Satisfactory Academic Progress

Effective Date: February 5, 2024

Executive Cmte. Board Approval: February 5, 2024

Federal financial aid, also referred to as Title IV Funds, is awarded to a student contingent upon that student attending classes and successfully attending an entire payment period. Payment periods determine when funds are disbursed and the exact amount to be disbursed.

The College operates year-round; the fiscal year starts on July 1 and ends June 30.

Definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress

All enrolled students are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress towards meeting the established graduation requirements of TTECH’s programs. A student must meet each of the following qualitative and quantitative standards to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress:

Qualitative Measure

A student must have a minimum score of 80% on all tests or other course assignments, and demonstrate 100% mastery on related skill assessments before continuing to the next course.

Quantitative Measure - Pace

Course material is assigned progress hours based on the average time a student would be expected to complete the material. Progress hours are then measured as a ratio against enrolled hours to determine how many hours a student actually took to complete the course material. Students must be on pace for completing the program in no more that 150% of the weeks in the program. Progress is monitored at the end of each payment period and are performed on scheduled hours. The absolute minimum attendance allowed is 67%. A student must attend at least 67% of the scheduled class hours on a cumulative basis during each evaluation period in order to meet SAP and be eligible for their next Pell disbursement.

The Financial Aid Office recommends that your attendance be at least 80%. It is our experience that students with attendance less than this often fail to meet the progress requirements. If your attendance is less than 80% you will receive a courtesy warning. This warning is only to alert you of the potential risk of low attendance. Students are not eligible for their next Title IV disbursement until they have completed all hours in the payment period.

Maximum Time Frame

Students must complete the program within 150% of the program length, expressed in calendar time.

Increments for Evaluation

The College evaluates satisfactory academic progress to determine eligibility of disbursements for students receiving Financial Aid (Title IV Funds) at the end of every payment period. Students will be provided progress reports containing both their academic (qualitative) and attendance (pace) results at the end of each month and at the end of each payment period.

Transfer Students

Any attempted and completed transfer credits that are accepted as transfer credits are not used in SAP calculations, they will, however, affect the students program length, as well as the payment periods of a student receiving Title IV funding.

Prior Enrollment Periods

Academic progress standards for prior enrollment periods within the same program will apply towards federal aid eligibility throughout the students career. If a student maintained enrollment prior to applying for federal aid, and academic progress in the same program is below 67%, the student will be required to meet satisfactory academic progress standards before financial aid will be activated. Periods of enrollment (in the same program) when a student does not receive financial aid enter into the SAP percentages being evaluated for eligibility.

Remedial Coursework

A student enrolled solely in a remedial program is not considered to be in an eligible Title IV program. When acceptance into an eligible program is contingent on completing remedial work, a student cannot be considered enrolled in that program until they complete the remedial work. Students who are dualenrolled in an eligible Title IV program, and remedial coursework that is not part of their program curriculum, will not be eligible for Title IV funds for the remedial coursework completed are not used in SAP calculations.

Financial Aid Warning

Any student failing to achieve SAP as defined above in any payment period will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for the following payment period. A Financial Aid Warning allows a student to receive his/her financial aid disbursement for the second payment period, without an appeal or any other action from the student.

A student assigned a Financial Aid Warning will be notified of this status and the steps necessary to be removed from warning status. The documentation will be provided to the student in person and noted in Northstar or via email if the student has not attended classes on two consecutive days following the school’s determination of his/her placement on Financial Aid Warning. A student receiving Title IV, federal student aid will lose his/her financial aid eligibility if SAP has not been met at the end of the Financial Aid Warning period.

Appeal Process

A student who does not meet the satisfactory academic progress standards at the end of a payment period will have his/her Title IV Funds terminated and may elect to continue in the program on a selffunded basis. However, a student may submit a written appeal of his or her Title IV termination within five calendar days of the receipt of the loss of Title IV eligibility notice. The appeal must be accompanied by documentation of the mitigating circumstances that have prevented the student from attaining satisfactory academic progress and evidence that changes have occurred to allow the student to now meet standards of satisfactory academic progress. Only extraordinary conditions will be considered, such as an injury or illness of the student, the death of a relative or other special circumstances. Before an appeal may be granted, a written academic plan will be provided to the student which clearly identifies a viable plan for the student to successfully complete the program within the maximum timeframe allowed.

The process for completing an appeal is as follows:

Go to the Financial Aid office to report that you would like to make an appeal of your Title IV termination.
The staff member will ask you for more information to determine if you qualify.
The staff member will explain the appeal form and advise you to obtain appropriate documentation verifying your situation.
Return the completed appeal form to the Financial Aid office, along with the appropriate documentation.
You are allowed one appeal per program.

