Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
INTRODUCTION
Qualitative Assessments: In addition to meeting any program-specific grade requirements, every matriculated student is required to maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA), which varies based on the number of credits the student has already attempted. Compliance with this qualitative requirement is measured quarterly. Continued failure to meet this standard after a warning (automatic) or probationary (when permitted) period, or failing to fulfill the requirements of a prescribed academic plan will lead to dismissal from the College. Probation may be granted and academic plans may be prescribed at the sole discretion of the College, only after a successful appeal by the student.
Quantitative Assessments: Students are also required to pass a minimum percentage of the credits they attempt in order to remain eligible for enrollment. Quarterly quantitative progress assessments are subject to those same warning, probation, and academic plan procedures.
QUALITATIVE STANDARDS
In order to remain in good academic standing, students enrolled in Certificate programs must maintain the GPA specified below:
|
Certificate Programs |
|
| Credits Attempted* | Required GPA |
| 0-24 | 1.50 |
| 25-36 | 1.75 |
| 37+ | 2.00 |
In order to remain in good academic standing, students enrolled in Associate degree programs (A.A.S. and A.S.) must maintain the GPA specified below:
|
A.A.S. and A.S. |
|
| Credits Attempted* | Required GPA |
| 0-15 | 1.50 |
| 16-30 | 1.60 |
| 31-44 | 1.75 |
| 45 or more | 2.00 |
In order to remain in good academic standing for academic and financial aid purposes, students enrolled in Baccalaureate degree programs (B.B.A., B.F.A., and B.S.) must maintain the GPA specified below. Students in these programs must have a GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of their second academic year:
|
B.B.A., B.F.A., and B.S. |
|
| Credits Attempted* | Required GPA |
| 0-30 | 1.60 |
| 31-60 | 1.75 |
| 61-75 | 1.80 |
| 76-89 | 1.90 |
| 90 or more | 2.00 |
*For this purpose credits attempted are all those completed that receive a letter grade (including an F, WP, Developmental and Transfer credits).
QUANTITATIVE STANDARDS
In addition to the qualitative standards set forth above, students must meet quantitative standards of progress in order to remain eligible for enrollment.
150 Percent Rule
In order to maintain the quantitative standards for satisfactory academic progress, students must be able to complete their programs after attempting no more than 150 percent of the credits required to graduate. The "150 percent rule" requires students to complete degree requirements by the time they have attempted 150 percent of the required credit hours necessary for graduation in their degree programs. For an Associate's degree requiring the completion of 90 credit hours, this would require completion of degree requirements by the time the student had attempted 135 credit hours. For a Bachelor's degree requiring the completion of 180 credit hours, this would require completion of degree requirements by the time the student had attempted 270 credit hours. Students for whom it is no longer possible to comply with the 150 percent rule before program completion will be declared ineligible to participate in Title IV or TAG programs. At the discretion of the Provost’s Office, these students may be dismissed from the College. Such decisions are not appealable.
The College includes developmental and test credits in the 150 percent metric. For students who have changed programs and/or have returned to complete additional degrees, only the attempted credits applicable to their current programs will be counted in the 150 percent calculation. Students will not be allowed to change programs without approval from Advisement.
Quarterly Progress Assessments
To help students avoid reaching the 150 percent point, the College tests student progress each quarter, based on attempted vs. earned benchmarks. Students in Associate and Bachelor’s Degrees must have earned passing grades in 67 percent of their attempted classes once they have attempted 81 or more credit hours. Students in Certificate programs must have earned passing grades in 67 percent of their attempted classes once they have attempted 37 or more credit hours.
|
Attempted vs. Earned |
|
| Credits Attempted* | Necessary Pct. Passed (Earned/Attempted) |
| 0-24 | 50% |
| 25-36 | 60% |
| 37+ | 67% |
|
Attempted vs. Earned |
|
| Credits Attempted* | Necessary Pct. Passed (Earned/Attempted) |
| 0-16 | 25% |
| 17-32 | 37% |
| 33-48 | 50% |
| 49-64 | 56% |
| 65-80 | 65% |
| 80+ | 67% |
*For this purpose, attempted credits include developmental courses, test credits, as well as all credits accepted in transfer. In addition, all credits for which a letter grade, including "F", was received as well as WP and WF (withdrawn after tuition assessment) are counted as attempted credits. Credits earned include all course work that was successfully completed (letter grade other than an "F"). In some Certificate programs the grade of C is treated as a failing grade.
