CS: Local Configuration Guide - Financial Aid - SAP Configurations
Purpose: This document is a sub-set of Local Configurations excerpted from the larger Financial Aid Configuration Guide and is specific to local configurations associated with Satisfactory Academic Progress monitoring. This guide explains necessary tables needed to set up an institution in the PeopleSoft system.
Audience: Financial Aid staff responsible for maintaining local configuration, Financial Aid SAP Processors, Campus Solutions Business Analysts
For more information on managing the Satisfactory Academic Progress business process, please refer to the SAP Business Processing Guide.
For more information on running the SAP Processes, please refer to the ctcLink Reference Center section dedicated to guides on processing FA SAP.
The Define SAP Set Up Criteria 'component' (a set of pages/tabs that shares a single navigation) is comprised of 5 pages (tabs) used to establish the standard rules for determining a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status for eight tests. Each test is activated with a check box. The rules are designed to be failure rules, meaning if a student’s actual test value matches a configured rule, the test fails. If a student’s actual test value does not meet a configured rule, the student receives the Career Pass Default Status code for that test defined in the SAP Setup.
The component is Effective Dated, which enables a college to make changes that apply as of the effective date while retaining previous rows to chronicle the history of changes.
The sections in this guide detail what is locally configurable on each of the pages within the SAP Define Set Up Criteria component. For better processing performance, keep the rules as simple as possible
The following links can be used to skip ahead to a specific SAP test.
Before modifying SAP configurations, it is always recommended to first add a new Effective Dated row by selecting the '+' button. Before resuming batch processing, it is always best to test configuration changes in a test environment to ensure that the program is working as expected.
Use the Setup page on the SAP Define Set Up Criteria component to establish the Status Codes, Severity, and Default SAP Status values for the Academic Institution and Academic Career.
When the SAP process is run either by individual student or in batch using the process scheduler, SAP is processed based on the configuration settings defined. The process generates a SAP Status update to the satisfactory academic progress value on the Student SAP page, showing the results of each active test. Upon completion of the process, the highest severity SAP status code(s) from those active tests run will become the final SAP Status and appears on the Student SAP page and on the student's Packaging Status Summary page.
The Set Up Activation field defines whether the SAP setup is active or inactive for the Institution and Academic Career, which impacts whether the SAP field is editable on the Packaging Status Summary page for a student.
When an Academic Institution has any Academic Career set to Active on the Setup Activation Field, the Satisfactory Academic Progress value on a student's Packaging Status Summary page is set to display only and there will be a SAP Details link.
When an Academic Institution has all Academic Careers set to Inactive on the Setup Activation Field, or if Academic Careers are not defined, the Satisfactory Academic Progress value on a student's Packaging Status Summary page is editable and the SAP Details link is not shown.
No SAP processes (online, batch, or simulation processes) will run successfully for student SAP records in Academic Careers with a Setup Activation Field value of Inactive.
In the SAP Setup section colleges can make Effective Dated changes that apply as of a specific date. To view prior effective dated rows, ensure that either the Include History button (recommended) or Correct History button at the bottom of the page is selected. Select the View All link to the side of the Effective Date or navigate through each row by selecting the left and right arrow navigation options. This can help in researching what may have happened due to a previous configuration setting when attempting to triage a student record with a confusing SAP history, especially if there have been changes over time in the staff managing this configuration over time at your college.
Before modifying SAP configurations, it is always recommended to first add a new Effective Dated row by selecting the '+' button.
Under the SAP Setup section, in the SAP Process Type subsection, set the SAP Process Type field to either Term (recommended) or Aid Year.
- Term (recommended) - Processing is for a single term, which is defined on the Define Evaluation Term page.
- Aid Year - Processing is for multiple terms, which is defined on the Define Evaluation Aid Year page.
Under the SAP Setup section, in the Status Codes subsection, establish the SAP Calc Status codes and their Severity, Description(s), and SAP Status (outcome) values.
- Calc Status - This section establishes the four-character codes used in the Default SAP Status sub-section below it, the calculated status for each test evaluation, and the overall satisfactory academic progress status for the Statuses and Actions rules test (defined on the Criteria 1 tab). It is important that your SAP status codes are relevant and define your student population. Colleges can define their own SAP codes; it is not required that these be globally defined, but be sure you have a code that represents a passing status, such as MEET.
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Severity - Enter a number to control the priority order of Status Codes. Be sure to leave a small gap in the numbering in case you later decide to add a Calc Status code that ranks between two existing status values. The Severity enables prioritization of the SAP Status Codes and will determine the Calc SAP Status code for a student if the student has differing Calc Status results (code) each of the 8 SAP Tests that a college chooses to have actively run when SAP processes.
- The code with the highest severity number becomes the (final) Calculated SAP Status code.
- Short Description - Enter a brief description of the Calc Status code.
- Description - Enter a detailed description of the Calc Status code.
