Satisfactory Academic Progress

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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is used to ensure a student is successfully progressing through their degree requirements. There are two components of SAP:

  • Qualitative component: Based on the CGPA
  • Quantitative component: Based on the PACE of progression to ensure completion of the degree within the maximum time frame

Students not making SAP will be placed on either academic alert, academic warning, academic suspension. The suspension may be appealed and, if granted, the student be on probation. They will be subject to financial consequences as well.

PACE

PACE (Attempted/Completion Ratio) is a ratio of credit hours earned divided by credit hours attempted. Credit hours earned are credit hours in which the student earned a grade. This also includes credits that many have been transferred into the degree program from another college or university. Credit hours attempted are for classes the student either received a non-passing grade or withdrew from the class after the published grace period.

Withdrawing from too many classes will have a negative impact on PACE and may lead to being suspended from federal and institutional financial aid as well as being placed on academic suspension. Repeating a class may affect a student’s CGPA and/or PACE. For the CGPA, the higher grade will be used to figure the student’s CGPA. However, both classes will be used in the calculation to establish how a student is progressing through their degree program, in other words, their PACE. CCCB students are only allowed to repeat 4 classes for their degree program.

ACADEMIC ALERT

A student is placed on academic alert when:

  1. Their semester GPA is below .70.
  2. Their CGPA is 2.00 or greater.

The student on academic alert will receive following conditions:

  • They must complete an Academic Recovery Plan. 
  • They will be assigned a tutor and must attend scheduled study sessions.

A student placed on academic alert will be notified by the registrar by email. Students who have 2 consecutive semesters of a semester GPA below .70 will be placed on academic warning and academic standards for that status will apply. This will be true even if a student is meeting CCCB’s CGPA and PACE standards.

ACADEMIC WARNING

A student is placed on academic warning when either of the following conditions are true:

  • A CGPA below 1.70 (less than 30 hours earned) or 2.00 (30+ hours earned)
  • A PACE below 60% (less than 59 hours earned) or 70% (60+ hours earned)

A student placed on academic warning will receive an email from the registrar. Students who have been placed on academic warning have one semester to regain SAP. The student may re-enroll under certain restrictions:

  • An onsite student will make an ARP with the dean of student success for the term.
  • An online student will be allowed to take one online class per session until they recover their CGPA to a satisfactory level.
  • The student will be placed on financial aid warning.

If the student regains SAP after one semester on academic warning, they will be notified by the registrar by email. A student who fails to raise their CGPA to meet their grade level SAP, but did follow the ARP, will be placed on academic suspension and will be notified by the registrar by email.

A student who withdrew from all semester classes before the withdrawal date will not have a semester GPA and therefore will not be considered as a warning or suspended student due to their GPA. However, the withdrawn classes will be part of the student’s PACE for SAP purposes and may result in a change in the student’s academic standing if the PACE falls below SAP standards.

ACADEMIC SUSPENSION

A student is placed on academic suspension if the student has not regained SAP after a semester on academic warning. A student placed on academic suspension will receive an email from the registrar. Suspended students may enroll with the following limitations:

  • The student must successfully reapply to enroll in classes.
  • The student cannot be degree-seeking.
  • The student may only take two classes in a semester.
  • The student may not live in on-campus housing without special permission from the vice president of student development.
  • The student will be placed on financial aid suspension.

While academically suspended, a student who has earned 30 or more credit hours may regain SAP by regaining CGPA of 2.00 and a PACE of 70%. A student who has earned less than 30 hours of credit, may regain SAP with a CGPA of 1.70 and have a PACE of at least 60%. Once it is determined that a student has regained SAP, the student may become degree-seeking.

Academic Suspension Appeals

A student on academic suspension may appeal the suspension within 10 days of receiving notification in order to enroll the following semester. Students will be given instructions in their email from the registrar on the process for academic appeal. They will go to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JXKcsCP6_yDy117x9Z7JtOFJSH5RqCbgsgzP8AUd5RI/edit  and submit the appeal form. If the appeal is not granted or the student chooses not to appeal within 10 days, they may appeal to enroll in future semesters. If the appeal is granted, enrollment may be reestablished and the student will be placed on academic probation. The registrar will notify the student of the appeal results by email.

ACADEMIC PROBATION

A student who successfully appeals academic suspension is placed on academic probation. The student will have one semester to regain SAP or be placed on academic suspension. The student may re-enroll under certain restrictions:

  • Onsite students will make an ARP with the dean of student success for the term.
  • Online students will be allowed to take one online class per session until they recover their CGPA to a satisfactory level.

While on academic probation, a student must establish and follow an ARP. Students on academic probation must earn a semester GPA of at least 2.00 and a PACE of at least 67%. Failure to follow the ARP will result in academic suspension the following semester. However, a student who regains SAP, even if they did not meet the ARP criteria, will be cleared. The appeals committee will determine the standing of each student on a case-by-case basis.

ACADEMIC RECOVERY PLANS

An Academic Recovery Plan (ARP) for students on academic alert, academic warning, or academic probation may consist of the following components:

  • Limited credit hours for the semester
  • Retake any failed class(es) offered that semester
  • Enrollment in GCA031 Private Study Skills with a personal tutor
  • Enrollment in Student Success class
  • Restrictions on online or focused classes

Within the components, the dean of student success may customize the plan based on the student’s needs or add additional items if it is deemed prudent. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Copies of the plan will be kept in the files of the academic services office, the financial aid office, and the Learning Center. The student’s tutor will meet with and counsel the student throughout the semester to ensure that the student follows the ARP. If a tutor finds that the student is not following the ARP, the tutor’s supervisor will notify the dean of student success who will take appropriate action in order to provide further counseling for the student. At the end of each semester, the registrar will report each student’s ARP success to the financial aid office via SAP reports.