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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

In accordance with federal financial aid regulations, CCCCD has developed the following SAP Policy which outlines the minimum academic and progress requirements that a student must maintain in order to remain eligible to receive student financial assistance. This policy also applies to state aid that requires federal SAP, but does not apply to California College Promise Grants (CCPG), formerly known as Board of Governors Fee Waiver. All coursework approved for Academic Renewal will be included in SAP evaluations.

SAP will be reviewed for all students after each term (including summer), regardless of whether financial assistance was received. SAP is evaluated based on all units and grades received at Los Medanos College, Diablo Valley College, Contra Costa College, any other CCCCD site, and at institutions outside of CCCCD (including foreign schools), if those transcripts have been received and evaluated at any campus or center within CCCCD. Students who have transfer united from another college may submit an appeal to request a transcript review for their current program, if one has not yet occurred. As a result of the review, units that do not count towards a student’s current program of study will be excluded from a student’s SAP calculation, potentially improving a student’s SAP standing.

I.     Minimum Academic and Progress Requirements

Students meeting all of the following requirements are considered to be making “satisfactory” progress and are therefore eligible under the SAP standard for financial assistance or reinstatement for financial assistance:

A. Qualitative Measure: Maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. This includes all prior coursework (including all repeat, remedial and ESL units) that appears on your official transcript.

B. Quantitative Measure: Maintain a minimum pace of progression of at least 67 percent cumulatively. This means that students must receive credit for at least 67 percent of all units attempted (including all repeat, and excluding remedial and/or ESL coursework). Withdrawal (W), Excused Withdrawal (EW), Military Withdrawal (MW), Incomplete (I), No Pass (NP), In Progress (IP), Report Delay (RD) and Failing (F) grades are all considered units attempted with no credit received. The pace of progression percentage is calculated as follows: Total Units Completed with Credit / Total Units Attempted.

For example:
a. A student enrolls in their first term for 12 units but receives ‘W’ grades in 6 units and receives credit for the other 6 units. Total Units Completed with Credit = 6 / 12 Total Units Attempted = 50%. So, this student would not meet the 67 percent minimum.

C.     Maximum Timeframe: Must not have attempted more than 150 percent of the maximum units required for completion of the student’s active academic program, as published by the institution. This includes all prior coursework (including all repeat and all remedial and/or ESL coursework) that appears on the student’s official CCCCD transcript, plus all degree-applicable units from coursework completed at all prior institutions of higher education, if the transcript has been received and evaluated at any campus or center within CCCCD. Students who have transfer units from another college may submit an appeal to request a transcript review for their current program, if one has not yet occurred. As a result of the review, units that do not count towards a student’s current program of student will be excluded from a student’s SAP calculation, potentially improving a student’s SAP standing. All prior coursework is included regardless of whether a degree/certificate has been earned. Withdrawal (W), Excused Withdrawal (EW), Incomplete (I), No Pass (NP), In Progress (IP), Report Delay (RD), and Failing (F) grades are all considered units attempted. 

For example:

a. Certificate Program of 30 units; the maximum timeframe to complete the program would be 45 attempted units.
b. Associate Degree or Transfer Program of 60 units; the maximum timeframe to complete the program would be 90 attempted units. 
c. High Unit Major Associate Degree of 72 Units; the maximum timeframe to complete the program would be 108 attempted units. 

II.  Warning Status

Any student not meeting the minimum requirements outlined in Section I at the end of any term will be placed on “warning” status for the next term. Students on “warning” remain eligible to receive financial assistance during the one term warning period, after which they must meet the requirements outlined in Section I in order to be considered on “satisfactory” status once again. 

Students who complete a term on “warning” will have their SAP reviewed before their financial aid eligibility for the following term can be determined. Due to the short time period between terms, and if the student is determined to be back on “satisfactory” status, disbursements for the following term may be delayed. 

III.  Suspension Status

Any student not meeting all of the academic requirements outlined in Section IA or IB after the one term “warning” period, and/or not meeting the maximum timeframe requirement outlined in Section IC will be placed on “suspension” status. Students on “suspension” are no longer eligible to receive financial assistance (except for the CCPG, if otherwise eligible) 

Students who complete any term(s) on “suspension” will have their SAP reviewed before their financial aid eligibility for the following term can be determined. Due to the short time period between terms, and if the student is determined to be back on “satisfactory” status, disbursements for the following term may be delayed. 

IV.  Reinstatement

Students on “suspension” have two options to have their eligibility for financial assistance reinstated:

  1. Complete coursework (without receiving financial assistance) until all academic requirements outlined in Section I have been met again, or
  2. Complete and submit a SAP Appeal that is approved by the Appeal Committee.

