Satisfactory Academic Progress

What are the Academic and Progress standards for the California College Promise Grant (CCPG)?

The California College Promise Grant requires students to have a cumulative completion rate (progress) of 50% or higher and a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or higher to be eligible for the California College Promise Grant. Minimum academic and progress standards at El Camino College are defined in the Loss of California College Promise Grant (CCPG) Policy.

Loss of CCPG Policy (PDF)

 

Your SAP/Loss of CCPG status can be accessed on the Financial Aid Self-Service Portal. Please check to verify if you need to submit an Appeal Form using the online application. If you are in warning, please do not submit an appeal as it cannot be pre-approved for the following term.

Students who lost their federal financial aid due to not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and/or students who lost the California College Promise Grant (CCPG) due to not meeting Academic and Progress Standards, can file an appeal online.

To get started, check for a Sap Status notification email sent to your ECC email address. The notice will provide your current SAP Standing and a link to the appropriate SAP & Loss of CCPG Appeal based on your current SAP standing. 

There are three different SAP appeal forms available:

SAP STANDING	APPEAL LINK
Financial Aid Disqualification	SAP and Loss of CCPG Appeal Form
Maximum Time Frame in Good Standing	Max Timeframe Appeal
Maximum Time & Financial Aid Disqualified	Max Timeframe and Loss of CCPG Appeal

 

If you need help with your appeal attend a SAP & Loss of CCPG workshop or visiting the Financial Aid Lab in SSB-229. Please refer to the acceptable reasons for submitting an appeal as outlined in the Appeal Form. The Appeal Form must be submitted with a current, counselor-approved comprehensive Educational Plan or Lock-in-List (Max Time Frame). Incomplete appeals will be denied.

The SAP & Loss of CCPG Appeal forms are available online. It can be submitted from any computer, tablet, or phone. A comprehensive Educational Plan or Lock-in-List (Max Time Frame Only), Academic Transcript and additional supporting documentation can be easily uploaded. Please take the time to collect you required documents before starting the appeal. Incomplete appeals will be denied so read the instructions to understand what you need to provide.

If you have questions or need a paper version of the Appeal Form, please visit the Financial Aid office to request a printed version of the Appeal Form.

If you exceed the maximum time frame to complete your program you will need to submit a SAP Appeal for Maximum Timeframe and meet with a counselor to complete a Lock-in-List (LIL).

The LIL is a special education plan that is given to students who need to file an appeal because they have attempted 150% of the units required to complete their degree program. The only courses that are placed on a LIL are those required for the student to receive a degree or certificate from El Camino or to transfer to a four-year institution.

Students on an approved LIL may not be paid for repeated courses, nor may they change their degree objective or transfer major or receive financial aid (with the exception of the CCPG) for courses that are not listed on their LIL. Students on a Lock-in-List are placed on Financial Aid probation and must maintain a grade-point average of at least 2.0 and complete at least 67% of units attempted each semester.

You can request someone to contact you for a LIL Appointment for a Maximum Time Frame Appeal. 

The Appeal Form must be submitted with a current, counselor-approved educational plan. All appeals for Satisfactory Academic Progress must include a Comprehensive Education Plan or Lock-in-List (Max Time Frame Appeal Only) that includes all coursework required to complete an associate degree, a vocational certificate of at least sixteen units, or plan to transfer to a four-year college or university.

Below are some of the extenuating circumstances and examples of supporting documentation that may be considered for an appeal.

Reason for Appeal	Examples of Documentation
Illness or injury, including but not limited to, behavioral health conditions, of the student, immediate family member or other significant person	Documentation verifying onset or circumstance and duration of illness or situation (doctor's note, hospital records, accident/police report, etc.)
Death of a relative or other significant person	Death certificate, obituary notice, funeral program, or other documentation supporting the circumstance and the date of the occurrence
Being a victim of a serious crime, including but not limited to, domestic abuse, even if the crime was not reported or did not result in criminal prosecution or liability	Documentation verifying the situation (Police reports, court documents and written statements )
Complications with an existing disability which contributed to poor academic performance	Documentation verifying the situation (Documentation from a medical professional, hospital, or the Special Resource Center)
Extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the student (Natural Disaster, Change in Economic Situation, Family Circumstances, Etc.)	Documentation verifying the extenuating circumstance that includes the date of the occurrence
Homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless	Documentation verifying the circumstance. Students who are unable to obtain documentation verifying homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless should contact the financial aid office to meet with the Homeless Youth Liaison.
Loss or change in employment	Documentation verifying the circumstances and dates of changes to economic situation such paycheck stubs or bank statements (Please remove any Social Security Number or account numbers from the documents submitted)
Loss of access to personal or public transportation	Documentation verifying the date transportation was lost
Loss of childcare	Documentation verifying the date childcare  was lost
Newly diagnosed disability which contributed to poor academic performance	Documentation verifying the situation (Documentation from a medical professional, hospital, or the Special Resource Center)
Pregnancy, birth of a child and complications due to pregnancy	Documentation verifying the situation (Documentation from a hospital or  medical professional)
Change of major	Applies to maximum time frame appeals only, documentation can include the Lock-in-List and written statement

 

 

1. Forgetting to attach your Educational Plan or Lock-in-List to the appeal
2. Not explaining every term in your appeal you did not meet SAP
3. Submitting the appeal with the wrong ECC Student ID#
4. Not having an acceptable reason to appeal which includes:
5. Dissatisfaction with course material, instructor, instructional method, or class intensity.
6. Lack of motivation or interest.
7. Participation in extracurricular activities.
8. Academic overload or attempting too many units.

The California Chafee Grant is a federally funded grant administered by the California Student Aid Commission also known as CSAC.  SB 150 allows Chafee Grant recipients a more flexible SAP policy than other forms of aid.

 

Chafee Grant Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards

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Students who fail to make SAP for two (2) consecutive semesters, must meet with an academic advisor to develop an educational plan for improving their academic progress or update an existing plan to have continued Chafee Grant eligibility.

Students who continue to fail to make SAP for three (3) consecutive semesters must once again meet with an academic advisor to develop an educational plan which will enable the student to succeed with their educational goals.

Students who fail to meet SAP standards for four (4) consecutive semesters shall lose Chafee grant eligibility.  The student will receive a written notice of the process for appealing the loss of the Chafee grant.

The student will automatically regain Chafee Grant eligibility if one of the following applies:

• The student achieves either a 2.0 GPA during the previous term or a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
• Submits documentation that demonstrates the existence of an extenuating circumstance that impeded successful course completion in the past but that has since been addressed such that the student is likely to demonstrate satisfactory Academic Progress in the future.
• Provide evidence of engagement with a supportive program either on campus, such as Guardian Scholars or EOP, or off campus program that is assisting the student make continued academic progress.

A student who loses Chafee grant eligibility due to SAP who is not enrolled for one or more semesters will regain eligibility upon future enrollment at ECC.

To learn more about this program, visit chafee.csac.ca.gov or call (888) 224-7268, or email your questions to studentsupport@csac.ca.gov with “Attn: Chafee” in the subject line, or write the commission to:

 

California Student Aid Commission

Specialized Programs Operation Branch

Attn: California Chafee Grant Program

P.O. Box 419029

Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9029

Fax: (916) 464-7977