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SAP Status - From the drop-down menu, select one of the pre-defined (translate) values to associate with each Calc Status. This status appears in the Satisfactory Academic Progress field on the student's Packaging Status Summary page. Two options are available:
- Not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress
- Meets Satisfactory Academic Progress
If the new Solution Design is approved to resolve the issue of S & P Grades triggering a failure to meet the Minimum Current GPA a new SAP Status value of "NGPA" will be recommended to add to this Status Code value set. If this code is not added when/if the customized solution is in place the system will default to the Undetermined Default Status value outlined in the configuration below.
Keep in mind that when/if the "NGPA" value is added, a corresponding entry will also be needed in the Statuses and Actions section to ensure a prior term's SAP Status of "NGPA" can properly compare to the current Calculated SAP Status.
When establishing or maintaining (in a new effective dated entry), be sure that each Severity number is unique and that the most severe Status Code has the highest Severity number assigned to it.
Under the SAP Setup section, in the Default SAP Status subsection, set the Calc Status values that align with the intended 'Default' status the SAP Processing programming logic will use when it meets the condition listed.
Each field has a specific programming behavior that triggers its application to a student's SAP Status. Select the appropriate code established in the Status Code section above that aligns to the intent of the program.
- No Prior Academic History Default Status - If a student does not have any prior student career term record data, this default status is assigned.
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Undetermined Default Status - If a calculation cannot be determined for a student due to missing information, this default status is assigned to both the specific test and as the Overall Calculated SAP Status. Examples of missing information are:
- No Special GPA when the Use Special GPA Code option is selected.
- Academic Standing is blank.
- There is no cumulative or current GPA.
- Career Pass Default Status - If a student does not meet the rules defined for a particular test, this status is assigned. If a student has been evaluated for other tests but has no fail statuses for those tests, this default status is assigned as the final Calc SAP Status.
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Exception Fail Default Status - If any career, term, or aid year exceptions exist on a student's Maintain Student SAP Data page and the test fails using these exceptions, then this default status is assigned. The process always checks for student-specific exceptions first, which are maintained on the Maintain Student SAP Data page, Exceptions tabs).
- If the student has exceptions defined and the process does not fail using those exceptions, it then assigns the Career Pass Default Status and the test stops evaluating, bypassing other existing student data normally used for the test.
- Zero Earned Units Default Status - If a student's earned units is equal to 0 for either the Current Earned Units or Cumulative Earned Units calculation, this default status is assigned.
It is recommended that the SAP Code associated with the Exception Fail Default Status default be set to the highest severity of the "Not Meet" status codes.
Use the Criteria 1 page (tab) in the SAP Define Set Up Criteria component to configure Statuses and Actions rules (used for Pass 1 evaluations) and to define rules for the Quantitative Tests: Academic Standing, Max Attempted Units, and Max Attempted Terms.
The Statuses and Actions functionality compares the Student SAP Status from the previous term to what the program is currently calculating as the highest severity SAP Status from all active tests, and results in a Final SAP Status as configured in the rules setup. The Statuses and Actions rules feature is always executed for the Pass 1 online process (Calculate SAP button on the Maintain Student SAP Data page) and is an option when running the SAP Process in batch. This configuration is only used during a Pass 1 evaluation, which applies to students who have no breaks in enrollment between the SAP term currently being calculated and the previously evaluated term. It is not used for a Pass 2 evaluation for students with a break in enrollment between the previously enrolled term and the current term being evaluated.
To activate this functionality, check the Use Statuses and Actions box and the configuration section will appear.
The program compares the configured Previous SAP Status to the SAP Status of the previously calculated term. It then checks the configured Calc SAP Status value against the SAP Status with the highest severity level calculated on the current term being evaluated. If those match one of the established rules in this configuration, then the SAP Status for the current term being evaluated will be set to the Final SAP Status in that particular rule setup.
When planning out the configuration of rules colleges must take into account which consecutive SAP statuses should result in an alternate, likely more punitive status than when taking a single term into account. Make sure that all possible desired scenarios are accounted for. If the SAP process cannot find a rule match for the Previous SAP Status and Calc SAP Status values in the configuration, then the final SAP Status will be the status with the highest severity level from the active SAP tests used in the evaluation.
Fields in the Statuses and Actions setup section:
- Previous SAP Status - The SAP Status for the most recently calculated term or aid year status value to be evaluated.
- Calc SAP Status - The calculated SAP Status with the highest severity level for all tests used in the current term being evaluated.
- Final SAP Status - The resulting SAP Status to be set for the current evaluation term or aid year if a student's Previous SAP Status and Calc SAP Status match the values selected in this row.
Statuses and Actions rules are only evaluated for Pass 1 processing at this time; however colleges are seeking an enhancement to enable the use of this configuration even for students who have a break in enrollment and would trigger a Pass 2 calculation.
The Academic Standing rules allow colleges to designate the Academic Standing values in the CS Core area that can trigger a SAP Status change in Financial Aid. To activate this test, check the Use Academic Standing Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear.
Academic Standing rules are configured by Academic Career, Academic Program, and Academic Plan. They are intended to identify students who are not meeting Academic Standing and may be ineligible for financial aid. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing Academic Standing statuses and non-passing SAP Statuses. Leaving the Academic Program and Plan blank will assess all Program/Plans within that career. If a rule match is not found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code.
