Financial Aid Eligibility Requires Academic Progress

Satisfactory academic progress is a Federal regulation which requires a student to move toward the completion of a degree or certificate within an eligible program when receiving financial aid. These academic standards must include review of all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.

Rio Salado College will evaluate whether the Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) set forth by the Maricopa County Community College District have been met after each semester. The evaluation process determines financial aid eligibility based on three measures: Grade Point Average (GPA), Progress, and Maximum Time Frame.

• GPA – Students must meet a minimum grade point average based on the total number of credits attempted.
• Progress – Students must successfully complete 2/3 of all courses attempted. Progress is calculated cumulatively and carries over from one term to the next.
• Maximum Time Frame – Students who have already attempted more than 150% of the required credits for a program will no longer be able to pay for the program using federal financial aid. In addition, any earned Associate degree or higher will be considered to have exhausted timeframe eligibility.

Students who do not meet all three criteria for satisfactory academic progress are no longer eligible to receive financial aid and in some cases, may be required to return a portion of the aid they've already received.

Students who have lost their financial aid eligibility due to unsatisfactory academic progress or to the time frame requirement have the opportunity to appeal by completing the Appeal for Satisfactory Academic Progress and/or Appeal for Maximum Timeframe forms.