SAP Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measures the successful completion of a student’s academic program using multiple standards. Bates Technical College Office of Financial Aid evaluates academic progress quarterly after grades are reported. This review is based on the student’s entire academic record, even if a student did not receive financial aid for a previous quarter(s) of enrollment.

All programs of study are held to the same requirements for SAP at Bates Technical College.

For more information on Federal and Washington State grants, visit Bates’ Grants webpage.

SAP Requirements (All three must be met)

Qualitative SAP Standard: This utilizes a student’s cumulative GPA (CGPA) across all coursework and requires a student to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.

Quantitative SAP Standard: This utilizes a student’s Pace of completion across all coursework and requires a student to maintain a 66.67% or greater cumulative credit completion rate (see example below for how this Pace is calculated).

Maximum Timeframe (MTF): This calculates that all required coursework should be completed in 150% of the published length of the student’s program of study (see the example below for how MTF is calculated).

Pace: To calculate Pace, divide the number of credits successfully completed across your program of study by the number of credits attempted, regardless of completion status.

For example, a student enrolled in a 90-credit hour associate program and thus far has completed:

Fall – attempted 15 credits and earned 10 credits

Winter – attempted 12 credits and earned 12 credits

Spring – attempted 15 credits and earned 12 credits

Summer – attempted 15 credits and earned 12 credits

Their Pace of completion at the end of Spring will be a cumulative total of their total coursework.

46 credits earned/57 credits attempted = 80.07% Pace (since the threshold is 66.67%, they successfully meet Pace).

MTF: To calculate MTF, the measurement is looking at the total published length of the program in credits (90 credits for the Associates degree), 90 (total credits required) x 1.50 (150%) = 135 credits.

For example, a student enrolled in a 90-credit Associate degree program has a maximum timeframe of 135 attempted credits (90 × 150% = 135). If, based on the student’s attempted and remaining required credits, it is determined that the student cannot complete the program before reaching 135 attempted credits, the student is no longer meeting the Maximum Time Frame (MTF) standard and becomes ineligible for financial aid.

SAP Evaluation Period: SAP evaluation will be completed at the end of each payment period (quarter) after final grades are posted for each quarter: Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring

SAP Communication: Students will be evaluated at the end of each quarter and notified of their status. This communication will be sent to the student’s email address. Additionally, as a student when you log in to your portal, the current quarter SAP status is visible.

This status will include:

Meeting SAP – All three standards are met, and the student will continue with eligibility for financial aid.

Financial Aid Warning – This status is given to any student who fails CGPA or Pace standards (after their first term or any term where they go from Meeting SAP to failing a standard):

CGPA falls below 2.0 at the end of a quarter and/or

Pace falls below 66.67% at the end of a quarter and/or

Students in Financial Aid Warning are eligible to receive financial aid the following term (quarter).

Financial aid will be suspended if all SAP requirements are not met by the end of the warning quarter.

Students who return to good standing at the end of the warning quarter will be updated to Meeting SAP.

Financial Aid Suspension – This status will be given to any student who fails any of the three standards (for more than one quarter in a row):

CGPA falls below 2.0 at the end of a quarter and/or

Pace falls below 66.67% at the end of a quarter and/or

Fails to meet the Maximum Timeframe standard,

When a student is on Financial Aid Suspension, they can appeal this status with documentation of their situation to be placed on one-term Financial Aid probation, during which they are given a quarter to return to good standing with SAP.

Financial Aid Probation—This status will be given to students who successfully appeal their Financial Aid Suspension status. They are given one quarter to return to good standing.

Financial Aid Probation 2 – This status will be given to students who successfully appeal their Financial Aid Suspension status and require up to three quarters to return to good standing. An academic Plan must be met during this probationary period. Students who require more than three quarters to return to good standing will be reviewed by the Director of Financial Aid on a case-by-case basis.

Maximum Timeframe (MTF)

MTF Suspension

Students who fail the Maximum Timeframe standard are not eligible for Financial Aid Warning and are immediately placed on Financial Aid Suspension because it has been determined they cannot complete their program within the maximum timeframe.

*See Consecutive Degree for how credits will be evaluated for a 2^nd program.

Appeals (timeline, requirements, academic plan and deadlines)

Timeline:

The Appeals Committee reviews all submitted SAP appeals. You will receive an email after your appeal is reviewed which communicates the Committee’s decision or requests additional documentation. If you did not submit supporting documentation which directly relates to your appeal statement, the Committee may request you submit additional supporting documentation before review of your appeal can be completed.

