Financial Aid

Citrus College students are evaluated against the following standards:

• Qualitative Standard: Maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
  Students must maintain a minimum cumulative of a 2.0 Citrus College GPA.
  
  
• Quantitative Standard: Pace of Progression
  Students must maintain progress by successfully completing at least 67% of units enrolled.

Progress Percentage = Total Units with (F, FW, I, NP, and W) must = 33% or less (Total Units Attempted)

Note: Grades F, FW, and NP are calculated in the GPA. However, grades I and W are not calculated in the GPA.
F - Failing
FW - Failing/Withdrawal
I - Incomplete
NP - No Pass
W - Withdrawal

Students who have completed a bachelor's degree or higher (including a foreign degree) or attempted more than 150% of the units required for their degree or certificate program at Citrus College will be will be denied financial aid.

Units attempted at Citrus College and/or units earned at all other colleges attended will be calculated into the total number of units attempted.

Up to 30 attempted units of remedial coursework at Citrus College may be deducted from the total units attempted. ESL classes are counted towards the total number of units attempted. Students who enroll in excessive remedial courses that don’t apply to their degree or certificate may exhaust their financial aid eligibility prior to completing their program.

To determine the student's GPA, the most recent grade for a repeated course will be used. All units (both current and prior) from repeated courses are counted toward the 150% maximum units a student is permitted to have. Students are not eligible to receive aid for more than one repetition of a course that has been previously passed with a grade of "D" or better.

Students who fail to meet the SAP standards for one semester due to GPA and/or Pace requirements will be placed on warning for one semester. During the warning period, students may be eligible to receive financial aid.

Students, who fail to meet the SAP standards for more than one semester, will be disqualified from financial aid. Students who have lost their financial aid eligibility may be reinstated once they demonstrate satisfactory academic progress.

Students who are denied aid due to their failure to meet SAP standards may regain Title IV eligibility by meeting the SAP standards based on their own actions or by being approved on an appeal (see Appeal Eligibility Criteria). Students who area denied aid due to not meeting SAP may be offered the opportunity to appeal the denial.

Students who do not meet the satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards may be eligible to appeal the denial of financial aid if they meet the Appeal Eligibility criteria and submit an Appeal Form by the published deadline with all supporting documentation to the Financial Aid Office. If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation during that semester. At the end of that semester, SAP will be reviewed to determine continued financial aid eligibility for the following semester.

Important: Students who have attempted 150 or more units are not eligible to appeal the denial of aid regardless of the reason. Students should see the financial aid office if they have questions.

In order for the student to be eligible to appeal the denial of aid due to:

1. Not successfully completing at least 67% of all coursework taken at Citrus College, the student must provide the following documentation that covers all periods of enrollment at Citrus College where the student failed to complete at least 67% of the courses attempted:
   1. Medical documents that support that the student was medically unable to attend classes for reasons beyond the student's control, or
   2. Verification (obituary or death certificate) of a death in the student's immediate family. Immediate family for purposes of a financial aid appeal is parents, siblings, children, spouse, or grandparents, or
   3. Verification of military orders for military personnel and their families that have been temporarily reassigned or called to active service, or
   4. Verification of natural disaster beyond the students control that impacted the student's academic performance, or
   5. Personal tragedies that are beyond the students control and is documented by a third party professional, i.e. police, courts, or medical, and
   6. Statement from the student detailing the reason for the deficiencies, what action has been taken to ensure it will not occur in the future, and
   7. A Student Educational Plan developed by Citrus College.
      
      
2. Not successfully completing courses at Citrus College with a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 of all coursework, the student must provide the following documentation that covers all periods of enrollment where the student failed to complete the semester with a semester GPA of at least 2.0:
   1. Medical documents that support that the student was medically unable to complete the semester with a GPA of at least 2.0 or higher for reasons beyond the students control, or
   2. Verification (obituary or death certificate) of a death in the student’s immediate family. Immediate family for purposes of a financial aid appeal is parents, siblings, children, spouse, or grandparents, or
   3. Verification of military orders for military personnel and their families that have been temporarily reassigned or called to active service, or
   4. Verification of natural disaster beyond the students control that impacted the student’s academic performance, or
   5. Personal tragedies that are beyond the students control and is documented by a 3rd party professional, i.e. police, courts, or medical, and
   6. Statement from the student detailing the reason for the deficiencies, what action has been taken to ensure it will not occur in the future, and
   7. A Student Educational Plan developed by Citrus College.
      
      
3. Attempted more than 150% of the units required for their degree or certificate program (total attempted units includes completed units from all other colleges), the student must provide the following documentation and meet the requirements listed:
   1. For students who have attempted more than 150% of the units required for a degree or certificate: Statement from the student detailing the reason for any deficiencies and/or reasons for remaining at this level of education and what action has been taken to ensure it will not occur in the future, or
   2. For students who have completed a degree: Explain why you are not currently using the degree you have completed and why you are returning to a community college, and
   3. Student takes coursework that is applicable to their degree or certificate program, and
   4. Student completes at minimum 67% of all courses attempted in each semester following the appeal approval, and
   5. Student completes all coursework with a semester GPA of 2.0 or higher in each semester following the appeal approval, and
   6. A Student Educational Plan developed by Citrus College.

Students may appeal (once) either for the fall or spring semester and once for the summer semester for a total of two times per the academic award year.

If a student does not submit documentation to support their appeal for all periods of deficiency, their appeal is subject to being denied. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee reinstatement.

The committee's appeal decision is final, and can only be changed on a case by case basis at the discretion of the director of Financial Aid. Once you have resolved your deficiencies and meet the satisfactory academic progress criteria, your financial aid eligibility will be reinstated.