Regarding the Del Mar College SAP Policy, please be advised that the standards described apply to all financial aid programs unless the terms of a program indicate otherwise.

Federal and State regulations require students to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress at the time that they receive financial assistance. All financial aid recipients must be enrolled in a program of study leading to either an associate degree or a certificate program. All coursework attempted at Del Mar College will be evaluated regardless of whether the student previously received assistance. All transfer coursework, that is accepted for credit towards your program at Del Mar College will be counted towards the maximum time frame.

The Financial Aid department evaluates student compliance with SAP each semester. Students on probation or following an academic plan will have their SAP reviewed at the end of each semester enrolled to determine if student is making progress in accordance with their academic plan.

The three standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress are:

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement
Students must maintain a cumulative Del Mar College (DMC) GPA of 2.00 on all course work taken at the DMC. Grades for repeated courses are counted towards cumulative GPA.
67% Completion Rate of Enrollment Requirement
Students must maintain a cumulative 67% completion rate on all coursework completed at DMC.
Maximum Time Frame to Complete a Program
The maximum time frame for students to complete a certificate or associate degree may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program. Students have up to 90 attempted hours of coursework, to complete an associate degree.

Other Requirements and Information

Completed credit hours include all courses for which a student is enrolled in after census day.

Grades of “W”, “WP”, “WF”, “F”, “I”, “IP”, “IF” and any other non-letter grade (besides grades of A, B, C, or D) will not be part of the completed when calculating the completion rate.

The academic amnesty policy “Fresh Start” does not apply to Satisfactory Academic Progress.

The completed hours in question count as hours completed and grades earned at the DMC are including in the student’s GPA.

Students are allowed up to 30 hours of remedial/developmental coursework that will count towards the maximum number of hours completed towards the student’s academic program and GPA.

Students are only eligible to change major/degree plan twice for Associates; and up to three Certificate degree plans.

Repeated courses count in the completion rate calculation.

Compliance with the SAP policy must be met in order for a student to retain their financial aid eligibility. Students are advised to check their status through Financial Aid Self Service. The proceeding sections describes each SAP status in detail.

Good Standing

Students are in Good Standing with Financial Aid if they meet all three (3) standards of progress outlined above. These students may participate in any financial aid programs provided they meet all other eligibility criteria, subject to availability of funds.

Warning

You did not meet minimum standards in the previous evaluation period. You are still eligible for financial aid but must reach all minimum standards by the end of the next evaluation period to maintain eligibility.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students are suspended from financial aid if they do not meet all the Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria listed above. Students who are suspended will receive a financial aid suspension notice. Students on suspension may continue to enroll but must pay for all their expenses without Financial Aid assistance.

Probation (AP)

Students who appeal their financial aid suspension and are approved, are put on “probation” for one semester, and an “end term” listing the term when the student is expected to be following SAP is established. In order to continue to be eligible for financial aid for future semesters the student must meet SAP standards for the probationary semester. Students who fail to meet SAP standards for the semester will be placed on financial aid Suspension.

Academic Success Plan (ASP)

Students who successfully complete the probationary semester (met SAP criteria for the semester), but who are not able to come up to full compliance with the SAP policy are placed on an academic plan. In order to continue to be eligible for financial aid for future semesters the student must meet SAP standards for every semester enrolled under the Academic Plan. Students who fail to meet SAP standards for any semester enrolled while under the Academic Plan are placed on permanent financial aid Suspension.

Timeframe Success Plan (TSP)

You exceeded the credit hour limits and are not making progress toward a degree/certificate within the 150% federal requirement. You are ineligible for financial aid.

Example: An Associate of Arts degree is 60 credit hours, but you've completed more than 90 credit hours.

Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Process

Federal regulations provide for hardship waivers based on the death of a relative, personal injury, illness (self and family), or other extenuating circumstances that prevent the student from making progress.

Students must complete a Financial Aid Services Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal packet and a narrative explaining the circumstance(s) that prevented SAP and attach supporting documentation such as

A death certificate.
A letter from a doctor on official letterhead.
Police records or court documents.
Other verifiable documents that support the student’s claim.

In addition, students must also provide a statement indicating what provisions have been made to ensure the circumstance(s), if any, will not recur or interfere with future academic progress. A signed copy of an up-to-date degree plan along with a degree plan summary sheet must also be submitted to the Financial Aid Services Office. Students may not appeal for the same reason twice.

Maximum Timeframe Appeal

A student who is appealing due to having exceeded the maximum timeframe must complete the Maximum Timeframe Appeal form along with a narrative explaining the reasons why the timeframe was exceeded. A signed copy of an up-to-date degree plan along with a degree plan summary sheet must also be submitted to the Financial Aid Services Office. If approved, the students will only be allowed to register for and complete courses on the degree plan submitted. Any courses taken outside the approved degree will cancel the approved appeal. Maximum Timeframe students must also have a minimum 67% completion rate and 2.0 GPA.

Additional Appeal Information: Second Associate Degree

A review for a new degree after graduation will be completed. Students are limited to two associate degree programs during their lifetime at Del Mar College. Approval for a second associate degree is not guaranteed.

The Financial Aid Services Office will notify the student of the findings and recommendations. A student whose appeal has been granted will be placed in an academic plan or on probation, and all courses attempted must be passed with a 2.0 GPA or better.

During the Appeals Process, the student must be prepared to pay for expenses such as tuition, fees, books and supplies, and/or other educational related expenses from personal resources.

Additional Information:

There is a limit of 30 credit hours of developmental coursework that may be eligible for financial aid. Any developmental hours beyond this 30-hour limit will not be eligible for financial aid consideration. All developmental coursework will be counted toward the maximum timeframe.
All repeated course work will count toward the maximum time frame.
All transfer work, accepted for credit toward their program at Del Mar College, will be counted towards the maximum time frame. Students will be required to have an appropriate advisor evaluate the transfer hours and certify on the DMC Transfer Credit Evaluation Form (TRCR), the number of transfer hours applicable towards their current educational objective. A signed degree plan must also be submitted along with the TRCR. Financial Aid Services will adjust the total attempted semester hours accordingly. All decisions made by the Financial Aid Services are final.
TEOG awards cannot be appealed.

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