Policies and Procedures - Acupuncture and Massage College

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

At Acupuncture and Massage College in Miami, FL, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is checked after each semester in all programs. To maintain SAP, students must complete 67% of the credits/hours attempted and maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Students who do not meet SAP will be placed on SAP Warning. If a student fails to meet SAP in 2 consecutive semesters, he/she may be dismissed from AMC.

In the Massage Therapy program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 by the 50% completion point (360 hours) at a minimum of 90% attendance. In the Associate of Arts in Health Science program, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 and 80% attendance. In the Oriental Medicine program,students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 by the end of each semester in their first 6 semesters of the program and a GPA of 3.0 in their master’s level courses in order to have their degree conferred.

The College’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards measure each student’s qualitative (cumulative grade point average) progress and quantitative (minimum pace of completion) needed to ensure the completion of the student’s program of study within the maximum time frame allowed. The SAP standards are used primarily to determine a student’s eligibility to receive federal financial aid under Title IV of the Higher Education Act (Title IV).

SAP Evaluation Periods

The College’s SAP standards are measured at the end of each payment period. For Massage Therapy, this corresponds with the completion of 50% of the program, or 360 clock hours. For the Associate of Arts in Health Science this corresponds with the completion of 2 modules (20 weeks) of the program. For the Master of Oriental Medicine program, the SAP standards are measured at the end of each 15-week semester.

Pace of Completion Requirement

To ensure that a student is able to complete their program of study within the maximum time frame noted above, students must successfully complete 67% of the credit hours or modules attempted. For a course to be considered successfully completed, a student must have received a letter grade of C or higher or Pass grade for pass/fail courses. All courses for which a student receives a grade, whether passing or failing, are counted in determining credits/modules attempted. Transfer credits/hours accepted toward a student’s program of study will be treated as both credits/hours attempted and credits/hours completed for purposes of all SAP evaluations. The calculation is:

Qualitative Requirement – Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

The College measures qualitative progress by means of Cumulative GPA measured on the basis of a 4.0 scale. Students in all programs must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Students in the Master of Oriental Medicine Program must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 for the first 6 semesters of the program and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 for the last 3 semesters of the program in order to have their degree conferred.

All courses for which a student receives a grade will be included when calculating the student’s CGPA, with the exception of a withdrawal (W), withdrawal no attendance (WNA), and incomplete (I). If a student repeats a course, only the highest grade for that course will be included when calculating the student’s GPA.

Consequences for not meeting SAP

If the results of SAP evaluation indicate that a student is not in compliance with either the Pace of Completion or the Cumulative GPA standards, the student will be placed on SAP Warning for the payment period. If after the SAP Warning period, the student is still not in compliance with the SAP requirements, the student will no longer be eligible for any form of federal student assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act and may be dismissed from the College, unless the student submits an appeal (see description below) and is granted a probationary period by the SAP Appeals Committee, which is comprised of the Campus President, the Director of Financial Aid, the Academic Dean and the Registrar (or their designees). The student will be notified in writing of any actions taken.

SAP Warning

SAP Appeal

A student who does not correct the SAP deficiency (ies) by the end of the SAP Warning period is permitted to appeal the termination of their federal financial aid eligibility if applicable and dismissal from the College. The student must be able to demonstrate in a written appeal that mitigating circumstances were the contributing factors to the student’s failure to meet SAP. Below are the required items and steps needed:

• a.) The student’s written letter of appeal must explain and document, to the satisfaction of the SAP Appeals Committee, the mitigating circumstance(s) which caused the student not to meet SAP after the SAP Warning Period and what circumstances have changed that will allow the student to meet SAP during the next evaluation period(s).
• b. Mitigating circumstances would include the death of a relative of the student, injury, disability, or illness of the student, or other special circumstances. Copies of appropriate documentation to confirm the situation should be included where appropriate.
• c. A SAP appeal must be filed within 30 days of the student receiving notice of the failure to meet SAP. All appeals must be submitted in writing to the Academic Dean.
  

SAP Probation 

If a student has successfully appealed, the student will be placed on SAP Probation and may have one or more semesters to meet the minimum SAP standards based on the following:

• a.) If the College determines that the student should be able to meet the SAP standards by the end of the subsequent semester, the student will be placed on probation and will be eligible if applicable to continue to receive financial aid for that semester.
• b.) If the College determines that the student will require more than one payment period to meet SAP standards, the student will be placed on an Academic Plan. The College and the student should develop a plan that ensures that the student is able to meet the school’s satisfactory academic progress standards by a specific time or to the success of program completion. An Academic Plan may last for more than one semester. This plan must review the student’s progress at the end of the probationary period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. Students will remain on SAP Probation until the SAP deficiency is resolved.
  
  An Academic Plan may last for more than one semester. This plan must review the student’s progress at the end of the probationary period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. Students will remain on SAP Probation until the SAP deficiency is resolved.
• c.) Academic Plan - The academic plan will detail what the student must do in order to regain SAP. The plan will identify a specific date in the future by when the student must regain SAP. The plan can last for one or more semesters. The student is in a probationary status during the probationary period, and if applicable will remain eligible for Federal Student Aid.
• d.) If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student is eligible to receive Title IV funding if applicable. As long as the student continues to meet the requirements specified in the Academic Plan, the student will remain enrolled in the program. If necessary, a student may file another appeal to request a change in the Academic Plan with an appropriate explanation as to the need for the change.

Denial of an Appeal

If a student’s appeal is denied by the College, the student will be dismissed.

Failure to Meet SAP by End of the Probationary Period

If the student is not successful in the probationary period, the student will be dismissed from the program. If a student wishes to re-enter after being dismissed due to their failure to meet the terms outlined during their probationary period, they may be eligible for re-entry, however, will not regain Title IV eligibility until SAP standards are met.

Maximum Time Frame to Complete

The maximum time frame in which a student must complete his or her program of study is based on whether the program of study is measured in credit hours or clock hours.

• For Massage Therapy, which is measured in clock hours, the maximum time frame shall not exceed 1.5 times the normal duration of the program.
• For the Associate of Arts in Health Science, the credit hours attempted cannot exceed 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program.
• For the Master of Oriental Medicine, the credit hours attempted cannot exceed 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program.