Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The U.S. Department of Education requires academic progress to be evaluated and monitored for all students, including those who have not received financial aid.

Students must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards to receive any financial aid, including grants, scholarships, loans, and Federal Work-Study. This policy includes Qualitative and Quantitative measurements. The academic records of all students are reviewed at the end of each payment period. Notification will be sent from the Financial Services Office notifying students who fail to meet the required measurements. Statuses will include Financial Aid Warning and Financial Aid Suspension.

Definition of Attempted Hours

The hours for which the student is registered as of the last day of the add/drop period
All transfer hours that are relevant to the student’s current academic program. Transfer hours are applicable to the rate of completion but not toward a student’s GPA.
All hours taken, even if the student did not receive financial assistance during these periods.

Definition of Completed Hours

The hours for which a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or P is received. Transfer hours are included.

Qualitative Standard Cumulative

GPA is composed of all attempted hours at the current academic level and is calculated by the Registrar’s Office. To satisfy the qualitative standards, students must maintain the minimum cumulative GPA as determined by their classification and program. Courses taken under the “repeat” policy may be considered for appeal.

Student Classification	Required Minimum Cumulative GPA for Program
Certificate and Associate’s Programs	2.00
Education Bachelor’s Programs
0-60 hours earned	2.50
61+ hours earned	2.75
All other Bachelor’s Programs
(0-60 hours earned)	1.80
(61-90 hours earned)	1.90
(90+ hours earned)	2.00
MA Ministry	2.00
Other Master's Programs in the DivinitySchool	2.50
Master of Education (Curriculum and Instruction or Educational Leadership)	2.50
All other Master's and Doctoral Programs	3.00

Quantitative Standard

The student must earn the minimum percentage of attempted hours of coursework at his/her current level. The requirements are as follows:

Certificate and Associate’s Programs	67%
Bachelor’s Programs
Freshman	50%
Sophomores	67%
Juniors	67%
Seniors	67%
Graduate Programs	67%

Withdrawals after the last day of the add/drop period, incompletes, repeated courses, failure grades, and transfer hours relevant to student’s current degree will count as attempted credits. The student may not receive federal financial aid for more than 150% of the published program length. A 120-credit hour program will have a threshold of 180 credits. The student will lose financial aid eligibility when the degree cannot be completed before exceeding the 150% threshold. All coursework is included, whether the student received federal financial aid during that period or not. The student may appeal the completion rate or 150 percent rule on the basis of coursework not applicable to the current degree program, but the SAP may only be reset one time.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Review

All students will be reviewed for satisfactory academic progress at the end of each semester. If a student fails to meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard for his/her degree program and/or classification at the end of the payment period, the following rules will apply:

Institutional Aid

Institutional Aid will be awarded in direct correlation to the student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress standing following catalog policies. A student will maintain eligibility for institutional aid during Financial Aid Warning and Financial Aid Probation. The student will not receive institutional aid while on Financial Aid Suspension, nor after readmission from a semester of suspension. Institutional Aid will be reinstated when Satisfactory Academic Progress minimums are restored.

Federal Aid

To maintain eligibility for Federal Student Aid after failing to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, students will be placed on Financial Aid Warning or Financial Aid Probation.

Financial Aid Warning

Any student who does not meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard for their degree and/or classification at the end of any semester will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one semester. A student will maintain eligibility for federal student aid during Financial Aid Warning.

Financial Aid Probation

A student who fails to restore Satisfactory Academic Progress during their Financial Aid Warning semester will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and lose financial aid eligibility unless the student successfully appeals.

If the student appeals their Financial Aid Suspension, and the institution determines the student can restore SAP, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation with an academic plan. A student will maintain eligibility for federal student aid during Financial Aid Probation. The academic plan may specify when the student will restore SAP or extend through the completion of the degree program. The student must meet the requirements of the academic plan each semester. Should the student fail the academic plan while on Financial Aid Probation, the result will be Financial Aid Suspension without eligibility for appeal. Should the student need to adjust the agreed academic plan, the request must be made in writing to the SAP Appeal Committee for review. The request must include why the change is needed and how the student will restore SAP under the revision.

Financial Aid Suspension

A student who fails to restore Satisfactory Academic Progress after the Financial Aid Warning semester will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension with the opportunity to appeal.

A student who fails to meet the requirements of their academic plan after the Financial Aid Probation semester will lose eligibility for all financial aid. The student is placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Financial aid eligibility will be restored when the student restores SAP requirements.

Financial Aid Suspension Appeal

Appeals must be made in writing to the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress committee.

For students who are eligible to appeal their academic suspension for the upcoming semester, appeals must be made within 7 days of FA Suspension notification to the student.
For students who are not eligible to appeal their Academic Suspension for the upcoming semester and are required to sit out one semester, the Financial Aid Suspension Appeals committee will consider these appeals during the process of reinstatement from academic suspension.

The appeal must outline the extraordinary circumstances which resulted in the student’s failure to meet SAP and how the future circumstances will be different in the upcoming academic term that will allow academic success. Additional documentation may be requested to support the appeal narrative. Examples of student documentation include a doctor’s letter regarding medical conditions, attorney documents regarding legal issues, a counselor’s letter regarding an emotional crisis, etc.

A student is responsible to monitor their grades throughout the semester. A student should document any instance where they tried to get assistance in order to avoid a failed course, any meetings with professors, tutoring sessions, and email correspondence to support ongoing issues.

Incomplete grades at the time of the SAP evaluation will be treated as a failed course with 0% towards GPA and no earned credits. When the incomplete has been satisfied, and the professor has published the grades with the Registrar’s Office, SAP can be reevaluated.

Financial aid eligibility will be restored when:

The student satisfactorily appeals their status and agrees to an Academic Plan
The student achieves SAP minimum standards

Financial Information

Subpages

Financial Policies