Riverland Community College’s Satisfactory Progress Policy

Riverland Community College requires students to make timely progress towards achieving a certificate, diploma, or degree in a chosen program of study. In addition, students are expected to perform at a satisfactory level to maintain their enrollment and continue to receive financial aid. Riverland measures satisfactory academic progress by the criteria explained below.

I.     Qualitative:

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00. For more information regarding the effect that specific courses and grades could have on their GPA, students should refer to section VIII of the policy.

II.    Quantitative:                                                                                                                     

A. Required completion percentage:

Students must maintain a cumulative course completion rate of 67%. For more information about how courses are evaluated to determine cumulative completion rate, students should refer to section VIII of the policy.

B. Maximum Time Frame:

Students must complete their declared programs of study within the maximum allowable credit limit of 150% of the program's prescribed credits. For example, students who pursue 64-credit programs will be allowed to attempt up to 96 credits. However, they must complete the program and graduate by the time they reach the 96 credit limit. Students who reach the maximum allowable credit limit will be suspended from financial aid eligibility by the Financial Aid office. To determine effects that specific courses may have on their program’s maximum time frame, students should refer to section VIII of the policy.  
  

III. Evaluation Period:

Academic progress is assessed at the end of each semester. For the purpose of determining satisfactory progress, summer sessions are treated as one semester within an academic year. Students enrolled in one semester programs are assessed at midterm and again at the end of the semester.                                                                                                                                 
 

IV.      Failure to Meet Standards

       A. Maximum Time Frame:

At the end of each semester the Financial Aid Office evaluates the number of credits students have completed for their program of study in relation to the maximum time frame allowed. Students who exceed the maximum number of credits for their programs will be immediately suspended. The Financial Aid office shall inform students in writing of the results from each satisfactory progress review.       

B. Qualitative and Quantitative Standards: 

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 and complete 67% of cumulative registered credits. Those who do not meet one or both of these standards shall be placed on probation by the Academic Affairs and Financial Aid department.

In one-semester programs, students who do not make satisfactory progress by midterm are placed on financial aid probation until the end of the semester and will be suspended if they fail to successfully complete their program.

Students who attempt but do not earn any credits during a first semester of attendance may be immediately suspended from coursework and financial aid.

The Academic Affairs or Financial Aid Director will notify students in writing of their probationary or suspended status.      

C.  Reinstatement of Probationary Students:

Probationary students who meet the cumulative 2.0 GPA and 67% course completion rate standards by the end of the probationary semester will be reinstated to good academic standing and financial aid eligibility.      

D. Suspension of Probationary Students:

Probationary students who fail to meet the cumulative 2.00 GPA and 67% course completion rate standards by the end of a semester will be suspended from coursework and financial aid eligibility unless the probationary status continues.   

      E. Continuation of Probationary Students:

Students on probation who have earned a 2.00 GPA and 67% course completion rate for all classes in which they were enrolled during the probationary semester, but have not yet achieved a cumulative 2.00 GPA or 67% course completion rate will remain on probationary status until:

• The student earns a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher and a cumulative course completion rate of 67% or higher, at which time the student shall be immediately reinstated to good academic standing and financial aid eligibility, OR
• The student fails to earn a GPA of 2.00 or higher and a course completion rate of 67% or higher for all classes in which they were enrolled during the probationary semester, at which time the student shall immediately be placed on academic and financial aid suspension. OR
• The Financial Aid Office determines that it will not be possible for the student to meet the cumulativeGPAand cumulativecourse completion rate standards before they reach the maximum time frame allowed for the programs for which they are receiving financial aid. These students shall be immediately suspended from financial aid.

  F.  Continuation of Students Who Successfully Appeal:

Students who have not achieved satisfactory progress and are suspended from financial aid have the right to submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances. See part VI (below). Individual appeals will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Director and/or, for academically suspended students, by the Academic Standards Review Committee. College officials will communicate results from the review process to students in writing, informing them of their appeal status and the duration of the appeal period.

At the end of the semester that was appealed, a student who has met the minimum agreed upon academic standards for that semester shall have his/her appeal status extended for an additional semester. A student who fails to meet the minimum agreed upon academic standards during the semester of appeal shall be removed from appeal status and his/her financial aid eligibility shall be suspended.

G. PSEO: 

Post Secondary Education Enrollment Option (PSEO) students who are attending classes on any Riverland campus/site, will be placed on academic suspension after any semester that they fall below a 2.00 grade point average or fail to achieve a 67 percent course completion rate. Students must file and be granted an appeal before they can attend classes following their suspension. Graduating high school seniors who fall below a 2.00 grade point average or fail to achieve a 67 percent course completion rate in their last semester of the PSEO program, who were not previously subject to a suspension, will be placed on probation. 

V.  Notification:

At the end of each semester, Academic Affairs will send written notice to inform those students who have been placed on probation or suspension and to explain the appeal process. This notice will include a copy of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, as well as the form that student is required to use to file an appeal.

