Financial aid is designed to help you reach your educational goal in a timely manner. To be eligible for financial aid, you must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. Based on federal and state regulations, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has established guidelines for evaluating your progress as you work on your academic goals. You should read the rules and know what it takes to maintain eligibility for financial aid.
What Are the SAP Standards to maintain financial aid eligibility?
- Maintain a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher (a “C” average)
- Complete a minimum of 66.5% of all units attempted (all attempted courses). Withdrawals (W), Excused Withdrawals (EW), Incompletes (INC), Fails (F), No Credit (NCR), and No Pass (NP) are considered non-grades and will not count towards the completion rate. Military Withdrawal (MW) are not included in this calculation.
- Have attempted less than 150% of the units needed to complete the program pursued.
SAP Appeal Deadlines
- Summer 2024: 08/09/2024
- Fall 2024: 11/27/24
- Winter 2025: 01/24/25
- Spring 2025: 05/23/25
What is the SAP Appeal Process?
At the end of every term, the academic progress for all financial aid applicants will be evaluated. Students not meeting the standards described above will be disqualified from receiving financial. These students will be able to appeal to reinstate or extend their eligibility for financial aid. The appeal gives the student the opportunity to explain the reasons why academic progress was not met and the changes the student is making to help improve their academic record.
Types of SAP Appeals
There are two types of satisfactory academic progress appeals: reinstatement and extension.
Reinstatement Appeal
Students disqualified due to not meeting the cumulative minimum GPA of 2.0 and/or the cumulative minimum unit completion percentage of 66.5% may submit an appeal to reinstate their financial aid eligibility. Approved reinstatement appeals are subject to certain academic progress conditions (GPA and completion rate), if these conditions are met for the approved semester, the approval and the conditions will carry to the next semester of enrollment, without the need for a new appeal, even if the cumulative GPA and completion rates are still below the standards. The terms of these conditions will be stated in the approval notification.
Students not meeting SAP standards will be notified.
The reinstatement appeal may be submitted online following these steps:
- A task for the reinstatement appeal will be available on the Student Forms Portal, for the term that the student is disqualified, at your campus:
East Los Angeles College
Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles Harbor College
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Trade-Technical College
Los Angeles Valley College
West Los Angeles College
- Students will be prompted to explain the circ*mstances that caused substandard academic progress and also to describe the steps and actions taken that will help improve academic progress in the future.
- Students may be required to include supporting documentation to submit the appeal.
Appeals are reviewed by the Appeals Committee. A resolution will be notified to the student within 45 days of the receipt of the completed appeal. The result of the appeal will be emailed to the student's LACCD email. If a first-level appeal is denied, students will have an opportunity to submit an appeal to have the first decision reviewed. Students will be able to add additional statements and documentation in the same manner as in the first appeal; a second committee will review the appeal.
Extension Appeal
Students disqualified due to exceeding the 150%-unit timeframe of their stated academic program may submit an appeal to extend their eligibility for financial aid beyond that limit. When approved, the extension appeal will include the eligible courses required for the student’s academic program on record.
To review the approved courses go to the Student Portal (Financial Aid & Scholarships > SAP Extension of Appeal> View/Apply SAP Appeal - the approved courses are marked as "Include towards FA Progress Units"). Students will be able to appeal to update the list of approved courses. Consult with your financial aid office for this process.
Students who change their academic program while under an extension appeal approval will require a revision of the existing appeal or a new appeal. Always consult with your academic counselor and the financial aid office before changing your major.
The extension appeal may be submitted online following these steps:
- Obtain a new or update an existing educational plan with an academic counselor. The educational plan should be comprehensive and list all courses needed to complete the academic program.
- Login to the Student Portal, click on the Financial Aid and Scholarships tile and select the current academic year if prompted.
- Click on the SAP Extension of Appeal from the menu on the left.
- Students will be prompted to explain the circ*mstances that made them exceed the 150% timeframe of their program before completing it and to describe the steps and actions taken that will help them complete their program in a timely manner.
- Students may be required to include supporting documentation to submit the appeal.
Appeals are reviewed by the Appeals Committee. A resolution notification will be sent to the student within 45 days of the receipt of the completed appeal. The result of the appeal will be emailed to the student's LACCD email. If an appeal is denied, students may submit a Request for a Second Review, provided there is still time before the deadline. Students will be notified of the process for their request for a Second Review and informed on how to complete the form by the Financial Aid Office.