The Vice President of Student Services (VP) will assess all appeals and determine whether the student may be permitted to continue in the program on probationary status. The student will be sent the written decision within five calendar days of the school’s receipt of the appeal. The decision of the VP is final.

Financial Aid Probation

A student reinstated upon appeal is on financial aid probationary status for one payment period, and he/she must meet the terms and conditions set out in the letter granting the appeal. A student on financial aid probation may continue to receive Title IV Funds. At the end of the probationary payment period, the student must have either regained SAP, or is accomplishing what was set forth in the academic plan. Otherwise, the student will lose Title IV eligibility and it may not be reestablished until such time that he/she regains satisfactory academic progress by meeting the defined standards.

Reestablishing Aid Eligibility

A student will be reinstated if he/she prevails upon appeal or at such time that he/she regains

satisfactory academic progress by meeting the defined standards.

You are only eligible for payment in the payment period in which you regain eligibility – not for any prior payment periods. Please note that progress standards must also be met in order to be considered for reinstatement. Attendance standards for prior enrollment periods will count towards your current federal aid eligibility. You could be required to serve a non-paid probation period, if you had demonstrated poor attendance habits in a prior enrollment period that impacted your aid eligibility at that time, regardless of the time frame.

Program Changes

Students receiving Title IV funds will be allowed up to two programs (one program change) within a two year period. The Financial Aid Coordinator will review eligibility requirements and will need to approve the change if Title IV funds will be applied to the new program. Any credits earned in equivalent coursework will be treated as transfer credit in the new program. Transfer credit reduce the amount of Pell eligible hours on a one-to-one basis. Program instructor(s) will post Transfer Credit in the Student Information System with the designation of Alt Doc (Alternative Documentation) and will not be included in Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations of the new program.

Repeat Coursework

Financial Aid will only be allowed for repeat courses if technology or other industry standards have changed course requirements substantially enough to warrant student retraining. The course instructor must provide documentation to the Financial Aid Office to substantiate any request for a student to repeat a course. As a general rule, a student's perceived need for review will not constitute a valid reason for repeating a course.

Course Failure

Students who fail to meet the minimum standards necessary to complete the course material will meet with their instructor to discuss improvement strategies. If the student continues to fail and is unable to complete the course material, faculty consults with instruction and student services administrators who collectively make a determination based on the following factors:

If the student’s failure is due to physical limitations: Faculty assesses the student’s ability to perform the job they are training for.

If the student’s limitation does not prevent them from successfully performing the job
they are training for, they are allowed to continue and the course material is marked
complete with a note of the extenuating circumstance and the skill level that the
student reached.
If the student’s limitation prevents them from performing the job they are training for,
the student is counseled to consider a different program that will better meet their
abilities and interests and are withdrawn from the program.

If the student’s failure is due to a learning disability: Faculty provides referral information to the ADA Coordinator who will discuss ADA Accommodations and the application process.

If accommodations are approved, a confidential memo is sent to the faculty member
outlining the approved accommodations. If the student’s learning disability and
accommodations continue to be a barrier to success, the student’s ability to perform the
job they are training for is assessed and the steps are followed as described above for
physical limitations.

If the student’s failure is due to lack of engagement or interest: Faculty counsels the student to consider taking single courses, or a different program that will meet their interests and abilities and are withdrawn from the program.

Leave of Absence, Course Incompletes, Withdrawals

If enrollment is temporarily interrupted for a Leave of Absence (LOA), the student will return to school in the same progress status as prior to the leave of absence. Hours elapsed during a leave of absence will extend the student’s contract period and maximum time frame by the same number of days taken in the leave of absence and will not be included in the student's cumulative attendance percentage calculation. A student is required to apply in advance for an LOA unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from doing so.

A LOA will be granted if the request is submitted in writing to the VP of Student Services. Only one LOA may be granted in any 12-month period and may not exceed 60 days. Complete documentation and certain conditions are needed to support this request. For example, jury duty, military reasons including National Guard requirements, and circumstances meeting criteria covered under FMLA (Family & Medical Leave Act of 1993). A student who has been granted an LOA will be considered withdrawn if he/she does not return to college at the end of the LOA. In this case, the withdrawal date will be the last day of recorded attendance.

Course incompletes are not applicable in TTECH programs. A student does not proceed through the program until course material is passed.

Title IV students who withdraw and return within 180 days will return to the same SAP rate and award period as if he or she did not cease attendance. Title IV students returning after 180 days start a new payment period and SAP calculation beginning on their first day of enrollment.