Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) holds students accountable for meeting the minimum academic standards in an eligible program of study per federal and state financial aid regulations. The Director of Financial Aid reviews SAP before financial aid is awarded and at the end of every term that aid is received.

Students must be making SAP to remain eligible for financial aid. To fulfill SAP requirements, students must:

Complete each term with a minimum GPA of 2.0 and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
Quantitative/credit completion rules: All students at Perry Technical Institute (PTI) attend full time in programs exceeding 12 credit hours per term. Students must successfully complete 100% of the credits associated with the full-time awards (meeting the minimum GPA 2.0) or aid will be terminated.
Progress in a program of study at a pace that allows completion within the maximum time frame of 150% (federal funds) and 125% (state funds) of program length.
Courses must be completed on time.

If a student withdraws or is dismissed, the dean’s office notifies the director of financial aid who calculates the return of Title IV funding (if applicable) and financial aid for future terms is terminated. If at the end of any term a student is not making SAP, the registrar notifies the director of financial aid and financial aid funds for future terms are terminated. If possible, a financial aid representative meets with the student to discuss termination of eligibility. If not, they will be notified regarding eligibility by email. If a student does not make SAP at the end of the payment period and they wish to continue in the program of study, the student will need to repeat all the coursework in that payment period based on the school’s academic policies.

If a student re-enrolls, he or she will be placed on a financial aid warning for the incoming term and will be notified via email. The warning period lasts for one term. During this time, the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

If a student fails to make SAP for a second consecutive quarter while under warning status, the student’s financial aid will be suspended, and the student will be notified via email. If the student re-enrolls, he or she may appeal the suspension of financial aid due to extenuating circumstances.

Appeals are completed by submitting a financial aid appeal request form along with supporting documentation to the financial aid office. Appeals are reviewed based on a documentable extenuating circumstance impacting academic performance. Extenuating circumstances are past events that are no longer barriers to academic progress. Academic reinstatement by PTI does not constitute reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

A financial aid appeal must meet one or more of the following conditions:

Serious illness or injury to student or immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) that required extended recovery time
Death of an immediate family member
Drug/alcohol treatment
Medical/significant trauma in student’s life that impaired the student’s emotional and/or physical health
Withdrawal due to military service
Other unexpected circumstances beyond the control of the student

Note: Circumstances related to the typical adjustment to college life such as working while attending school, financial issues related to paying bills, and car maintenance/travel to campus are not considered extenuating for purposes of appealing financial aid suspension.

The appeal must include a statement from the student as to why he or she failed to make satisfactory academic progress and how the student is now able to be academically successful.

An appeal committee reviews appeals, and all decisions are final. Students will be notified in writing of appeal decision within 10 business days. Appeals may be submitted to the Financial Aid Office, mailed to PTI, faxed to 509.453.0458 or emailed to financialaid@perrytech.edu.

After a successful appeal, the student will be on probation for one quarter followed by an academic plan for up to three quarters for pace of completion. If the student does not meet both the minimum 2.0 GPA SAP standards by the end of the repeated quarter and be on pace for completion after three terms following the failed term, the student’s financial aid will be suspended. Students can appeal a suspended financial aid status a maximum of two times for different extenuating circumstances.