WARNINGS and APPEALS
Warning of Failure to Meet SAP Requirements
Students who, for the first time, fail to meet standards will automatically be placed on "Warning" status for the following quarter. Students on Warning status may continue to be enrolled and, if applicable, maintain their eligibility for financial aid. Students who meet the SAP standards during the Warning (subsequent) quarter will be restored to good standing.
Appeals for Probation
Students who fail to meet standards during the Warning quarter may appeal to be placed on "Probation" status for the subsequent quarter. Failure to submit an appeal if required will result in withdrawal from the College. Students on probation may continue to be enrolled and, if applicable, maintain their eligibility for financial aid. Students who have met the SAP standards by the end of the probationary quarter will be restored to good standing.
Appeals for Academic Plans
Students who fail to meet the SAP standards by the end of a probation quarter may appeal again to be given academic plans customized for their needs. Failure to submit an appeal if required will result in withdrawal from the College. Academic plans, to which students must agree, are designed to allow students to achieve compliance with SAP requirements within a reasonable period of time. Students on academic plans may continue to be enrolled and, if applicable, maintain their eligibility for financial aid programs as long as they satisfy the terms and conditions of their plans.
Advisement
The College will promptly contact students placed on Warning, Probation, or Academic Plan status to offer additional academic support services.
Appeal Procedures
Students dismissed for failure to meet qualitative standards or prescribed quantitative benchmarks in quarterly progress assessments may appeal those dismissals by timely submission of online eforms. Dismissals for failure to satisfy the 150 percent rule are not appealable.
Students will be notified when their appeals have been submitted successfully. The appeals will be reviewed, as needed, by the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Review Committee, which is comprised of representatives appointed by the Provost’s Office. Decisions made by the SAP Review Committee will be based on several criteria, including any special circumstances that contributed to the failure to satisfy SAP requirements and material changes in such circumstances. Students who successfully appeal may be restored to good academic standing by meeting the SAP standards in the subsequent quarter or following their prescribed academic plans. Students whose appeals are granted will receive instructions from Advisement on how to proceed. Approved appeals will be honored for two quarters, the quarter for which they are appealing and the subsequent quarter.
Provisional Appeals
Students on Warning or Probation status who are not succeeding in their studies are encouraged to submit provisional appeals even before the end of the quarter. Provisional appeals by students who go on to meet SAP standards in that quarter will be deemed withdrawn.
Denial of an Appeal
If a failing student’s appeal is denied, the student will be notified and dismissed from the College.
Reinstatement after Dismissal or Loss of Eligibility for Financial Aid Due to Failure to Meet SAP Standards
The College will consider exceptional appeals for reinstatement of students who have not been enrolled for a minimum of three quarters. Students dismissed or declared ineligible for financial aid due to their failure to meet SAP standards may later experience positive changes in their personal circumstances that improve their chances for future academic success. Reinstatement of such students will be in the non-appealable discretion of the Provost’s Office and will be conditioned upon adherence to prescribed academic plans. Only those whose student accounts are current will be considered for reinstatement.
SAP and Transfer Credits
In measuring compliance with SAP standards, transfer credits will be considered as credits attempted and earned. Therefore, since transfer credits are ungraded but are nevertheless counted in calculating SAP requirements, transfer students may be required to earn at least a 2.0 GPA in their first quarter (and all subsequent quarters) at Berkeley in order to remain in good standing.
SAP and Repeated Courses
When a course is successfully repeated, the original failure(s) is not included in calculating the cumulative GPA or the qualitative requirements. For the quantitative SAP measure, however, each failed attempt will be included in the “courses attempted” portion of the evaluation.
SAP and Incomplete Grades
Effective January 1, 2012, initial calculations of SAP will treat incomplete grades as "F" grades until such incompletes are replaced with passing letter grades. After the first week of the following quarter, all unresolved incomplete grades will convert to "F" grades and will be treated as such in all SAP evaluations. To accommodate grade changes, final SAP calculations are made after all grades have been recorded.
SAP and Course Withdrawal
Students who drop courses will receive letter grades of either WP (withdrawn-passing) or WF (withdrawn-failing). These grades will not be considered in the application of qualitative requirements but will be counted as credits attempted for quantitative purposes.
SAP and Developmental Course Work
Effective January 1, 2012, even though they are not applied toward the number of credits required to complete a program of study, developmental credits will be included in both qualitative and quantitative SAP measurements.
SAP and Non-Matriculated Students
Students enrolled as non-matriculated students will not be held to the SAP standards. However, if non-matriculated students matriculate then all course work will be included in SAP calculations.
