Eligibility and Participation:
1. If a student got a "W" in English, math, or any other class during the fall or spring semester get paid for that term?
Answer: Yes, they will be paid because the "W" counts as an attempt but does not count towards the 30-unit requirement.
2. Can a student skip English or math in the first semester?
Answer: No, they need to take English or math their first semester. Only exemption is when the student passed either course prior to the first term. See example below.
3. Can a student take speech in lieu of English/math their first semester?
Answer: Students that have previously completed English 101 or a college-level math or received equivalent credit (i.e., AP Score) prior to Fall 1 may take Speech 101 or English 103 in Fall 1 but must take the other required English/math course in Spring 1.
4. If a student's educational goal is a certificate their first semester, then changed to AS/AA their second, are they required to take both math and English?
Answer: No, they only need to enroll in either English or math each semester until they complete both requirements.
5. If a student doesn’t pass English and/or math in the first year (first two semesters), must they continue to enroll in those classes starting the third semester?
Answer: Yes, students are required to enroll in English and/or math every semester until they pass both courses.
6. For a student that has passed English 101, can they substitute English 103 for the math course?
Answer: No, the substitution exemption is only allowed for the first semester where the student already passed English or Math prior to their first fall semester, and they want to skip the other class in that first semester.
7. If a student is enrolled in a second 8-week English class, receives Promise payment in week four, but subsequently drops the English class, will their payment be taken back?
Answer: Maybe, a student may have the payment taken back if they are not meeting program requirements after the payment is applied and the student has time to meet the requirements in that semester and fails to take appropriate action.
8. Do ESL credit courses count toward the Promise English requirement?
Answer: Yes, English as Second Language courses are treated the same as English courses.
Program Start/Deferment:
9. If a student begins college at another college or university, can they join the Citrus College Promise program at another time?
Answer: Students who begin college at another college or university and subsequently enroll at Citrus College may be able to apply to the Citrus College Promise Program if they are enrolling within the first four consecutive semesters after they first enrolled at that other college or university.
10. If a new student takes winter courses and skips spring semester and wants to join the Promise program in the fall semester, how many consecutive semesters can they remain eligible?
Answer: Only three semesters beginning in that fall semester. The spring semester after their first enrollment in winter would have been the first of the four consecutive semesters of enrollment.
11. Is a student eligible to re-enter the program if they only attend part-time their first semester but then decide to attend full-time thereafter?
Answer: Yes, based on the availability of spots, students may be allowed to join the program later. However, students cannot extend the timeframe of the program. Only a student's first four consecutive semesters are counted toward the program. Students who receive accommodation through DSPS for less than 12 units are exempt from the 30-unit second-year requirement and full-time requirement in each term. However, the length of the program's duration remains only four consecutive semesters and the students must attempt English and/or math every term until completion of the program.
12. Can a student defer entrance into the Citrus College Promise program?
Answer: Yes, as long as they are a first-time college student or within their first four semesters of college enrollment. A student who did not enroll in college immediately after high school graduation, or who did not graduate high school, is considered a first-time student when they enroll as a regular college student, regardless of their age.
13. If a student is joining the Promise program in the third semester after becoming a first-time college student, are they subject to the 30-unit requirement?
Answer: Students should be allowed to join but placed on probation for not meeting the 30-unit requirement unless they have or had an RCL approval.
Academic Requirements:
14. If a student has received "D" grades for their English/math courses, are they eligible for exemptions?
Answer: Yes, if a D is considered a passing grade for their major, the D will be counted as units earned.
15. If a student takes a 3-unit class and earns a D and then retakes the class and earns an A, do they have 6 units toward the 30-unit requirement or just 3 units?
Answer: When a course is alleviated (a prior substandard grade is replaced by a subsequent course grade), only the units passed are included. As a result, the student will receive credit for 3 units based on the A grade.
16. For year two requirements, it states that the student will need to complete 30 units prior to the fall term. Since they will be taking 12 units in the fall and spring (24 units total), does that mean they will need to take summer or winter courses to complete the 30 units?
Answer: The Promise Program is a two-year program designed to help students complete their degree and/or transfer requirements within two years. Most associate degrees, certificates, and university transfer requirements require 60 units, so students are encouraged to enroll in 15 units each semester. A student can use winter and summer sessions to ensure they complete 30 units before the start of the fall of the second year or take additional units during the fall and spring semesters to reach this goal. The Promise Program will pay for all units the student is enrolled in during an eligible semester.
17. If a student is registered with DSPS and their accommodations say they can only take six (6) units per term, can they still participate in the Promise program?
Answer: Students must submit a Reduced Course Load (RCL) Form during fall/spring semesters to the Promise program in order to be exempt from the unit requirement. Also, the requirement that students complete 30 units before the start of the second year will be waived. However, the length of the program's duration is only for two years and will not be extended and student are still required to enroll in English and/or math each term until completion of the requirement.
