Satisfactory Progress Requirements for Financial Aid Recipients’ Progress toward degree completion:
All financial aid recipients are expected to enroll in courses that apply to the requirements of the financial-aid eligible educational program they have selected. Students who enroll in courses that do not apply to degree requirements may lose financial aid eligibility. All students are encouraged to work with an academic advisor to track their progress toward degree completion. Students are notified of their federal and/or state financial aid status at the end of each quarter via their NWIC student email.
Federal Aid
Each quarter, students who receive federal financial aid must complete at least 67% of their cumulative and quarterly attempted credits and maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA. This applies to Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Work Study.
Warning Status: Students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress for federal aid are placed on Warning status for the next quarter. During the warning quarter, eligible students still qualify for aid. A second quarter of unsatisfactory academic progress will result in suspension of aid.
Suspension Status: Students who do not complete the Warning quarter successfully, will have their financial aid funds suspended for the succeeding quarter. Students who have not made satisfactory progress for the year will be suspended from receiving aid.
State Aid
Each quarter, students who receive state financial aid must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and complete at least 100% of their credits for which they received state aid. If a student completes less than 100%, but at least 50%, the student is in Warning status. If the student completes less than 50%, they are in Denied status. This applies to Washington State Need Grant, College Bound Scholarship, State Work Study, and Passport to College Scholarship.
Warning Status: Students who complete less than 100% of the credits for which their aid was based on, but more than 50%, are placed in Warning status, and must complete the following quarter in Good Standing.
Denied Status: Students who complete less than 50% of the credits for which their aid was based on, will be placed in Denied status. Students who do not complete a Warning quarter in Good Standing by completing 100% of the credits for which their aid was based on, will also be placed in Denied status.
Appeals
Students may have the right to appeal for reinstatement if the non-satisfactory academic progress was due to a mitigating circumstance, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, medical hardship, family emergency, or etc. Students must provide supporting documentation with their appeal. Students also have the opportunity to earn reinstatement, and may be advised to enroll for less than full-time, if their records indicate difficulty in completing 12 credits per quarter. Students may again be eligible for aid after completing a minimum of 6 credits with their own resources that results in satisfactory academic progress. It may take more than 6 credits to earn reinstatement. Please consult with the Financial Aid office on appealing for or earning reinstatement.
Other Aid
Please note other financial aid or scholarships may have separate satisfactory academic progress guidelines.