SAP - Satisfactory Academic Progress

Monroe Community College (MCC) expects students to remain in good academic standing. MCC reviews satisfactory academic progress (SAP) by term (fall, spring*, summer). Students are expected to earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher and maintain progress towards degree completion. Cumulative GPA is defined as the average of a student’s course history at MCC and only includes credit-bearing course work. When reviewing academic progress for SAP, however, remedial and repeated courses are included. A student who falls below satisfactory academic progress standards and/or does not complete the required percentage of courses for the term, will be placed on Academic Warning. Persistent SAP concerns will result in students being placed on Academic Restriction. Students who Appeal may be placed on Academic Probation. *Spring evaluation includes intersession courses.

Open the SAP Appeal Form Here. For tips on completing your appeal go here: Help with the SAP Appeal Form

*You can find SAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at the bottom of this webpage.


Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Monroe Community College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy stipulates that:

• Students must have a minimum cumulative SAP GPA of 2.0, including remedial and repeated courses
• Student credit completion must equal 67% of credit-bearing courses in the current term
• Students must complete their educational program in no longer than 150% of the published length of their educational program

Evaluation of Academic Standing

MCC calculates academic standing at the end of fall, spring, and summer terms based upon the student’s progress towards degree completion. Completed credits include grades of A, B, C, and D (+/-). Attempted credits include, but are not limited to, developmental credits, ESOL credits, and all credit-bearing courses All courses, including repeats and grades of F, count as attempted (except drops).Incomplete Grades (I) and Withdrawals (W, WI) will count as attempted hours, but will not count as successful completion. Repeated courses count as earned only once. Student’s placed on Academic Warning or Restriction at the end of the semester will be notified via their MCC email.

Academic Warning

When students fail to meet SAP, they are placed on Academic Warning for a period of one semester. Students placed on Academic Warning are directed to receive academic advisement prior to registering for the next semester. Academic advisement support is documented on an academic improvement plan completed by an advisor. It is to students’ advantage to repeat a course(s) in which they received a "D" or "F" in order to raise their cumulative GPA. Graduation at MCC is based on an overall 2.0 GPA of MCC credits. After the warning semester, the warning status is removed if students successfully meet SAP. If students fail to meet SAP after the warning period, they will be placed on Academic Restriction.

Academic Restriction

Students who have been placed on Academic Restriction have two options for continuing their studies at Monroe Community College:

1. Students may "Appeal" to the Academic Appeals Committee for consideration to continue their studies without any registration restrictions. Appeals can only be made based on extraordinary circumstances that occurred during the term(s) in which the student failed to meet SAP requirements. The appeal must be submitted in writing via the online appeal form and must indicate to the committee the reason(s) for unsatisfactory achievement during the past semester, how those circumstances are now resolved, and plans for improvement. Students will be notified via MCC email of the committee's decision. If the appeal is approved, students will be moved to Academic Probation and allowed to continue their studies without any restrictions and with eligibility for federal financial aid.
   
   
2. Students who choose not to appeal or the appeal is denied will remain on Academic Restriction. They will be responsible for payment of their tuition and fees at their own expense and will be limited to a maximum of eight credits. Students will be directed to seek assistance from their academic advisor or a counselor in planning their course of study in order to register for the next semester. Students will be given an academic plan to support moving towards satisfactory academic progress. It is to students’ advantage to repeat a course(s) in which they received a "D" or "F" in order to raise the cumulative GPA. Graduation at MCC is based on an overall 2.0 GPA of MCC credits. Students on Academic Restriction are not eligible to receive financial aid through the Federal Student Aid programs.

Academic Probation

Students who have their appeals approved will be placed on Academic Probation and allowed to continue their studies with possible credit restrictions, as determined by the Appeals Committee. They will be directed to seek advisement and to create an academic plan to move towards SAP. They will be eligible to receive financial aid through the Federal Financial Aid programs. The student’s academic progress will be reviewed to evaluate if the student is in good academic standing at the end of the term. The probation status will be extended for another semester if they meet the following criteria:

• Complete successfully 100% of the credits attempted for the semester, and
• Earn a minimum GPA of 2.0 during that semester.

If the student fails to meet these requirements after the probation period on appeal, the student will be placed on Academic Restriction.

Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students who have been placed on Academic Restriction and have not had an appeal approved will remain in that status until they make up their academic deficiencies to regain good academic standing. Students can regain good academic standing by successfully completing additional credits at their own expense for as many terms as needed for the student to rehabilitate their academic record. Students who accrue additional credits for the intent to regain good academic standing, will still be evaluated for pace in the educational program. Students who regain good academic standing will also regain their eligibility to receive financial aid through the Federal Aid Programs.*

*Academic eligibility for NYS Financial Aid Programs is determined by New York State regulations. Regaining good academic standing for MCC may not automatically reestablish academic eligibility for NYS Financial Aid Programs.

SAP - Satisfactory Academic Progress FAQ's

Q1. What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?

Q2. Why did I receive a SAP letter?

Q3. My semester GPA was above a 2.0; why am I on Academic Warning?

Q4. What does 67% of credit bearing courses mean?

Q5. How do Developmental Courses work in SAP?

Q6. What about Withdrawals?

Q7. What does the 150% rule mean?

Q8. What does SAP have to do with financial aid?

Q9. What is Academic Warning?

Q10. What is Academic Restriction?

Q11. How do I get off of Academic Restriction?

Q12. How do I appeal Academic Restriction?

Q13. What is Academic Probation?

Q14. I don’t get financial aid, does SAP still apply to me?

Q15. Where can I go for more information?
 

A1. What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?

Monroe Community College expects students to remain in good academic standing which means that students must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) towards completing their degree. MCC reviews satisfactory academic progress by term (fall, spring, summer).

Specifically:

• Students must have a minimum cumulative SAP GPA of 2.0, including remedial and repeated courses
• Student credit completion must equal 67% of attempted credits in the current term, including withdrawals. (This means that students need to successfully pass with a D- or better at least 2/3 of their courses in the evaluated term.)
• Students must complete their educational program in no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program (An example of going over 150% would be attempting 90 credits for a 60 credit program.)

A student who falls below satisfactory academic progress standards will be placed on Academic Warning. If a student on Academic Warning fails to meet SAP expectations, it will result in the student being placed on Academic Restriction. Students on Restriction who successfully appeal may be placed on Academic Probation.

Return to Questions

A2. Why did I receive a SAP letter?

The College calculates academic standing at the end of fall, spring, and summer terms based upon the student’s progress towards degree completion. A student's progress is indicated in the e-mail he or she receives. A student placed on Academic Warning or Restriction at the end of the semester is notified via MCC email by the Office of the Provost.

Evaluation for Satisfactory Academic Progress:

• Completed credits include grades of A, B, C, and D (+/-)
• Attempted credits include, but are not limited to, developmental credits, ESOL credits, and all credit-bearing courses
• All courses, including repeats and grades of F, count as attempted (except drops).
• Incomplete Grades (I) and Withdrawals (W, WI) will count as attempted hours but will not count as successful completions
• Repeated courses count as earned only once

Return to Questions

A3. My semester GPA was above a 2.0; why was I placed on Academic Warning?

SAP looks at your cumulative SAP GPA, not your semester GPA. Also be aware that your SAP GPA includes developmental courses. 

Return to Questions

A4. What does 67% of credit bearing courses mean?

In order to meet this standard for SAP, you must have successfully completed 2/3 of the courses you registered for, excluding developmental courses. Any course that does not carry college credit will not count toward this rate of completion.

Return to Questions

A5. How do Developmental Courses work in SAP?

Courses that carry imputed, but not college credits like TRS or ESOL, count in your cumulative GPA. However, they do not count in the 67% completion. This means if you have a cumulative GPA of 2.5, but in one semester you are taking three developmental courses and one course with college credit, and you withdrew from the credit bearing course, then you would not have met the 67% requirement..

Return to Questions

A6. What about Withdrawals?

A grade of W (withdrawn) does not count in your cumulative GPA, but it does count as an attempted credit in determining if you were successful in 67% or more of your courses. Note that withdrawing from a course can be the right option even if it places you on Academic Warning. You just need to be aware that withdrawing from courses in multiple semesters can lead to being placed on Academic Restriction.

Return to Questions

A7. What does the 150% rule mean?

This means that if the published length of your program is 60 credits, then you need to complete it in 90 credits.

Return to Questions

A8. What does SAP have to do with financial aid?

