CSN Financial Aid
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

All students must maintain a 2.0 (or greater) cumulative/overall GPA for all earned credits.

• An applicant whose cumulative CSN GPA is below the 2.00 requirement is not eligible to receive financial aid.
• Only credits attempted at CSN can influence the GPA component of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

          See Reinstatement of Financial Assistance Eligibilty below

To be eligible for funds, financial aid applicants must successfully complete a minimum number of the credits they attempted during their most recent enrollment period.

• Grades of ‘F’, ‘W’, ‘I’, ‘AU’, or ‘NR’ do not count towards this requirement.
• By the end of the spring semester, applicants must have successfully earned credits according to the following chart:

All attempted credits (including repeated classes) count towards the maximum credit limitation component of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Attempted credits beyond the maximum are permitted by the College but are the financial responsibility of the student.

• Courses may be repeated with financial assistance if taken for credit.
• All repeated courses will be counted as attempted credits when calculating the Maximum Credits Limitation.
• It is the student’s responsibility to complete a degree or certificate within the maximum number of attempted credits allowed.

A financial aid applicant is automatically placed on probation if he/she begins an academic year under any of the following circumstances:

• a credit deficiency from their most recent enrollment period
• While on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation, you may receive financial aid. 

A financial aid applicant is automatically placed on suspension if he/she begins an academic year under any of the following circumstances:

• below 2.0 cumulative GPA
• a second successive enrollment period where a credit deficency exists
• over the maximum number of attempted credits allowed
• is attempting a subsequent undergraduate degree or certificate

Ways of re-gaining financial aid eligibility:

• Attend summer school at CSN, with or without financial assistance (depending upon your continued eligibility), and raise your GPA / earn credits / or both.
• GPA problem:
  • Raise your CSN Grade Point Average >= 2.0 by successfully completing additional CSN coursework without financial assistance.
• Academic Completion Rate problem:

• Take courses at CSN without federal financial aid assistance and comply with half-time (or greater) requirements listed above (see Academic Completion Rate)  OR
• Completing credit(s) at another institution after the suspension occurs that will transfer to your CSN degree program. Courses must first be approved by a CSN Academic Advisor/Counselor.

Example:

• Student was enrolled in 24 credits but only successfully completed 18. A 6 credit deficiency exists.
• Student leaves CSN and attends Nevada State College that summer.
• Student successfully completes two 3-credit classes that were recommended by the CSN academic Academic Advisor/Counselor.
• Once the transferred NSC credits are posted on the student’s academic record by CSN’s Registrar, SFS will reinstate the student provided the student notifies SFS of the successful transfer evaluation.

The student has a right to appeal if he/she cannot seek reinstatement by any of the means listed above, has reached the Maximum Attempted Credit Limitation, or is attempting an additional undergraduate degree/certificate.

Appeals process:

• Complete and submit the SFS Appeals Form.
• Provide proof of unusual or extenuating circumstances negatively affecting academic performance (i.e. illness, death, etc.) and a letter explaining how obstacles were overcame.
• Provide a tentative plan of study (developed and approved by a CSN Academic Counselor).
• The SFS Appeals Committee will review the packet and notify the student in writing of the appeal outcome.

A financial aid recipient whose circumstances require that he/she withdraw from all CSN classes should first contact SFS, Retention Services, and Academic Counseling before ceasing to attend. Consequences for withdrawing from all classes need to be clearly explained and understood.

Please do not ‘walk-away’ from your classes – advice and help is available.

Financial Aid applicants who completely withdraw from school while attending CSN are subject to the Federal Return to Title IV Policy. Federal law requires a mandatory recalculation of financial aid eligibility prorated to reflect the student’s actual period of attendance.

This may mean the student has not earned some, or all, of the financial aid paid to him/her.

The amount of assistance earned is determined on a pro-rata basis. That is, if the aid applicants attended 30% of the payment period or period of enrollment, they only “earned” 30% of the assistance.

The student separation date is the earlier of:

1. The official date recorded on the Student Information System in which the student began the official withdraw procedure; or
2. The last date of an academically related activity as determined by CSN.

• Bill Taylor enrolls at CSN for the fall semester, which is scheduled to last a total of 100 days.
• Tuition and fees charges are $1100.
• Bill receives a Federal Pell Grant for $1000 and a Stafford Loan for $1275.
• After paying tuition and fees, a credit balance of $1175 is refunded to Bill by direct deposit.

Bill withdraws after attending for 40 days, and in accordance with CSN’s withdrawal policy, he contacts the Office of the Registrar and completes the requirements.

SFS will then review Bill’s file to determine the amount of aid the student earned:

• Bill attended 40 Days:
  • 40 days attended ÷ 100 days in the semester = 40 % earned aid.
  • Bill earned 40% of the aid that was disbursed to him.

• CSN needs to return to the federal government 60% of the aid applied as payment against Bill’s charges because those funds were not earned.

  • 40% x $1100 (CSN charges) = $440 earned by CSN
  • $1100 - $440 = $660 not earned by Bill must be returned by CSN.
• Using CSN funds, the college will return $660 to Bill’s Subsidized Stafford lender. Since CSN is required by law to return $660 and uses college funds to meet that obligation, Bill now owes CSN $660.
• In addition, Bill is also responsible for returning any unearned funds provided in the original CSN refund:
  
  An additional calculation is done:
  • 40% x $2275 (total aid given to Bill) = $910 (total aid earned by Bill)
  • $2275 - $910 = $1365 total amount that must be returned.
  • $1365 (total to be returned) - $660 (returned to lender by CSN) = $705 (that Bill also owes).
• CSN will return the $660 to the lender on the student’s behalf (thus creating a debt to CSN in the same amount). The remaining $705.00 is payable under the terms outlined on his Master Promissory Note (MPN).

• NOTE: students electing to withdraw from all classes (officially or unofficially) will have a credit deficiency issue under the CSN Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.

• There are some federal financial aid that you may have been scheduled to receive that cannot be delivered to you once you withdraw because of other eligibility requirements. For example, if you are a first-time, first-year undergraduate borrower and have not completed the first 30 days of enrollment, you will not receive any Stafford or Unsubsidized Stafford loan funds.