Typical processing for SAP Appeals is 10 business days.

Approved SAP appeals restore financial aid eligibility only for the current or future quarters and are not retroactive to prior quarters.

Requirements:

An appeal must be submitted in writing and should respond to the following questions:

Why did you fail to make Satisfactory Academic Progress?

What has changed in your situation that will allow you to make Satisfactory Academic Progress at the next evaluation?

What is your plan going forward on how you will maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress?

If this is not your first appeal, the appeal should include what has changed since the last time you submitted a SAP appeal.

The Financial Aid Appeal form can be accessed on our website.

Appealable Reasons:

Extenuating Circumstances: SAP appeals are typically considered when a student’s academic progress is negatively impacted by unforeseen and documented circumstances, but students should submit an appeal even if they do not have a reason that is outlined in the circumstances below.

Examples include (are not limited to) the following:

Medical Emergency

Death or illness of a family member

Severe Illness or Accident

Catastrophic event

Natural Disaster

Documentation:

If you are able, you should submit relevant documentation with your appeal. However, you should still submit an appeal if you do not have documentation available. The committee reviewing your appeal may ask you to submit additional documentation if you do not provide it.

Examples include (are not limited to) the following:

Medical records

Letter from mental health counselor

Doctor’s release to return to school

Medical bills

Police report

Obituary

Tips for Writing your Appeal Statement:

Practice Accountability, Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, Decision-Making and Self-Advocacy Skills

Taking accountability ensures that you are willing to be honest with yourself about the issues that may be impacting your academic success, and that you are willing to think critically about the steps you will take to ensure that those issues will no longer impact your academic progress. Seeking help for issues of time management, help with study skills or scheduling a meeting with a tutor or counselor for support are all good examples of ways to take accountability for your continued success in school. Students should be mindful about long term and short-term issues and whether or not attending school is the right decision at the particular time a student may be struggling. When in doubt, meeting with a financial aid specialist can help students understand and clarify whether to stay in school or take a break to address issues and return when issues are resolved. Finally, we strongly suggest that students review financial aid SAP policy often to ensure a thorough understanding of the requirements under which they are accepting financial aid funds. Reach out to our office for help if you have questions about the policy or about how your specific situation would be impacted by lack of progress in any particular quarter.

Note: Lack of awareness of the SAP or withdrawal policies, lack of understanding of the requirements for satisfactory academic progress, issues with technology/Instructors, and/or general unpreparedness for college coursework will not be considered acceptable reasons for the purpose of an appeal and could be denied.

Outcomes

If your appeal is approved, you will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for your next quarter of attendance with financial aid. During your probationary quarter, you must successfully complete all credits you attempt and make progress toward meeting the College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. At the end of the probationary quarter, your cumulative GPA must meet or exceed a 2.0, and you must meet the cumulative completion rate requirement outlined in this policy. If you meet all SAP standards at the end of your probationary quarter, you will return to good standing for the following quarter. If you do not meet all SAP standards but successfully fulfill the requirements of an approved Academic Plan, you may remain eligible for financial aid under continued probation in accordance with that Academic Plan.

Depending on your cumulative GPA (CGPA) and Pace, you may be placed on Financial Aid Probation for more than one quarter under an approved Academic Plan. During your probationary period, you must successfully complete all credits you attempt each quarter and make progress toward meeting the College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. At the end of each probationary quarter, your cumulative GPA must be maintained at or improved to at least a 2.0, and your cumulative Pace must be maintained at or improved to at least 66.67%. If, at the end of your final probationary quarter, you meet all SAP standards, you will return to good standing for the following quarter.

If your appeal is denied for lack of supporting documentation, you have options:

You can submit documentation and have your appeal re-reviewed, and/or

You may regain financial aid eligibility by enrolling at your own expense and successfully completing coursework until you again meet all Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, including a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and a cumulative Pace of at least 66.67%.

Students whose SAP appeal is denied may submit one additional appeal if they provide new or additional supporting documentation that was not included with the original appeal. A re-appeal that does not include new information or documentation will not be considered.

Academic Plan:

Students submitting an appeal may also be required to make an academic plan of how they will remediate the standards being failed:

An academic plan will need to be developed with your Academic Advisor. Please note that Bates Technical College has a standard plan to return to good standing except in special circumstances.

