Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Undergraduate Programs

Advanced Technology Institute’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy for Programs measures whether eligible students are progressing at a responsible rate towards the completion of their educational objectives. Students must be in compliance with this policy in order to maintain their federal financial aid program eligibility. However, this policy applies to all students, regardless of participation in federal financial aid programs.

The evaluation points contained in the policy are designed to help identify students who would benefit from an early intervention and/or remediation. Most critical is a student’s ability to enroll in and complete courses successfully and consistently. Failure to complete courses successfully for any reason may negatively affect satisfactory academic progress. Failing courses or withdrawing from courses could also result in the loss of financial aid and academic dismissal. It is very important that students attend all registered courses and complete them successfully.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Advanced Technology Institute calculates Satisfactory Academic Progress using cumulative grade point average and measurements that include incremental completion rate and maximum time frame at specified evaluation periods.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

Grade Point Average (GPA) is a measure of scholastic performance. Student transcripts will include a module GPA and a cumulative GPA, which includes all coursework within the program of study. To calculate GPA:

• Multiply the total semester credits assigned for each course by total quality points associated with the grade earned;
• Total the grade points earned for all the courses (see the Grading Policy for grade points assigned to each letter grade) ; and
• Divide the total grade points earned by the total number of quality credits

The CGPA is rounded up to the nearest hundredth if the last digit is 5 or greater. It is rounded down to the nearest hundredth if the last digit is less than 5. (For example: 1.947 = 1.95, 1.944 = 1.94)

Example: Cumulative Grade Point Average calculation

CGPA = 64.0 (total quality points) divided by 20 credits = 3.2 or 3.0 (rounded)

Incremental Completion Rate (ICR)

A student’s ICR is calculated by:

• Totaling the number of credit hours attempted;
• Totaling the number of credit hours successfully completed; and
• Dividing the total number of credit hours successfully completed by the total number of credit hours attempted and expressing that as a percentage.

Courses for which a student receive a letter grade of “A” through “F,” a passing grade of “P” for non-foundational courses, an incomplete grade of “I,” and withdrawal grade of “WF” are included in ICR. Withdrawal grades of “W,” and “WP,” are not included in ICR. In addition, all credit hours transferred to ATI for the current enrollment are included and counted as credits attempted.

For the calculation of the ICR, there is no rounding of the percentage; therefore, if a student receives a 66.665%, and the requirement is 66.67% the student would not satisfy this evaluation point.

Example 1: After four semesters, a student has attempted 66 credits and successfully completes 40. The ICR is calculated by dividing 40 by 66, which equals 60.60%. The ICR requirement at the end of four semesters is 66.67% and Student, therefore, would not meet the ICR requirement at this evaluation point.

Example 2: After two semesters, a student has attempted 30 credits and successfully completes 15. The ICR is calculated by dividing 15 by 30, which equals 50.00%. The ICR requirement at the end of two semesters is 50%, therefore, the student meets the ICR requirement at this evaluation point.

Students must successfully achieve and maintain a 66.67 % incremental completion rate of courses attempted credits by the end of the fourth semester and thereafter.

Maximum Time Frame

A student may not attempt more than 150% of the credits in his/her program. The requirements for Incremental Completion Rate are to assure that students are progressing at a rate to complete their program within the Maximum Time Frame.

The minimum number of credit hours required for a degree at Advanced Technology Institute varies; therefore, the maximum number of credit hours that a student may attempt will vary.

Example 1: In a diploma program consisting of 50 semester credit hours, the student must complete the program within 75 attempted semester credit hours.

Example 2: In an associate degree program of 70 semester credit hours, the student must complete the program within a maximum of 105 semester credit hours.

The maximum time frame always applies to the program of study in which the student is enrolled.

Students who exceed 150% of the program credits will be dismissed from the Institute.

Academic Progress Table

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy evaluation points, required quantitative and qualitative measurements, and the corresponding actions required for failure to achieve and maintain the required academic achievements are summarized in the following Academic Progress Table:

Change of Program

For students who initiate a change of program, all course that apply to the new program wll affect the student’s CGPA, Incremental Completion Rate, and maximum Time Frame. Students who change programs must sign a new Enrollment Agreement.

Course Withdrawals

A Student may withdraw from an individual course or group of courses. A grade of W is awarded for all course withdrawals that are requested during the add/drop period if attendance is posted. Students withdrawing from a course after the first week of the term through the end of week four will receive a grade of WP or WF, which is determined by the grade earned on their last date of attendance. A grade of F will be awarded for all courses dropped during week five. A student’s last date of attendance is used to determine the grade awarded.

Students who drop a course and do not replace it with another may have financial aid eligibility, veterans’ benefits, or other financial aid impacted. In addition, changes may affect the student’s satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Therefore, the student is responsible for consulting with Financial Aid and Academic Administration to determine any implications of course load changes to their financial aid package or SAP.

Evaluation Period

An evaluation period is used to determine academic progress. Advanced Technology Institute uniquely defines the evaluation period for each student as the Institute employs a student-based semester system. At Advanced Technology Institute, each student’s semester is uniquely defined as three consecutive modules, which is 15 weeks.

