Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Understanding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for Financial Aid

If you get financial aid, there are rules you need to follow to keep getting help. These rules check how well you're doing in school and how you're moving toward your educational goal. This is called Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), and it’s your job to know and understand the SAP rules at Imperial Valley College (IVC).

You can only get financial aid for a certain number of units, based on your program of study. That’s why it’s a good idea to meet with an academic counselor and make an educational plan. This helps you take the right classes so you can finish your program on time and stay within the rules.

Effective Date: This policy begins in Fall 2024 and applies to anyone getting federal financial aid, Cal Grants, or SSCG. They replace the older rules from past years.

The California College Promise Grant (CCPG) is not affected by these rules.

All classes you try to take through Summer 2025 will be checked using these rules—even if you didn’t get financial aid during that time.

Watch our video on understanding Satisfactory Academic Progress to learn more. 

SAP Standards (Satisfactory Academic Progress)

To keep getting financial aid, students must meet certain rules called SAP Standards. Each year, at the end of the summer, we will check to see if you are meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) rules. This check will determine your eligibility for the upcoming Fall, Spring, and Summer terms. We also check your progress during the year, even between the big yearly checks,

Important:

• If your program is one year or shorter (24 units or less), we will check your progress at the end of each term to make sure you are meeting SAP rules.
• If you’ve tried fewer than 12 units, you are considered a new student, and these rules won’t apply to you yet.

Here are the three main SAP rules you must follow:

1. GPA (Grade Point Average):
   
   You must have at least a 2.0 GPA overall. This includes all your classes, even ones you accepted for transfer from another school.
   
   
2. Completion Rate (also called "PACE"):
   
   You must pass at least 67% of all the classes you try to take. This also includes classes accepted for transfer from another school. You get credit for a class if you earn one of these grades: A, B, C, D, CR (Credit), or P (Pass).
   
   
3. Maximum Timeframe (MTF):

   
   You must finish your program before trying more than 150% of the units needed to graduate.

• • Example: If your Associate degree needs 60 units, the most you can try and still get financial aid for is 90 units.
  • Certificate programs may need fewer units, so the limit will be lower.
  • Some programs need more than 60 units, and those will have a higher limit.

Important: Classes you take at IVC and units accepted for transfer both count toward this limit. So try to take only the classes you need to finish your degree or certificate.

If you’re not sure which classes you need, talk to an academic counselor and make a Comprehensive Student Education Plan (CSEP) or use the Degree Works tool online.

Exceptions

The following classes do not count toward your unit limit:

• • Remedial classes (basic skills)
  • Prerequisite/prep classes
  • ESL (English as a Second Language) classes

 

Getting SAP Updates

If you are not meeting the SAP rules, we will let you know through your IVC student email and WebSTAR account.

If you get a message about a SAP problem, here’s what you should do:

• Talk to an Academic Counselor.
• Use helpful resources, like tutoring, to improve your grades before the next big review.

Items Impacting SAP

Here are some important rules about how different types of classes and situations affect your Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Remedial, Prerequisite, and Preparatory Classes: 

• • You can only get financial aid for up to 30 units of these kinds of classes.
  • ESL (English as a Second Language) classes do not count toward this limit.

Repeating Classes: 

• • If you repeat a class, it will still count toward your completion rate and maximum time limit.
  • Only your highest grade will count toward your GPA.
  • You can only get financial aid for one repeat of a class you already passed.

Transfer Classes: 

• • Classes you transferred from another school and that show up on your IVC transcript will count in your SAP review.
  • If those classes don’t count towards your current major, they can be removed from your record if you file an appeal

High School Classes (Dual/Concurrent Enrollment): 

• • If you are taking or took colleges classes while in high school, you can’t get financial aid for these classes.
  • These classes will be used later when we check your SAP once you have graduated high school and enroll as an Imperial Valley College student. 

Credit by Exam: 

• • If you earned credit by taking a test instead of a class, those credits don’t count for financial aid. 

Academic Renewal:

• • If you had bad grades removed from your GPA through academic renewal, the original grades and units still count when measuring SAP.
  • They will still count in your GPA, units attempted for Completion Rate, and Maximum Timeframe. 

Grade Changes: 

• • If your grade is changed later, that change will show up in the next SAP check.
  • SAP reviews that were correct when they were done won’t be changed unless there was a mistake. If there was an error, you can ask for a recalculation. 

Changing Your Major: 

• • You can change your major once per semester, but it will only count  for financial aid if processed before the freeze date. 
  • If you file an appeal for financial aid, units for prior majors may be eligible to be removed from the calculation.

 

Checking Your SAP Standing 

You can check your own SAP status on WebSTAR

1. 1. Click on My Financial Aid tile
   2. Select the Aid Year
   3. Click on the Satisfactory Academic Progress tab
   4. Click drop down arrow on the blue message to view your Academic Progress

SAP Status Definitions:

Below is a chart that explains each of the different SAP Statuses you may see on your WebSTAR account. 

SAP Status	Definition
INITIAL STATUS	Initial application received and SAP eligibility not yet reviewed
ELIGIBLE	You are currently meeting SAP standards and are eligible for financial   aid
DISQUALIFIED	You are not meeting one or more of the SAP standards and are no   longer eligible for financial aid
EXCEEDED MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME	You have exceeded maximum timeframe standards and are no longer   eligible for financial aid
PROBATION	You have an approved SAP Appeal. During this time, you are on   probation and must adhere to all conditions of your Academic Plan to   remain eligible
PROBATION REVIEW	Conditions of Academic Plan for Probation student is under review   based on recently completed coursework
INVALID MAJOR	Your current major is ineligible for financial aid

 

Disqualification from Financial Aid

You may lose your financial aid if any of the following happen by the end of the Summer term (or any semester if you're in a program that’s one year or less):

• GPA: Your total GPA is below 2.0 
• Completion Rate (PACE): You've completed less than 67%
• Maximum Timeframe: You’ve used more time than allowed for your program (this limit can be reached at the end of any term)

If this happens, you’ll get a message through your IVC email and WebSTAR. Violations of the GPA and Completion Rate rules will show as a Disqualified status for financial aid, while violations of the Maximum Timeframe will show as a Maximum Timeframe status for financial aid.

If you had a serious reason that stopped you from meeting the requirements, you can ask for an appeal. Check out our SAP Appeal Process page for more information on appealing your SAP status.

If not, your progress will be checked again during the next scheduled review. If you meet the standards then, your financial aid can start again.