Fields in the Academic Standing Test setup section:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Academic Standing - Select an Academic Standing status in the context of the Academic Program and Academic Plan, if selected, to associate with a SAP Status. If blank or a row for the term does not exist, the Undetermined Default Status code is used.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP Status to use if the Academic Standing value from Student Records matches this setup.
The Maximum Attempted Units test defines the maximum units a student can attempt before their SAP Status is affected. To activate this test, check the Use Max Attempted Units Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP Statuses. This test configuration is comprised of two parts: Maximum Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria and Max Attempted Units Rules.
Students whose transcripts were not converted, but were manually built, will not have Course Exclusions for Remedial Coursework identified and excluded for their Attempted Units by this process, since those manually built transcript records are not being accounted for in the student enrollment record.
By default, the Maximum Attempted Units test only counts the units attempted at the institution and does not include any transfer units. The total units attempted at the institution are summed from student enrollment, counting units that are within and prior to the term or aid year being processed. The SAP process uses either the Units Taken value or, if that value is zero, the Financial Aid Progress Units value from the student's enrollment to gather this sum of units attempted at the institution. In order for the units to be included for the most recent term, the student must be enrolled in the maximum term past the fully graded date. Audited units are not counted.
If Course Exclusions are set up on the Exclusions page (tab) and the student is enrolled or has enrollment history in any of the defined courses, then those units are subtracted from the attempted unit calculation up to the maximum values set on that page.
The transfer units are then added to that sum from Student Career Term (Term History) based on the Maximum Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria selection (the options selected by checking each box) on the SAP Setup.
You can select any or none of the following options for including transferred units in the attempted units calculation:
- Towards GPA - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for any term prior to or including the term being processed as included in GPA units.
- No GPA - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as no GPA units.
- Course Credit - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as course credits.
- Test Credit - Counts test credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- Other Credit - Counts other credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- TC Units Adjust - Reduces the Maximum Attempted Units Total by the Transfer Credit Adjustments amount on the Student Career Term table for any term prior to or including the term being processed.
If no transfer unit options are selected, then the Maximum Attempted Units test only includes units attempted at the institution.
The Max Attempted Units Rules setup should cover the entire range of units by Academic Career; by Academic Career and Academic Program; or by Academic Career, Academic Program, and Academic Plan. If no rule match is found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. The ranges and statuses that are set here are to find students who are not making progress.
Fields in the Max Attempted Units Rules setup section:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Attempted MAX Units From - Enter the starting number for the range of attempted units that a student can attempt for a corresponding status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 100 is the starting number, it is included in the range.
- Attempted MAX Units To - Enter the ending number for the range of attempted units that a student can attempt for a corresponding status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 100 is the ending number, it is included in the range.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP status code to use when the student's attempted units value falls within the range of this rule.
The Attempted Max Units From and Attempted Max Units To fields create a range of numbers applied to the Max Attempted Units rule. Ensure that the numbers do not overlap with each other or with a range in another row that defines a different status for the same Academic Program or Academic Plan. Your number ranges can overlap if they apply to different Academic Programs or Academic Plans.
The Maximum Attempted Terms test is based on the number of attempted terms by Academic Career, as indicated by the Student Enrollment record. This test defines the maximum terms a student can enroll in before their SAP status is affected. The configuration rules setup can establish different maximum term ranges and corresponding SAP Status for colleges with short and long term programs that might have different term maximums.
The ranges of terms and the corresponding configured SAP Statuses that are set here are to find students who are not making progress. Students who meet the rules set up are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To activate this test, check the Use Max Attempted Terms Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear.
A term is counted if units are taken, Enrollment Status is "enrolled" for the term, and at least one course in that term is not audited.
A term is not counted if the student either completely drops or audits all courses in that term.
If a student has a career-specific exception on the Maintain Student SAP Data page, that is evaluated first.
The rules setup should cover the entire range of units by Academic Career; by Academic Career and Academic Program; or by Academic Career, Academic Program, and Academic Plan. If a rule match is not found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. The ranges and statuses set here are to find students who are not making progress.
The Max Attempted Terms Rule values function as outlined below:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Max Terms From - Enter the starting number for the range of terms that a student can enroll for a corresponding status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 10 is the starting number, it is included in the range.
- Max Terms To - Enter the ending number for range of terms a student can enroll for a corresponding status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 10 is the ending number, it is included in the range.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP status code to use when the student's attempted terms value falls within the range of this rule.
The Max Terms From and Max Terms To fields allow for the configuration of a range of number values applied to the Maximum Attempted Terms rule. Ensure that the numbers do not overlap with each other or with a range in another row that defines a different status for the same Academic Program or Academic Plan. Your number ranges can overlap if they apply to different Academic Programs or Academic Plans.
Students whose transcripts were not converted, and instead were manually built, will not be identified by this process as having exceeded the maximum terms of enrollment, since those manually built transcript records are not being accounted for in the student enrollment record.
