Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) - Santa Barbara City College

Federal and state regulations require students receiving federal financial aid and Cal Grants to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). There is a separate SAP policy for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG).

We encourage all students to read and be familiar with the complete Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. These standards are stricter than those required to enroll at SBCC. In general, you must:

Complete your program within 150% of the maximum time frame

AS, AA or transfer programs within 90 units
Certificate programs within 30 units

Maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA
Successfully complete 67% of all attempted units
Complete attempted units each semester

After grades are posted at the end of each semester, students are notified of their financial aid SAP status via an email to their campus account. To view a description of the different SAP statuses please click here. Students not meeting SAP standards are not eligible for federal financial aid, and Cal Grants.

How Courses Are Counted

The following outlines how certain courses and grades affect the SAP requirements listed above.

Attempted Courses

Attempted courses are those for which you are officially enrolled after the last date to drop courses.
All attempted courses count toward the maximum time frame.
All courses count in calculating a student’s academic progress, including any for which the student did not receive financial aid.
Courses taken on a credit/no credit basis count toward the total number of attempted courses.

Incompletes: Credit for incomplete courses will not count as an attempted course until the course has been completed or the SBCC Admissions and Records Office has posted a grade.

Withdrawals: Withdrawals showing as a W on your academic transcript are counted as attempted courses.

Repeated courses

If a student does not receive a passing grade for a course and chooses to repeat the course, the course may be repeated for credit. Both the original course and the repeated course will be considered as attempted for the purposes of determining SAP.
If a student receives a passing grade for a course and chooses to repeat the course, the repeated course does not count as course completed and does not contribute to maintaining SAP. The units for the repeated course are not counted, unless the repeated course is identified as “repeatable” on the Course Catalog.
Repeating a course does not remove the original course from the academic transcript.
Both the grade for the original course and the repeated course will be posted and will be calculated into the student’s GPA.

Transfers credits

Transfer credits from another institution accepted by Santa Barbara City College are counted when measuring the maximum timeframe to complete the degree.
Santa Barbara City College does not accept for credit any transfer grades lower than 2.0. Consult the Santa Barbara City College Course Catalog for information on how transfer credits are evaluated.

A student may appeal to have their eligibility reinstated if there were circumstances beyond the student's control that prevented them from making academic progress. Your appeal will be reviewed by the SAP Appeals Committee, it is not automatic, and can be either granted or denied. If denied, you will not be eligible for financial aid. Submission of an Appeal does not guarantee approval. We recommend you plan ahead for alternative ways to fund your education. All decisions made by the SAP Appeals Committee are final. A student needing to appeal should follow the process below.

Fall 2024 Deadline: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 by 6 pm

Students not enrolled Fall 2024 may begin Appealing for Spring 2025 on December 2, 2024

Financial Aid Appeal Process - Step by Step

Meet with an Academic Counselor to create a current and updated Student Educational Plan (SEP). Make sure that your SEP matches your current enrollment.

Follow these steps to view your SEP and ensure it's current:

Log into your campus account
Click on "Starfish" (at top right)
In Starfish, click on the 3 bars next to "My Success Network" (at top left)
Select "Degree Planner"
Click on your created Student Education Plan (SEP)
To access your SEP, click on the "More" tab (to the right in the blue heading)
Select "Plan History"
Click on "View Snapshot"

IMPORTANT: SAP Appeals will be considered incomplete if SEP is not current and does not match enrollment for the current term

If you are enrolled in the Fall 2024 semester you must submit your Online SAP Appeal Form by the deadline of Tuesday, November 12, 2024 by 6 pm. No late Appeals will be accepted. Students not enrolled Fall 2024 may begin submitting their Appeals for Spring 2025 on December 2, 2024. Students enrolled Fall 2024 will be notified via SBCC email when they can begin Appealing for Spring 2025. To view a description of the different SAP Statuses please click here. You can only appeal for the current semester. It is not possible to be granted an appeal for a previous or a future semester. Identify your Academic Progress Status by logging into your campus account . This is necessary to complete the Online Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal form.

To Access the Online SAP Appeal Form:

Log into your campus account
Click on the "Student" tab
Click on "Financial Aid" link
Click on "Eligibility"
Select the "Aid Year" and click "Submit"
Click on the "Online SAP Appeal"

Please refer to step 3 for Online SAP Appeal instructions

Fall 2024 Deadline: Tuesday, November 12, 2024 by 6 pm

Instructions to Complete Online SAP Appeal

Our Online SAP Appeal system requires a One-Time account creation. Please follow the step by step instructions to create your account.

To complete and submit your Online SAP Appeal please follow the step by step instructions. It is important to follow all steps carefully in order to submit your SAP Appeal. In the 'Statement" section of the Online SAP Appeal Form please type your personal statement that explains why you did not make satisfactory academic progress. Your statement should include what circumstances beyond your control prevented you from meeting the standard(s) that you mark on your SAP Appeal form. You must also explain how this situation has changed and the steps you are taking to prevent it from happening again (for example, better utilizing campus support services). Supporting documentation that helps explain your situation can be uploaded. To view a description of the different SAP Status please click here.

Please note: This is a statement about your academic progress, not how much you need financial aid.

When you are ready to electronically sign (E-Sign) your SAP Appeal you will need to create a PIN. Please follow the step by step instructions to create your PIN.
If you forgot your PIN and need to reset it please follow the step by step instructions.
You may also choose to Opt-Out of E-Sign. Please follow the step by step instructions to Opt-Out of E-Sign.

SAP Appeal Committee Review:

The Financial Aid Office will review your appeal and once a decision has been made, you will be notified via your campus email account. Review time can take 4-6 weeks once your SAP Status is updated to "Received, Not Yet Reviewed" in the campus portal under Eligibility. Click here for instructions on how to view your unsatisfied requirements. During peak times, review can take up to 6 weeks.
If denied, students cannot appeal this decision. All denied appeals undergo through two (2) rounds of review by the Financial Aid SAP Appeals Committee for a final decision.

Due to the volume of appeals we receive we are not able to provide detailed reasons why your appeal was denied. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and cannot be appealed further at the college. You can send an email from your campus email address to Maureen McRae Goldberg, Director of Financial Aid asking for clarification. Include your SBCC K# in the subject line of your email.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

Satisfactory Academic Progress Reference: 34 Code of Federal Regulations Section 668.34