Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Federal and State regulations require that all financial aid recipients maintain specific academic standards called "Satisfactory Academic Progress" (SAP).
Except for certain private, state, and institutional funds, students must meet SAP standards in order to receive all forms of financial aid (grants, direct loans, work-study, and scholarships). At the end of each semester (including summer), all students' academic progress is measured using the four SAP standards listed below.
Each student's entire academic history at Red Rocks Community College, including transfer credits and credits attempted during periods when financial aid was not received, is included in the SAP calculation. We will notify you if you are being placed on financial aid Warning, Alert, or if you are Ineligible for Aid due to SAP. If we determine that you are Ineligible for Aid, you may attempt to have your aid reinstated by completing a semester on your own successfully, or by submitting an appeal packet to the Financial Aid Office, along with supporting documentation of circumstances outside of your control that interfered with your classes.
Transfer courses are counted toward maximum time-frame (total attempted credits). Upon receipt of the transcript, the initial evaluation performed by the school is based on the program that you have declared at that time. Students who have changed programs and are later required to appeal due to exceeding the maximum time-frame for their declared program of study must address in their appeals any transfer credits that do not count toward their current program. Those excess credits may be excluded subjectively by the Financial Aid Office in the decision process. Accepted transferred credits count positively toward your completion rate, but do not count toward your RRCC GPA.
If you have changed your major, you may be required to appeal due to having exceeded the maximum time-frame (total attempted credits) before graduating. You could address this in your appeal. See Grounds for Submitting a SAP Appeal below for documentation needed for such appeals. Changes in majors or degrees, and completing an additional program of study after graduating, are looked at subjectively by the Financial Aid Office and will be considered in the decision process.
If you were in Good Standing during the prior semester of attendance, and failed to meet the SAP criteria for overall GPA and/or cumulative completion rate, you will be placed on a Warning status the subsequent semester.* While on Warning, are eligible for financial aid, but you will become Ineligible for Aid if you do not bring your overall GPA and completion rate back above the standards outlined to maintain Good Standing by the end of the Warning semester.
*If you do not meet the SAP criteria for program length, or if you did not successfully complete at least one course during your last semester, you will not be granted a Warning semester but will become Ineligible for Aid, effective immediately for their next attending semester at RRCC.
Appeal deadlines: To request financial aid for Fall, submit your appeal packet to Financial Aid by December 1st at the latest. Requests for Spring must be received by May 1st at the latest, and requests for Summer must be submitted by July 15th. After you submit your SAP Appeal to the RRCC Financial Aid Office, the Appeal Committee should email their decision to your RRCC-issued student email account within 10-14 business days. An appeal may be approved, denied, or pended for additional information/action. Decisions can take 10-14 business days from the date a complete Appeal is received.
The SAP Appeal Packet can be found here. The fully completed packet, including your typed personal statement and any supporting documentation must be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for review before the posted deadline. You can submit your Appeal in person at the Lakewood or Arvada campus, via mail, via fax, or by emailing it to RRCC.FinancialAid@rrcc.edu (link sends e-mail) from your RRCC-issued student email account.
Decision letters are typically emailed to your secure, RRCC-issued student email address within 10-14 business days. For additional information on appealing your SAP status, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
**Upon successful completion of courses taken at another financial aid-eligible school, you could request to transfer the credits to RRCC. You would need to then request that the Financial Aid Office re-evaluate your SAP status to determine if you are now meeting the SAP standards. If you do meet the standards, you would not have to submit an appeal and your RRCC SAP status will be updated.
Note: If you choose to take courses elsewhere, we highly recommend that you consult an RRCC Academic Advisor before doing so. This will ensure that the credits can be applied to your RRCC program of study.