Satisfactory Academic Progress
All students are expected to maintain a satisfactory level of academic progress while enrolled at LAPC. These standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) have been established following guidelines adopted by the U.S. Department of Education. In order to maintain SAP as established by LAPC, a student must meet the items below.
For purposes of determining Satisfactory Academic Progress, each course is divided into evaluation periods. Students receive a letter grade based on the
institution’s grading system.
Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are consistently applied to all students within categories of students, e.g., full-time, part-time, and other programs established by the institution.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Maintain a minimum average grade of C (2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, or 70% on a 100% scale) throughout the entirety of the student’s program.
The administration shall review the student’s achievements at evaluation periods which are at the midpoint and at the completion of the program. For Financial Aid recipients, academic progress is evaluated at the evaluation periods,
and annually at the end of the year.
Complete his or her program of study within a maximum time frame of no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program measured in credit/clock hours attempted. For example, a student enrolled in the Computer Graphic Design Certificate Program with 480 Clock Hours has a maximum time frame of 720 Clock Hours to complete the program. Credit Hours from Transfer of Credit, if applicable, are included in the maximum time frame. Periods during which the student has formally requested and received a leave of absence or has officially withdrawn from this institution will not be considered in calculating the attendance rate or maximum time frame. The maximum time frame and projected completion dates are calculated at the midpoint of each program.
ESL Program: For students enrolled in the ESL Program, the cumulative total length of the language training is 18 months for the 6-level ESL Diploma Program and 9 months for the 3-level ESL Certificate Program.
For a student to move onto the next level of the ESL Program, the student must first meet all the requirements of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. In addition, the student must receive a grade of C (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or higher, for each of the subjects within the ESL course: Grammar, Reading & Writing, and Listening & Speaking. Any student who is unable to move onto the next level in the program will meet with the Academic Department and instructor to develop the best plan to help student improve grades.
Without receiving a recommendation from their instructor, a student may have to repeat the ESL level. Please keep in mind students may appeal their ESL placement level at any time by speaking with their instructor or the Academic Department.
Successfully complete at least 67% of the attempted hours at 100% of the program length, in order to complete the educational program within the maximum time frame. Successful completion is defined as earning a grade of A, B, or C; unsuccessful completion is defined as earning a grade of D, F, W or I (W is withdrawn and I is Incomplete).
The maximum leave for “Leave of Absence” is 90 days in a 12-month period or one-half of the enrolled program’s length, whichever is shorter. Leave of Absence is only granted to students with Satisfactory Academic Progress who have an emergency situation, such as a serious illness or a death in the immediate family. A student must provide documentation to support the emergency situation, and a written request must be given to the Student Services Director before the first day of the leave of absence unless unforeseen circumstances prevent this from occurring. If a student does not submit a written request within 14 consecutive days of absence, the student is considered withdrawn. Multiple leaves and/or an extension may be permitted provided they do not go beyond the maximum leave and the request is provided in writing.
Any student on an extended leave of absence greater than 4 weeks may require retesting upon reentry.
Please be advised that class and session arrangements upon returning from the Leave of Absence may vary depending on the current class schedule; therefore, taking a Leave of Absence is at the discretion of the student.
F-1 Visa Student: An F-1 Student may take a leave from regular course study and still be considered in-status in the form of an annual vacation if the student is eligible and intends to register for the next term. A student is eligible after he/she completes three consecutive courses or the equivalent of one academic year in good-standing. The annual vacation is limited to 12 weeks in any 12-month period or one-half the published program length, whichever is shorter.
For purposes of determining Satisfactory Academic Progress, each course is divided into evaluation periods. Students receive a letter grade based on the institution’s grading system.
Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are consistently applied to all students within categories of students, e.g., full-time, part-time, and other programs established by the institution.
Students who withdraw from the institution will be evaluated on coursework completed at the time of withdrawal. Students with incomplete coursework will be issued an incomplete grade. The incomplete grade will not be used in the grade-point calculation. On a case-by-case basis, the student has up to one session to complete the coursework for a grade; otherwise the student will receive a failing grade. The institution does not offer non-credit remedial course work. A student may repeat a module only once, with the higher grade earned being the grade on record.