Once your Academic Plan has been completed and you have reviewed it, please notify your financial aid advisor via email.

Deadlines:

Priority Deadline: Submit by the 1st day of the next quarter for priority processing.

Final quarter deadline: Submit by the 10^th day of each quarter.

Deadline for the Academic Year: Submit by the 1^st business day of July.

Summer Quarter Exception: Appeals for the Summer Quarter must be submitted no later than the first business day of July. The standard requirement to submit an appeal within 10 calendar days of the start of the quarter does not apply to the Summer Quarter.

SAP – Treatment of Grades and How They Impact the SAP Calculation:

The grades and credit types described below may affect your cumulative GPA and/or Pace differently; however, all attempted credits are evaluated when determining your Maximum Time Frame (MTF) for financial aid eligibility, unless otherwise specified in this policy.

Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, and F are included in the CGPA calculation.

Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, P, and S are considered both attempted and successfully completed.

Grades of Y, F, N, W, V, and U are considered attempted but not successfully completed (they count against Pace).

An Incomplete (I) grade is not included in the CGPA calculation. It counts as attempted but not successfully completed (it counts against Pace) until the coursework is graded and a final grade is assigned. Once a final grade is assigned, the course will be evaluated according to the final grade received.

Withdrawal (W) grades received after the add/drop period are not included in the cumulative GPA (CGPA) calculation. However, they are counted as attempted but not successfully completed credits for the Pace calculation and are included as attempted credits when determining Maximum Time Frame (MTF).

Credits for which an enrolled student receives grades of all W’s due to an approved personal or medical leave of absence and/or otherwise officially withdraws during the quarter count as attempted but not successfully completed (they count against Pace).

Accepted transfer credits are attempted and successfully completed (included for Pace). Transfer credits are not included in the CGPA requirements.

Courses taken for audit are not eligible for financial aid and, therefore, are not included in the SAP calculation.

Repeated courses are included as attempted credits and are evaluated based on the final grade earned for purposes of cumulative GPA and Pace.

Students may receive financial aid for repeating previously passed courses (D or better) only once.

Students may receive financial aid for repeating a failed course until a passing grade (D or better) is received.

Other Financial Aid Information and Policies

Definitions:

Federal Aid: Refers to Pell grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Direct Loans and Federal Work Study.

State Aid: Refers to Bates 3.5% Grant, Washington College Grant, College Bound, Passport to College, National Guard Grant, and State Work Study.

Program Changes: If a student chooses to stop pursuing one program of study and switch to another one, the attempted credit count will not start over. All previously attempted credits will count toward the maximum allowed for your new program of study. Therefore, it is very important that you discuss your changes with the Financial Aid Office, so you can be informed about how many attempted credits you have remaining. Students who are within 25 credits (including credits currently enrolled in) of completing their current program of study will not be permitted to change programs with the benefit of financial aid until their current program is completed.

Grade Changes: SAP is evaluated at the end of each payment period (quarter). If a grade or program change occurs after an SAP evaluation, students may request a re-evaluation by submitting a Change of Records SAP Appeal. When the Financial Aid Office is notified of an approved grade or program change, SAP will be re-evaluated for the affected quarter. Students will be notified of any resulting change to their SAP status via email. Grade change approvals will be subject to a probationary status for one term.

Amnesty: Courses removed or changed as a result of an institutional academic amnesty policy must still be included in the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) evaluation. Such courses will continue to be considered in the cumulative GPA (CGPA), Pace, and Maximum Time Frame (MTF) calculations, as applicable, because SAP is a cumulative process that considers all coursework applicable to a student’s program of study.

Concurrent vs. Consecutive Programs:

Concurrent: means that a student is pursuing two programs simultaneously. At Bates Technical College, students may only pursue and receive financial aid for one program of study at a time. “Program of study” means either an associate degree program, BA program, or eligible certificate program.

Consecutive: Students enrolled in consecutive programs will have all previously attempted credits, including credits earned in the first program, evaluated when determining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Credits accepted toward the second program will be included in the cumulative GPA (CGPA), Pace, and Maximum Time Frame (MTF) calculations, as applicable. Financial aid eligibility will be based only on the remaining credits required to complete the second program as identified in the approved education plan.

Note: All prior warning and suspension statuses will be carried forward to the new program of study.

Last modified 8/13/2026