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SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

The Federal regulations require Framingham State College to develop and apply a consistent and reasonable standard of academic progress. The following standards apply to any student receiving Federal or State financial aid.

A.  Qualitative measures

Students must maintain a CQPA of 2.0 after passing sixteen courses. Courses transferred in to FSC are counted towards the number of courses attempted but are not included in the calculation of the GPA.

B.  Quantitative progress

Students must successfully complete 67% of the courses attempted after passing sixteen courses. Students must successfully complete 50% of the courses attempted prior to completing sixteen courses. The number of courses attempted and earned will be reviewed at the end of each year.

Examples:

An upperclassman has taken a total of 30 courses and passed 18. Student is not making satisfactory progress because student is passing at the rate of 60% (18 divided by 30). Since the student has passed 16 or more courses the passing rate must be 67% or higher.

A freshman takes 3 courses in the Fall and 4 courses in the Spring. Student withdrew during the Fall semester but completed all courses in the Spring. The student is making satisfactory progress because 4 (courses completed) divided by 7 (courses attempted) = 58%. Since the student has not yet completed sixteen courses, the required passing rate is 50%.    If this same student had instead withdrew during the Spring semester and passed the Fall semester the student would be completing at a rate of 43% (3 courses completed divided by 7 courses attempted) and would not be making satisfactory progress.

C.  Additional elements  

Course Withdrawals:  If a student withdraws from one or more courses before the end of the Add/Drop period, the course(s) will not be counted in determining a student’s enrollment status.  Any courses dropped after the Add/Drop period will be counted in determining a student’s enrollment status.

Incompletes:   A grade of incomplete will count in determining a student’s enrollment status.  Once the course work is completed and a grade is determined, the courses will be counted.  The time frame to remedy an incomplete grade for satisfactory progress is the same as that for all students (see the college catalog).

Repeated courses:  Courses taken more than once will count as the student’s enrollment status but only once as earned.

Non-credit courses:  Non-credit courses are acceptable as courses attempted and courses earned.

D.  Standards are cumulative

Satisfactory progress standards are cumulative and include all periods of the student’s enrollment, including those for which the student did not receive financial aid.

E.  Appeal process

Satisfactory progress standards may be waived in very special circumstances.  A written appeal should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office for consideration.

Special circumstances might include an injury to a student, an illness of the student, or the death of a close relative of the student.

F.  Reinstatement of financial aid

If financial aid is lost because satisfactory progress has not been achieved, the student can repair his or her record by:

1. Making up the required courses during the period following the year in question.

2. Transferring courses taken at another college back to the FSC Registrar’s Office.

3. Notifying the Financial Aid Office the courses have been completed.

Although satisfactory progress is monitored once per year, eligibility may be restored at any time throughout the year.