Policies & Procedures

Policy 2.7: Satisfactory Academic Progress

Policy 2.7: Satisfactory Academic Progress

Part 1. Policy Statement

Anoka Technical College - in accordance with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Policy 2.9 and Procedure 2.9.1 and federal and state regulations – requires all students to maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to enroll at the college and to remain eligible for financial aid. The standards (as defined in this policy) are cumulative and include all periods of enrollment regardless of whether a student received financial aid.

Part 2. Definitions

Good Academic Standing: Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and successfully complete 66.67% of all credits attempted to remain in good academic standing.

Academic Eligibility: Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and successfully complete a minimum 66.67% of all credits attempted to maintain their academic eligibility.

Financial Aid Eligibility: Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average and successfully complete a minimum 66.67% of all credits attempted to maintain their financial aid eligibility.

Part 3. Qualitative Measure of Progress

Grade Point Average (GPA) Calculation: Academic progress is monitored beginning with the first registered credit. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. The GPA calculation includes grades of A, B, C, D, F, FN, and FW.

Part 4. Quantitative Measure of Progress

Completion Rate: Academic progress is monitored beginning with the first registered credit. Students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative completion rate of 66.67%. The completion rate calculation divides completed credits (grades of A, B, C, D, P, or S) by attempted credits.

Maximum Timeframe: Students are expected to complete their program in an acceptable period of time. The maximum timeframe for financial aid recipients to complete an academic program is 150% of the published credit length of the program of study.

Part 5. Evaluation Period

Academic progress is evaluated for all registered students at the end of fall, spring, and summer terms.

Part 6. Failure to Meet Standards

Warning: If, at the end of an evaluation period, a student has not met the GPA or completion rate standards, the student will be placed on warning for one evaluation period. Students on warning are allowed to register for classes and receive financial aid.

Suspension of Students on Warning: If, at the end of an evaluation period, a student on warning has not met the GPA and completion rate standards, the student will be suspended. Students on suspension are unable to register for courses or receive financial aid.

Suspension Due to Maximum Timeframe: If, at the end of an evaluation period, a student has reached the maximum timeframe calculation, the student will be suspended from financial aid eligibility.

Suspension Due to Extraordinary Circumstances: A student may be immediately suspended from registering for classes or receiving financial aid due to extraordinary circumstances, including but not limited to: previously suspended and (reinstated) students whose academic performance falls below acceptable standards during a subsequent term of enrollment; students who register for courses, receive financial aid, and do not attend any classes; and students whose attendance patterns appear to abuse the receipt of financial aid.

Suspension for inability to meet program requirements within the maximum time frame. If, at the end of any evaluation period, the institution determines that it is not possible for a student to raise their GPA or completion rate to meet the institution's standards before the student would reach the end of the program for which they are receiving financial aid, the institution shall suspend the student from financial aid eligibility immediately upon completion of the evaluation.

Suspension at Another Minnesota State Institution: A student who wants to enroll at Anoka Tech but is academically suspended at another Minnesota State institution must appeal at Anoka Tech.

Part 7. Status Notification

Students are notified via email within 5 business days of the end of the evaluation period when the evaluation of satisfactory academic progress results in warning, suspension, or probation. The notice includes conditions of the current status and conditions necessary to retain or regain eligibility for registration and financial aid. The notice of suspension also includes the right and the process necessary to appeal suspension.

Part 8. Appeals and Probation

Appeals: Students have the right to appeal their suspension based on unusual or extenuating circumstances including, but not limited to, personal illness, hospitalization, or death of an immediate family member. Appeals must:

• Be submitted by the appeal deadline using the Anoka Technical College Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form available online.
• Include a statement describing the circumstances that prevented the student from making academic progress. The statement should include supporting documentation as appropriate.
• Include an academic plan outlining what has changed or will change to allow the student to make academic progress. The academic plan will include the requirement to meet the minimum probation standards.

Appeals are reviewed for approval or denial by one or more members of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee.

