FINANCIAL AID
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

ACADEMIC STANDARDS REQUIRED FOR FINANCIAL AID RECIPIENTS
Students who receive federal or state financial assistance (including student and/or parent loans) are required to make satisfactory Academic Progress toward the completion of their degree or certificate program. Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured by the number of credits successfully completed (academic progress) each year and the student’s cumulative grade point average after each semester. In addition, students are limited to 150 percent of the published timeframe for their degree/certificate objective. This policy sets the minimum standards for evaluating satisfactory academic progress for federal and state financial assistance.

Academic Progress— Academic progress for financial assistance is based on the number of credit hours completed each academic year. Students enrolling full time must complete 24 credit hours per academic year. The academic year for the Academic Progress standard is the fall and spring semesters. At the end of the spring semester, the 24 hours must be met unless a student starts in the spring. The student who starts in the spring semester will have their Academic Progress measured after completing 2 semesters. If a student does not successfully meet the 24 credit hours, the student loses all financial aid until the progress is successfully completed. If a student has extenuating circumstances, a letter of appeal should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office.

Cumulative Grade Point Average— Financial aid recipients are required to maintain the minimum grade point average as they progress toward the achievement of their degree. The cumulative GPA is based on the University’s academic standards found in the University’s catalog. The Registrar’s Office determines the GPA at the end of each semester. Students who fall below “Good Academic Standing” are placed on Academic Probation. A student is allowed one semester to bring their GPA back up to the required GPA. If the student is placed on Academic Probation a second semester consecutively, the students loses their financial aid until the GPA requirement is met.

A word about incomplete classes. “I” indicates incomplete and is given when a student’s work in a course is not finished because of circumstances beyond her or his control. An “I” grade must be removed by the close of the following semester, and it does not count in the computation of grade point average. Incomplete courses which are not satisfactorily completed by the deadline become “F”s on the transcript.