LCCC Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

The U.S. Department of Education mandates the establishment and enforcement of a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for all institutions participating in Federal Title IV aid programs. Federal Title IV aid programs include: Pell Grant, SEOG, Direct Student/Parent Loans, and Work Study. Students will be required to meet these SAP standards in order to maintain eligibility for all federal, state, and the majority of LCCC’s financial aid programs. The regulations require the measurement of cumulative grade point average (GPA), rate of progression or completion/pass rate, and maximum time frame. A change of program does not reset the SAP calculation.  

LCCC students are considered to be making SAP if they consistently:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00.
• Successfully complete at least two-thirds (66.667%) of attempted credits.
• Do not meet or exceed 150% of the program length: 54 attempted credits for certificate/credit diploma programs, 105 attempted credits for associate degree programs (AA, AS, AAS, ADN), and 180 attempted credits for Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree programs.

Attempted credits are any credits for which the student enrolled, whether or not the student received federal financial aid. Attempted credits include withdrawn, incomplete, failed, and repeated courses.

Transferred credits accepted by LCCC are included in the 54, 105, and 180 credit hour maximums.

The table below illustrates how graded courses impact Financial Aid SAP.

*When completed OR the student receives an F grade due to failure to complete the coursework as required, the new grade is used to calculate SAP at the end of the student's next semester of attendance. The updated letter grade is treated per the table above when SAP is recalculated.

**Please note that students may receive Federal Title IV aid funding for only one repeat of a previously passed course (A – D, or S grades). 

If a student is enrolled in courses that do not count toward their degree, those courses cannot be used to determine financial aid enrollment status unless they are eligible remedial courses. Remedial/developmental credit courses are considered below college level, but may be needed as prerequisites for required courses within a program. Students may receive Federal Title IV aid funding for a maximum of 30 credits of remedial/developmental coursework. Remedial/developmental courses count toward attempted credits and are included in the pass rate and maximum time frame SAP measurements. If a letter grade A - F is received, the grade is included in the GPA calculation. If a pass/fail, S or U, grade is received, the grade is not included in the GPA calculation per the above chart.  

Students may not receive Federal Title IV aid for non-credit courses or for any courses taken for audit.   Audited and non-credit courses are not included in the SAP calculations.

Students are monitored for financial aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) at the end of each semester of attendance. Students who are approaching maximum time frame (36 credits for certificates/credit diplomas, 70 credits for associate degrees, 120 for BAS degrees) and/or have less than a 2.00 cumulative GPA and/or have successfully completed less than 66.667% of attempted credits are given a Warning status. Students with a Warning status are notified by myLCCC email that they are in danger of losing their financial aid eligibility and what they must do to maintain eligibility. Students are eligible for federal financial aid with a Warning status during their next semester of attendance.

Students with a Warning status who fail to meet SAP after the end of the Warning semester (reach or exceed the maximum time frame and/or have less than a 2.00 cumulative GPA and/or have less than a 66.667% completion/pass rate) are no longer eligible for Federal Title IV financial aid and any financial aid that requires SAP. These students receive a No Longer Eligible (NLE) SAP status. Students are notified via myLCCC email that they are not eligible for federal financial aid. The email includes information about how to regain eligibility and the appeal process.

Students have the right to appeal their status if they have mitigating or unusual circumstances they believe prevented them from maintaining or achieving SAP. Mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to: illness, death in the family, family emergency, pandemic-related, catastrophic incidences, divorce, births, etc. The student must submit an appeal form, a letter of explanation, and supporting third-party documentation for review. Appeals without appropriate third-party documentation (death certificate, hospital bill, etc.) will be denied. Appeals must explain why the student failed to make SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to make SAP in the future.

Appeals may be submitted:

In Person:

• Student Hub, Lobby of Clay Pathfinder Building, Cheyenne
• Student Hub, Lobby of Albany County Campus, Laramie

By Mail:

LCCC’s Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships
1400 East College Drive
Cheyenne, WY 82007

Secure Drop Box: https://lccc.sendsafely.com/dropzone/studenthub

If the appeal is denied, the student may regain financial aid eligibility by meeting the SAP requirements in the student's next semester of attendance. The student will remain on NLE status for future terms until the SAP requirements are met. Students with an NLE status who are also exceeding the maximum time frame credit allowance cannot regain an extension for financial aid eligibility.

If the appeal is approved and it is possible for the student to meet the SAP requirements within one semester of attendance, the student is placed on Probation. Students on Probation are eligible for financial aid for one semester. If at the end of the semester the student is not meeting the SAP requirements, the student is given a NLE status and is not eligible for financial aid beginning the next semester of attendance.

If the appeal is approved and it is not possible for the student to meet the SAP requirements within one semester of attendance, the student is placed on Probation with an Academic Plan. The Academic Plan must be worked on with, and signed off by, the student's Student Success Coach. Students on Probation with an Academic Plan must meet the requirements outlined in their Academic Plan. Those requirements may include, but are not limited to: specific coursework, specific grades, specific completion/pass  rates, repeated courses, limits on number of credits for enrollment, counseling, tutoring, etc. Students who fail to meet SAP at the end of the semester but meet the terms of their Academic Plan will continue on Probation with an Academic Plan status. Students with a Probation with an Academic Plan status are eligible for financial aid. The student will be monitored at the end of each semester and will be moved to Good Standing if the student meets SAP before the Academic Plan expires. The student will continue on Probation with an Academic Plan for the number of terms included on the Academic plan until the Academic Plan expires.

Students on Probation with an Academic Plan who fail to meet SAP at the end of the semester AND fail to meet the requirements of their Academic Plan are given an NLE status. Students with an NLE status are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Students may also appeal for an extension due to meeting or extending the maximum time frame. Mitigating circumstances may include changing of the academic program. A student's appeal for an extension must include an Academic Plan clearly articulating the student's program requirements to be completed in sequence. If approved, the student will receive an Extension SAP status. Students with an Extension status must adhere strictly to the Academic Plan. Deviation from the Academic Plan will put the student on Maximum Time Frame SAP status and the student will not be eligible for Federal Title IV financial aid.

PLEASE NOTE: The Financial Aid SAP policy may differ from the academic standing policy of Laramie County Community College. While a student may be considered in "good standing" with LCCC, they may not necessarily be making Financial Aid SAP.

Questions about he Financial Aid SAP Policy should be directed to the Student Hub: StudentHubFREELARAMIE or 307-778-1265 or www.lccc.wy.edu/chat.

Revised 7/31/2022