Students who faced mitigating circumstances that may have affected their academic progress may appeal a satisfactory academic progress decision. Mitigating circumstances include the following: experiencing a serious illness or accident; the death, accident or serious illness of an immediate family member; or other mitigating circumstances beyond the student’s control. Poor time management, feeling “unprepared for school,” or other circumstances that are in a student’s control will not be accepted as mitigating circumstances. To appeal, a student must complete the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form (available on the Financial Aid page at the college’s website), provide acceptable supporting documentation, and submit the appeal within 10 calendar days of the notice of academic disenrollment date to the Office of Academic Affairs. The Scholastic Standards Committee – composed of the vice president of Academic Affairs/CAO, the registrar, and the director of the student’s trade program – will review the student’s appeal and, in the case of approval, will place the student on financial aid probationary status until all academic progress standards are met.
Students may submit a letter of appeal on the decision of the committee to the college president within five calendar days of the committee’s decision. The president’s decision will be considered final.
If a student’s appeal is approved, to continue receiving financial aid, the student must develop (with the vice president of Academic Affairs) and follow an academic plan and successfully meet the college’s cumulative GPA minimum requirements and course grade requirements. Failure to follow the plan and successfully meet the college’s stated requirements will result in disenrollment.