There are three primary standards that all students must meet to continue receiving federal and state financial aid. These standards are based on Department of Education regulations and Tennessee Board of Regents policies and apply to all colleges and universities in Tennessee.
- 2.0 Cumulative GPA: Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA by the end of their second semester. Students whose GPA is below 2.0 at the end of their second semester at Chattanooga State will be suspended from receiving financial aid.
- 67% Completion Rate: Students must successfully complete at least 67% of the credits they attempt. This means that students must pass at least 2 credit hours out of every 3 credit hours attempted. Students who do not have a 67% completion rate by the end of their second semester at Chattanooga State will be suspended from receiving financial aid.
- 90-Hour Time Limitation: Students are allotted 150% of the number of credit hours necessary to complete a degree. Chattanooga State offers associate’s degrees which require about 60 credit hours to earn. Students who do not or cannot earn a degree before reaching 90 attempted credit hours will be suspended from receiving financial aid. The 150% credit limit applies to all credentials and is not limited to associate’s degrees.
The Grade Point Average that determines your SAP eligibility is called your cumulative GPA. All of your classes and grades that you have ever attempted will count toward your cumulative GPA.
Click here to calculate your GPA.
If you enrolled at Chattanooga State 10 years ago and return this semester, all of your credits and grades will count toward your eligibility. There is no possibility that your grades or attempted credits can be discounted from your SAP eligibility.
This also means that students can be suspended from aid eligibility after earning a perfect 4.0 GPA within a single semester if their cumulative GPA is not 2.0 or higher. A single semester of GPA will not determine your SAP eligibility. Conversely, a single semester of GPA will not result in your suspension.
The following chart displays the point values for each earned grade type. These grades factor into your Grade Point Average and the minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA that you must maintain.
|
Grade |
Points |
|
A |
4.0 |
|
B |
3.0 |
|
C |
2.0 |
|
D |
1.0 |
|
F |
0 |
Students must earn an A, B, C, or D to be considered as earning credits for an attempted course. Grades of F, W, I, AU, and FA count against your completion rate. In addition to maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA, at least 2 out of every 3 credit hours you attempt must receive a grade of A, B, C, or D in order to meet the minimum 67% completion rate requirement. Transfer and dual enrollment credits count toward the completion rate evaluation.
Click here to calculate the number of passed courses needed to reach the 67% completion rate.
Below is a chart of grades that count against your completion rate. Some of these grades count against your GPA and your completion rate.
|
Grade |
Type |
Counts Against GPA |
|
F |
Failed Class |
Yes |
|
W |
Withdrawal |
No |
|
FA |
Unearned Failure |
Yes |
|
I |
Incomplete |
No |
|
AU |
Audit |
No |
All of the college credits you attempt at Chattanooga State or any other college or university count toward your SAP eligibility. Students must submit all prior college transcripts to the Admissions & Records Office as part of the admissions process. Those transcripts will be reviewed to determine your transfer credits and transfer GPA. Transfer and dual enrollment credits count toward the 90-hour limit.
All students must be able to complete a degree before they reach 90 attempted credit hours. Students who exceed 90 credit hours and students who cannot mathematically complete their degree before they reach 90 credit hours will be suspended.
The 90-hour limit applies to transfer students and returning students. Students who transfer or return to Chattanooga State with 90 or more credit hours will be automatically suspended from aid. Additionally, students who have already earned an associate’s degree or higher will be automatically suspended from receiving aid.
The Financial Aid Office updates SAP statuses for all continuously enrolled students at the end of each semester. SAP statuses are not updated at the end of each part-of-term or session within a semester.
Students who violate one or more of the SAP standards will receive a Warning status for one semester. Students can continue to receive aid while they are in SAP Warning. Students will be suspended if they do not achieve an eligible GPA or completion rate at the end of their second semester.
Students who approach the Maximum Timeframe SAP standard will receive a SAP status of Approaching to indicate that they are in danger of being suspended in a future semester. When the student reaches 90 attempted hours or when it becomes mathematically impossible to complete a degree within 90 hours, the student will be suspended.
SAP statuses will be updated regardless of whether students have received aid. Students who are non-degree seeking or have not submitted all college transcripts will have an ineligible SAP status.
Below is a chart that shows different SAP statuses and their meanings.
|
SAP Status |
SAP Standard |
Eligible For Aid |
|
NEW |
Student has no prior college credits |
Yes |
|
GOOD |
Student is in good standing |
Yes |
|
WARNIG |
Student is failing at least one SAP standard |
Yes |
|
SUSPENDED |
Student has failed to meet SAP standards |
No |
|
APPROACHING |
Student is approaching 90 attempted hours |
Yes |
|
MAX HOURS |
Student has reached or exceed 90 attempted hours |
No |
|
ACADEMIC APPEAL |
Student has been approved for an appeal |
Yes |
|
GRAD APPEAL |
Student can only take specific classes to graduate |
Yes |
|
APPEAL DENIED |
Appeal denied |
No |
|
NON-DEGREE |
Transient or non-degree program |
No |
|
MISSING TRANSCRIPTS |
Student is missing one or more college transcripts |
No |