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Federal Regulations require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress while pursuing their course of study in order to receive financial aid. In accordance with the eligibility requirements of the Federal Government, these procedures must be applied to the entire Eastern Iowa Community College District (EICC) academic history of each financial aid applicant, regardless of whether that student received any financial assistance for the prior term(s).
Academic Records
Academic records will be reviewed every term. The following factors will be considered when evaluating a student’s satisfactory academic progress:
- Withdrawals, incompletes, and failures will be counted as attempted but not earned credits.
- Passing grades received for pass/fail courses will be counted as attempted and earned credits; failing grades in pass/fail courses will be counted as attempted but not earned credits.
- Credits for repeated courses will be counted as attempted credits each time the course is repeated. Credits for repeated courses will be counted as earned credits only once and only if the last grade issued is a passing grade. The last grade issued will be used in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average (GPA).
- Courses for which the student has been granted grade forgiveness from the EICC Fresh Start Program will be counted as attempted credits, but not earned credits.
- Audited courses will not be counted as either attempted or earned credits.
- Developmental courses will be counted as both attempted and earned credits.
- Transfer, military, prior learning, CLEP and Advanced Placement credits do not count in the calculation of the cumulative GPA, but will be counted as both attempted and earned credits.
- For a student who changes programs or majors at EICC, the credits and grades from the previous program(s) or major(s) will be counted in the calculation of the cumulative GPA and counted as both attempted and earned credits.
Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must meet the requirements listed below for Maximum Timeframe, Course Completion and Grade Point Average.
Maximum Timeframe Requirement
A student is ineligible for financial aid once they have attempted 150% or more of the minimum credit hours required to receive the degree/diploma/certificate. For example:
| Program of study |
Minimum
credit hours to
receive degree |
Maximum attempted
credit hours
to receive
financial aid |
| AA Degree |
62 hours |
93 hours attempted |
| Early Childhood Education Diploma |
33 hours |
49.5 hours attempted |
| Basic Electronics Certificate |
28 hours |
42 hours attempted |
A student who exceeds 150% of the minimum number of hours required to complete their degree/diploma/certificate is placed on Financial Aid Suspension and ineligible for financial aid. The student is required to complete the remainder of the degree/diploma/certificate at their own expense unless an appeal and an academic plan are approved by the Dean of Student Development.
Course Completion:
A student must successfully earn 67% of all attempted credit hours. This will be measured on a cumulative basis. For example, if a student has attempted 24 credit hours, the student must have earned 16 credits (24 credit hours X 0.67 (67%) = 16 credit hours).
Grade Point Average:
A student must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
Financial Aid Warning
A student will be placed on Financial Aid Warning when they fail to meet the minimum Course Completion and Grade Point Average requirements.
A student placed on Financial Aid Warning is eligible to receive financial aid for one term.
Financial Aid Suspension
Financial aid will be suspended for one or more of the following reasons if the student:
- Was on Financial Aid Warning and did not meet eligibility requirements after the warning term.
- Did not earn any credits for the term.
- Exceeds the Maximum Timeframe (150%) requirement.
- Did not complete the terms of their academic plan.
Appeals of Financial Aid Suspension
A student placed on financial aid suspension may submit an appeal documenting extenuating circumstances (ex: injury or serious illness, death of a relative, job changes) that prevented them from meeting minimum standards. A student must also submit an academic plan. All appeals and academic plans must be submitted to the campus Financial Aid Office by the deadlines outlined in your suspension notification. If a student is notified of their suspension status after the deadlines specified for each term, they will be given 10 calendar days from the date of the suspension notification to submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Office. The Dean of Student Development will review the appeal request and notify the student of the result of the review through their EICC email account. The decision of the Dean of Student Development is final.
Personalized Academic Plan
A student who has been placed on financial aid suspension is required to complete an academic plan along with their appeal to regain financial aid eligibility. Only coursework required for degree completion will be allowed.
A student who is granted approval and placed on an Academic Plan will be eligible for financial aid if the student follows the provisions of the academic plan and meets the following minimum Course Completion and Grade Point Average requirements each term:
- Completes all coursework required by the academic plan.
- Earns at least a 2.0 semester GPA.
Notification
It is the responsibility of each student to track their own progress and academic standing. However, the Financial Aid Office will attempt to notify students of warning/suspension standing after the end of each term.
Title IV Financial Aid Class Attendance Policy
Students receiving federal financial aid must attend class on a regular basis AND maintain satisfactory academic progress. If a student fails to attend class on a regular basis, their financial aid could be suspended. For students who cease attending classes, the Federal Return of Title IV Funds calculation is based on class attendance records as provided by the student’s instructor(s). To establish attendance in online courses, the student must actively participate in the course by submitting assignments or by earning course points. Logging on does not constitute attendance. If the student received federal student aid and stopped attending class, they may be required to repay the aid.
Misuse of Student Financial Aid Funds
Disbursement of financial aid funds may be delayed or denied for students suspected of fraudulent activity or misuse of federal, state, or institutional funds.
Official Transcripts
EICC reserves the right to request and review official transcripts from all prior institution(s) you have attended to determine if you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress.
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