Set up rules for Qualitative Tests: Minimum Current GPA, Minimum Cumulative GPA, Current Earned Units, Cumulative Earned Units, and Two Year GPA.
The Minimum Current GPA test determines the lowest current GPA that a student can have and still be eligible for financial aid. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To activate this test, check the Use Min Current GPA Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear.
This test evaluates both the student's Current GPA and Cumulative Earned Units. The Cumulative Earned Unit value used in the comparison for this test is not derived in the same way as it is for the Cumulative Earned Units Test. Instead, the value is taken directly from the Total Cumulative Units field on the Student Career Term table for the term being evaluated.
A Special GPA Code (not currently used by colleges) can be selected to use a student's Special GPA for comparison in SAP processing.
If a Special GPA Code is not selected, the student's Current GPA is used instead and is compared to the setup rules. If a student has an aid-year or term-specific exception on the Maintain Student SAP Data page, that is evaluated first.
Colleges are currently not using the Special GPA functionality. If the Special GPA field is populated in the Minimum Current GPA Test configuration, but does not exist, the Undetermined Default Status code will be used.
The Minimum Current GPA Rules setup should cover the entire range of units by Academic Career; by Academic Career and Academic Program, or by Academic Career, Academic Program, and Academic Plan. If no rule match is found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. The ranges and statuses that are set here are used to find students who are not making progress.
The Minimum Current GPA Rules values function as outlined below:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Cum Earned Units From - Enter the units value of the range of cumulative earned (passed) units to identify the minimum GPA range used to determine which SAP status should be used.
- Cum Earned Units To - Enter the units value of the range of cumulative earned (passed) units to identify the maximum GPA range used to determine which SAP status should be used.
- MIN Cur GPA From - Enter the minimum value of the range of minimum current GPA used to determine the SAP status.
- MIN Cur GPA To - Enter the maximum value of the range of minimum current GPA used to determine the SAP status.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP status code to use if a student meets the rules of this test.
The Cum Earned Units From and Cum Earned Units To fields and the MIN Cur GPA From and MIN Cur GPA To fields allow for the configuration of a range of number values applied to the Minimum Current GPA rule. Ensure that the numbers do not overlap with each other or with a range in another row that defines a different status for the same Academic Program or Academic Plan. Your number ranges can overlap if they apply to different Academic Programs or Academic Plans.
The Minimum Cumulative GPA test evaluates both the student's Cumulative GPA and Cumulative Earned Units. The Minimum Cumulative GPA test examines whether a student's Cumulative GPA falls within the specified GPA range in relation to the specified range of Cumulative Earned Units. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To activate this test, check the Use Min Cumulative GPA Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear.
If a student has an Aid Year-Specific or Term-Specific Exception, that is evaluated first. If a student has a Career-Specific Exception, that is evaluated second. Otherwise, the program will use the rules defined in setup.
The Cumulative Earned Units value in this test used in the comparison for this test is not derived in the same way as it is for the Cumulative Earned Units Test. Instead, the value is taken directly from the Total Cumulative Units field on the Student Career Term table for the term being evaluated.
A Special GPA Code (not recommended) can be selected to use a student's Special GPA for comparison in SAP processing.
The Cumulative GPA is used by default if a Special GPA Code is not selected. The Cumulative GPA value is determined from the Student Career Term record (Cumulative Statistics tab of the Term History page). This is the Total Overall GPA including transfer units from student career term, and is pulled from the most recent enrollment term that has passed the fully graded date for that term. If the student has had a break in enrollment between the most recent enrollment term and the current SAP term being calculated, then program does not look to the Fully Graded Date, and pulls the Cumulative GPA value from the most recent term previous to the term being calculated.
Colleges are currently not using the Special GPA functionality. If the Special GPA field is populated in the Minimum Cumulative GPA Test configuration, but does not exist, the Undetermined Default Status code will be used.
The Minimum Cumulative GPA Rules setup should cover the entire range of units by Academic Career; by Academic Career and Academic Program, or by Academic Career, Academic Program, and Academic Plan. If no rule match is found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. The ranges and statuses that are set here are used to find students who are not making progress.
The Minimum Cumulative GPA Rules values function as outlined below:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Cum Earned Units From - Enter the units value of the range of Cumulative Earned (passed) units to identify the minimum GPA range used to determine which SAP Status should be used.
- Cum Earned Units To - Enter the units value of the range of Cumulative Earned (passed) units to identify the maximum GPA range used to determine which SAP Status should be used.
- Minimum CUM GPA From - Enter the minimum value of the range of Minimum Cumulative GPA used to determine the SAP Status.
- Minimum CUM GPA To - Enter the maximum value of the range of Minimum Cumulative GPA used to determine the SAP Status.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP Status code to use if a student meets the rules of this test.
The Cum Earned Units From and Cum Earned Units To fields and the Minimum CUM GPA From and Minimum CUM GPA To fields allow for the configuration of a range of number values applied to the Minimum Current GPA rule. Ensure that the numbers do not overlap with each other or with a range in another row that defines a different status for the same Academic Program or Academic Plan. Your number ranges can overlap if they apply to different Academic Programs or Academic Plans.
