Financial Aid Warning and Suspension

FINANCIAL AID WARNING

Financial Aid Warning is a status assigned to students who were previously meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy standards, but who do not, now, meet those criteria.  Financial Aid Warning is an alert to inform you that if the SAP policy standards are not met during the warning semester, you will no longer be eligible for future financial aid. You can receive financial aid while on Financial Aid Warning.

The SAP status is checked at the end of each semester, including summer. At the end of your Financial Aid Warning semester, your SAP status will be re-evaluated to determine if the requirements of the SAP policy have been met. You must be meeting the SAP policy requirements to continue to receive financial aid. Otherwise, you will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive financial aid. If the overall SAP policy requirements are met at the end of the warning semester, your SAP status will be updated to making satisfactory academic progress.

FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION

Financial Aid Suspension is a status assigned to students who fail to meet the minimum SAP policy requirements. In this case, financial aid will be suspended until minimum standards are met or until a students appeal is approved. Students are placed on suspension for failing to meet one or more of the above listed criteria. Students cannot receive financial aid while on suspension, and students will be responsible for all payment of tuition/fees without the assistance of financial aid.

Students on Financial Aid Suspension due to exceeding the exceeding the maximum timeframe, are no longer eligible to receive financial aid. Federal regulations also state that students become ineligible for financial aid whenever it becomes mathematically impossible to complete a degree program within the maximum time frame available for financial aid. In these scenarios, students can only regain eligibility for aid when a student appeal is approved.  

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS APPEAL

Students placed on financial aid suspension due to lack of SAP may appeal the denial of financial aid if they have DOCUMENTED EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES. Students must complete an “Appeal Form – SAP” and submit it along with required documentation regarding their situation to the Financial Aid Office. All required documentation must be submitted with the appeal.  

If an appeal is approved for financial aid reinstatement, students will be placed on financial aid probation and will receive only one probationary period of aid. Students then must meet all SAP requirements at the end of the semester to continue to receive financial aid. If students do not meet the terms of probation, eligibility for financial aid will cease, all remaining aid will be cancelled and SAP status will be updated to Appeal Terminated.  Once a student loses eligibility after an approved appeal, they may submit another appeal (if they have met satisfactory progress within the approved term), or  they are able to make up the deficiencies that placed them on suspension to meet SAP requirements.

Once a student reaches the 150% maximum timeframe, an appeal of the student’s current primary program of study will be evaluated, one time only, for additional program hours. Once a student has an evaluation of program hours in one discipline, they may not switch disciplines to garner additional aid eligibility.  Only current Trinity Valley students are eligible to apply for a one-time 150% maximum timeframe appeal.  

If the appeal is approved, the student must sign an Academic Contract. The student will be allowed financial aid for the remainder of the program as long as the guidelines of the contract are met.  If student is currently enrolled, the approval will be for the current semester.  

Many financial aid suspensions have an appeal deadline.  Please visit the Financial Aid webpage for appeal deadlines.  Students who miss the appeal deadline will have to regain eligibility by making up their deficit through means other than financial aid. To make up a deficit students must satisfactory complete enough classes at TVCC to improve their Pace and/or GPA to the required level. Students can request a re-evaluation of financial aid once their Pace rate is 67% or higher and they have a current and cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. 

More SAP information can be found at https://www.tvcc.edu/Financial-Aid/article.aspx?a=5622&z=382&d=204.

Regaining Eligibility

  1. A student who loses eligibility for federal aid because they did not meet the pace of progress requirement must complete, at their own expense, classes until their pace has reached 67%. They must also have a cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or better.
  2. A student who loses eligibility because they did not meet the GPA requirement must bring their cumulative GPA up to 2.0, at their own expense, before regaining eligibility. They must also have a pace rate of 67% or better.

Students are responsible for notifying the Financial Aid Office when they believe they have met the requirements to regain eligibility for Title IV assistance. Summers semesters may be used to regain eligibility between Spring and Fall Semesters.