SAP Requirements

Federal and State financial aid regulations require College of San Mateo (CSM), to establish, publish and apply qualitative, quantitative and incremental standards by which CSM can determine whether a student requesting and/or receiving financial aid is maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in his/her course of study. Financial Aid recipients are required to have a declared major and enrollment in a Title IV eligible program.

Qualitative: The quality of a student’s academic progress is measured by the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA). Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on a scale of 4.0. Courses completed with a grade of A, B, C, D, or P will be considered acceptable for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Quantitative: The CSM Financial Aid Office measures academic progress by the cumulative number of units a student has attempted and completed.

A. Maximum Time Frame: All financial aid students will be expected to complete their program within 150% of the published length of the program. Students enrolled in 60 unit AA/AS, 4-year transfer, or vocational programs will be expected to complete their program by the time they attempt 90 units. Students enrolled in vocational programs of less than 60 units will be given a maximum time frame (attempted units) that is 150% of their chosen program's length.

B. Pace Rate: It is expected that financial aid students will make continuous and steady progress towards their educational goals, referred to as Pace Rate. To measure whether students are progressing in their course of study within the maximum time frame, SMCCD will evaluate the Pace Rate of financial aid students after each term (Fall, Spring and Summer). At the end of each term, students will be expected to have completed at least 67% of all units attempted. Classes with grades of A, B, C, D, and P (Pass) are considered to have been completed. Classes with grades of F, NP (No Pass), I (incomplete), and RD (grade delayed) will not be considered as completed. All classes taken at other institutions through a consortium agreement will also be included in the Pace Rate assessment.

Associate Degree or Transfer Program maximum time frame is 90 units.

Increments: The academic progress of financial aid students will be evaluated after each payment period. Progress will be evaluated after grades for the previous term are posted.

Financial Aid Warning: When the academic progress of financial aid students is evaluated, students whose cumulative GPA is below 2.0 OR whose cumulative Pace Rate is below 67% will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. In addition, students who are either transferring to a SMCCD college or who are continuing SMCCD students, but never previously applied for financial aid, will be placed on Financial Aid Warning if their cumulative GPA is below 2.0 OR if their cumulative Pace Rate is below 67%. Students on Financial Aid Warning will be eligible for financial aid during the term that they are placed on warning. After the warning term, if a student's GPA AND/OR Pace Rate meet the District's minimum standard, the student will no longer be on Financial Aid Warning. Students who do not meet the GPA and Pace Rate standard will be deemed ineligible and required to appeal. If the appeal is approved, they will be placed on Financial aid Probation.

Financial Aid Probation: Students who have two consecutive or three cumulative evaluations where they fail to maintain the minimum GPA OR Pace Rate requirements will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. In addition, students who exceed the maximum time frame will be placed on Financial Aid Probation.

Financial Aid Office
College Center Building 10, Room 360
csmfinancialaid@smccd.edu
(650) 574-6146 Phone
(650) 574-6304 Fax