All modules and semesters of a student’s continuous enrollment, whether or not the student received financial aid, are also included in the SAP review. In addition, all credit hours transferred to Advanced Technology Institute for the current enrollment for program changes are included and counted towards a student’s maximum time frame.

Minimum Academic Requirements To Graduate

The minimum academic requirements for a student to graduate are: CGPA of 2.0, 66.67% ICR, and completion of the program in no more than 150% of total program credits. Please see Graduation Requirements in this catalog for the complete list of graduation requirements.

Repeated Courses

A student enrolled in all coursework toward a certificate, degree, or diploma must be able to pass the course after
three attempts or the student will be academically dismissed.

Repeated courses due to course withdraw or failure. A course may not be repeated more than once without approval of the Director of Training or designated academic official. Grades achieved in courses that are repeated due to course withdrawal (W, WP) or failure (F, WF) will replace previous withdrawal or failing grades in the CGPA calculation. A pattern of course repetitions could cause a student to fall below the minimum standard for satisfactory academic progress. A student who is approved to repeat a course due to a failing grade (F, WF) must successfully pass the course by the third attempt. After three failed attempts the student will be academically dismissed. When a course is repeated due to a failure, credits accrue only when the student attains a passing grade for that course. Additional tuition charges apply when a student repeats courses. Students who withdraw or earn a failing grade in a course should register for the same course in the subsequent module to improve his/her academic performance.

Repeated course to improve a grade. A student may repeat a course to improve the grade and subsequently, his/her CGPA. In the case of repeated courses to improve a grade, only the highest grade earned will be calculated in the CGPA while all the credits attempted will be calculated in the ICR and Maximum Time Frame. Students are eligible for Financial Aid for only one repetition of a previously passed course. Students may be charged a tuition fee to repeat a course to improve a grade. Please see Tuition and Fees in the Financial Policies section.

Warning, Probation or Dismissal

The Academic Progress Table demonstrates the evaluation points for CGPA and ICR; failure to achieve these milestones will result in a status change that provides the student with an additional semester to improve his/her academic standing. A student who completes his/her first semester and fails to meet the minimum requirements will be placed on warning; a student on warning remains eligible for financial aid. If a student who is on warning fails to achieve the required progress at the end of any subsequent evaluation point of a warning period, s/he will be placed on probation or dismissed from the Institute. Probation may only be granted with a student’s successful appeal with an Academic Review Board (ARB). A student who is on probation remains eligible for financial aid, however, a student may remain on probation for only one semester. If a student on probation fails to achieve satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation point, the student will be dismissed from the Institute.

A student will be removed from academic warning or probation when s/he meets the requirements for satisfactory academic progress.

Please note that a student may be dismissed for academic reasons without previous academic action. In addition, at any given evaluation point, if it is determined to be mathematically impossible for the student to meet the academic requirements for graduation, the student will be dismissed.

Appealing an Academic Dismissal

In order to re-establish eligibility for Financial Aid, a student must appeal the academic dismissal by requesting an Academic Review Board (ARB). The written appeal must state the mitigating circumstances that contributed to the academic determination or dismissal. The written appeal must be supported with appropriate documentation of the mitigating circumstances with explanation on how the ircumstances have been remedied or changed. Mitigating circumstances are events that are outside the Student’s control and are unavoidable.

Examples of events that may be considered a mitigating circumstance and which has negatively impacted academic progress include but are not limited to: death of an immediate family member, student illness requiring hospitalization, divorce proceedings, previously undocumented disability, work-related transfer or change in work schedule during the modules, natural disaster, financial hardship such as foreclosure or eviction, and others.

The student may be asked to appear in person during the review process when deemed necessary by the Director of Training or request an ARB. The appeal process ends with the Vice President. Appeals may result in any one of the following actions:

• Reinstatement on probation with an academic plan where the student will be held to specific requirements which must be met by the end of the next semester. Reinstatement after dismissal will be granted only if mitigating circumstances exist.
• Denial of reinstatement.
• A student may appeal an academic determination or dismissal one time.
• A student who is granted an appeal may be reinstated and, if otherwise eligible, receive financial aid. The student must meet with the Financial Aid Advisor on campus to determine any changes to the student’s financial aid. The above minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress will continue to be applied to assess the student’s academic performance.

Reentry/Readmission After Academic Dismissal

A student who is denied an appeal is not eligible for reentry to the Institute for a period of one year. A student dismissed for violating satisfactory academic progress must appeal in writing to the Director of Training or the ARB for reentry (if within one year) or readmission (if one year or longer). If applying for readmission, the student must meet with the Director of Training at least two weeks prior to the start of the module in which the student wishes to return. Also, any student who ceased attendance and whose grades in the last module of attendance caused him or her to not meet the standards for satisfactory academic progress must go through the same appeal process. The appeal procedure described in the preceding section applies. The student must demonstrate resolution to any mitigating circumstances.

A reentry/readmission student who is granted an appeal may be reinstated and, if otherwise eligible, may receive financial aid. The student will be placed on probation at the start of the next academic module or upon reentry and may be required to meet certain additional academic conditions as specified by the Director of Training or the Academic Review Board in their decision to grant the appeal. The above minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress will continue to be applied to assess the student’s academic performance.

A student is allowed one readmission appeal after being academically dismissed.