Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
All students attending Summit Salon Academy must abide by the Academy’s satisfactory academic progress policy during their enrollment. A copy of the SAP policy is given to each student prior to enrollment and is applied consistently to all students, regardless of whether the student is full-time or part-time.
Explanation of SAP
The U. S. Department of Education requires that students who receive Title IV financial assistance meet minimum standards of academic performance and progress to maintain their eligibility for financial aid. Summit Salon Academy has incorporated those standards into its own and requires all students to meet the standards of SAP identified below.
The SAP policy tells you:
- What cumulative grade-point average you need to maintain.
- How quickly you need to move toward graduation (for instance, how many clock hours you should have successfully completed by the end of each SAP evaluation point).
- How a grade of incomplete, a withdrawal, a repeated course, or transfer of clock hours from another school will affect your satisfactory academic progress.
- How completing one Summit Salon Academy program of study and enrolling in another program at the school may affect your satisfactory academic progress.
- How often will the Academy evaluate your academic progress.
- What will happen if you fail to meet the SAP standards at any evaluation point.
- When you can appeal the Academy’s decision that you have not made satisfactory academic progress and the conditions for that appeal; and,
- How you can regain satisfactory progress and, if you are a Title IV student financial aid recipient, how you can regain eligibility for federal student aid after failing a SAP standard.
All students are required to meet the standards of academic performance that are outlined in the sections below and they are evaluated regularly to determine that the standards are met. These standards have multiple components:
- A minimum cumulative grade point average requirement (CGPA);
- A minimum successful completion rate based on all clock hours attempted (taken); and,
- A maximum time frame (MTF) requirement to successfully complete all required clock hours for your program of study.
As described below, each student must achieve the minimum CGPA of 85% within the MTF established, achieving the required completion rate of 70% at each evaluation point. Failure to meet these standards may result in dismissal from the program and in ineligibility to earn the diploma.
Maximum Time Frame (MTF)
The MTF is calculated using the total clock hours required for each program and is computed from the very first clock hours in which the student enrolled and originally began his or her studies in the program.
The MTF that any student must complete his or her program of study is 150% or 1.5 times the total number of clock hours required for the program of study. The following table shows the MTF for each Summit Salon Academy program.
Cosmetology Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 1500 Hours
Maximum Time Frame
- 2250 Hours
Barber Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 1200 Hours
Maximum Time Frame
- 1800 Hours
Full Specialist Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 600 Hours
Maximum Time Frame
- 900 Hours
Skin Care Specialist Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 700 Hours
Maximum Time Frame
- 1050 Hours
Massage Therapy Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 750 Hours
Maximum Time Frame
- 1125 Hours
Spa Therapies Program
Total Clock Hours Required
- 900 Hours
Maximum Time Frame210
- 1350 Hours
Example of How MTF Works:
The Cosmetology program requires 1500 clock hours to complete. Any student in the program who receives a passing score in each course taken without failing or dropping any course will complete the program after completing those 1500 hours.
Students who fail or drop a course will have to repeat the course, which means the student has to take more clock hours to earn the 1500 clock hours that must be successfully completed to complete the Cosmetology program.
The maximum number of clock hours that a student can attempt (take) to successfully complete the required 1500 clock hours is 1125, or 150% (1.5) times the normal 1500 hours.
MTF for Transfer Students
The MTF will be adjusted for students who successfully transfer in clock hours earned from other institutions. The total number of hours the student will need to complete his or her program after receiving transfer hours will be multiplied by 1.5 to determine that student’s MTF.
Any student who does not successfully complete the program within the MTF cannot earn the diploma for his or her program.
SAP Evaluation Points
Summit Salon Academy reviews the academic performance of every student on an established schedule of evaluation points. The table on the following page identifies those evaluation points for each program.
*Students who must take over-contract hours will be evaluated for academic progress after the completion of each course or salon practice/exercise.
Cosmetology Program
- 450 Hours
- 900 Hours
- 1200 Hours
Barber Program
- 450 Hours
- 900 Hours
- 1050 Hours
Full Specialist Program
- 300 Hours
Skin Care Specialist Program
- 350 Hours
Massage Therapy Program
- 375 Hours
Spa Therapies Program
- 450 Hours
Actions for SAP Failure
A student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if both of the following conditions are met:
- The student has a CGPA of at least 85% for all courses taken during his or her enrollment; and,
- The student has successfully completed at least 70% of all clock hours attempted during his or her enrollment.
A student who does not meet both requirements is subject to one or more of the actions indicated below.
