Chapter 2: Students
- Adoption: 10/2/12
- Revised: 6/11/24
- Last Reviewed: 11/13/24 (AASC)
- Executive Team Approved: 12/3/24
- Next Review Date: 12/3/29
- Authority: Statutory Regulatory Authority: 34CFR668.20, MinnState Policy 2.9
- Custodian of Policy: Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs
Academic Standing and Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Procedure
Part 1. Purpose
This procedure sets forth the process to be used at Hennepin Tech concerning academic and financial aid satisfactory academic progress. Students are required to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of a degree, diploma, or certificate in order to receive financial aid. Federal and state work-study, loans, grants, and some scholarships are covered under this procedure. Students bear primary responsibility for their own academic progress and for seeking assistance when experiencing academic difficulty. Students are encouraged to keep a file of their grades, transcripts, and course syllabi.
NOTE: It is possible for a student to be in financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress suspension status but not be in an academic standing suspension status at Hennepin Tech.
Hennepin Tech reserves the right to withhold financial aid at any time from any students who are not performing satisfactorily at minimal standards due to an attendance pattern, and thereby forfeits the receipt of financial aid. For example, financial aid could be withheld from students who withdraw from all classes for two consecutive terms.
Part 2. Qualitative Measure of Progress
Hennepin Tech financial aid recipients are required to maintain a cumulative 2.0 or greater Grade Point Average (GPA). Federal Title IV financial aid programs and programs authorized under Minnesota Statutes 136A require Hennepin Tech to have a satisfactory academic progress procedure that applies to all students receiving financial aid under these programs. Monitoring of the qualitative standard is cumulative and commences with the first credit attempted. All periods of enrollment will be included, regardless of whether a student received financial aid for that period. A cumulative 2.0 GPA is required to graduate.
Part 3. Quantitative Measure of Progress
Subpart A. Required Completion Percentage
Financial aid recipients are required to maintain a cumulative credit completion rate of 66.67% or greater in all credits attempted at HTC. Federal Title IV financial aid programs and programs authorized under Minnesota Statutes 136A require Hennepin Tech to have a satisfactory academic progress procedure that applies to all students receiving financial aid under these programs. Monitoring of the quantitative standard is cumulative and commences with the first credit attempted. All periods of enrollment will be included, regardless of whether a student received financial aid for the period.
Hennepin Tech uses cumulative credits completed, divided by credits attempted to measure completion percentage. To remain eligible for financial aid, students are required to progress toward the completion of an academic program by successfully completing 66.67% of all credits attempted at Hennepin Tech. Courses for which students receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D, and P are included in the calculation of cumulative credit completion percentages as courses successfully completed.
Courses for which students receive a letter grade of I, NC, W, F, FN and FW will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. Audited courses (AU) are not included in the calculation.
Subpart B. Maximum time Frame
The maximum allowable time frame for students to complete an academic program is 150% of the published credit length of the program of study. For example, if the program of study is 60 credits in length, students would be eligible to receive financial aid for up to 90 attempted credits (60 x 1.5 = 90). All cumulative credits attempted are counted, including accepted transfer credits, and consortium credits, regardless of whether financial aid was received for the credits, or the coursework was successfully completed. All credits attempted at Hennepin Tech will be counted, even though a period of time may have elapsed between enrollments and regardless of whether students received financial aid for the terms and credits measured.
Part 4. Evaluation Period
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated three times each year after Fall, Spring, and Summer Term grades are recorded and prior to the 10th day of the subsequent term.
Part 5. Financial Aid Suspension and Warning
1. Maximum Time Frame
Students who have reached or exceeded the maximum number of credits permitted to complete their program of record will be suspended from financial aid eligibility. Changing majors, withdrawing from courses, and/or repeating courses can contribute to suspension of financial aid based on the standards for maximum time frame. Credits earned in the college’s developmental courses and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program do not count toward the determination of maximum timeframe. All local attempted credits and transfer credits into Hennepin Technical College count towards the maximum timeframe. Completing a major, attempting a second major, or changing a major will change timeframe calculation and allow the new count of credits to the new major less any transfer of credit. If courses in the previous major are required in the new major, they will not be counted twice in the new maximum timeframe calculation.
