Satisfactory Academic Progress and Attendance Policy

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) POLICY FOR FINANCIAL AID

Federal regulations require the college to establish and implement a policy to measure if an aid applicant is making satisfactory academic progress towards a degree. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is measured by evaluating three criteria: quantitative progress, qualitative progress and progress toward degree completion. All federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs administered by the Blackburn College Financial Aid Office are covered by this policy. Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated after the completion of each semester.
 
1. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
Unless a student is placed on SAP warning, an undergraduate student must maintain the minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to remain in good academic standing and to receive financial aid. Students will be placed on Academic probation when their cumulative grade point average is less than 2.0. 

2. Completion Rate
All students in good standing must reach a cumulative Completion Rate of 67% of all attempted credit hours. The Completion Rate is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of earned hours the student has successfully completed by the cumulative number of hours the student has attempted. These percentages will be calculated to three decimal places. 

  • Course grades of A, A-, B+,B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-,and P (pass) will be considered attempted and successfully completed.
  • Course grades of F (fail) will be considered attempted and unsuccessfully completed.
  • Course grades of P (pass) will be considered attempted and successfully completed, but they will not affect the student’s grade point average.
  • Course grades of I (incomplete) indicate a student has not yet completed the course and therefore, will not be considered as successfully completed. An incomplete grade will count toward total credit attempted. If an ‘I’ grade is later changed to a grade, the student’s progress will be re-evaluated.
  • Course grades of W (withdrawn from class and WP (withdraw from class passing) do not earn credit toward graduation or toward satisfying the minimum credit hours requirement; however, these credits will count toward the total attempted credits and the Maximum Time frame requirement. WF (withdraw from class failing) will be treated as an F.
  • Repeated courses will be considered as additional attempted credits. However, for any successfully completed course (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, P grade), only one repetition of the course is allowed to be funded with financial aid. Additional repeats of the course must be paid for by the student. Any unsuccessfully completed course (F or those requiring at least a C-) may be repeated until successfully completed. It should be noted that continuous repeats make it hard for the student to reach the 67% Completion Rate and may negatively impact the Maximum Time frame requirement. Repeatable courses, where the topic varies by semester, or Performance courses are permitted if the student does not exceed the maximum times repeatable per the departmental rules in the Blackburn College catalog.
  • Audit courses (AU) are not counted as either attempted or completed credits and are not eligible for financial aid funding.
  • Transfer Credit hours from another institution that are accepted at Blackburn College must count as both attempted and completed hours and will figure in the student’s grade point average.
  • Noncredit remedial courses will not count toward the maximum timeframe requirement and/or the student’s grade point average.
  • Summer classes are an extension of the previous Spring Term. Thus, there is limited financial aid eligibility available.

3. Maximum Time Frame Rule
In addition to the two measures of academic progress, a student must complete their program of study within 150% of the standard time frame required to earn their degree. With 122 hours needed to complete degree requirements, a Blackburn College student must complete a degree within 183 attempted hours. A student is ineligible for grant/scholarship assistance if a Bachelor’s degree has been earned or if more than 183 semester hours have been attempted. Periods when a student doesn’t receive Title IV aid but still attempts credit hours must still be counted toward the maximum time frame.
 

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY

The attendance policy is stated in each course syllabus. Penalties for violating the attendance policy may range up to the assignment of an “early F” as a course grade. This grade may be assigned at any time in the semester after the last date to withdraw with a “W”. The instructor sets the attendance requirements for each course. Officially excused absences are issued only by the Provost. All students absent for illness or officially excused reasons are expected to make up the classwork they miss.