Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid

The U.S. Department of Education Student Financial Aid regulations requires that MCC establish and maintain a policy to measure whether students applying for financial aid are making satisfactory academic progress toward degree completion. MCC has implemented the following Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards necessary to evaluate a financial aid recipient's continued eligibility for funds.

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Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy »

Students in a suspension status have the opportunity to establish mitigating circumstances which impacted their performance.

You may submit the SAP Appeal Form or the Veteran Education Benefits SAP Appeal Form and relevant supporting documentation to the Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Benefits for a review of your individual situation. All appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Benefits to determine whether individual situations merit an extended period of financial aid funding.

Failure to complete any part of the appeal process could delay the review process and/or result in the loss of FSA funds.

Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval of FSA fund eligibility.
All appeal decisions are final.

After your appeal has been reviewed, notification of the Office of Financial Aid and Veteran Benefit's decision will be sent to you using your MCC student email address.
Allow up to two weeks for appeal processing and notification.

How to Determine Your Academic Progress Standing

Example Student Transcript
Course Credit Hours Grade Letter Grade Points Earned Grade Points* Earned Credit** Attempted Credit
BIO-110 4 A 4 16 4 4
ENG-151 3 B 3 9 3 3
MAT-151 3 C 2 6 3 3
MCC-101 1 D 1 1 1 1
PHI-151 3 F 0 0 0 E
PSY-151 3 W 0 0 0 E
TOTALS 32 11 17

* To find your Earned Grade Points multiply credit hours by letter grade points.
** Earned credit is counted for classes with a passing grade of A, B, C or D.

  • GPA

    Calculate by dividing the total Earned Grade Points by the total amount of Attempted Credit Hours.
    32/17 = 1.88 GPA

    The example student will need a grade of B or better for a 3 hour class to achieve a 2.05 GPA and regain Satisfactory Status.
  • Completion Rate

    Determine by dividing the total earned credit hours by the number of Attempted Credit Hours.
    11/17 = 0.7 = 64% Completion Rate

    The example student will need a passing grade for a 2 credit hour class to achieve a 68% completion rate and regain a Satisfactory Status.

  • Maximum Time Frame (MTF)

    Check MTF program percentage by multiplying the total credits needed to complete your degree by 150% or 1.5.
    Associate of Science Degree Credit Total = 60 * 1.5 = 90 attempted credits allowed for MTF

    Based on the information above the example student is allowed 90 Attempted Credit Hours total to complete the Associate of Science (AS) degree.

    They currently have 11 Earned Credits, they need 60 Earned Credits to complete the AS degree.
    60-11 = 49 Earned Credits remaining for completion of the AS Degree.

    The student also has 17 Attempted Credit Hours and is allowed 90 Attempted Credit Hours.
    90-17 = 73 Attempted Credits remaining to complete the 49 Earned Credits needed for the AS Degree.

    View Degree and certificate credit totals »