2. Qualitative Standard (GPA) or Quantitative Standard (Completion Percentage) Failure
Students who fail to meet the qualitative or quantitative measure at the time of evaluation will be placed on financial aid warning. Students will be eligible for financial aid during this period. Students who fail to meet the qualitative or quantitative measures at the end of the financial aid warning period will have financial aid eligibility suspended immediately.
3. Reinstatement of Students on Warning Status
At the end of the financial aid warning period, students who have met the cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards of the college will have their eligibility for financial aid reinstated by the college.
4. Suspension of Students on Warning Status
At the end of the financial aid warning period, students who have not met the cumulative qualitative and quantitative standards of the college will be suspended immediately by the college upon completion of the evaluation.
5. Continuation of Students Who Successfully Appeal a Suspension
Students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress and are suspended from financial aid eligibility have the right to appeal based on extenuating circumstances. Students who are reinstated following a financial aid suspension shall be required to have an academic plan approved by a Hennepin Tech counselor. The Academic Plan includes the Student Appeal form and the Academic/Financial Aid Suspension Appeal conditions. The students’ first term under the academic plan is a financial aid probation period. Academic plans shall specify the required term completion rate, grade point average and registration requirements for the student. Completion of student success coursework may also be added to the academic plan. Students will remain on financial aid probation as long as they are meeting the conditions of their academic plan and until they return to good academic standing. If students fail to meet the standards documented in the academic plan, they will be suspended. If at any point it is determined that students will not be able to finish the required courses to graduate from their program within 150% time frame, financial aid eligibility will be terminated immediately.
Part 6. Appeals
Any student who has been suspended from financial aid has the right to appeal their status based on extenuating circumstances. Appeals must be filed in collaboration with a Hennepin Tech counselor. The academic plan includes the Student Appeal Form and the Academic/Financial Aid Suspension Appeal conditions.
The counselor will directly communicate the results of the appeal to the student.
The SAP Committee reviews the appeal, appeals are due the Friday before the semester in which they want to return. Appeals are not reviewed for future terms until 2-4 weeks prior to the term the student is asking to return. The committee emails students the results of the appeal and the conditions of their return (if approved).
Part 7. Additional Elements
Subpart A. Treatment of Grades
Courses for which students receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or P are included in the calculation of cumulative credit completion percentage as courses successfully completed. Courses for which students receive a letter grade of I, NC, W, F, FN or FW will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed. All credits and grades in the major are included in the maximum timeframe calculation. An “I” grade automatically becomes an “F” grade at the end of the next semester (not including the summer session) if requirements have not been satisfactorily met. The faculty member has the option of setting an earlier completion date.
Subpart B. Audited Courses
Audited courses will not be funded by financial aid and are not included in any financial aid satisfactory academic progress measurements.
Subpart C. Consortium Credits
Credits for which financial aid is received under a consortium agreement will be included in cumulative GPA, completion percentage, and maximum time frame calculations.
Subpart D. Developmental Credits
Developmental credits are included in the cumulative GPA and completion percentage measurement of financial aid satisfactory academic progress. Developmental credits taken Fall 2021 semester and after are not counted in the completion percentage measurement. Up to 30 developmental credits are excluded from the maximum timeframe calculation.
Subpart E. Repeated Credits
Students are allowed to repeat a course as often as allowed by the academic policies of the college. For a course that is repeated, the original grade will remain on the transcript but will not be used in the GPA calculation. The grade earned for the most recent attempt will be used in the cumulative GPA calculation. The original course credits remain in the number of attempted credits, but are removed from the credits earned calculation.
Subpart F. Transfer Credits
Transfer credits accepted by Hennepin Tech and applied toward students’ degree, diploma, or certificate requirements to graduate will apply toward the maximum time frame calculation and percent of completion calculation.
Subpart G. Transfer Suspension
If at the point of admission transfer students’ prior academic record does not meet the MinnState college’s minimum cumulative qualitative or quantitative satisfactory academic progress standards, Hennepin Tech will place the student on academic and financial aid suspension.
Subpart H. Withdrawals
Credits for which a grade of “W” is received are considered attempted credits but not successfully
completed credits. A grade of “W” does not impact GPA, but does negatively impact the cumulative completion percentage and counts toward the maximum time frame.