The Current Earned Units test compares the student's Current Earned Units and Current Attempted Units and assigns an SAP Status Code. You can choose to measure by either Percentage (recommended) or Completed Units. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To activate this test, check the Use Current Earned Units Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear. If the student has zero completed units, the Zero Earned Default Status is used. The ranges and statuses set here are to find students who are not making progress.
The Current Attempted Units value used in the comparison for this test is calculated from institutional units only. Units are summed from student enrollment from the aid year or term being evaluated. The process uses the Units Taken value or, if that value is zero, the Financial Aid Progress Units. The student must be enrolled in the maximum term past the fully graded date. Audited units and transfer units are not counted, and Grade Exclusions are not factored in.
The Current Earned Units value used in the comparison for this test is calculated in one of two ways.
- If Grade Exclusions are not enabled, then the Current Earned Units are calculated as the sum of the values from the total passed with GPA and the total passed without GPA on the Student Career Term table. Earned Transfer Units are included in the values being summed, and can be adjusted through SAP Setup configurations.
- If Grade Exclusions are enabled, then the Current Earned Units are derived from Student Enrollment with transfer units included. Then courses that are on the Grade Exclusions setup are subtracted from the total.
Percentage (Recommended):
Percentage of completed units for the current term or aid year. The program calculates the student's Current Earned Units percentage (Current Earned Units divided by Current Attempted Units) and compares this value to the ranges specified in the Current Earned Units Rules configurations. If the calculated percentage falls within the percentage range and attempted units fall within the attempted units range, the student receives the SAP Status associated with the rule. Otherwise the student receives the Career Pass Default Status code.
Completed Units:
Number of units to be completed for the current term, by term or aid year. The student-specific number is compared to the calculated number (Current Earned Units divided by Current Attempted Units). If the calculated Earned Units fall within the Current Earned Units range and Current Attempted Units fall within the Current Attempted Units range, the student receives the SAP Status associated with the rule. Otherwise the student receives the Career Pass Default Status code.
The Current Earned Units Rules values function as outlined below:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Cur Attempted Units From - Enter the minimum value of the range of Current Attempted Units to identify the minimum percentage or number range used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Attempted Units To - Enter the maximum value of the range of Current Attempted Units to identify the maximum percentage or number range used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Earned Units % (or Number) From - Enter the minimum value of the range of Current Earned (passed) percentage or number used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Earned Units % (or Number) To - Enter the maximum value of the range of Current Earned (passed) percentage or number used to determine the SAP status.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP Status code to use if a student meets the rules of this test.
It is recommended that colleges select the Use Percentage Current Earned Units Option.
The Cumulative Earned Units test compares the student's Cumulative Attempted Units and Cumulative Earned Units and assigns an SAP Status Code. You can choose to measure by either Percentage (recommended) or Completed Units.
Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To activate this test, check the Use Current Earned Units Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear. If the student has zero completed units, the Zero Earned Default Status is used. The ranges and statuses set here are to find students who are not making progress.
The Cumulative Attempted Units are first summed from Student Enrollment. These include units from all terms within and prior to the term or aid year being evaluated. The process uses either the Units Taken value or, if it is zero, the Financial Aid Progress Units value to gather this sum of units attempted at the institution. Audited units and Grade Exclusions in the SAP Setup are not included.
Transfer Units from the Cumulative Statistics page (tab) in the Term History component are then added to the Cumulative Attempted Units calculation based on which check boxes are selected in the Cumulative Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria options in the Cumulative Earned Units Test SAP setup.
For the Cumulative Attempted Transfer Unit Criteria, select the Transfer Unit Criteria check boxes to include them in the Cumulative Attempted Units total.
- Towards GPA - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for any term prior to or including the term being processed as included in GPA units.
- No GPA - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as no GPA units.
- Course Credit - Counts transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as course credits. (External credits that apply to the student’s degree, but do not count in the student’s GPA.)
- Test Credit - Counts test credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- Other Credit - Counts other credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- TC Units Adjust - Reduces the Cumulative Attempted Units Total by the Transfer Credit Adjustments amount on the Student Career Term table for any term prior to or including the term being processed.
Due to the method used to manually enter legacy student records into ctcLink, it is recommended that all boxes are checked in the Cumulative Attempted Transfer Units option for the Cumulative Earned Units Test in SAP Setup. This will ensure that legacy credits at the institution are included in this calculation. Unchecking these boxes could result in a negative impact to the student's Pace of Progression assessment.
The Cumulative Earned Units value is calculated in one of two ways.
- If Grade Exclusions are not enabled, then the Cumulative Earned Units are calculated as the sum of the For GPA Earned Units and Not for GPA Earned Units in the Enrollment + Transfer Credit Units section in the Cumulative Statistics tab of Term History. It looks at the maximum term that is less than or equal to the SAP processing term that has active enrollment and is fully graded. It excludes units with grades with the Audit Grading Basis selected in the Enrollment table.
