Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress

1. KCC, in compliance with Federal Regulation 668.34, requires that students maintain SAP to continue eligibility to enroll in classes and receive federal financial aid (grants and loans). SAP means maintaining a term GPA of 2.00 and a 66.67% or higher completion rate. The completion rate is based on the number of credits that a student is enrolled in as of the published add/drop deadline. A student may appeal for a late drop during the first three weeks of the term to which they are seeking to drop. Students are not able to appeal for a late drop for a course outside of the indicated term. A grade of W, I, or F does not count as successful completion of a class. KCC will apply the SAP standards at the completion of each term after final grades are posted. Listed below are the completion requirements:

2. The US Department of Education and KCC have defined the following terms associated with SAP:
   • Academic and Financial Aid Warning: The status assigned to a student the first term the student fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress. The student is still eligible to enroll in classes, but must meet with their Academic Advisor to complete a Student Success Plan prior to financial aid being re-instated. The student must meet SAP in future terms to continue financial aid eligibility. No appeal is necessary.
   • Financial Aid Disqualification: The status assigned to a student who has failed to make SAP for more than one term. The student is not eligible to receive federal financial aid unless an appeal is filed according to the school’s guidelines and the appeal is granted. If the appeal is granted, the student status changes to probation.
   • Academic and Financial Aid Appeal: The process a student completes who has not met the SAP standards by petitioning for reconsideration of eligibility of federal financial aid and/or eligibility to enroll in classes. The appeal must include why the student failed to meet the standards, the resolution of the issue, and the student’s plan for success. Documentation (medical paperwork, etc.) of the reason is key to an appeal being approved.
   • Academic and Financial Aid Probation: The status assigned by the school to a student who fails to meet SAP standards for a second term but has had eligibility for financial aid reinstated through the appeals process. KCC can enforce enrollment restrictions (i.e. half-time enrollment, submission of an academic plan, etc.) if it appears these restrictions will aid in the student’s success. A student on probation may receive aid and must meet the SAP standards for this term to continue to be eligible to enroll in classes and receive financial aid.
   • Academic Suspension: The status assigned by the school to a student who fails to meet SAP for a third term. The student is not eligible to enroll in classes unless an appeal is filed according to the school’s guidelines and the appeal is granted. The student is not eligible to receive federal financial aid. Degree seeking students will be placed on suspension after completing 36 credits if their cumulative GPA is below 1.75.
3. Federal Financial Aid eligibility is limited to 150% of a program’s credit length (135 credits for a 90-credit degree and 68 credits for a 45-credit certificate.) Credits transferred from other colleges that are accepted at KCC toward your program of study and credits attempted using your own resources are included in the calculation of the maximum credit length. When it becomes apparent that a student cannot graduate within the maximum timeframe, the student becomes ineligible for federal financial aid and the FAO will notify the student in writing. If this occurs, the student can submit a Maximum Timeframe Appeal to be considered for additional federal financial aid to complete their degree.
4. Enrollment for financial aid purposes will be set based on enrollment as of 5:00 pm on the last day to add or drop classes for a term. For a course to be counted toward financial aid enrollment, it must count toward the degree or certificate the student is pursuing. Elective credits above what is required to receive the degree or certificate will not be eligible to be including for financial aid enrollment.
5. Developmental education courses (courses under 100 level) are eligible for federal financial aid up to 45 attempted credits. No additional developmental courses will be funded after 45 credits have been attempted.
6. Only developmental courses and courses that apply to a degree or certificate are eligible for federal financial aid. Courses that are not eligible for federal financial aid include: Adult Basic Education, GED, High School Completion, Extended Studies courses, challenge courses, one-credit workshops and special topic courses that exceed the degree requirements per the KCC catalog. Student cannot receive federal financial aid while enrolled in a high school or GED program.
7. Repeated coursework may be eligible to be counted toward a student’s enrollment for financial aid under the following conditions:
   • A previously completed course may be paid for by financial aid one additional time to receive a higher grade; however, both attempts will be counted as attempted credits toward the program credit limit.
   • A course will be eligible for financial aid two times. If additional attempts are needed to pass a class, the student will be responsible to pay for the course using their own resources. However, all attempts will be counted as attempted credits toward the program credit limit.

• If the appeal is granted, the written notification will include required conditions of continued financial aid and/or enrollment eligibility. Failure to comply with these required conditions will result in actions by the college up to and including administrative drop from classes or suspending receipt of financial aid until the required conditions have been met.
• If the appeal is denied, the Appeals Committee will identify to the student the actions necessary to regain eligibility for financial aid and/or enrollment. If a student feels that their appeal included all required elements (What Occurred, Resolution, Plan for Success and Documentation) and that the Appeals Committee did not apply the Federal Regulations appropriately, the student can request the Vice President of Student Affairs review the outcome of the appeal.

