catalog, a transfer/articulation guide, or a Hinds counselor.
- A written explanation stating the reason the student failed to have satisfactory scholastic progress in any semesters in which the student earned D’s, F’s, I’s or withdrawals.
- Documentation for any extenuating circumstances listed in the appeal. (Letter from medical doctor or legal document)
- An explanation of what has changed in the student’s circumstances that will allow them to succeed.
Each appeal will be considered on its own merit. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal and respond to the student within 30 working days. Appeals are limited to one per student except in extreme extenuating circumstances. Appeals will be granted for one semester only and the student will be reviewed for satisfactory academic progress before being granted financial aid for additional semesters. A student with an approved appeal will be placed on probation status. For additional information about the appeals process, please refer to the student handbook.
When to submit Appeals and Requests for Evaluations
Students must submit appeals and requests to consider new programs of study to the Financial Aid Advisor for Appeals in accordance with the following dates for the 2020–21 academic year.
| Spring 2022 Semester | Summer 2022 Semester | |
|---|---|---|
| Dates to submit Appeal and Requests for Evaluations for 16-week semester | Dec. 14–Jan. 25 | |
| Dates to submit Appeal and Requests for Evaluations for 8-week semester | Feb. 28–March 14 | May 15–June 13 |
Questions/Answers about the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
Yes, you may receive financial aid to pursue an additional program of study. You must follow the steps outlined in the SAP Policy. Please note: Students may only receive on AA Degree in General Studies at Hinds Community College
No, once you receive an associate degree from Hinds CC or any other community college, you are not eligible to receive federal financial aid to take academic classes which lead to an associate degree.
Yes, if you are on financial aid warning you may continue to receive financial aid. You must improve your overall GPA and/or Pace to avoid an unsatisfactory status. Please refer to the Hinds Community College Financial Aid Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress for GPA and Pace requirements.
No, you cannot receive any type of financial aid (including Student Loans), if your status is unsatisfactory. Students are welcome to continue to attend Hinds CC providing they are eligible according to the academic standards. Students may pay their tuition/fees using cash/credit/check or they have the option of setting up a payment plan. Any aid that was initially awarded will be cancelled once the student’s status becomes unsatisfactory. Students may monitor their status on their My.Hinds account.
All documents and forms are located on the Hinds CC website in the Costs & Aid section.