2015-2016 Satisfactory
Academic Progress Appeal
Part One: Student Information
Student Name:
Student ID:
Degree, Major or Program of Study:
(Must be the major that you have listed with the Registrar’s Office)
Anticipated Graduation Date:
Semester requesting Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility:
Part Two: General Satisfactory Academic Progress Information

To receive or maintain Financial Aid eligibility – ALL Financial Aid applicants must meet Federal, State, and Institutional mandated
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards during all periods of enrollment - this includes enrollment periods in which students
did not receive financial aid. Students that do not meet SAP standards will have their financial aid eligibility suspended.

Minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards to maintain financial aid eligibility include:
Students must be enrolled in a financial aid eligible certificate or degree program.
Students may only receive financial aid for courses that apply toward graduation from an approved San Juan College (SJC)
program of study. Courses that do not apply toward graduation from a student’s SJC program of study are not eligible for receipt
of financial aid from San Juan College.
Students can only be enrolled and pursuing one degree or certificate program at a time.
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0.
Students must maintain at least a 67% cumulative course completion rate for all attempted credits on their SJC Academic
Transcript.
Students must complete their program of study within a Maximum Timeframe (MTF) of 150% of the credits required for program
completion.

Appeals for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility must include:
A signed written statement as to why SAP standards were not met.
A signed statement addressing what has been done to correct the situation(s) that caused financial aid suspension.
Supporting documentation for any extenuating circumstances that were unforeseen or beyond the student’s control, and may
have hindered the student from achieving or maintaining satisfactory academic progress standards.
 Extenuating circumstances are defined as unforeseen situations that are beyond a student’s control and could create an
undue hardship that hinders the student’s ability to meet SAP standards. Examples include, but are not limited to: Death of
an immediate family member; divorce; an extended illness or severe personal injury: involuntary change of employment.
 Extenuating circumstances do NOT include: Course difficulty; lack of focus or maturity; being a single parent; teaching style
or disagreement with instructor; length of time since last attended school; first time student; voluntary change of majors;
dropping classes to avoid a bad grade; short term medical condition, etc.

All SAP appeals are processed in date order received and may require up to four weeks for a final decision to be made. The SAP
Committee will review (as a minimum) a student’s appeal statement and supporting documentation, prior SAP appeals, academic
history and trends, the time remaining to complete degree, and what actions are taken to prevent further unsatisfactory progress.

ALL SAP appeals MUST be received by SJC’s Financial Aid Office no later than five business days after the start
of the semester for which financial aid reinstatement is being requested.

Students on suspension and awaiting a decision on their SAP appeal are responsible for making payment
arrangements for any classes in which they are enrolled.
Part Three: Identify Category of SAP Status You Are Appealing
Mark the category of Unsatisfactory Academic Progress being appealed (check all categories that apply).
Exceeded Maximum Timeframe (MTF) - Attempted more than 150% of the credits needed to graduate from degree program.
Cumulative Grade Point Average is Less Than 2.0
Cumulative Course Completion Rate Less than 67% - The cumulative completion rate is determined by dividing the number
of credits successfully completed by the number of credits attempted on a student’s SJC Academic Transcript.
Part Four: Statements and Documents for Appeal
For an appeal to be considered, students must include ALL items listed below. Make sure that each requirement is met.
Attach an unofficial copy of SJC Academic Transcript. Available on WebAdvisor
Attach a copy of SJC Program Evaluation for your declared program of study. Available on WebAdvisor.
Statement explaining WHY SAP Standards were not met? (Be complete and concise – add attachments if necessary)
Statement on what steps have been taken to resolve unsatisfactory academic progress? (Be specific / add attachments if necessary)
Supporting documentation: ALL written statements must include a signature and date. Each appeal must include: Dated
documentation to support your reason of appeal; how extenuating circumstances beyond your control hindered satisfactory academic
progress; and what you have done to resolve the issue(s). Lack of documentation may result in appeal denial. Examples of
appropriate documentation includes: Medical documents; court or legal papers for circumstances beyond your control; death
certificate, obituary, or funeral notice for immediate family member; and letters from non-family members who are aware of your
situation. If you ask yourself “should I include this...?” then the answer is most likely “yes” and you should include it.”
Part Five: Appeal Decisions
ALL appeal decisions are FINAL and students will be notified of their appeal decision via their SJC e-mail address.
SAP appeal decisions may take up to four weeks to process. In some cases the Committee may need to await additional information
before making an appeal decision (i.e. grade results for a student enrolled and attending classes during the term in which the appeal is
being processed) and it may take a little longer for the final decision to be made.
SAP Appeal decisions include:
1. Denied – Reasons for the appeal denials will be forwarded to the student and will not be eligible for SJC financial aid eligibility.
2. Approved Appeal – Probationary status requiring the student to meet all SAP standards by the end of the next term of enrollment.
3. Approved Academic Plan – The student cannot meet SAP standards in one term and is approved on a probationary status with terms
of the probation outlined in the approval letter.
4. Approved Maximum Timeframe (MTF) Extension – The student is granted a maximum timeframe extension to complete his/her
program of study, and requires meeting probation requirements and the program completion date outlined in the approval letter.
Reinstatement of Financial Aid eligibility for denied appeals – With the exception of students who have exceeded 150% of the credits
required for their degree completion (exceeded Maximum Timeframe), students may reinstate their financial aid eligibility by attending SJC
without Federal or State financial aid and successfully completing one semester of full-time enrollment or two consecutive semesters of at
least half-time enrollment, and then, based on academic success, appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. Successful completion
of one full-time or two consecutive semesters of at least half-time enrollment will not result in automatic reinstatement of financial aid
eligibility—a student’s entire academic history will be taken into account before a decision on reinstatement is made.
Part Six: Signature
By signing below, you affirm that the information submitted is true and correct to the best of your knowledge, and that you have read and
understand the appeal process and the implications of appeal decisions.
Student’s Signature: _________________________________________
Date: __________________
Phone: (505) 566-3323
Fax: 505-566-3593
E-mail: [email protected]
Mailing Address: San Juan College, Financial Aid Office, 4601 College Blvd., Farmington, NM 87402