- If Grade Exclusions are enabled, then the Cumulative Earned Units are derived from Student Enrollment with transfer units included. Then courses that are on the Grade Exclusions setup are subtracted from the total.
For the Cumulative Earned Transfer Unit Criteria, select the Transfer Unit Criteria check boxes to keep them in the Cumulative Earned Units sum, otherwise they will be reduced from the total.
- Towards GPA - Counts earned transfer units that have been matriculated for any term prior to or including the term being processed as included in GPA units.
- No GPA - Counts earned transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as no GPA units.
- Course Credit - Counts earned transfer units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed as course credits. (External credits that apply to the student’s degree, but do not count in the student’s GPA.)
- Test Credit - Counts earned test credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- Other Credit - Counts other earned credit units that have been matriculated for the term prior to or including the term being processed.
- TC Units Adjust - Subtracts earned Transfer Credit Adjustments from the Cumulative Attempted Units total that have been entered for any term prior to or including the term being processed.
Due to the method used to manually enter legacy student records into ctcLink, it is recommended that all boxes are checked in the Cumulative Earned Transfer Units option for the Cumulative Earned Units Test in SAP Setup. This will ensure that legacy credits at the institution are included in this calculation. Unchecking these boxes could result in a negative impact to the student's Pace of Progression assessment.
Percentage (Recommended):
Percentage of completed units up to the most recent and fully graded enrollment term. The program calculates the student's Cumulative Earned Units percentage (Cumulative Earned Units divided by Cumulative Attempted Units) and compares this value to the ranges specified in the Cumulative Earned Units Rules configurations. If the calculated percentage falls within the percentage range and attempted units fall within the attempted units range, the student receives the SAP Status associated with the rule. Otherwise the student receives the Career Pass Default Status code.
Completed Units:
Number of cumulative units to be completed up to the most recent and fully graded enrollment term. The student-specific number is compared to the calculated number (Cumulative Earned Units divided by Cumulative Attempted Units). If the calculated Earned Units fall within the Cumulative Earned Units range and Cumulative Attempted Units fall within the Cumulative Attempted Units range, the student receives the SAP Status associated with the rule. Otherwise the student receives the Career Pass Default Status code.
The Current Earned Units Rules values function as outlined below:
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule will be used for all students with that Academic Program and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Cur Attempted Units From - Enter the minimum value of the range of Current Attempted Units to identify the minimum percentage or number range used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Attempted Units To - Enter the maximum value of the range of Current Attempted Units to identify the maximum percentage or number range used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Earned Units % (or Number) From - Enter the minimum value of the range of Current Earned (passed) percentage or number used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cur Earned Units % (or Number) To - Enter the maximum value of the range of Current Earned (passed) percentage or number used to determine the SAP status.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP Status code to use if a student meets the rules of this test.
It is recommended that colleges select the Use Percentage Cumulative Earned Units Option.
The Two Year GPA test reviews students who, at the end of their second year, are maintaining at least a C grade point average, that is, a 2.0 or above grade average. This test checks whether a student's current GPA falls within a certain range in relation to a range of attempted terms. If a rule match is not found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. If the student has zero Completed Units, the Zero Earned Default Status is used. The ranges and statuses set here are to find students who are not making progress. Students who meet the rules set up here are considered to fail this test, so write the rules with failing ranges and non-passing SAP statuses. To active this test, check the Use Two Year GPA Test box and the configuration section for this test will appear.
The Attempted Terms are counted by Academic Career from Student Enrollment. A term is counted if units are taken, Enrollment Status is 'Enrolled', and at least one course in that term is not audited. A term is not counted if the student either completely drops or audits all courses in that term.
A Special GPA Code (not recommended) can be selected to use a student's Special GPA for comparison in SAP processing.
The Two Year Cumulative GPA is used by default if the Special GPA Code is not selected in the configuration. This value is the overall GPA including transfer units from Student Career Term.
- In a Pass 1 evaluation (for students who have no breaks in enrollment between the SAP term currently being calculated and the previously evaluated term), the cumulative GPA is as of the most recent fully graded term associated with the Aid Year or Term being evaluated.
- In a Pass 2 evaluation (for students with a break in enrollment between the SAP term currently being calculated and the previously evaluated term), the cumulative GPA is from the most recent enrolled term that is less than the lowest numbered evaluation term associated with the Aid Year or Term being evaluated. Pass 2 does not look at the fully graded date.
Colleges are currently not using the Special GPA functionality. If the Special GPA field is populated in the Minimum Cumulative GPA Test configuration, but does not exist, the Undetermined Default Status code will be used.
Legacy enrollment data that has been manually entered in ctcLink is not included in the Attempted Terms count, as Attempted Terms only includes those on the Student Enrollment table, and not the student's transcript.
[Note: This item may change if the rested enhancement is implemented in future.]
In the Two Year GPA Rules setup, you must define the number of terms that equals two years of study at your institution. You can set up rules for any combination of terms and GPA by career, by career and program, or by career, program, and plan. If a rule match is not found, the student is assigned the Career Pass Default Status code. The ranges and statuses that are set here are to find students who are not making progress.
