At Your Service
Financial Aid & Scholarships
SRC 143, Main Campus
Tel: 847-214-7360
Fax: 847-608-5460
financialaid@elgin.edu
Hours: M-Th 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.; F 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Closed Fridays June - Aug.
Did You Know?
According to new Standards of Academic Progress policy, students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 will be placed on Academic Warning. More»
Financial Aid Policies
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
I. Authority
In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education and State of Illinois student aid regulations, ECC is required to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress to qualify for federal and state financial aid.
- The purpose of the policy is to ensure that students are making progress toward the completion of their educational programs.
- Students who do not attend, withdraw from classes, defer grades and/or perform poorly are not maintaining financial aid satisfactory academic progress and will become ineligible for financial aid.
- Minimal standards are subject to change without notice, in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education and/or State of Illinois regulations, and/or ECC Board of Trustees policy or action.
II. Financial Aid Programs Covered
The financial aid satisfactory academic progress (SAP) policy applies to students who are requesting or receiving funds from the following federal, state and ECC financial aid programs:
III. Minimum Academic Standards Requirements
This policy measures a student’s academic progress in three ways. Students must meet all three standards to be in satisfactory status.
Cumulative Grade Point Average - you must achieve at least a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on all credit hours attempted at the college.
Cumulative Completion Rate - You must complete, with a passing grade, at least 66.67 percent of all credit hours attempted at the college.
- Passing grades are A, B, C, D, CR, P, and S. These grades count as credit hours attempted and completed.
- Grades of E, F, W, U, I, AU, WF, NR, AW, and NC count as credit hours attempted, but not completed.
Note: Transferred, repeated, audited, remedial and ESL courses are used to determine if you meet the cumulative completion rate standard and the maximum timeframe standard which follow.
Maximum Program of Study Timeframe - You must complete your program of study within 150 percent of attempted credit hours relative to credit hours required to complete the program.
Example: A degree-seeking student may attempt no more than 90 credit hours to complete a 60-hour program; a certificate-seeking student may attempt no more than 45 credit hours to complete a 30-hour program.
IV. Frequency of Evaluation
- Degree-seeking students will be evaluated once a year, at the end of spring semester.
- Certificate-seeking students will be evaluated twice a year, at the end of the fall and spring semesters.
V. Satisfactory, Probation and Suspension Status
Satisfactory Status - Financial aid recipients who meet the standards in section III are in satisfactory status. Students who have no academic record at the college and are applying for financial aid for the first time are also in satisfactory status.
Note: Students who have an academic record at the college and are applying for financial aid for the first-time will be evaluated according to section III and placed in satisfactory or probation status.
Probation Status - When financial aid recipients who are in satisfactory status do not meet the standards in section III, they are placed on probation status. Since probation is considered a warning, a student is eligible to receive financial aid. If a student is degree-seeking, the probationary period is for one year. If the student is certificate-seeking, the probationary period is for one semester.
Suspension Status - When financial aid recipients who are on probation status do not meet the standards in section III, they are placed on suspension status and are not eligible for financial aid.
VI. Appeal of Suspension Status
Students on suspension status may appeal their eligibility for financial aid to the financial aid SAP appeals committee based on extenuating or uncontrollable circumstances.
- Print, complete and submit the Request for Reinstatement of Financial Aid. More»
- Attach sufficient documentation that supports the circumstances that resulted in your suspension status and how the circumstances have been resolved.
- Submit all documentation to Financial Aid & Scholarships Office within 30 calendar days of notification of your suspension status
- The student will be notified in writing of the financial aid SAP appeals committee’s decision as promptly as possible. The committee’s decision is final.
VII. Notification of Status
Financial Aid & Scholarships Office will notify you when you are in suspension status and are not eligible for financial aid. However, knowing your status is ultimately your responsibility.
If you are unable to determine your status or have questions, please see a financial aid advisor.
VIII. Notice
The college’s financial aid SAP policy is subject to change without notice to comply with federal or state regulations, or ECC Board of Trustees policy or action.