VI.  Appeal Process:

Students who have not achieved satisfactory progress and are suspended from academic and financial aid have the right to submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances.  Extenuating circumstances that could affect a student’s academic progress might include, but are not limited to: the death of a close relative of the student, an injury or illness of the student or close relative of the student, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.

A. An appeal must be written on the required form and submitted to either the Academic Affairs or Financial Aid Department. Appeal forms are available in the Student Services, Academic Affairs, and Financial Aid offices, as well as on the Riverland web page.
B. All written appeals for financial aid eligibility will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Director or designee.  Student appeals denied by the Financial Aid Director shall be reviewed by a small committee consisting of; the Dean of Student Affairs, Financial Aid Director, and the Assistant Registrar who will meet with the student before making a final decision. The results of the appeal will be communicated to the student in writing and the decision will be final.
C. The appeal must include an explanation of the circumstances that affected the student’s academic progress. The petition must also include supporting documentation beyond the written explanation, which might include a letter from a counselor, physician, or faculty member.
D. Appeals from students who have both financial aid and academic suspensions will be reviewed by the Academic Standards Review Committee. This committee consists of: (1) an Academic Dean, (2) Counselor, (3) Registrar, (4) Financial Aid Director, (5) Dean of Student Affairs, or their designees.
E. Students may request a formal hearing if they disagree with the findings of the Committee which would consist of Dean of Student Affairs, Financial Aid Director, and Assistant Registrar. The failure of students to appear at their appeal hearing shall not prevent the process from proceeding as scheduled.
F. The Academic Standard Review Committee’s decision on appeals will be communicated to students in writing and the decision will be final.

VII.        Reinstatement:

B.     Students who have met cumulative qualitative and quantitative requirements will immediately be reinstated to good standing and financial aid eligibility.

C.     Students whose appeals are approved may be reinstated for academic and financial aid eligibility but will be placed on academic and/or financial aid probation.

D.    It is possible for students to be reinstated for course registration but not for financial aid eligibility:

1)  Students whose appeals are approved by the Academic    Standard Review Committee may be reinstated to register for classes but remain suspended regarding financial aid eligibility. Students who disagree with this decision may initiate a formal appeal process with the Dean of Student Affairs, Financial Aid Director and the Assistant Registrar.

2)  After not attending the college for one calendar year, students may be reinstated to the College for registration purposes only.  Neither paying for their own classes nor sitting out a period of time is sufficient in and of itself to re-establish a student’s financial aid eligibility.

Students whose financial aid eligibility has been suspended may regain their eligibility only through the institution’s appeal process or when they are again meeting the institution’s financial aid satisfactory academic progress qualitative and quantitative standards.

VIII.     Additional Elements:

A.    Treatment of Grades: Credits for Riverland Community College courses that award grades of A, B, C, D, & P (pass) are considered to be successfully completed for the purposes of calculating the number of credits completed. Grades of I (incomplete), W (withdrawal), F, NC (no-credit), Z (no grade reported), are considered as credits attempted but not successfully completed.  AU (audit) courses are not counted.

B.     Academic Amnesty Repeated courses, course withdrawals , "pass" grade status, awards of "no credit,” and credits overridden through the Academic Forgiveness Policy will be counted towards the maximum allowable credit limit of 150% of the program’s prescribed credits. Note: credits overridden by the Academic Forgiveness Policy are still assessed when determining financial aid eligibility within the guidelines of the College's satisfactory progress policy.

C.     Audited Courses: Audited courses do not count as credits attempted or credits earned and are not funded through financial aid.

D.    Consortium Credits: Consortium credits (when Riverland is the "home" campus) will be evaluated under this policy. A copy of the academic transcript from the "visiting" campus is required upon completing the enrollment period. The transcript will be used to evaluate the student’s academic progress by reviewing the grade point average, completion percentage, and maximum time frame.

E.     College Prep Credits: College prep coursework (below the 1000 course-number level) is included in qualitative and quantitative process for financial aid under this policy to allowed up to 30 credits and are excluded from the maximum time frame calculation.

F.      Repeated Courses: Students are allowed to repeat a course twice solely for the purpose of achieving satisfactory academic progress. The highest grade will be used to calculate the grade point average.  Repeated courses will count towards the maximum allowable credit limit of 150% of the program of study.  Financial aid will not pay for students to repeat courses in which they previously earned a “C” or “P.”

G.    Transfer Credits: Transfer credits accepted by Riverland Community College shall not be counted as credits attempted for calculation of cumulative completion percentage, and grades associated with these credits shall not be used in calculating cumulative GPA.

Transfer credits accepted by the institution and applied by Riverland Community College toward a student’s general education, program, or degree requirements shall apply toward the maximum time-frame calculation.

H.    Withdrawal:  Withdrawn credits are considered as "credits attempted" for the purposes of monitoring satisfactory academic progress.  Thus a “W” does not affect grade point average   but does negatively impact the cumulative course completion percentage and maximum time frame.