Satisfactory Academic Progress
Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid are evaluated against standards after the spring and summer payment periods after grades have been officially posted by the Registrar's Office, with the following exceptions:

• Students on financial aid probation with or without SAP Plans will be evaluated after the fall, spring, and summer payment periods after grades have been officially posted by the Registrar's Office.
• Students who were enrolled during a payment period in an off-campus program will be evaluated when the grades associated with that program have been officially posted by the Registrar's Office or at the end of the subsequent payment period, whichever occurs first.
• Students enrolled during a payment period at another institution under a consortium agreement will be evaluated when grades from that institution have been officially posted by the Registrar's Office or at the end of the subsequent payment period, whichever occurs first.
• Students receiving a grade change will be re-evaluated for the relevant payment period when the Registrar's Office has officially posted the grade change.
• Students who present transcripts from other institutions showing attempted and/or earned credits not previously accounted for will be re-evaluated for the relevant payment period when the Registrar's Office has officially posted the attempted credits.
• Students receiving a late disbursement for a previous term will be evaluated at the time of disbursement.
• Prerequisite Students will be evaluated after the fall, spring, and summer payment periods after grades have been officially posted by the Registrar's Office.

After evaluation, students will be assigned a status of good standing or suspension. Students reinstated from suspension through the appeals process will be given probation status.

Good standing: A student is in good standing and eligible to receive additional financial aid if the student:

• has not completed degree and program requirements and
• has met the cumulative grade point average standard and 
  the cumulative pace standard, and
• has not exceeded the maximum time frame standard.

Suspension: A student is suspended from financial aid if the student:
is on a financial aid plan, and the student did not complete degree and program requirements, or

• did not provide official transcripts from the off-campus program by the deadline, or
• did not provide official transcripts from courses taken through a consortium agreement by the deadline, or
• did not meet the cumulative grade point average standard, or
  the cumulative pace standard, or
• exceeded the maximum time frame standard.

Probation: Students are on probation or probation with a financial aid plan if they were reinstated from suspension through the appeals process. These students are:

• eligible to receive aid and are expected to return to meeting standards by the end of the following term.
• eligible to receive aid as long as they meet the conditions of their plan, as specified by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.
• will be notified by an individual email to their Fort Lewis College email account that they are not eligible to receive financial aid unless they re-establish eligibility through the appeals process or by achieving standards by attending the college without the benefit of aid.

Students appealing to re-establish eligibility for financial aid must prepare an appeals package.

Required documents include:

• Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Form
  Must be complete, signed, and dated (available on the Financial Aid website).
• Personal Statement
  Explain the basis for the appeal, the reason for not meeting standards, and what will be changing that will allow standards to be met if reinstated from suspension, or
  explain the reason for exceeding the maximum time frame and your plan to graduate.
• Documentation
  • Supporting the basis of the appeal, such as a letter from a medical or mental health professional licensed or certified to provide diagnosis and treatment, obituary/death certificate, police report, insurance claim, social services agency statement, or
    semester-by-semester program/degree plan signed by an advisor showing how the degree or program will be completed.
  • Only the courses required to complete a program or degree may be included in the plan. The plan cannot include courses for a dual degree, minor, certificate, or endorsement.

For the student's appeal to be considered by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, the student must not be on Academic Disqualification.

The committee will consider appeals on a case-by-case basis, considering:

• the appeals package submitted by the student and the student's academic,
• financial, and
• disciplinary records.

Students are notified of the committee's decision thru their Fort Lewis College account.

Students suspended because they failed to meet cumulative grade point average and/or cumulative pace standards, who were denied on appeal, who did not appeal, or who rejected an Academic Plan must re-establish eligibility for aid by meeting satisfactory academic progress standards by attending the college without benefit of financial aid.

It is the responsibility of the student to appeal as an "earn back" when standards have been met.

Students approved as an "earn back" will return to good standing.

Students who were approved through the appeals process and placed on probation must meet all SAP standards by the end of the following term, or they will return to financial aid suspension beginning the next term.

Students who were approved through the appeals process and placed on probation with a plan must follow the plan strictly, or they will be put back on financial aid suspension beginning the following term.

Read the complete 2022-2023 Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.