Federal regulations require that all students receiving Federal Title IV Financial Aid funds maintain standards of satisfactory academic progress in the pursuit of their degree or certificate. Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) is defined as meeting the GPA Requirement, Percentage of Completion Requirement, and the Maximum Time Frame Requirement. Federal regulations require that a student’s entire academic history be considered. This includes semesters or terms during which the student did not receive financial aid.
This policy provides the framework for monitoring the standards for satisfactory academic progress for students to be eligible to participate in the Federal Title IV financial aid programs. To remain eligible, a student must:
Transfer Students: Must meet the minimum GPA requirements for Admission and be within the maximum time frame in order to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress upon entering the University.
Effective Spring 2020: Pass grades will not count in the grade point average calculation used for the GPA requirement.
Students must progress toward completion of their declared degree/certificate while maintaining a minimum 67% completion rate. The completion rate is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours earned by the cumulative number of credit hours attempted.
Effective Spring 2020: All final grades, including Pass, will count toward the total hours for the completion rate for the Percentage of Completion requirement.
To be within the maximum timeframe and be eligible for financial aid, credit hours attempted must not exceed the following:
Program | Maximum Hours Allowed to Attempt |
|---|---|
Associate Degree Program | 90 credit hours attempted |
2nd Associate Degree Program | 45 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Associate Degree |
Bachelor Degree Program | 180 credit hours attempted |
2nd Bachelor Degree | 60 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Bachelor Degree |
Alternate Teacher Certification | 45 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Bachelor Degree |
Master Degree Program | 54 credit hours attempted beyond Bachelor Degree |
2nd Master Degree Program | 25 credit hours attempted beyond 1st Master Degree |
Doctorate | 60 credit hours attempted beyond Master Degree or 7 years |
Satisfactory academic progress shall be monitored at the end of each semester. Notifications will be sent after grades are posted.
A student may appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility if extenuating circumstances interfered with the ability to meet satisfactory academic progress standards. In order to appeal the loss of financial aid eligibility, the student must submit an appeal form explaining the extenuating circumstances that resulted in the lack of academic progress and documentation to support extenuating circumstances. Students who fail to meet SAP will have a SAP appeal for that semester in their Workday “My Tasks.”
Circumstances must meet one of the following criteria:
Appeal must include the following information:
Documentation may include:
Students who have exceeded the maximum time frame must include additional information:
ATTENTION: In order to be eligible for financial aid for a semester in which the financial aid has been suspended, an appeal must be approved prior to or by the deadline during that semester. Appeals will NOT be considered for a semester that has already ended. No appeal will be accepted without supporting documentation. The appeal may not be based upon the need for financial aid assistance or the lack of knowledge that the financial aid assistance was in jeopardy. It is the responsibility of the student to pay all outstanding balances on his/her
account while waiting for an appeal decision.
Financial aid eligibility can be re-established after the student improves their academic record to meet the minimum standards required by the SAP Policy, without the assistance of financial aid funds. Similarly, financial aid eligibility can be re-established by successfully appealing your suspension.
If an SAP Appeal is approved:
The student will be placed on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation. (Financial Aid SAP Probation is for financial aid purposes only and is separate from academic standing probation.) While on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation, students must meet the requirements of a 2.0 semester GPA, 75% semester completion rate, and complete their degree/certification within 150% of your program’s published length in credit hours, until they are back passing SAP.
Students placed on ‘Probation’ regain eligibility for financial aid if:
Students who meet all of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress while on ‘Probation’ will be placed in ‘Meets SAP’ at the conclusion of the period of enrollment or academic plan period. Progress in an academic plan is measured at the end of each period of enrollment. Students who do not meet all of the Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress or academic plan requirements while on ‘Probation’ will be placed on ‘Suspension.
Students who do not meet the terms of financial aid probation are not eligible for aid in any subsequent semester. An email is sent to all students who fail to comply with the terms of their probation via their student webmail. They have the option to appeal again if there are different circumstances that happened that caused the student not to meet SAP requirements.
Students who fail to meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students placed on Academic Suspension will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension. Students on financial aid suspension are NOT eligible to receive federal financial aid. The mere passage of time will not restore eligibility to a student who has lost eligibility for failure to make satisfactory academic progress. The student may appeal the Financial Aid Suspension if unusual circumstances beyond their control prevented them from meeting satisfactory academic progress (see appeal process).
Please Note: If an SAP review makes it clear that a student cannot mathematically complete his/her declared degree/certificate program or cannot raise his/her cumulative GPA to the minimum within the maximum time frame allowed, the student will be placed or will remain on financial aid suspension.
Financial aid eligibility can be re-established after the student improves their academic record to meet the minimum standards required by the SAP Policy, without the assistance of financial aid funds. Similarly, financial aid eligibility can be re-established by successfully appealing your suspension.
GPA computed on all hours attempted including repeated course work and all transfer work accepted by Southeastern.
Effective Spring 2020: Pass grades will not count in the grade point average (GPA) calculation used for the GPA requirement.
The SAP status of students that have been placed on ‘suspension’ and have an approved appeal.
A plan developed by the student’s department, Financial Aid Appeal Committee or designee as a plan of action for the remainder of the student’s academic career or a minimum of four terms unless graduating.
