All students receiving federal and/or state financial aid must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in accordance with institutional, federal and/or state guidelines. All periods of enrollment at Hill College must be counted, including semesters where the student did not benefit from financial aid. There are three components included in the standards that compose satisfactory academic progress: cumulative grade point average (GPA), successful completion of courses, and time frame.

Students will be allowed to repeat a course one time and be awarded federal aid when receiving a grade of I, W, F, or S.

Blank grades or I's will be considered failing until a letter grade replaces the incomplete or blank grade and will count in the completion rate. Students are responsible for advising the Office of Student Information Services when I's have been completed. A grade of 'D' will be considered failing in the Vocational Nursing program.

In addition to the standards indicated below, a Financial Aid Administrator may use professional judgment to terminate financial aid eligibility. This may occur in a situation such as when a student falls extensively below a satisfactory academic standard and does not have a reasonable chance to meet the standard requirements by the end of the semester, or when a student fails all of their courses in a term.

 


Components of Satisfactory Academic Progress

A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 must be maintained upon the completion of each semester. Grades of A, B, C, D, F, and S will be included. Grades of W, and I are not included in the GPA. Transfer hours that apply toward the determined major will be included in the cumulative financial aid GPA calculation when the grades are posted on the Hill College transcript. For financial aid calculation purposes, remedial classes are counted in the GPA.
67% of all hours attempted each semester must be completed to successfully maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Hours attempted are measured according to enrollment on census date. Grades of F, W, and I are counted towards total hours attempted but not successfully completed each semester. For financial aid calculation purposes, remedial classes are counted in the completion rate.

Federal guidelines stipulate that the maximum time frame for successful program completion may not exceed 150% of the published length of the program. Transfer hours that apply toward the determined major will count in the maximum time frame allowed. Repeated credits and remedial classes are counted in the maximum time frame calculation. Students who exceed the 150% maximum time frame limit will no longer be eligible to benefit from financial aid at Hill College.


  • Students may change majors while attending Hill College. Only the hours that transfer to the new major will count towards the student's maximum time frame. However, excessive major changes can result in a suspension status. Financial Aid cumulative GPA standards still apply.

  • Students enrolled in remedial (developmental) classes only are eligible for federal assistance. There is a limit of 30 total hours for remedial course work. Remedial hours attempted beyond the 30 hour limit will not be included in course load for determining enrollment status for Title IV payment purposes.

Evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards (SAP)

Academic progress is evaluated at the end of the fall, spring and summer semesters. All students receiving Title IV aid will be evaluated regardless of the number of hours enrolled. All course work will be evaluated whether or not the student received financial aid.

Notification of a student's probation or suspension status will be posted on the student's Campus Connect account. Students are responsible for accessing their MyFinAid account to review their Financial Aid SAP status at the end of the fall, spring or summer semesters.

Financial Aid Warning

This is a warning semester. Students who fail to meet one or more of the stated SAP standards during a long semester will be placed on financial aid warning. Students on warning will be eligible to receive financial aid during the next semester.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students currently on warning, and who fail to meet one or more of the stated SAP standards will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students on financial aid suspension will not benefit from financial aid, including student loans until the minimum SAP standards are met. Students on financial aid suspension are encouraged to continue their enrollment at Hill College. The student is responsible for payment of courses.


Appeal Procedure

Students who wish to appeal a suspension must submit the  Online Admissions/Financial Aid Appeal form (under the Students tab) at least 45 days prior to the end of the semester that the student is requesting financial aid. Students should be prepared to provide supporting documentation.  Until a decision is made, students should make arrangements for payment of tuition, fees, books and supplies.

Appeals may be requested for, but are not limited to the following circumstances:
  • personal tragedy;
  • significant illness or injury;
  • death of a family member;
  • change in degree/major; or
  • lapse of time since your previous enrollment at Hill College.
Appeals will be reviewed by a Hill College Student Navigator. The student will be notified of the decision. If the appeal has been approved, financial aid eligibility will be restored accordingly. Future eligibility will be determined by meeting the requirements set forth in the approval.

Students, whose appeal is denied, may within 10 days of receiving notification submit a second appeal. The second appeal will be reviewed by the Director of Student Information Services. Students may be placed on an Academic Plan if they can come into compliance prior to finishing their current program.  If a student cannot come into compliance prior to finishing their program, financial aid will be denied.

Dropping or Withdrawing from Courses

Reducing a student's enrollment during any semester may have a significant penalty. If a student is considering withdrawing from one or more courses but not all OR resigning from college after their financial aid has paid, the student should contact the Office of Student Information Services to determine how this may affect their financial aid. This may include the following:

1) the student may be required to return some or all of the financial aid paid to their student account which is calculated by the federal Return to Title IV process.

2) the student may be considered 'deficient in attempted hours' and not making progress according to  SAP.

3) the student may go into repayment on federal loans if the student is enrolled less than half time for a period of time greater than the 6 month grace period or the grace period may be lost.


Hill College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment.  The college does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in the administration of its educational programs, activities, or employment policies.