Students who fail to maintain a minimum cumulative grade average of C by an evaluation period and/or fail to successfully complete 67% of the attempted credit hours at 100% of the program length will be placed on academic probation for the duration of one session for certificate programs or for one semester for the degree program. If students do not meet the minimum cumulative grade average standard by the end of this period, they will be terminated from the program of study. Probationary students who meet the satisfactory academic progress standards by the end of the probationary period will be removed from academic probation. Recipients of Title IV shall be placed on Financial Aid Warning; the probationary period should be utilized by the student to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards Requirements. However, if a student fails to earn any credits during any term of enrollment, they will be placed on NO AID status in which that student may not receive any while on dismissal.
Student attendance is evaluated at evaluation points. Students who fail to maintain the minimum 90% attendance at the evaluation points will be given a written notice of Attendance Warning from the Registrar and should correct the problem by the end of the warning period. Additionally, when a student
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is consecutively absent for 3 or more days without notification, he/she will be given a first written warning. If absence continues, a second warning will be given. A third warning warrants expulsion from the school. For Title IV recipients, if special circumstances exists, the student may submit a letter of appeal to the Financial Aid Office, please see Section (l), For Title IV recipients for full procedure.
Students who fail to correct their attendance rate by the end of the warning period will be placed on Attendance Probation. Failure to meet these requirements by the end of the probation period will result in termination from the program of study.
Students who wish to appeal for a determination that they are not maintaining the minimum Attendance requirement must submit a written appeal to the Academic Review Committee, headed by the Academic Director. The letter should describe any extenuating circumstances that the student believes deserve special consideration. The committee will evaluate the appeal and inform the student of its decision in writing. The determination of the Academic Review Committee is final.
For Title IV recipients:
– If special circumstances exist, the student may submit a letter of appeal to the Financial Aid Office within two calendar weeks from the last day of attendance for reentry into the program and reinstatement of Financial Aid. The Academic Review Committee, headed by the Academic Director, consults with the Instructor, Registrar and Financial Aid office to make a final determination on the appeal. The student will be notified in writing within two weeks from the date of the student’s appeal was received. Any denied reinstatement is final. If the reinstatement does not exceed the maximum time frame and is accompanied with documentation substantiating the extenuating circumstances, the student will be placed on Special Probationary Status for the remaining evaluation periods during which the student must maintain the minimum required attendance rate during upcoming periods and meet graduation requirements. If the student fails to meet these requirements during reinstatement, the student will be permanently terminated from the training program. See complete appeals procedure in Section (l).
Students who wish to appeal for a determination that they are not maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress must submit a written appeal to the Academic Review Committee, headed by the Academic Director. The letter should describe any extenuating circumstances that the student believes deserve special consideration. The committee will evaluate the appeal and inform the student of its decision in writing. The determination of the Academic Review Committee is final.
For Title IV recipients:
– If special circumstances exist, the student may submit a letter of appeal to the Financial Aid Office within two calendar weeks from the last day of attendance for reentry into the program and reinstatement of Financial Aid. The Academic Review Committee, headed by the Academic Director, consults with the Instructor, Registrar and Financial Aid office to make a final determination on the appeal. The student will be notified in writing within two weeks from the date of the student’s appeal was received. Any denied reinstatement is final. If the reinstatement does not exceed the maximum time frame and is accompanied with documentation substantiating the extenuating circumstances, the student will be placed on Special Probationary Status for the remaining evaluation periods during which the student must maintain the minimum required attendance rate during upcoming periods and meet graduation requirements. If the student fails to meet these requirements during reinstatement, the student will be permanently terminated from the training program.
– The letter of appeal must state the reasons the “Standards Requirements” were not met. The appeal form is accessible via hardcopy or online. If the appeal is approved by the Academic Review Committee, eligibility for financial aid will be reinstated on a probationary level (the student will be moved from a dismissal status to a probation status).
– Each appeal for financial aid must be accompanied by LAPC’s Education Plan worksheet. The Education Plan outlines that the student must meet an additional qualitative measure each term that will bring them back into compliance with the standards of the policy (ex: additional GPA or completion requirements). The student must also meet the increased quantitative measure of completion of the credit hours attempted each term under the plan. The combination of these two more rigorous standards ensures that the student is making progress toward meeting the cumulative Satisfactory Academic Progress measures outlined in sections Quantitative Measure and Qualitative Measure above. The Education Plan remains in place until which time the student has achieved Satisfactory Academic Progress, or has completed his or her program. Students who are making progress under the Education Plan will be placed on “Education Plan” status following their probationary term.
