We know life gets in the way sometimes – stuff happens, and if it affects your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and your financial aid, you can appeal. Making an exception is a pretty big deal, though, and we have to be fair to everyone.

The team reviews appeal forms at our monthly meeting, so we need them all completed and turned in by the second Wednesday of each month. If you miss that deadline, your application will go to the next month's meeting. We're sorry, but we can't make exceptions. We can't review incomplete applications, either.

Decisions are based on:

• Your extenuating circumstances
• Documentation provided
• Your academic history
• Ability to prove that extenuating circumstances are resolved and/or controlled

Appeals Process

Decided to appeal? Here's what to do:

1. Go to eForms, find the FA SAP Appeal Application on the left side under Financial Aid forms, fill it out and submit.
2. Submit a typed one-page letter explaining:
   1. Why you're not currently meeting SAP standards
   2. Include relevant details, like names, dates, and relationships, etc., where you can
   3. Be honest and accurate
   4. Verify that the extenuating circumstance(s) will no longer influence your academic performance
3. Submit a degree audit report
4. Submit supporting documentation of your extenuating circumstances and how they've affected your ability to maintain SAP

Some examples of extenuating circumstances:

• Death of an immediate family member (attach a copy of the death certificate and your relationship to the deceased). Immediate family members include:
• Spouse
• Parents/step-parents
• Mother- or father-in-law
• Siblings/step-siblings
• Sister- or brother-in-law
• Children/step-children
• Dependent living in your household
• Medical illness or injury to you or immediate family member
• Illness or injury required extensive recovery time
• Illness or injury was documented
• Significant life trauma that impaired your emotional or physical health
• Includes unexpected economic hardship
• Involuntary change of employment that caused you to withdraw
• If you didn't withdraw and received failing grades, include in your statement why you didn't withdraw
• Military deployment (no arguing with Uncle Sam!)
• Unprepared for college at the time
• Lack of transportation doesn't count
• Prior degree (FA Prior Degree Appeal Application eForm)

What Happens Next

The Appeals Committee meets the third Wednesday of every month, with extra meetings in January, May and August (aligned with payment due dates for the next semester). The committee will notify you of its decision.

If you want to contest the committee's decision, you can do it in person at the next month's meeting. To schedule, call 636-922-8270 by noon on the second Wednesday of the month (1 week prior to the meeting).

Students on financial assistance suspension whose appeals have not been read/approved by the payment deadline for the semester are required to pay tuition and fees by the payment deadline to secure the classes where they've enrolled.

Appeals must be received no later than three weeks after the start of the semester – appeals received after this point will take effect the following semester.