Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students receiving federal or state financial aid must maintain satisfactory academic progress to continue to receive funding. The Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FASAP) Policy applies to all quarters of enrollment at Columbia Basin College regardless of how tuition is paid and is based on three measures: cumulative, college-level grade point average (GPA); Pace of Progression; and Credit Requirements.

• Students must have at least a 2.0 cumulative, college-level grade point average (GPA) at the end of each quarter.  If students have less than a 2.0 GPA at the end of the 6th quarter, financial aid is cancelled and cannot be appealed.   If all other requirements are met, students can regain eligibility once the GPA is raised to a 2.0 or better.
• Students must complete a minimum of 67% of cumulative attempted credits evaluated quarterly. 
• Students must maintain certain credit levels as of the 10th instructional day of the fall, winter, and spring quarters and the 8th instructional day of summer quarter. Students who drop credits before these dates may be required to pay back some financial aid. Students who withdraw from classes or stop attending classes may be required to repay all or part of the financial aid received.
  
  

  If your Financial Aid   Enrollment Status is...	You will  be placed on Financial Aid Warning1 if you earn...	Your Financial Aid will be cancelled2 if you earn...
  Full-Time  (12 or more credits)	6-11 credits and/or <2.00	Less than 6 credits and/or <1.00
  3/4-time (9-11 credits)	5-8 credits and/or <2.00	Less than 5 credits and/or <1.00
  1/2-time (6-8 credits)	3-5 credits and/or <2.00	Less than 3 credits and/or <1.00
  Less than 1/2-time (1-5 credits)	Less than number of credits enrolled and/or <2.00	Less than 1 credit and/or <1.00

  
  ¹Students may receive financial aid during the warning quarter but must (a) complete the required credits per enrollment status, (b) meet pace of progression, and (c) achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA to continue to receive financial aid.
  ²Students whose financial aid is cancelled may not continue to receive financial aid unless they are reinstated or make satisfactory progress with non-financial aid funds. For more information, read the Reinstatement of Financial Aid section.

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Maximum Time Frame
CBC will fund no more than 150% of the number of credits required to complete a degree or certificate program. For example, for an Associate of Arts and Science degree, CBC could award a student up to 139 credits. 

• For State Need Grant recipients, CBC will fund no more than 125% of the number of credits required to complete a degree or certificate program.  For example, for an Associate of Arts and Science degree, CBC could award State Need Grant to students for up to 116 credits.
• Three sequential academic programs may be funded up to a maximum of 12 quarters of enrollment. Students may request an extension by submitting a Financial Aid Extension Petition Form.
• Official transcripts from all previously attended regionally accredited colleges must be received and evaluated. Transfer credits that apply toward the student's degree or program are included in the maximum time frame calculation as both credits attempted and credits completed toward completion of the student’s program.
• A maximum of 45 credits of courses numbered below 100 will be included in enrollment level, but are excluded from the pace of progression evaluation. Students cannot petition to have more than 45 remedial credits paid by financial aid.
•  Students will not be funded beyond the maximums unless they have extenuating circumstances and petition through the Director of Financial Aid and Student Employment by using the Financial Aid Extension Petition Form. Students in the Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree program are allowed an extensionof the 12-quarter rule and do not need to petition.

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Additional Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Information

• Only numeric grades of 0.7 to 4.0 or "P" letter grades count toward completed credits and satisfactory progress. Grades "0.0", "I", "N", "W", "Y", and “Z” do not count as completed credits. They don’t meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.  However, the credits are included in the maximum allowable timeframe.   Students with "I" grades must follow institutional policy to change the incomplete to a complete grade. Non-credit remedial classes are not degree requirements, do not count toward the student’s enrollment level, and do not apply toward Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• The minimum number of credits earned each quarter must apply toward a degree or certificate or be required remedial courses at CBC.
• Students should contact the Financial Aid office prior to changing their enrollment status or if they are in danger of not making satisfactory progress so staff may provide options before students lose their financial aid.
• If there is a change in the number of credits earned or grade point average, the warning/cancellation status may be changed when the student notifies the Financial Aid office of the change.
• Financial Aid may be used once to repeat a previously passed course or until a previously failed course is passed. Students must be aware that repeating classes, however, will be counted toward attempted credits and may result in failure to meet the pace of progression requirements. The highest grade earned will be used in the cumulative college level GPA calculation.
• Student Financial Aid Regulations do not accept academic forgiveness/amnesty even though CBC has such a policy.

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Reinstatement of Financial Aid
Students whose financial aid is cancelled may not continue to receive financial aid unless they are reinstated or make satisfactory progress with non-financial aid funds.

To regain eligibility, students may complete #1 or #2 below:

1. Students can re-enroll and successfully complete at least five credits per quarter toward their degree paid by funding other than financial aid, earn at least a 2.00 GPA, and raise their pace of progression to 67 percent. If it is mathematically impossible to meet progression requirements, reinstatement will be denied.
2. Students can submit a Satisfactory Progress Petition Form to the Director for Financial Aid and Student Employment. Students must explain and provide documentation of the circumstances beyond their control which caused the failure to make satisfactory progress and also must show that the circumstances have been resolved. If the petition is denied, the student may either follow the process outlined in #1 above or request a meeting with the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. If the appeal is approved, students will be placed on probation which means that they must make satisfactory academic progress at the end of the next payment period or follow an academic plan that will ensure the student is able to make satisfactory academic progress by some specific point in time. Students may petition for financial aid reinstatement only twice while working on an associate's degree.  Students in the BAS Program are allowed no more than two petitions for reinstatement of their financial aid during their enrollment in the BAS Program regardless of the number of petitions they may have received toward their associate's degree.

Program/Policy/Procedure Change
Financial Aid Programs, policies, and procedures are subject to change in order to comply with federal and state legislation and required regulations. The federal requirements effective July 1, 2011 will be implemented in the review of summer quarter progress and in the review of files beginning with fall 2011.  The Director of Financial Aid and Student Employment may use his/her discretion and professional judgment within federal and state guidelines in making exceptions to these policies based upon a student’s individual circumstances and the probability of the student’s academic success.  While CBC strives to be student-centered in its decision-making, ultimately, the College is responsible for disbursing financial aid funds in a judicious manner while complying with all federal and state regulations.