- Academic Program (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Program field for an additional level of evaluation. If this field is populated, and the Academic Plan field is blank, the rule is used for all students with that Academic Career and Academic Program.
- Academic Plan (Optional) - Select a value in the Academic Plan field for the most specific level of evaluation. If this field is populated, all students with this Academic Program, Academic Plan, and the Academic Career selected for this SAP Setup Criteria are evaluated for those specific rules.
- Terms From - Enter the starting number for the range of terms that a student can attempt for a corresponding SAP Status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 10 is the starting number, it is included in the range.
- Terms To - Enter the ending number for range of terms a student can attempt for a corresponding SAP Status code. The numbers are inclusive. If 10 is the ending number, it is included in the range.
- Cum GPA From - Enter the beginning value of the range of Cumulative GPA values used to determine the SAP Status.
- Cum GPA To - Enter the ending value of the range of Cumulative GPA values used to determine the SAP Status.
- SAP Status - Select the SAP Status code to use if a student meets the rules of this test.
The Terms From and Terms To fields and the CUM GPA From and CUM GPA To fields allow for the configuration of a range of number values applied to the Two Year GPA rule. Ensure that the numbers do not overlap with each other or with a range in another row that defines a different status for the same Academic Program or Academic Plan. Your number ranges can overlap if they apply to different Academic Programs or Academic Plans.
Use the Exclusions page (tab) in the SAP Define Set Up Criteria component to configure Course Exclusions, Financial Aid Award Exclusions, and Grade Exclusions.
Course Exclusions are used in the Maximum Attempted Units Test to identify English as a Second Language (ESL) and remedial courses in a student's academic history that should be excluded in the count. The configuration allows for limits to be placed on the number of ESL or remedial credits that can be excluded from the total Attempted Units count in the Maximum Attempted Units Test. To activate this functionality, select the Use Course Exclusions box and the configuration section will appear.
The Max Units to Exclude group box has two configurations.
Max ESL Units to Exclude:
- Enter the maximum number of units to be excluded from the Maximum Attempted Units test regardless of number attempted. If a student has more ESL Units than the maximum set here, only the maximum number is excluded.
- If no limit exists for the number that can be excluded, leave the field blank.
- There must be at least one course entered with the 'ESL' Course Type in the Course Exclusions grid for this maximum to be invoked.
Max Remedial Units to Exclude:
- Enter the maximum number of units to be excluded from the Maximum Attempted Units test regardless of number attempted. If a student has more Remedial units than the maximum set here, only the maximum number is excluded.
- If no limit exists for the number that can be excluded, leave the field blank.
- There must be at least one course entered with the 'Remedial' Course Type in the Course Exclusions grid for this maximum to be invoked.
SBCTC migrated a customization to ctcLink on 4/27/2023 to address an Oracle bug impacting the total Attempted Units value calculated by the Maximum Attempted Units test. The bug caused the total Attempted Units value to generate a negative number when a student's total Remedial Units exceeded the Max Remedial Units to Exclude configuration value. For more information about the bug and the solution implemented, please see the Item #3: MAXT with Developmental Credits over 45 section in the FA Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Project Information Guide.
In the Course Exclusions Rules setup section, enter the criteria for excluding Remedial or ESL courses from the Maximum Attempted Units test.
- Course ID - Select the Course ID of the class to exclude from the Maximum Attempted Units test calculation regardless of grade.
- Offer Nbr - Select the Course Offer Number of each class to exclude from the Maximum Attempted Units test calculation regardless of grade. To completely exclude the class, the Course Offer Number must be included.
- Course Type - Select the type of class, either 'Remedial' or 'ESL'.
Award Exclusions criteria are used to exclude students from the selection for an SAP evaluation based on a Financial Aid Type or specific awards. It is the only means by which colleges can fully exclude a student from SAP processing. To activate this feature, select the Use Award Exclusions check box.
Fields in the Award Exclusions rules:
- Source - Select a Fund Source. This field is informational only. There is no system logic using this selection.
- Fin Aid Type - Select a Financial Aid Type to exclude students who only have awards with that specific Financial Aid Type from the SAP evaluation selection.
- Item Type From and Item Type To - Select the beginning and end of a range of Financial Aid Item Types to exclude students who have awards from only those item types from the SAP evaluation selection.
Grade Exclusions criteria are used to exclude course units with specific Grading Schemes, Grading Bases, and Grade Input Values from the Current Earned Units and/or Cumulative Earned Units tests. You must set up any and all course grades that should not be counted toward earned units, including failing grades. To activate this feature, select the Use Grade Exclusions check box.
If Grade Exclusions is enabled, the Current Earned Units and Cumulative Earned Units values are derived from the student's enrollment, minus the units to be excluded. If Grade Exclusions is not enabled, the Current and/or Cumulative Units value is derived from the student's Career Term data.
Fields in the Grade Exclusions rules:
- Grading Scheme - Enter the Grading Scheme to be used to define the Grading Basis and Grade Input for exclusion from the Current Earned Units and/or Cumulative Earned Units tests.
