Federal regulations require students who are receiving Title IV (federal) financial aid to make careful and calculable progress toward their program to continue to receive these funds. This requirement is referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress or SAP. At AMAT, SAP standards apply to students receiving assistance from federal aid programs (Federal Pell Grant, Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans and Federal Direct PLUS Loans.

The Office of Financial Aid evaluates academic progress upon completion of each quarter after grades are reported. The review is based on the academic record including attendance. SAP measures academic performance based on one standard: cumulative grade point average (GPA).

• Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) must be maintained by all the students all the time
• SAP standards are equally applied to all students
• SAP evaluation varies by program it is performed as follow:
• For Phlebotomy, Electrocardiograph (EKG Technician), Phlebotomy, Patient Care Technician and Medical billing and coding every week.
• For Medical Assistant every week per course.
• For Diagnostic medical sonographer, courses under 170 hrs once a week, courses more than 171 hrs and under 300 hrs every 2weeks and courses more than 300 hrs every 3 weeks.

• Qualitatively: Quality of work is measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA) for each course/program using different points of evaluation as detailed in the course/program syllabus
• SAP tracking sheet is being used to cover these points of evaluation in addition to customized clinical evaluation checklists whenever needed
• A student must possess a GPA of 2.0 or higher in each course/program to maintain SAP
• The student academic progress is graded according to the following scale:

• The student who receives a final grade of “F” or W”, in a course/ program will have to repeat that course/ program in order to graduate

B. Quantitatively: Quantity of work is measured by “Pace progression” and a “maximum timeframe” in which the student must complete theeducational objective.

• Pace progression: Students must pass 85% of the course/ program attempted clock hours to meet this quantitative measure. The student is always aware of his/her pace via student portal (online). Once the student missed 10% of required hours, a warning message is sent via student portal, e-mail, phone and verbal by the instructor. Incomplete/withdrawal courses are reported butdon’t count for “pace progression”; It affects “the maximum time frame”
• The maximum time frame to successfully complete a program does not exceed 150% of the total program length. Warning letter, in addition to electronic message via student portal, will be sent once student exceeds 120% threshold of the typical program length. If the student does not complete a program within the specified time frame, termination due to unsatisfactory academic progress will be followed
• An academic progress reportis available in the student portal at the end of each course. A hard copy is available as per student request.

1. Incomplete work due to course withdrawal or failure is not included in the calculation of the CumulativeGrade PointAverage but is required to be “repeated” to fulfill graduation requirements. Once course is repeated, the most recent grade earned will replace the prior grade in the student Cumulative GPA.
2. Repeated Courses and Transferredcredit courses affect SAP quantitatively in terms of “The maximum timeframe” needed for graduation. All of them should be reported in the student’s transcript

• Early signs of unsatisfactory academic progress are reported by the instructor
•  A student scoring below 75 should be directed to the program director and
  an academic improvement plan may be needed
• A case by case study should be done by the school official to help the student achieves
  his/her academic goals
• Program director, academic coordinator, medical advisor and a legal advisor may be
  involved to develop an applicable plan
• The plan should consider, but not limited to:
  a. tutoring,
  b. counseling,
  c. rescheduling course/ program hours,
  d. use of new teaching strategies and technologies, and
  e. use of library resources
•  A follow up from the program director and academic support team should be
  maintained for the subsequent courses / programs

• is applicable in these situations:
  • Cumulative G.P.A. below a 2.0 in a specific course for 2 times
  • Cumulative G.P.A. below a 2.0 in 2 different courses within a quarter
  • Completed hours less than 85% in a course
  • At the time the student is placed on probation, an improvement plan will be developed and the probationary period set
  • Depending on the student progress during probation, the appropriate procedure is followed:
  1. The student returns to good standing:the probation is removed
  2. The student continues “Unsatisfactory Academic Progress”: the student is terminated for “Unsatisfactory Academic Progress”. The Students will be sent a letter advising them of their status and offers the opportunity to appeal

  In response to the student appeal, one of two actions may be applied:

  1. Continued Academic Probation: upon approvalof the Appealin order to give the student a chance to return to good standing. The student will get an approval letter for the appeal and be advised of continued probation status of the next course(s)
  2. Termination:upon failure to Appeal or Denial of the Appeal.

The students who received a disciplinary action or termination underSAP policy have the right to appeal as follows:

1. The student must submit a typed letter to the Program Director within five (5) days from the date of the action. This letter must contain the student information, the course/ program title, explanation of the disciplinary action and reasons why the student is wishing to appeal
2. The student must provide supportive documentation along with the letter in order to support the appeal and prove any mitigating circumstances that may have existed
3. The Program Director will hear any student who appeals a “SAP-decision” on an appointment basis only
4. The Program Director will discuss the case with the Campus Director
5. The Campus Director’s decision shall be final
6. The student will be notified of the Campus Director’s decision within fifteen (15) business days following the receipt of the student’s appeal letter

• A terminated student due to unsatisfactory academic progress is allowed one and only one chance to appeal for “Reinstatement”

1. The application is for “re-entry”, if submitted within 3 months of dismissal

• The application is for “re-admission”, if submitted within 1 year or longer of dismissal
• The student appeal must follow the above-mentioned steps including explanation of the mitigating circumstances that contributed to the academic termination and how these circumstances have been remedied or changed
• Examples of events that may be considered “a mitigating circumstance” include but are not limited to:
  1. death of an immediate relative,
  2. student hospitalization,
  3. divorce proceedings,
  4. previously undocumented disability,
  5. natural disaster,
  6. financial hardship such as foreclosure or eviction, and others

Reinstatement will be determined on a case-by-case basis by school director. Previous academic performance and financial history will be considered.