Financial Aid Warning
For the first time that any Title IV-recipient student’s CGPA falls below 85% or the successful completion rate falls below 70% of all clock hours attempted, that student will be placed on financial aid warning until the next evaluation point.
The student will have until the next evaluation point to raise the CGPA to 85% or higher and/or the completion rate to 70 or better.
Academic Warning
A student not receiving Title IV aid whose CGPA is below 85% or whose successful completion rate is less than 70% of all clock hours attempted for the first time will be placed on academic warning until the next evaluation point.
Financial Aid Probation
A Title IV student who does not meet the minimum SAP standards by the next evaluation point after being placed on financial aid warning will lose eligibility for financial aid and will be placed on financial aid probation.
If the student files a successful written appeal for reinstatement based on mitigating circumstances, the student will remain on financial aid probation but will have his or her financial aid eligibility reinstated for one payment period. The student must agree to accept and comply with all terms and conditions of an academic improvement plan prepared by the Education Director.
If the student does not meet minimum SAP standards by the end of the payment period but is complying with the academic improvement plan, the student may continue to receive Title IV financial aid.
If the student does not meet minimum SAP standards by the end of the payment period and does not comply with the academic plan, he or she will be academically dismissed.
Title IV students whose appeals were not accepted will remain on probation for one evaluation period but will not be eligible for financial aid.
Title IV students who did not appeal will also not be eligible for financial aid but will remain on probation.
Academic Probation
A non-Title IV student who fails to meet the minimum SAP standards by the next evaluation point following academic warning will be placed on academic probation. Students who have been placed on academic probation may appeal that action based on mitigating circumstances. If the appeal is successful, the student will be removed from probation but must achieve SAP by the next evaluation point or will be academically dismissed.
Non-Title IV students whose appeals were not accepted as well as those who chose not to appeal will remain on academic probation until the next evaluation point. They must accept an academic improvement plan prepared by the Education Director and must comply with the terms and conditions of that plan.
The student must meet the required SAP standard by the next evaluation point or must be satisfying all terms and conditions of his or her academic improvement plan. Otherwise, the student will be academically dismissed from the college.
Appeals
Any student who has been placed on financial aid probation or on academic probation for the first time but thinks that there were mitigating circumstances that caused him or her to fail the SAP standard(s) may file a written appeal. The appeal, with supporting documentation of the mitigating circumstances, must be submitted to the School Director, who will make the decision whether to accept the student’s appeal.
The appeal must follow the guidelines listed below.
- The appeal must be in writing.
- The appeal must be based on verifiable mitigating circumstances such as injury, illness, death of a relative, or a major circumstance beyond the student’s control.
- The student must appeal within 5 days of the notification of the probation determination.
- The student must be able to complete the program within the 150% maximum time frame. No appeal will be allowed for any student who cannot graduate within the maximum completion time frame.
- The appeal must outline why the student could not maintain satisfactory progress and what conditions have changed that would allow the student to complete the program within the maximum time frame.
- The Academy will develop an academic plan to assist the student in regaining SAP by the next evaluation point or in making progress toward doing so.
Appeals will be reviewed on a case by case basis. The Academy will notify the student of the results of the appeal as soon as possible, but no later than 5 business days following the decision of an appeal. If a Title IV recipient’s appeal is denied, all Title IV financial aid will be terminated. The student would then be considered as a Non-Title IV recipient student and would be placed on academic probation.
Re-establishing Satisfactory Academic Progress
A student who has failed SAP can only regain satisfactory academic progress by achieving a CGPA of 85% and a successful completion rate of 70% of all clock hours attempted. Satisfactory progress must be attained before the maximum time frame, MTF, is reached for the program.
Re-establishing Financial Aid Eligibility
A Title IV student who has been placed on financial aid probation will have his or her financial aid eligibility reinstated upon successful appeal based on mitigating circumstances.
Any Title IV student whose appeal was not accepted or who did not appeal but who attains the required SAP standard or is complying with the academic improvement plan by the next evaluation point will be eligible for reinstatement of his or her financial aid.
Academic Dismissal
Any student who fails to meet SAP at the end of Financial Aid Probation or Academic Probation period will be dismissed from the Academy.
Any student who has been academically dismissed will not be considered for readmission to Summit until the next new class start date. The student must first submit a written request for readmission to the Academy director, explaining how changed circumstances will permit the student to resume and successfully complete their studies.
If that request is approved, the student will have to do the following: reapply for admission; satisfy all admissions criteria in effect at the time; satisfy any outstanding financial obligations to the institution; and, retake any failed classes before proceeding to other courses.
Any student who cannot successfully complete all of his or her program within the 150% maximum time frame is not eligible for readmission.