NOTE: Students who have a 0.00 GPA or who withdraw from all courses in a term may be required to return a portion of the federal financial aid funds they received. Students with an outstanding debt to the college will not be allowed to register for subsequent terms or remain enrolled in classes until the debt has been paid in full.

Appeal Limitations
A student is not limited on the number of times they can appeal due to not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standard. However, multiple appeals for the same condition will not be considered by the committee.

Policy on Return of Title IV Funds

Federal regulations require the college to have a fair and equitable refund policy for students receiving financial aid who officially or unofficially withdraw from all classes. Withdrawing (or stopping attendance) may result in financial debt for you and may also make you ineligible for future financial aid (including loans). We strongly urge you to consult with an academic advisor or counselor to help you with decisions about withdrawing.

Return of funds policy is not applicable to students eligible for financial aid based on ORSAA.

Financial Consequences of Withdrawal or Passing No Classes

Federal regulations assume that you earn financial aid over the course of a term by attending and participating in classes. You cannot earn all of your funds unless you maintain attendance and class participation for more than 60 percent of the term. This calculation counts all calendar days including the first and last day of each term, weekends and holidays. "No passed classes" is defined at KCC as W, F and drops.

Attendance summaries by award year

The portion of financial aid grants and loans funded, excluding Federal Work Study, which must be returned to the financial aid accounts will be based on your:

• Date of withdrawal as determined by the college based on one of the following:
  • The date that you complete and return the add/drop form, or
  • The midpoint of the term, if you don't officially withdraw, or
  • A date documented by the college

• Percentage of the enrollment period earned:
  • Divide the number of days attended by the number of days in the term (including weekends and holidays).

• Calculation of the portion of financial aid earned up to the 60 percent point in time:
  • Subtract the percentage earned from 100 to determine the percentage unearned.
  • If withdrawal occurs after the 60 percent date, you will have earned all of the financial aid received and no refund will be required.

• Multiply the total federal financial aid by the calculated percentage unearned. This reflects the total amount of unearned federal aid.

• Subtract the unearned amount of institutional costs from the total amount of unearned aid, and this will equal the amount of federal financial aid you will be responsible for repaying.

You will be notified by email showing that portion of unearned aid the school will refund from institutional costs and that portion you will be responsible to repay.

You will have 30 days from the date of this bill to pay in full the amount shown, or make arrangements with the Student Account Services for a payment plan. If you fail to pay the amount shown, or if you make arrangements for a payment plan but do not make your payments as scheduled, the balance will be turned over to collections.

Unearned financial aid will be applied in the following order.

1. Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan*
2. Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan*
3. Federal Perkins Loan*
4. Federal PLUS Loan*
5. Federal Pell Grant**
6. Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant**
7. Other**

*Student repayment according to terms of the loan

**No more than fifty percent of the amount received by the student

Policies are applied to all students receiving Title IV (Federal Student Aid) funds.

Financial Consequences of Financial Aid Overpayments

A Financial Aid Overpayment may occur as a result of additional resources, such as scholarships, tuition waivers, agency benefits, or third party payments. In addition, a financial aid overpayment may occur due to dropped classes that result in a reduction of tuition charges. In these cases your financial aid may be reduced.

Refund/Repayment Policy
If you withdraw or stop attending classes, you may be subject to repayment of financial aid funds per the following policy:

• If a student withdraws from all classes or earns a 0.00 GPA for the term, the Financial Aid Office will recalculate the account to determine if the student must repay a portion of the financial aid received. If repayment is required, the student will receive written notification by mail.
• Because the student has failed to meet SAP standards, the student will be automatically disqualified from receiving additional financial aid and must file an appeal.
• The student’s account will be charged with any portion of unearned aid that the school is responsible for returning to the US Department of Education. This charge will result in both a financial hold and a registration hold being placed on the student’s account.
• If the student has received a Stafford subsidized or unsubsidized loan, the student is responsible for paying back any unearned amount of the loan funds they received under the terms of the loan.
• Students will have up to 45 calendar days to make acceptable financial arrangements for repaying the over award. If acceptable payment arrangements are not made within this timeframe, the account will be sent to the Oregon Department of Revenue for collection.
• A student who does a complete withdraw or receives a 0.00 GPA for a term in which they received financial aid funds will automatically become disqualified from receiving additional Title IV financial aid assistance until an appeal is filed and approved.
• In accordance with Board Policy 720.0110, a student must meet all financial obligations to the College in order to qualify for continued enrollment.