– A student under the LAPC Education Plan is required to meet with an Academic Department. Applicable students are provided contact information for the Academic Department, and responsibility rests with the student for attending the required appointment. This Education Plan is completed and signed by both the student and the Academic Staff.
– Students who fail to maintain the required measures outlined on the Education Plan will be placed on “NO AID” status. If a subsequent appeal is denied, a student who successfully achieves 67% cumulative requirement and the minimum 2.0 GPA requirement, and pays out of pocket may have eligibility restored.
– In addition, a student may also be put on a Program Plan if they appeal due to unsatisfactory based on not completing their program within the 150% time frame. While on a Program Plan, the student must only register for classes required for their current program and must successfully complete those classes. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 must also be maintained.
The SAP quantitative measurements also apply to:
– Incomplete grades, Course Withdrawals, Course Repetitions, and Transfer of Credit from other institutions. Non- credit remedial course work is not offered at LAPC. Grades of F or I (for Incomplete) are counted as hours attempted but not achieved and have a 0.00 value toward the GPA. Repetitions of coursework are counted as hours attempted. The lowest grade will be dropped and the highest grade will be used to calculate the GPA. Students who withdraw from a course will receive a grade of “W” and have a 0.00 value toward the GPA. The credit hours for the withdrawn courses are counted as attempted but not achieved.
– Transfer and readmitted students, the maximum time frame will include transferred and readmitted credits. The SAP will consider the student’s performance in its entirety, which includes courses taken in the previous program and courses in the transferred program.
– Courses taken for audit, hours via Institutional Proficiency Exams, Advanced Placement, and hours via the College Level Examination Program will not be included as a part of the student’s cumulative credit hours enrolled for maximum time frame purposes.
Students who have not met the “standard requirements” retain the right to regain eligibility by completing the number of credit hours necessary to achieve the 67% requirement and/or minimum cumulative grade point average need for their grade level. This will be at the student’s own expense. When these hours have been complete, the Financial Aid Office must be notified so eligibility for aid can be reinstated.
Failure to meet these requirements will result in the loss of aid. Programs affected by the above-listed “Standards Requirements” are:
– Federal Pell Grant
– Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
– Federal Work Study (FWS)
– Federal Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
– Federal Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
– Federal Parent PLUS Loan
– Federal Veterans Benefits
– State of California Grant (CAL GRANT)
– Scholarships
Grading System
– LAPC grades students according to the following system:
| Grade | Percentile | Description | Grade Points |
| A | 90 – 100 | Excellent | 4.0 |
| B | 80 – 89 | Good | 3.0 |
| C | 70 – 79 | Average | 2.0 |
| D | 60 – 69 | Below Average | 1.0 |
| F | 0 – 59 | Failing | 0.0 |
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes. Students must be present and on time for all class sessions. If a student drops below 90% cumulative attendance for any session, he/she will be placed on Attendance Probation. More information regarding attendance probation and appeal are found in the Satisfactory Academic Progress section (see Attendance Probation (h)-(l)). Students must also have maintained a minimum cumulative attendance rate of 90% in order to be eligible to graduate.
If a student does not submit a written request within 14 consecutive days of absence, the student is considered withdrawn.
It is the responsibility of a student to telephone in advance to advise the school when he/she will be absent or late, just as it would be necessary to inform an employer.
Excused absence shall be treated as an absence in the attendance roster but the student shall be allowed to receive make-up work.
Make-Up Policy
In general, LAPC does not allow make-up work except for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. In order to request make-up work, the student must provide appropriate documentation that justifies the absence and the necessity for a make-up assignment or exam. The student can submit the documentation to the Student Services Director who will forward the documentation to the Academic Director for review and approval. The Academic Director will confer with the student’s instructor to determine how and when the makeup work will be arranged. The timeframe for the make-up work will vary depending on the course’s progress.
Tardiness & Early Departure
A student who is late to class is considered to be tardy. Tardiness is a disruption of the learning process. Three incidents of tardiness equal one absence. Students who are more than 15 minutes late to class will receive one incident of tardiness.
An early departure occurs anytime a student departs class less than 15 minutes early from the end of class without prior approval by the instructor. Three incidents of early departures equal one absence. Students who leave more than 15 minutes early from the end of class will be considered absent.
