Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

SAP Requirements for Federal Aid

Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated annually at the end of the Spring II session.  In order for a student to receive Federal Financial Aid, he/she must meet the following requirements:

 Minimum GPA– To be in good academic standing, a student is required to earn a minimum GPA based on attempted credits as follows:

• For 0.5 – 12 credits a minimum GPA of 1.5,
• For 13-24 credits a minimum GPA of 1.75,
• Over 24 credits a minimum GPA of 2.0

• Maximum Time Frame– The credits a student has attempted* is no more than 150% of the credits normally required for the degree. For example: if the program of study requires 60 credits for a student to graduate with an Associate’s degree, then a student cannot attempt more than 90 credits.
• Pace of Progression– The student must successfully complete a certain percentage of the total number of credits that he/or she attempted according to the following (For Associate Degree Programs):

*Attempted credits are courses for which a student registered and did not drop before the add/drop period of the semester as per the schools’ academic calendar.  “Successfully completed” is defined as having received grades of “A, B, C, D, or P.”

Grades of “F, FIN, W, WA, WD, WU, INC, or Z” count as attempted credits; however, they do not count as successfully completed courses.

Incomplete Grades (INC): Incomplete grades count as attempted credits.  A student can make up the “INC” grade by the published date on the academic calendar.  If a student does not complete the course by the published deadline, the INC grade will change to a failing grade of FIN.  For more information about grades and the academic calendar, visit the Register’s Office website at https://archive.guttman.cuny.edu/students/the-hub/registrar/ 

SAP Appeal Submission on Student Forms.  

Students who fail to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) have the right to appeal to get their federal student aid reinstated. An appeal provides an opportunity for a student to demonstrate that their failure to meet the GPA, and/or credit requirements was due to extenuating circumstances. Example for such circumstances include but are not limited to medical reasons, death of an immediate family member, change in employment, military service or a significant trauma in a student’s life. Information required to be submitted for the SAP Appeal:

• Academic Success Plan
• SAP Appeal Statement
• Supporting Documentation

You can securely submit your SAP appeal on Student Forms: cuny-ncc.verifymyfafsa.com. Click here for step by step instructions on how to submit your SAP appeal on Student Forms.

STEP #1: Complete a 2022-2023 FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/

• It may take 3-5 business days for Guttman to receive your FAFSA. You will not be able to submit an appeal on Student Forms if you do not have a 2022-2023 FAFSA on file with Guttman.

STEP #2: Log Into CUNYfirst: https://home.cunyfirst.cuny.edu/

• Click on “Student Center” then select “Tasks and Holds” to view your “To Do List”. Click on the “Finaid Academic Progress Issue” item detail link for instructions on how to access Student Forms to submit your SAP appeal.

STEP #3: First-Time Users Only:

• If you are a first-time user of Student Forms, you will be required to complete the registration process. First-time users:
  • Go to cuny-ncc.verifymyfafsa.com.
  • Complete your two-step security confirmation by providing either your e-mail or phone number. Next, enter the code you received via your chosen method (email or SMS text).
  • Confirm your personal identifying information exactly as you reported on your FAFSA.
• Once completed, you now have access to Student Forms!

Note: If you have previously claimed your Student Forms account, skip Step #3 and go to Step #4.

STEP #4 Complete Your SAP Appeal Tasks on Student Forms:

Academic Success Plan

• Upload a copy of your Academic Success Plan developed with your academic advisor.
  • Your Academic Success Plan can be found on DegreeWorks. Access DegreeWorks at https://degreeworks.cuny.edu by using your CUNYfirst login credentials.
  • Once your worksheet populates, select the “Plans” tab near the top left of the page.
  • Go to the “View” menu and select “Notes”.
  • Select “Print” at the bottom of the page and save your Academic Success Plan as PDF to upload a copy.

Note: Failure to meet the conditions of your Academic Success Plan will result in the suspension of your federal student aid for the subsequent term. If you have any questions regarding your Academic Success Plan, please contact your Academic Advisor.

SAP Appeal Statement

• Submit a signed personal statement explaining the following:

1. • Extenuating circumstances that caused you to fail to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
   • What has changed that will enable you to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements at the next evaluation.
   • The steps you will take to ensure you continue to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in the future.

Supporting Documentation:

• You must provide supporting documentation to substantiate the circumstances listed in your signed personal statement; your supporting documentation must relate to the circumstances you listed. The documentation must also reflect the timeframe in which your academic performance was impacted due to your extenuating circumstances. Examples of supporting documentation include but are not limited to:

1. • Evidence (physician’s statement) of personal illness involving hospitalization or extended confinement;
   • Evidence of death (copy of death certificate) of an immediate family member or illness of an immediate family member of whom you were the primary caretaker requiring your absence from classes for an extended period of time (statement from a physician, social worker, etc. indicating your care-taking role);
   • Evidence (statement from a licensed physician, psychologist, social worker, etc.) of an emotionally disabling condition that prevented you from completing your coursework;

• Evidence (deployment orders/official documentation) of military duty, involvement with agencies or government, incarceration, or similar reasons that prevented you from completing your coursework;

1. • Evidence of financial hardship which result in increased hours worked for an extended period of time (paystubs, work schedule, or statement from employer).
   • Evidence of any other extenuating circumstances not listed above (with supporting documentation).

Note: Failure to submit your SAP appeal by the deadline date(s) indicated below will result in forfeiting federal student aid eligibility for the term in question.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Deadlines:

Note: Do not email documents containing Personally Identifiable Information (such as a social security number; name, date of birth…); you must submit your appeal on Student Forms: cuny-ncc.verifymyfafsa.com.