V.     Appeals

Based on extenuating circumstances that were beyond the student’s control, students on “suspension” may complete and submit a SAP Appeal to be considered for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Examples of what is considered an extenuating circumstance for Appeal include but are not limited to: 

  1. Unable to complete your academic program within the maximum timeframe due to: a change of academic major, enrollment in a high-unit academic major or a major with a large number of pre-requisite courses, or completion of ESL or remedial (Basic Skills) coursework. 
  2. Injury, illness or medical condition requiring a doctor’s care which greatly affected your ability to complete the term meeting SAP. 
  3. Death of a family member, such as parents, brother/sister, grandparents, spouse, or child.
  4. Other extenuating circumstances that were beyond the student’s control which greatly affected your ability to meet SAP. 

The following circumstances are NOT considered to be extenuating and beyond the student’s control:

  1. Undocumented personal problems/issues that do not require professional intervention.
  2. Poor time management, poor study habits, or lack of motivation.
  3. Being unaware of institutional policies, guidelines, procedures, and/or deadlines.
  4. Not following your Educational Plan.
  5. Other extenuating circumstances that were beyond the student’s control which greatly affected your ability to complete the term meeting SAP.

Students may submit documentation to support the extenuating circumstances described on the SAP Appeal or complete an attestation self-certifying that they are unable to reasonably obtain supporting documentation and attest that the information provided in their personal statement is true and accurate. Examples of appropriate supporting documentation include: 

  1. Documentation of your academic major change (copy of the major change form) for maximum timeframe appeals.
  2. Letter from a doctor/treatment center stating the date(s) of treatment and estimated recovery time.
  3. Death certificate, obituary, or funeral program verifying the death of an immediate family member.
  4. Police report, court documents, or other legal paperwork verifying an incident occurred.
  5. Other documents/paperwork that you feel demonstrates a circumstance that was beyond your control.

Submitting the Appeal and Deadlines: 

A student may submit an appeal in form in an electronic or hard copy form. Students can obtain an electronic form on InSite by clicking on the Financial Aid tile an then the Satisfactory Academic Progress link. Students can obtain a hard copy of the appeal from by following the steps for submitting an electronic form and selecting the “Opt out and Print” option, or by contracting the financial aid office.  

It is the student’s responsibility to read and follow all instructions on the Appeal form completely and accurately and to meet the predetermined Appeal submission deadline. The submission deadline to be considered for a particular term is printed on the Appeal form itself. Incomplete, incorrect, or late Appeals will be denied for review for that term and the student will have to wait to resubmit a new Appeal for the next term. Students will be limited to submitting one (1) Appeal per term.

Students can expect to receive an Appeal decision by email to the student’s District-assigned email account via InSite within 45 days of submission of a complete appeal.

Second Level Review for Denied Appeals:

Students whose appeals are denied may request a second review by a reviewer who did not participate in the initial review. To request a second review of a denied appeal, email”

Contra Costa College: financialaid@contracosta.edu

Diablo Valley College: financialaid@dvc.edu

Los Medanos College: financialaid@losmedanos.edu

VI.  Probation Status

Appeals are reviewed by the Appeal Committee. Students whose Appeals are approved will be reinstated for financial aid eligibility and placed on “probation” status. Students on “probation” will be placed on an academic plan which they must adhere to in order to qualify for automatic continuance of their “probation” status for the following term. Students on “probation” will have their progress reviewed at the end of each term. The academic plan to be reviewed at the end of each term is defined as follows: 

a. For students placed on probation due to maximum timeframe (section IC): must achieve the minimum quantitative and qualitative measures on a term basis (section IA and IB) during the Probation term AND follow the comprehensive Educational Plan through program completion. 

b. For students placed on probation due to GPA or pace of progression: must achieve the minimum quantitative and qualitative measures on a term basis (section IA and IB) during the Probation term. 

c. The academic plan may require additional action steps recommended by the Appeal Committee. 

Students who complete a term on “probation” and do not meet the standards of the academic plan defined above will be placed back on “suspension” for the following term. 

Students who complete a term on “probation” must have their SAP reviewed before their financial aid eligibility for the following term can be determined. Due to the short time period between terms, and if the student is determined to be back on “satisfactory” status or approved for a continuance of the “probation” status, disbursements for the following term may be delayed

VII.  Notifications

All notifications regarding a student’s SAP status and Appeal status will be sent by email only to the student’s District-assigned email account via InSite. Students will be notified of any change to their SAP status within 30 days from the end of the term which caused the change of status. Students can expect to receive a decision on their Appeal within 45 days of submission of the Appeal. If a student’s Appeal is approved, the student will also receive an Award Notification email within 2-4 weeks of the date of the decision notification. This notification email does not provide disbursement dates – students must refer to the Disbursement Calendar for more information on disbursements.

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