Suspension & Termination
Students are responsible for their behavior on-campus, off-campus and online. LAPC reserves the right to suspend or terminate any student whose conduct is deemed unacceptable. Such conduct includes excessive absences, tardiness or early departures, failure to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, inappropriate behavior toward the institute’s staff, failure to abide by school rules and regulations, or any other conduct deemed inappropriate. Students who have been suspended or terminated may request reinstatement by writing to the President.
Re-entry Policy
LAPC believes in providing students with opportunities to recognize their potential; therefore, the institution takes its responsibility to evaluate each applicant for re-entry as a serious matter. Students applying for re-entry must provide a request in writing, which includes a statement detailing the reasons for applying for re-entry. The decision on re-entry is made by the Academic Director and with input from faculty members.
Withdrawal
Students who withdraw from the institution will be evaluated on coursework completed at the time of withdrawal. Students with incomplete coursework will be issued an incomplete grade. The incomplete grade will not be used in the grade-point calculation. On a case-by-case basis, the student has up to one session to complete the coursework for a grade; otherwise the student will receive a failing grade. The institution does not offer non-credit remedial course work. A student may repeat a module only once, with the higher grade earned being the grade on record.
A student has the right to withdraw from a course of instruction at any time. If a student withdraws from the course of instruction after the period allowed for cancellation of the agreement, the school will remit a refund, less the registration fee, within 30 days following the student’s withdrawal. The student is obligated to pay only for educational services rendered and for unreturned equipment. If a student withdraws for California Educational Code, Section 94318.5(e) prior to completion of the course he/she is enrolled in, the refund shall be the amount the student paid for instruction multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of hours of instruction for which the student has not received but for which he/she has paid, and the denominator of which is the total number of hours for which he/she has paid.
If the student received any equipment from the school, the student may return the equipment in good condition within thirty days from the date of the student’s withdrawal. If the student fails to return the equipment in good condition within the 30-day period, the school may subtract the documented equipment cost to the institution from the refund. The student is liable for any amount by which the documented equipment cost to the institution exceeds the refund amount calculated and must make arrangements to pay any balance due.
The drop and withdrawal periods vary depending on the length of the course as described in the table below. A prorated refund schedule for drops can be found in section VI.
Foreign students who must withdraw under special circumstances (such as returning to home country, change of status, etc.), will be required by Student Services to submit supporting documentation. Those students will be designated “withdrawal under special circumstances” in their records.
| Course Duration | Drop without “W” | Withdrawal |
| 4-6 weeks | Within 1 week (5 business days) | After 1 week (5 business days) |
| 8 weeks | Within 2 weeks (10 business days) | After 2 weeks (10 business days) |
| 12 weeks | Within 3 weeks (15 business days) | After 3 weeks (15 business days) |
| 16 weeks | Within 4 weeks (20 business days) | After 4 weeks (20 business days) |
Drop/Withdraw from Course
It is the student’s responsibility to keep up with the class schedule provided by the registrar. If a student fails to show up or attend a class that they are enrolled in without notifying the school, the course is automatically dropped and a $50 rescheduling fee will be applied to the student’s tuition account. Dropping a class may reduce a study list below the minimum required for full-time status, financial aid, minimum-progress requirement, and eligibility for residence halls and other services that require a specific enrollment status.
ESL Program Progression
For students enrolled in the ESL Program, the cumulative total length of the language training is 18 months for the 6-level ESL Diploma Program and 9 months for the 3-level ESL Certificate Program. In order to move onto the next level in the ESL Program, students must:
• Maintain a minimum grade of C, which is a 70% proficiency, in each of the subjects of the course: Grammar, Reading & Writing, and Listening & Speaking
• Maintain a minimum 90% Attendance in each course
• In addition to the above, students must receive a recommendation from their instructor to progress to the next level for each course
Without receiving a recommendation from their instructor, a student may have to repeat the ESL level. Please keep in mind students may appeal their ESL placement level at any time by speaking with their instructor or the Academic Department. Students who have to repeat a course will meet with their instructor and the Academic Department to develop a Student Educational Plan to help improve their grades. The instructor explains these policies the first day of class. Please note, LAPC limits the course of study to 36 months to accommodate any repetition of courses or extension into a specialty course such as TOEFL.