18. What grades count for completed units toward the 30 unit second-year requirement?
Answer: The following grades and grade symbols count toward the 30 unit requirement: Passing Grades (A-D and Pass), Excused Withdrawals (EW), Military Withdrawal (MW), Advanced Placement (AP) and other Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), Incomplete (I), and In Progress (IP). A NP, F, FW and W do not count toward the 30-unit requirement.
19. If the college is not able to provide timely accommodations for a student to enroll in either English or math, can the DSPS student be exempt from that requirement for that semester.
Answer: Yes, the DSPS program will need to verify that a timely accommodation was not possible to exempt the student in that semester.
Financial Aid and Payment
20. When is Promise payment applied to the student’s term balance?
Answer: Students will have Promise payment applied after the earliest census date where the student reaches 12 units. If a student is enrolled in second 8-week courses, that is likely not going to happen until week 10 or after.
21. What if census for the class that makes the student full-time is after the start of registration and the student has a fee hold, will they be able to register for classes even though they have a fee balance?
Answer: The fee hold will prevent the student from registering into classes. The student can either wait for Promise payment to be applied and clear the balance and fee hold, or the student can make a payment and receive a refund after Promise payment is applied to their student account.
22. What if the student made a payment of the fees via credit card payment or applying of the Pell Grant, before the Promise payment was posted?
Answer: Students who pay for registration fees and mandatory fees covered by the Promise payment prior to receiving the Promise payment will be issued a refund of that payment once the Promise payment is applied. If a student has a balance at the time of the refund, the refund will apply to the balance.
23. What is the latest time that a student can become eligible for the semester?
Answer: If a student is missing residency and/or FAFSA requirements, a student may be awarded Promise payment in the fiscal year, prior to the end of the spring semester for the previous fall or current spring semester.
24. If a student believes their family makes too much money to qualify for financial aid, must they still apply for financial aid?
Answer: Yes, applying for financial aid is required to participate in the program, regardless of the student's financial need. They will still be eligible for Promise funding even if their application for financial aid indicates they do not qualify for state or federal aid.
25. Are Promise students subject to Drop for Nonpayment?
Answer: However, this exemption applies only to fall and spring semesters. Students who register for winter or summer terms may be subject to drop for nonpayment if they do not make a payment or meet the exemption criteria for those terms.
26. If a student is part of the Promise program, do they receive a discount on the parking permit?
Answer: No. The parking permit discount is available only to students who receive the California College Promise Grant (CCPG), not to students solely enrolled in the Promise program. However, since in most years 70% of Promise program students also receive the CCPG, the majority of Promise program students still qualify for the discount.
27. What is the process to receive the book voucher?
Answer: Students will automatically receive notification that the book voucher is available 2 weeks before the fall/spring semester starts. Students must be registered for a minimum of 1 class at the time of voucher distribution to be eligible, and either be a first time Promise student or have been eligible the previous semester
28. Does the Promise program provide benefits in winter or summer sessions?
Answer: Enrollment in summer and winter sessions is recommended for students, but the program does not cover fees for those two sessions.
Program Probation:
29. If a student's GPA drops below 2.00 before the start of the program, are they automatically out of the program or is there a probation period?
Answer: Students may use winter and summer terms to raise their GPA to the minimum required for the following semester. Students with a GPA below 2.0 after their first semester may remain in the Promise Program for one additional semester, provided they meet the program's probation requirements during that time. However, students who do not achieve a GPA of 2.0 or higher by the start of the subsequent semester following the probationary period will no longer be eligible for Promise payment. If a student later raises their GPA above 2.0 and meets all other program requirements within the four consecutive semesters, they may rejoin the Promise program.
30. What are the program’s probation requirements?
Answer: Students are required to 1) complete the online probation workshop and submit their certificates of completion to their completion specialist, 2) meet with a counselor to discuss their probation, and 3) provide proof they accessed at least one academic resource such as tutoring services at the Learning Center and STEM Center, Early Alert workshops, career counseling, mental health counseling, faculty office hours, meeting with special population program such as Basic Needs, DSPS, Dream Resource Center, Early Alert and EOPS/CARE/NextUp. If the student is also part of the EOP&S program, they can complete the probation steps with EOP&S and have it count towards the Promise program too.
31. How many semesters can a student be in probation?
Answer: Students may only be on probation for one semester.
32. What if a student took Early College/CCAP courses and/or summer courses and their GPA is below a 2.0 before the start of the first fall semester, must they complete probation that first semester?
Answer: No, the 2.0 GPA requirement is only required beginning with the second semester.
33. If a student is dismissed from the Promise Program for having a GPA below 2.0, can they rejoin the program after raising their GPA above 2.0?
Answer: Yes, a student who is dismissed for having a GPA below 2.0 may rejoin the Promise Program if they raise their GPA above 2.0 and meet all other eligibility requirements, provided this occurs within their first four consecutive semesters.