Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress
Federal regulations require institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for students receiving financial aid. Progress is evaluated by qualitative (GPA), quantitative (completion percentage), and maximum timeframe for completion of educational objective measures. Students are expected to achieve satisfactory grades and progress toward the successful completion of an approved credential in a reasonable period of time and within a reasonable number of credit hours for their program of study. It is the responsibility of each student to be aware of his/her Satisfactory Academic Progress status for financial aid eligibility. SAP standards require that students meet the following guidelines to maintain eligibility. Federal financial aid at Mount St. Joseph University includes the Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Teach Grant, College Work-Study, Direct Student Loans, and Graduate PLUS loans.
Please note, Mount St. Joseph University also uses this policy to determine eligibility for state and institutional financial aid programs including tuition remission benefits. These financial aid standards of academic progress are separate from, and in addition to, academic standards required by the University for continued enrollment.
Monitoring: At the end of each semester, the Student Administrative Services Office will review students’ progress during the previous semester. All periods of enrollment are reviewed, including semesters during which no financial aid was received. Any student who is not meeting the SAP standards will have their aid placed on a “Financial Aid Warning”. Students that withdraw during the term or fail to earn any credits during a term in which they are enrolled for more than one course, excluding audited courses, will be placed on “Financial Aid Termination”.
What is a “Financial Aid Warning”?
A Financial Aid Warning is just that, a warning. It is a notice to the student that they are currently not meeting the Qualitative and/or Quantitative standards of SAP. Students in a Warning status are still eligible to receive financial aid for the upcoming semester, but failure to establish full Satisfactory Academic Progress will result in “Financial Aid Termination”.
What is “Financial Aid Termination”?
Financial Aid Termination occurs either after a term in which you are in a Warning status, or if you have withdrawn from all coursework in a term or fail to earn any credits during a term in which you are enrolled for more than one course, excluding audited courses. Terminations can be appealed to be granted one term of financial aid. Details regarding appealing the Termination are listed below. During this term a student must do one of the following as outlined by the letter sent approving their appeal:
1. Reestablish full Satisfactory Academic Progress in both Qualitative and Quantitative standard.
2. Achieve the academic plan outlined in your appeal approval
Failure to complete this will result in a “Financial Aid Final Notice”.
What is a “Financial Aid Final Notice”?
A Financial Aid Final Notice occurs after you complete a term in which you have been granted an approval on your appeal of a Financial Aid Termination. When you are placed in a Final Notice, you are fully ineligible for aid, and cannot appeal.
In order to regain your financial aid status, you must either complete Full-Time course work (12 Credit Hours for Undergraduate or 9 Credit Hours for Graduate or Beyond Students) earning at least a 2.0 GPA for Undergraduate or 3.0 GPA for Graduate or Beyond Students.
This course work can be done at Mount St. Joseph University at their own expense, or it can be completed at another institution and transferred to Mount St. Joseph University upon completion. The credits must transfer to the University as well as reflect the 2.0 GPA or 3.0 GPA standards as listed above. If the credits cannot be transferred, your status will not be updated until you met the standards as outlined above.
Qualitative Requirement – Grade Point Average (GPA)
| Total Credit Hours Attempted | Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average |
|---|---|
| 1-27 | 1.75 |
| 28-59 | 1.90 |
| 60 or more | 2.00 |
| Any Graduate Hours | 3.00 |
The QUANTITATIVE STANDARD requires successful completion of 67% (two-thirds) of the cumulative credit hours attempted. “Attempted hours” are hours for which a charge was incurred excluding audited hours. Successful completion means the student receives a passing final grade of A, B, C, D, P, or S.
There is also a MAXIMUM TIME FRAME that a student has to complete his or her original program of study. This is determined by multiplying the published number of semester hours needed to complete the program by 150% and comparing that to the number of hours the student has attempted. When the 150% point is reached, financial aid will cease even if the student is meeting other measures of SAP. For example, if an undergraduate program requires 120 hours in order to graduate, a student could not receive financial aid beyond 180 hours (including transfer hours) whether or not financial aid was received for those credits.
It is important to understand how various grades and enrollment decisions impact your Satisfactory Academic Progress calculations.
- Withdrawals – Withdrawals (W), will adversely affect a student’s SAP by reducing the number of hours successfully completed for a term.
- Audits - Audited courses may not be counted towards the total number of hours of enrollment for a term as no credit will be earned.
- Transfer Credits - Hours accepted from other institutions and evaluated in the student’s current program are included in the calculation of the maximum time frame.
- Incompletes - Grades of "I", will not affect a student’s GPA at the time of review. