Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Undergraduate Programs

Advanced Technology Institute's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for Undergraduate Programs measures whether eligible undergraduate students are progressing at a responsible rate towards the completion of their educational objectives. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain their continued financial aid eligibility.

The evaluation points contained in the policy are meant to identify students who would benefit from an early intervention and/or remediation. Most critical to this policy is a student's ability to enroll in and complete courses on a consistent and successful manner. Failure to complete courses successfully for any reason may negatively affect satisfactory academic progress. Failing courses or withdrawing from courses could result in the loss of financial aid and academic dismissal. It is very important that students attend all registered courses and complete them successfully.

Advanced Technology Institute calculates Satisfactory Academic Progress using both qualitative (cumulative grade-point-average (CGPA) and quantitative measurements (incremental completion rate (ICR) and maximum time frame).

1. Cumulative Grade Point Average:

Undergraduate students must achieve and maintain at least a 2.0 (or "C" average) cumulative GPA by the end of the third semester and thereafter.

A student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is calculated by:

Multiplying credits for each course by grade points associated with the grade earned;
Totaling the grade points earned for all the courses; and
Dividing total grade points earned by the total number of quality credits.

2. Incremental Completion Rate:

In addition to the maximum number of credits undergraduate students may attempt while pursuing their degree, they must also successfully complete 67% of the cumulative attempted credits at Advanced Technology Institute in accordance with the table below. Credits attempted are those hours a student is registered for at the conclusion of the add/drop period each five week term. All classes for which a student is registered after that date will be included. Successfully completed course work is defined as the total number of hours which a student receives a grade of A, B, C, or F.

A student's incremental completion rate (ICR) is calculated by:

Totaling the number of credit hours attempted;
Totaling the number of credit hours successfully completed; and
Dividing the total number of credit hours successfully completed by the total number of credit hours attempted.

3. Maximum Time Frame

A student may not attempt more than 150% of the credits in his/her program (or remaining credits in his/her program in cases where the student brings in transfer credits). In the case of advanced standing due to transfer credits, challenge exams, etc., the number of credits will be reduced to reflect the transfer courses and the maximum time frame is then calculated based upon those credits. Students who exceed 150% of the program credits will be dismissed from the Institute.

For instance, the minimum number of credit hours required for an undergraduate degree at Advanced Technology Institute varies, therefore the maximum number of credit hours that a student may attempt will vary.

Example 1: In a diploma program consisting of 50 semester credits, the student must complete the program within 75 attempted credits.

Example 2: In an associate's degree program of 70 semester credits, the student must complete the program within a maximum of 105 credit hours while pursuing their degree.

The maximum timeframe always applies, regardless of how many times a student changes majors or if he/she is pursuing multiple majors or degrees.

Evaluation Period

An evaluation period is used to determine academic progress. Advanced Technology Institute uniquely defines the evaluation period for each student, as the Institute employs a student-based semester system. At Advanced Technology Institute, each student's semester is uniquely defined as three (3) consecutive terms, which is 15 weeks. In a student's first semester, a student who is not making satisfactory academic progress will be placed on warning and remains eligible for financial aid. At the end of each successive evaluation period, a student who is not making satisfactory progress will be placed on probation or suspended from attendance. At the end of a probation period, students who are unsuccessful in achieving academic progress in accordance with this table will lose financial aid eligibility and will be academically dismissed from Advanced Technology Institute. Students not meeting the SAP requirements will be notified accordingly via email at the end of each evaluation period.

All terms and semesters of a student's enrollment, whether or not the student received aid, are also included in the SAP review. In addition, all credit hours transferred to Advanced Technology Institute for the current enrollment are included and counted towards a student's maximum time frame.

Credits Attempted

Credits attempted include any time a student receives a grade for a course. This includes the letter grades of "A" through "F," a passing grade of "P," an incomplete grade of "I," and a withdrawal with no grade penalty of "W." Courses for which a student enrolls but then drops during the add/drop period at the beginning of a session is not counted as credits attempted for the Satisfactory Academic Progress calculation.

Minimum Academic Requirements to Graduate

The minimum academic requirements for a student to graduate are: CGPA of 2.0, 66.67% ICR, and completion of the program in no more than 150% of total program credits. Please see Graduation Requirements in this catalog for the complete list of graduation requirements.

Academic Progress Table

Evaluation Period Semester	Required Minimum CGPA*	Incremental Completion Rate Completion % of Credits Attempted	Required Action/ Academic Status These statuses apply to both academics and financial aid
1	1.50	40% of credits attempted	Warning
2	1.50	50% of credits attempted	Probation (if on Warning) or Dismissal (if on Probation)
3	1.75	60% of credits attempted	Probation or Dismissal (if on Probation)
4 and each semester thereafter	2.0	67% of credits attempted	Probation or Dismissal (if on Probation)

Warning, Probation or Dismissal

The table above demonstrates the evaluation points for CGPA and ICR; failure to achieve these milestones will result in a status change that provides the student with an additional semester to improve his/her academic standing. A student who completes his/her first semester and fails to meet the minimum requirements will be placed on warning; a student on warning remains eligible for financial aid. If a student who is on warning fails to achieve the required progress at the end any subsequent evaluation point, s/he will be placed on probation; as a student on probation remains eligible for financial aid, however, a student may remain on probation for only one semester. If a student on probation fails to achieve satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation point, the student will be dismissed from the Institute.

A student will be removed from academic warning or probation when s/he meets the requirements for satisfactory academic progress.

Please note that a student may be dismissed for academic reasons without previous academic action. In addition, at any given evaluation point, if it is determined to be mathematically impossible for the student to meet the academic requirements for graduation, the student will be dismissed.

Appealing an Academic Dismissal

In order to re-establish eligibility for Financial Aid, a student must appeal the academic termination by requesting an Academic Review Board (ARB). The written appeal must state the mitigating circumstances that contributed to the dismissal. The written appeal must be supported with appropriate documentation of the mitigating circumstances with explanation on how the circumstances have been remedied or changed. Mitigating circumstances are events that are outside the students control and are unavoidable. Following is an example list of events that indicate there may be a mitigating circumstance which has negatively impacted academic progress: death of an immediate family member, student illness requiring hospitalization, divorce proceedings, previously undocumented disability, work-related transfer during the term, change in work schedule during the term, natural disaster, financial hardship such as foreclosure or eviction, and others.

The student may be asked to appear in person during the review process when deemed necessary by the Campus Director of Academic Affairs or the ARB. The appeal process ends with the Campus President on each campus. Appeals may result in any one of the following actions:

Reinstatement on probation with an academic plan where the student will be held to specific requirements which must be met by the end of the next semester. Reinstatement after dismissal will be granted only if mitigating circumstances exist.
Denial of reinstatement

A student may appeal academic dismissal one time.

A student who is granted an appeal may be reinstated and, if otherwise eligible, receive financial aid. The student must meet with the Financial Aid Advisor on campus to determine any changes to the student's financial aid. The above minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress will continue to be applied to assess the student's academic performance.

Procedures for Reentry/Readmission after Academic Dismissal

A student denied an appeal is not eligible for reentry to the Institute for one year. A student terminated for violating satisfactory academic progress must appeal in writing to the Campus Director of Academic Affairs or the ARB for reentry (if within one year) or readmission (if one year or longer) at least two week prior to the start of the term in which he/she wishes to return. Also, any student who ceased attendance and whose grades in the last term of attendance caused him or her to not meet the standards for satisfactory academic progress must go through the same appeal process. The appeal procedure described in the preceding section applies. The student must demonstrate resolution to any mitigating circumstances.

A reentry/readmission student who is granted an appeal may be reinstated and, if otherwise eligible, receive financial aid. The student will be placed on probation at the start of the academic term and may be required to meet certain additional academic conditions as specified by the Campus Director of Academic Affairs or the Academic Review Board in order to grant the appeal. The above minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress will continue to be applied to assess the student's academic performance.

A student who has been dismissed and wishes to transfer to another Advanced Technology Institute campus must appeal his/her dismissal at the originating campus and receive reinstatement prior to the transfer. A student is allowed one and only one reentry/readmission appeal after being academically terminated.

Grade Report

Grade reports are posted in the Advanced Technology Institute Student Portal following the completion of each term. Students receiving a failing grade will be required to meet with a Program Director or designee to develop an Academic Success Plan (ideally prior to registering but at the latest prior to the last day to drop/add for the next term) that details a specific plan for academic recovery. This plan may include actions such as mandatory tutoring, periodic advising as well as taking a reduced number of courses.

An incomplete grade will convert to a failure grade, if the remaining work is not completed by the end of the add/drop period of the next term, unless otherwise approved by the Campus Director of Academic Affairs member.

Course Withdrawals

Students are charged tuition and fees and receive grades for the credits attempted. Student enrollment status for purposes of academic achievement and financial aid determination is based upon course attendance. A pattern of course withdrawals could cause a student to exceed the maximum time frame allowed for program completion and therefore fall below the standard for satisfactory academic progress. Additional charges may also result.

Interruption of Enrollment

When a student withdraws prior to graduation, the student may re-enter Advanced Technology Institute within five years and retain full academic credit provided the course(s) is still applicable to the program.

After one year, examination may be required when skill proficiency and significant curriculum changes are involved. Students re-entering will be charged tuition and fees at the rate in effect upon their re-entry. These re-entering students will also be required to assume the curriculum taught at the time of re-enrollment.

Repeated Courses

A student enrolled in all undergraduate coursework toward a degree or diploma must be able to pass the course after three attempts or the student will be academically dismissed.

Change of Program

Students will be allowed one change of program and the student may change his or her program at any point of his or her enrollment. The following changes are NOT considered a change of program:

Change from a day program to an evening program of the same program
Change from a diploma's program to an AOS's program in the same program

Courses that apply to the second major will be recorded as earned credit and will affect the student's CGPA. For ICR purposes earned credit applied to the new program will reduce the total number of credits that must be attempted within the program. Therefore, the maximum time frame is one and one-half times the number of credits remaining to complete for the program. Students who change programs and students who change session times within the same program must sign a new program enrollment agreement.

Veterans Administration – Requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress

Non-degree seeking students

Students taking an Institute course in a Non-Degree status and receiving VA educational benefits must maintain a 70% or a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in each course to be considered making satisfactory academic progress. If a student does not make a 70% or a 2.0 GPA in any course, the student will be terminated from enrollment and will be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for unsatisfactory progress.

If a student is absent for three (3) consecutive days in any course, the student will be dismissed from the Institute, assigned a failing grade, and will be reported to the Department of Veterans Affairs for Unsatisfactory Progress. Should a student be determined to be in an Unsatisfactory Progress status, the student must wait a period of 30 days to be eligible to re-enroll in a course.