Students whose appeal were denied by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee have the right to appeal to the Dean of Student Affairs, no later than 10 business days after the date of the denial notification. Appeals to the Dean of Student Affairs must be submitted using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Second Appeal form available online. Appeal results from the Dean of Student Affairs are final.

Appeal results do not supersede some program or course specific eligibility requirements.

Probation: Students who successfully appeal are placed on academic and financial aid probation for one evaluation period. During this period, they must follow the academic plan outlined in their appeal. At a minimum, the academic plan requires a student to achieve a minimum 2.5 term GPA and 100% term completion rate. If at the end of this evaluation period, a student on probation:

1. Has met the cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate standards, the probation status ends and the student returns to good standing.
2. Has not met the cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate standards but has met the conditions specified in their academic plan, the student retains their registration and financial aid eligibility under a probationary status for a subsequent evaluation period. During this period, they must continue to follow the academic plan outlined in their appeal.
3. Has not met the cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate standards and has also not met the conditions specified in their academic plan, the student is suspended.

Part 9. Appeal Results

Students are notified via email of appeal results. Approval notices include the conditions under which an appeal is approved and the conditions necessary to retain eligibility for registration and financial aid. Denial notices include the reason for denial and the process to appeal the denial.

Part 10. Reinstatement

Students on suspension regain eligibility to register for classes or receive financial aid only through an approved appeal. Students return to good standing only after achieving a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA and minimum cumulative completion rate of 66.67%.

Part 11. Treatment of Grades and Credits

Academic Forgiveness. Credits that have been academically forgiven are excluded from GPA calculations and cannot be used to fulfill graduation requirements. They are included as attempted credits in completion rate and maximum timeframe calculations.

Attempted Credits: Includes credits for which a student is officially enrolled after the registration drop deadline has elapsed. Credits with grades of F, FN, FW, I, NC, U, W, or Z are considered attempted credits but not successfully completed.

Audit (AU) Grades. Audited courses are assigned AU grades and are not eligible for financial aid. The grades are excluded from GPA, completion rate, and maximum timeframe calculations.

Completed Credits: Includes credits successfully earned with grades of A, B, C, D, P, or S.

Consortium Credits: Credits for which financial aid is received under a consortium agreement are included in GPA, completion rate, and maximum timeframe calculations.

Cumulative Credits: All credits for all periods of enrollment at the college.

Developmental Credits: Credits below the 1000 level are considered developmental and are included in GPA calculations. They are excluded from completion rate calculations. Students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 developmental credits. Up to 30 developmental credits are excluded from maximum timeframe calculations.

In Progress (IP) Grades: In certain circumstances, temporary IP grades may be assigned to courses for 24 hours. The grades are excluded from GPA, completion rate, and maximum timeframe calculations. Updates to IP grades are evaluated after subsequent term.

Incomplete (I) Grades: In exceptional circumstances, temporary I grades may be assigned to courses. The grades are excluded from GPA calculations and included as attempted credits in completion rate and maximum timeframe calculations.

Repeated Credits: Credits may be repeated to improve a grade. All credits and grades appear on the transcript, but only the most recent grade is included in GPA calculations. All repeated credits are included in completion rate and maximum timeframe calculations.

Transfer Credits: Credits accepted in transfer are excluded from GPA calculations but are included in completion rate and maximum timeframe calculations.

Withdraw (W) Grades: Students who officially withdraw from courses after the registration drop deadline are assigned W grades. The grades are excluded from GPA calculations but are included in completion rate and maximum timeframe calculations.

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History:

11.2012 Adopted

04.2016 Updated to reflect best practice for max time frame and other clarifications

08.2017 Technical change: MnSCU to Minnesota State

06.2019  Updated links to appeal forms and name of second appeal form.

02.2022 Substantial reordering of policy language/provisions; addition of clarifying language and alignment with System and federal language; change in required completion percentage to 66.67% (to align with 2/3 requirement).

03.2024 Updates to timelines for status notification and IP grades.