- Grading Basis - Enter the Grading Basis to be used to define the Grade Input for exclusion from the Current Earned Units test and/or the Cumulative Earned Units test
- Grade Input - Enter the Grade Input to be excluded from the Current Earned Units and/or Cumulative Earned Units tests. If a college has 'In Progress' grades that they want excluded from SAP evaluation, this is the area where that type of grade can be excluded from SAP consideration.
This functionality is not currently in use by ctcLink colleges.
The Create SAP Communications process updates the 3C Trigger table in Campus Community. This process utilizes two Administrative Functions, FINA and FINT, depending on the SAP processing type.
- Aid Year processing SAP data requires the use of the FINA Administrative Function, which consists of the variable data field of Aid Year.
- Term processing SAP data requires the use of the FINT Administrative Function which consists of the variable data fields Aid Year and Term.
When setting up SAP Communications in Campus Community each processing type (Aid Year and Term) must have its own separate, unique communications set up. You must set up your communications to use the correct Administrative Function for the processing type; otherwise the 3C Engine does not create the communications correctly.
This functionality is not currently in use by ctcLink colleges.
Events
Fields in the Events configuration:
- SAP Status - Select the SAP status code.
- Event ID - Select the Event ID. The Event ID contains the Communication and Checklist Code/Item to be assigned and is set up under Campus Community.
Communication Comments
Fields in the Communication Comments configuration:
- Comment ID - Select an SAP Test for which you want comments inserted into the 3C Trigger table. Comment ID values are associated with the eight SAP tests. If the Comment ID for a particular test is set up here, the SAP 3C Process generates a comment in the 3C Trigger table by student for each test that the student has failed. If the student fails multiple tests, multiple comments are appended into one comment and inserted into the Communication Comment field on the 3C Trigger table.
- Description - Enter the text for the Comment ID in this free-form field to create specific messages to students who fail one of the eight SAP evaluation tests. To include the student's actual failed data value from the Student SAP page in the comment, use the desired Hardcode Variable from the following table when entering the comment text.
- Comment ID and Variables - The following table details the Comment ID values, variables, and examples of description entries and resulting comments. The Comment ID values are the same as the field names from the Actual column on the Student SAP page.
| Comment ID |
Hardcode Variable |
Example Description |
Example Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Standing |
ACADSTND |
Your current academic standing is ACADSTND. |
Your current academic standing is DISQ. |
| Cumulative Earned Units |
CUMERNU |
The cumulative unit amount you have earned, CUMERNU, does not meet our requirements. |
The cumulative unit amount you have earned, 19.000, does not meet our requirements. |
| Current Earned Units |
CURERNU |
CURERNU is the amount of your current earned units. |
8.000 is the amount of your current earned units. |
| Max Attempted Terms |
MAXTERMS |
The number of terms you have attempted at <college> is MAXTERMS. |
The number of terms you have attempted at <college> is 10.000. |
| Max Attempted Units |
MAXATTU |
You have attempted MAXATTU units at <college>. |
You have attempted 12.00 units at <college>. |
| Min Cumulative GPA |
MINCUMGP |
Your cumulative GPA is MINCUMGP. |
Your cumulative GPA is 1.125. |
| Min Current GPA |
MINCURGP |
Your GPA for fall semester is MINCURGP; this does not meet college requirements. |
Your GPA for fall semester is 1.013; this does not meet college requirements. |
| Two Year GPA |
TWOYRGPA |
Your GPA after two years of study is TWOYRGPA. |
Your GPA after two years of study is 1.109. |
Navigation: Set Up SACR > Product Related > Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Define Set Up Criteria
Security:
- ZC FA Local Configuration
- ZC SACR Financial Aid Config
- ZD SACR Financial Aid Config
Menu: SFA_SAP_FINANCIAL_AID
Component: SFA_SAP_SETUP
Page: Setup Criteria 1 - 2, Exclusions
Action: UD/DA/C
Configured for evaluation term processing.
Navigation: Set Up SACR > Product Related > Financial Aid > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Define Evaluation Terms
Security:
- ZC FA Local Configuration
- ZC SACR Config
- ZC SACR Financial Aid Config
- ZD SACR Financial Aid Config
Menu: SFA_SAP_FINANCIAL_AID
Component: SFA_SAP_ET_TRM
Page: SFA_SAP_ET_TRM
Action: UD/DA/C
Define self-service inquiry options as well as awarding access and processing options.
Navigation: Set Up SACR > Common Definitions > Self Service > Financial Aid > Self Service Options
Security:
- ZC FA Local Configuration
- ZC SACR Config
- ZC SACR Financial Aid Config
Menu: DESIGN_FINANCIAL_AID2
Component: SS_FA_INSTALL
Page: Inquiry Options, Awarding Options, Loan Options & SAP Options
Action: A/UD
The configuration rules setup can establish different maximum term ranges and corresponding SAP Status for colleges with short and long term programs that might have different term maximums.
Events
SAP Status: Select the SAP status code.
Event ID: Select the event ID. The event ID contains the Communication and Checklist Code/Item to be assigned and is set up under Campus Community.
Communication Comments
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