The Office Financial Planning at Palmer College of Chiropractic is required by federal regulations to monitor all enrolled students for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completion of their degree. All students are monitored for SAP regardless of their eligibility or intent to receive financial aid. A student who does not meet the SAP requirements may lose eligibility to receive Federal Title IV aid including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Perkins Loan Federal Direct Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), Federal Direct PLUS Loans, Federal Work-Study and all sources of institutional aid including endowed and gift scholarships.
A new student is considered to be meeting SAP requirements upon admission into a degree program. The academic records of all students are reviewed at the end of every term to determine if SAP requirements are being met. All periods of a student’s enrollment, whether or not the student received aid, are included in the SAP review. A student who does not meet any one of the eligibility criteria stated below is determined to not be making SAP toward completion of their degree.
Students may continue to receive financial aid by meeting all of the following criteria, which have been established as the minimum standards for making SAP at Palmer College of Chiropractic. This policy replaces all previous SAP policies.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Eligibility Criteria
Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average Requirement: A student must maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) to retain financial aid eligibility. A minimum cumulative CGPA of 2.0 must be earned for all undergraduate students and students in the Doctor of Chiropractic program. Transfer: A transfer student’s GPA earned on courses accepted for transfer credit toward degree requirements is not included in the calculation of cumulative GPA.
Minimum Cumulative Pace Requirement (credit hour completion rate): The cumulative rate of credit hours successfully completed as a percentage of cumulative credit hours attempted is a measure of the pace at which a student is progressing toward a degree. A student must successfully complete at least 67 percent of cumulative attempted hours by the end of each term. A student is deemed to have successfully completed a course in which a grade of A, B, C or P is earned. Credits attempted will be the total of those credits for which a student is registered at the conclusion of the add/drop period as defined by the College. Transfer: Credits accepted by Palmer toward degree requirements are included as both credit hours successfully completed and credit hours attempted in the calculation of pace.
Maximum Time Frame Requirement: For students in the DC program, the maximum number of credit hours allowable to complete a degree is 150 percent of the credit hours normally required to complete the degree program. Transfer: Credits accepted by Palmer toward degree requirements are included in the computation of maximum time frame.
Academic Standing
A student who meets the above criteria but is placed on Academic Warning, Academic Probation or an Academic Management Contract by the Academic Standing Committee does not meet the SAP requirements.
Treatment of course withdrawals, incompletes, repeated courses and electives
Withdrawals (W or AW): Courses dropped before the conclusion of the add/drop period that no longer appear on the student’s transcript will not count as a course attempted. Courses dropped after the add/drop period for which the student receives a “W” or “AW” grade will count as a course attempted.
Incompletes (I): If a student has an incomplete grade in a course at the time of SAP review and the outcome of the grade in that course will affect whether or not a student meets the SAP eligibility criteria, the student record will not be reviewed for SAP, and financial aid will be on hold until the incomplete grade has been processed into a final grade.
Repeated courses: For courses repeated, only the most recent grade is included in the cumulative GPA. All repeated courses will be included in attempted hours.
Electives: Elective classes that are not counted toward a student’s degree program are not included in the SAP review. This includes Bachelor of Science courses taken while enrolled in the Doctor of Chiropractic program. If an elective is a part of the degree program requirements, it will be included in the SAP review.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses
Financial Aid Eligible: This status is assigned to students who meet the SAP eligibility criteria. Students with this assigned status are eligible to receive financial aid.
Financial Aid Warning: Students who do not meet the SAP eligibility criteria are placed on Financial Aid Warning for the term following the deficiency. A student is eligible to receive financial aid during the warning period. At the end of the warning period, a student’s performance will be reviewed against the SAP eligibility criteria and if found to be in compliance will be assigned the Financial Aid Eligible status. If a student again does not meet the SAP eligibility criteria (including the repetition of an Academic Warning status) the student will have the opportunity to appeal. See the section titled Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals.
Financial Aid Probation: Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Warning status and do not meet the SAP eligibility criteria at the end of that term, but who submit a SAP appeal that is granted by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, are considered to be on Financial Aid Probation for the following term. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during the probation period. At the end of the probation period, a student’s performance will be reviewed against the SAP eligibility criteria and if found to be in compliance will be assigned the Financial Aid eligible status. If students do not meet the SAP eligibility criteria, they will be placed on the Financial Aid Termination status without the right to appeal.
Financial Aid Termination: Students who do not meet the SAP eligibility criteria at the conclusion of the Financial Aid Warning period and who either fail to appeal or have the appeal denied, will be placed on Financial Aid Termination. Additionally, a student who does not meet the SAP eligibility criteria at the conclusion of the Financial Aid Probation period will be placed on Financial Aid Termination. Financial aid cannot be received while on this status. In order to return to Financial Aid Eligible status, students must correct the identified deficiencies.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals
Students who do not meet the SAP eligibility criteria at the conclusion of the term in which they were put on a Financial Aid Warning status may file a written appeal. The student must clearly explain the extenuating circumstances as to why the SAP eligibility criteria
was not met and provide proper documentation to support the extenuating circumstances. Circumstances may include (but are not limited to) significant medical issues or death of an immediate family member. The appeal must also include an explanation of what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation.
Students have the option of attending/enrolling in courses when an appeal is necessary. However, financial aid eligibility will not be calculated and released unless the appeal is approved. If the appeal is denied, the student is responsible for any balance owed to the College. The appeal must be submitted to the Financial Planning Office by the deadline specified by the department. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will evaluate the merits of the appeal by reviewing the documentation submitted as well as the student’s previous academic performance at Palmer. The Committee may request additional information or documentation as needed and will advise the student of the final determination.
An appeal will only be granted if it can be determined that the student will be able to meet SAP eligibility criteria after the subsequent period. If it is determined that circumstances beyond the student’s control prohibit the student from making SAP, at the Committee’s discretion, an academic plan may be developed with the student to ensure that the student is able to meet SAP eligibility criteria by a specific point in time.
Special Circumstances
Academic Program Change: After a student begins enrollment in an academic program, the student may switch to another academic program offered by the College. Any credits accepted toward the new academic program degree requirements will be included in the calculation
of cumulative pace and maximum time frame and excluded from the calculation of the cumulative GPA.
Re-Entry After Withdrawal: A student requesting re-entry into the College will return with the SAP status calculated at the time of withdrawal.
Notification
Only students not meeting all SAP eligibility criteria will be notified by the Financial Planning Office.
