Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

CCSN students intending to earn a certificate or degree must maintain satisfactory academic progress in an eligible degree or certificate program. Federal regulations require that the entire academic record for students who receive financial aid (Title IV funds) and international students holding F1 visas be reviewed for satisfactory academic progress, including semesters for which a student did not receive financial aid. The following requirements define satisfactory academic progress for financial aid recipients and international students at CCSN.

1. General Requirements: CCSN admits students to pursue a higher level of education and expects students to progress satisfactorily, in terms of credit granted, each semester they are enrolled at the College. A review of each student's progress will be made after each semester, beginning with students who have attempted 12 credits at CCSN. The following criteria are used to define satisfactory academic progress at CCSN.
   • Completed semester hours includes all course work earned for a letter grade.
   • Attempted semester hours includes all course work earned with a grade of W, F, or I, plus all completed semester hours. Students who have received a W or F in a course may only attempt the same course three times.
   • Transfer semester hours do not count in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average but are included to monitor completion rate.
   • Repeated course work is included to monitor completion rate.
   • Consortium course work is included to monitor satisfactory academic progress.
   • English as a Second Language courses are included to monitor satisfactory academic progress.
   • Audited courses are not included in the completion rate calculation.

2. Financial Aid (Title IV Funds) Recipients: To receive Title IV funds from CCSN, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress in his or her course of study according to the school's satisfactory academic progress policy. Students must meet the requirements listed below:

   • Students who receive financial aid must maintain a CCSN cumulative grade point average of 2.0. If a student's total grades of F, W, I, U, and AU exceed 50% of credit hours attempted overall, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension. Scholarship recipients must maintain, at a minimum, a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 to receive scholarship funds unless otherwise stated by the specific scholarship. (Defined by the Financial Aid Office as a Qualitative Measure - CCSN uses a fixed standard.)

   • Students receiving financial aid must meet the following quantitative measure with a minimum cumulative 2.0 G.P.A. during the period being reviewed:

     Credit hours attempted	Satisfactory completion rate
     9 - 12 credit hours	Must complete at least 9 credits
     6 - 8 credit hours	Must complete at least 6 credit hours
     Below 6 credit hours	Must complete 100% of credit hours attempted

     (Defined by the Financial Aid Office as a Quantitative Measure - CCSN uses a fixed standard.)

   Students must comply with current federal Title IV legislation. This information is available from the Financial Aid office or website.

3. International Students: International students must make normal or satisfactory progress toward their officially declared degree program and must maintain a minimum of 12 credits hours each semester (excluding summer) unless otherwise approved by the International Center at CCSN, to maintain their student (F-1) visa, as per Federal regulations. International (F-1) students are considered to be making normal or satisfactory progress when they:

   1. Successfully complete courses pertaining to their degree program; students who attempt a disproportionate number of courses (more than 30% of the total semester course load) outside of their established degree program are considered to not be making normal or satisfactory progress.
   2. Maintain a minimum of 12 credits each spring and fall semesters, unless otherwise approved by the International Center at CCSN; Students who fall below 12 credits without prior authorization are considered to not be making normal or satisfactory progress.
   3. Students who do not maintain 12 credits in spring and fall semesters due to receiving a grade of Incomplete (I) in more than 25% of their attempted credits for two consecutive semesters are considered to not be making normal or satisfactory progress.
   4. In accordance with CCSN's Academic Probation and Suspension Policy, international students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Students whose cumulative GPA is below 2.0 for two consecutive semesters are considered to not be making normal or satisfactory progress.
   5. Students who are considered to not be making normal or satisfactory progress risk termination of their F-1 status. The International Center makes the determinations regarding an international student's immigration status on a case by case basis.
       

   International students enrolled in CCSN who hold F1 visas must be advised of these requirements by the CCSN International Center.