Students who have been placed on Academic Warning are allowed to continue as full time students; however, failure to improve SAP will result in being placed on Academic Restriction which will impact financial aid. Students who are placed on Academic Restriction are restricted from full time study, are not eligible for financial aid, and are limited to eight (8) credits maximum while on academic restriction.

Return to Questions

A9. What is Academic Warning?

When students fail to meet SAP, they are placed on Academic Warning for a period of one semester. Students placed on Academic Warning are directed to complete a SAP course in Blackboard. They are also directed to meet with their advisor and complete an Academic Improvement Plan prior to registering for the next semester. After the warning semester, the warning status is removed the student successfully meets SAP. If the student fail to meet SAP after the warning period, they will be placed on Academic Restriction.

Return to Questions

A10. What is Academic Restriction?

If a student fails to meet SAP after the warning period (or warning semester), they will be placed on Academic Restriction. Students on Academic Restriction will be limited to 8 credits, will not be eligible for financial aid, and will need to submit an appeal in order to be considered for full time study and/or financial aid.

Return to Questions

A11. How do I get off of Academic Restriction?

Students who have been placed on Academic Restriction have two options for continuing their studies at Monroe Community College:

1. Students may "Appeal" to the Academic Appeals Committee for consideration to continue their studies without any registration restrictions. Appeals can only be made based on extraordinary circumstances that occurred during the term(s) in which the student failed to meet SAP requirements. If the appeal is approved, students will be moved to Academic Probation and allowed to continue their studies without any restrictions and with eligibility for federal financial aid.
   
   
2. Students who choose not to appeal or the appeal is denied, will remain on Academic Restriction, will be notified via MCC email and will be responsible for payment of their tuition and fees at their own expense. Students are directed to seek advisement and develop an Academic Plan to continue their studies with a maximum of eight credits. The Academic Plan will be designed to support students in moving towards satisfactory academic progress. Students on Academic Restriction are not eligible to receive financial aid through the Federal Student Aid programs.

Return to Questions

A12. How do I appeal Academic Restriction?

The online SAP Appeal Form must be submitted for review to determine if you can regain eligibility for aid. The online form is found here: Open the SAP Appeal Form. You must include the following items in order for your appeal to be considered as complete:

• The reason(s) for unsatisfactory achievement during the past semester
• How those circumstances are now resolved
• And Plans for Improvement

For tips on completing your appeal form go here: Help with the SAP Appeal Form. *Please Note: you need to be logged into My MCC with your user name and password to be able to use these links.

Return to Questions

A13. What is Academic Probation?

Students who successfully appeal Academic Restriction are placed on Academic Probation. They are directed to meet with an advisor prior to registration and to create an academic improvement plan for progress. If the student fails to meet the requirements of SAP after the probation period on appeal, the student will be placed on Academic Restriction again.

Return to Questions

A14. I don’t get financial aid, does SAP still apply to me?

Yes. All students are assessed for SAP each term. If you are not doing well, we want to be able to provide you with the resources you need to be successful.

Return to Questions

A15. Where can I go for more information?

Your Advisor: If you have more questions, you can contact your assigned academic advisor. You can find your academic advisor on Degree Works.

Advising for summer: during the summer your assigned academic advisor may not be available, but you can also connect with an advisor by e-mailing eAdvisor@monroecc.edu. Use your MCC student email account and include your student ID (M#).

School Specialist: you can work with your School Specialist* for advice and guidance on how to improve your academic performance, your specialist can help you with a plan for academic success, and tips on completing your appeal form to make a good impression with the appeal committee. You can find your specialist on Starfish. The specialists are here to help you, reach out to them for assistance.

*If you are not sure which school you are in or who your school specialist is, you can send an e-mail to schools@monroecc.edu

Degree Works: is an online academic advisement, planning, and transfer tool designed to help students track their progress and achieve their academic goals. To learn how to login to Degree Works go here Degree Works.

Financial Aid: for questions about financial aid contact the FA office: financialaid@monroecc.edu

The Appeal Form: for tips on completing a successful appeal go here: Help with the SAP Appeal

More Questions about your SAP? If you have more questions about your SAP, or would just like to talk to someone for academic advice, reach out to your School Specialist. You can find your School Specialist on Starfish or send an email to schools@monroecc.edu.

For general questions: you can send an e-mail to sap@monroecc.edu be sure to include your student ID (M#), for questions that are specific to you and your circumstance you need to work with an advisor for financial aid issues you need to work with the financial aid office.