Student Appeal Process

If a student fails to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress, while on “Financial Aid Warning”, he /she will become ineligible for a financial aid award. On a case by case basis, students may be recommended to appeal in order to be placed on “Financial Aid Probation”. They will submit a Financial Aid Student Appeals form (FM 6863) obtained from the Financial Aid Officer in order to request an appeal. All requests for appeal will be heard by the school’s Financial Aid Appeals Committee which will be comprised of an administrator, financial aid officer, guidance counselor, and the respective career/technical department chairperson. The committee shall convene as needed and will carefully review all information and documentation related to the student’s appeal. The committee will render a written decision to the student within 48 hours of the appeal hearing, using the Student Appeals form (FM 6863). The decisions of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee are final.

If the student’s appeal is approved, a meeting will be held with the student and the Financial Aid Officer and the student will then be placed on “Financial Aid Probation” status for one payment period. Students will be entitled to one (1) appeal’s hearing during the entire length of their program.

Financial aid officers, guidance counselors and career/technical teachers will work together in order to closely monitor a student’s progress while on “Financial Aid Probation” and should the student regain Satisfactory Academic Progress during the next evaluation, he/she will be considered as being in academic compliance and their eligibility will be reinstated. If a student does not make Satisfactory Academic Progress while on “Financial Aid Probation”, a meeting will be held with the student and the Financial Aid Officer and the student will be informed that they will be ineligible for the payment period following their “unsatisfactory” academic progress report. Students will be financially responsible for their academic expenses until they have successfully reestablished Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Through the consistent and daily use of the various school district’s data warehouse systems (Electronic Gradebook, Vocational Tracking System, and Data In Your Hands), our Financial Aid Officers will be able to effectively monitor all students’ hours and academic grades in order to make the necessary Satisfactory Academic Progress determinations.

Students who transfer will have their hours and grades earned at the previous school counted towards their Satisfactory Academic Progress within the timeframe of enrollment. If a student withdraws, their existing hours and grades upon re-entering will be counted towards their Satisfactory Academic Progress within 150% of the length of the program.

Awards will be recalculated when needed, in order to ensure proper compliance with the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. For additional information on SAP, please refer to Chapter 1, School – Determined Requirements of the Blue Book for Financial Aid Professionals that can be accessed at http://ifap.ed.gov/qahome/fsaassessment.html