Financial Aid is designed to support you in reaching your educational goals in a timely manner. To be eligible for financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. The Office of Financial Aid at PCC follows federal regulations to assess your progress, so it's important to understand the guidelines and stay informed. 

Be proactive—know the rules and take the necessary steps to maintain your financial aid eligibility! If you have questions, the Financial Aid Office is here to help!

Standards of Academic Progress

The Office of Financial Aid uses the following three standards to assess academic progress:

Note: The financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are stricter than the college's academic progress rules.

1. Quantitative (Pace of Progress)

All students are required to successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all units attempted, including units transferred to PCC. Completed units are enrolled units for which credit is received and final grades are posted. Only grades of A, B, C, D, or P are considered units completed. Classes in which a student receives a grade of F, I, NP, IP, W, EW or other non-passing marks will not be counted as completed units, but they will be counted as attempted. 

2. Qualitative (GPA)

At the time of review, a student’s official cumulative grade point average (GPA) is evaluated. Students pursuing a course of study leading to an A.A. degree, A.S. degree, a certificate, or transfer program must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA.

3. Maximum Time Frame

Financial aid is designed to support you in reaching your educational goals, but it is not unlimited. Federal and state regulations require that students complete their program within a reasonable time frame to remain eligible for aid.

This is known as the Maximum Time Frame standard, which allows up to 150% of the published length of your program in attempted units. This includes all attempted and transferred units that count toward your current program of study, whether or not financial aid was received during those terms. Repeated coursework also counts toward this total.

  • Example: For a 60-unit associate degree, the maximum is 90 attempted units.

  • Example: For a 30-unit certificate, the maximum is 45 attempted units.

Up to 30 units of basic skills (400-level) coursework are excluded from the 150% calculation. However, students are expected to transition into a regular academic program after one equivalent year.

Each time a course is repeated, it counts toward your total attempted units. At each evaluation point, we also assess whether it is mathematically possible for you to complete your program within the maximum time frame. If not, you may become ineligible for financial aid.

If you’ve transferred from another college, any credits that are accepted and count toward your current program will be included in your SAP evaluation. Credits that do not apply to your current educational goal will not be counted.

This helps ensure that your progress is measured fairly and accurately, based on the courses that actually move you toward completing your degree or certificate.

If you exceed the maximum time frame or believe transfer credits have been incorrectly applied to your SAP evaluation, you may submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal for review. Our goal is to support your success, and we encourage you to reach out for guidance if you have questions or concerns.

Students may submit an appeal during any term following the loss of financial aid eligibility. There is no limit to the number of appeals a student may submit during their enrollment. Appeal deadlines are published each term and will not be earlier than three weeks before the end of the term.

Your Academic Progress Status

Definitions of the various statuses you can fall into based on your academic performance:

Good

You're on track and meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards—great job! Keep up the good work and stay focused on your goals. Your dedication is paying off! Students with this SAP status are eligible to receive financial aid.

Warning

The school assigns this status to a student who is failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). During this time, your financial aid remains active for one payment period—even without submitting an appeal.

At the end of the term, SAP is reviewed again. If you still don’t meet the requirements, you’ll be placed on Disqualified status for the following term, meaning you’ll lose financial aid eligibility.

While on Warning status, you can still receive financial aid as long as your enrollment and eligibility remain unchanged, but it’s important to take action now to avoid losing aid in the future. Stay focused and reach out for support if you need help getting back on track!

Disqualification

Disqualification occurs when a student who as been placed on "Warning" status fails to meet Satisfatcory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. When Disqualified, financial aid eligibility is lost due to not maintaining SAP requirements.

Students in Disqualified status still have options!

Here's what you can do:

  1. Continue enrollment in coursework without financial aid until SAP standards are met and eligibility is restored.
  2. Submit a SAP Appeal to request reconsideration of financial aid eligibility.   

150MAX

A student is placed on a 150MAX status if they have:

  1. Completed or exceeded the Time Frame for a Certificate Program (e.g., 18 units x 150% = 27 units attempted)
  2. Attempted more than 90 units for an associate degree

Once in 150MAX status, you are no longer eligible for financial aid.

However, if you believe there are exceptional circumstances affecting your academic progress, you may submit a SAP Appeal to request reconsideration of your financial aid eligibility. The appeal should include a detailed explanation and supporting documentation demonstrating why additional aid is necessary to complete your educational goal.

For guidance on submitting a SAP Appeal, reach out to the Office of Financial Aid—taking action early can make a difference!

Probation

If your SAP Appeal is approved, you'll be placed on financial aid Probation, regaining eligibility for one term. Your progress will be reviewed again at the end of that term to determine your SAP status for the following semester—whether you'll be in a Good status, Disqualified, or remain on Continued Probation.

Reinstatement After Disenrollment

If you previously disenrolled while ineligible for financial aid due to SAP, you may submit a SAP Appeal upon re-enrollment to request reinstatement of your financial aid eligibility. We encourage you to connect with the Financial Aid Office early in your return to ensure timely review and support.