Satisfactory Academic Progress
Under state and federal laws, the board of trustees is required to maintain a policy for measuring students’ academic progress. Students must meet satisfactory academic progress requirements as one of the conditions for their financial aid eligibility. This policy applies to federal, state, and local financial aid funds. WAC 250-21-010(16), RCW 28B.105.030, 34 CFR 668.34
Approved by the president’s cabinet: 1/27/26
Adopted by the board of trustees:
Last reviewed: 3/18/26
Policy contact: Student Services
Related policies and procedures
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a requirement for students to maintain a certain level of academic performance to remain eligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. These requirements include both quantitative and qualitative metric minimums that a student must meet to receive financial aid each quarter. The financial aid office calculates a student’s SAP status prior to offering aid for new students and after grades are submitted at the end of each quarter, notifying students if they fail to meet any requirements. The three SAP requirements are as follows:
- Grade Point Average (Qualitative): A student must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average.
- Course Completion Rate (Quantitative): A student must complete at least 50% of their attempted credits each quarter and at least 67% of their attempted credits each academic year. Courses for which a student has an incomplete, withdrawn, failed or audited grade do not count as successfully completed.
- Maximum Time Frame (Quantitative): A student must complete their program within 150% of the program length.
If a student fails any of the three requirements above, they may be placed in either a warning or suspended status. A warning status is simply a reminder that a student must meet requirements each quarter, while a suspended status disqualifies a student for further financial aid. Two consecutive warning statuses will automatically result in a suspended status. Once in a suspended status, a student will remain disqualified until they successfully appeal for a probation status that conditionally reinstates their aid eligibility.
WVC’s Financial Aid Office curates an extended student-facing SAP rules and requirements document, hosted online at https://www.wvc.edu/apply/pay/financial-aid/satisfactory-academic-progress.html
Approved by the president’s cabinet: 1/27/26
Last reviewed: 1/27/26
Policy contact: Student Services
Related policies and procedures