What to expect after you have submitted all the required information for your SAP appeal:

You will receive an email notification confirming that you have successfully completed all the tasks required for your SAP appeal. Please allow 10-14 business days for the SAP Appeal Committee to review your appeal. You may receive communication requesting additional documentation; be sure to respond promptly and upload newly requested information to avoid any delays in processing your appeal. Once the committee has received all required documentation, you will receive a final determination notification via the email you used to register your Student Forms account. Failure to submit all the required information listed above will result in your appeal being denied and you will not be eligible to receive federal student aid for the term in question. All committee decisions are final.

Note: Submission of a Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal does not guarantee approval. You are responsible for your tuition and fees charges regardless of the outcome of the SAP appeal.

Questions?

Contact the Office of Financial Aid:

financial.aid@guttman.cuny.edu

Tel: (646) 313-8011

Tel: (646) 313- 8080

Sponsored by the State of New York, the TAP grant provides tuition assistance for full-time (enrolled for 12 or more credits and/or equated credits) degree students and eligibility is based on the family’s New York State net taxable income.  Students are encouraged to apply annually and to list Guttman’s NYS TAP school code (1421) on their application.  The Higher Education Services Corporation (NYSHESC) determines the applicant’s eligibility and notifies the applicant directly of their eligibility.  Community College students are limited to three years of full-time TAP payments (for a total of 6 full-time TAP payments).  In order for a student to receive a New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), he/she must meet all of the following requirements:

Requirements for New York State Aid

To be eligible for a NYS TAP grant, the student must meet the following requirements:

• A legal resident of New York State (that is, you must have lived in the State for at least one year prior to the first term for which you are seeking payment)
• A US citizen or permanent resident
• Be matriculated (enrolled in a program leading to a degree)
• Enrolled full-time (minimum 12 credits/equated credits)
• Maintain satisfactory academic standing, academic program and program pursuit as defined by the New York State Education Department
• if dependent, a family net taxable income must be below a specified amount, or, if independent, a taxable income must be below certain specified amounts as stated on the TAP application
• Must have a U.S. high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma (administered through TASC.  Formally known as a GED).  If you graduated from a high school located outside of the United States, you may need to take an Ability-To-Benefit (ATB) exam prior to the start of your semester in order to receive a TAP award.  For more information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid at 646-313-8011.

To be eligible for a full-time TAP award, a student must register for a minimum of 12 credits and/or equated credits, which must include at least 3 credits in credit-bearing courses. These 12 credits/equated credits must be for coursework that meets the requirements of their specific degree program. A student enrolled in a two-year school cannot receive more than six semesters of TAP while completing their program.  Undergraduate TAP awards range from $500 to $4800 annually at a community college. If there is a TAP award on your CUNY financial aid award letter, note that the amount of the award is an estimate. You can go to www.HESC.ny.gov to check the status of your award.

Academic Progress Requirements (For TAP Purposes)

Meeting the New York State Academic Progress standard requires that the student (1) accumulate at least 6 degree credits by the end of the second semester and between 12-15 credits each semester thereafter AND (2) attain a minimum grade point average (GPA) as specified by CUNY for each TAP payment requested.

Grade Point Average (GPA): New York State requires each student to maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) as specified in the chart(s) below for each payment.  For example, if a student is enrolled in the third (3rd) semester of college, he/she will be at the 18th payment point awarded and must have a minimum GPA of 1.5.

Cumulative Credit Hours Earned: A student is required to have accumulated a specific number of units (credits) to maintain their academic progress for a New York State award.  For example, if a student is enrolled in the third (3rd) semester of college, he/she will be at the 18th payment point’s award. A student must have earned 15 units (credits) towards their associate degree.

NYS Academic Progress Chart

To receive payments under New York State Tuition Assistance Programs each student must maintain good academic standing.  The good academic standing requirement for New York State financial aid programs consists of both an “Academic Progress” and a “Program Pursuit” component as explained below.

Academic Progress for students who received their first NYS award in the 2010-2011 school year or after and have no remedial (non-credit) coursework their first semester, Meeting the Academic Progress Standard requires that you meet the requirements listed in the chart below:

Program Pursuit

Meeting Program Pursuit requires that you complete the specified percentage of a minimum full-time or part-time course load for each payment received.

ADA Part-Time TAP

Education Law section 661(d)(4) provides that for students who are disabled as defined by the Americans with Disability Act of 1990, “the full-time attendance requirement is eliminated. Such disabled students may be in part-time attendance, as defined by the commissioner in order to be eligible to receive payments. . .”

ADA Part-Time TAP recipients must meet all TAP eligibility requirements. Prior to the 2015-16 academic year, good academic standing was determined using the same satisfactory academic progress standard used for Aid for Part-Time Study—that was, for each ADA Part-Time TAP award, a recipient had two semesters to meet the progress standard.

Beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year, for ADA students who received their first state award during the 2010-2011 academic year and thereafter and who are enrolled less than full-time, good academic standing will be determined using new SAP standards which does not modify the requirements for disabled students, but aligns them to be equivalent with those required of full-time students.

More information can be found on the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation’s (HESC) Website.

If a student becomes ineligible for a TAP award due to the loss of good academic standing, he or she may apply for a one-time TAP waiver if the student experienced exceptional or extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. For additional information regarding the one-time TAP waiver appeal process, contact the Office of Financial Aid at financial.aid@guttman.cuny.edu.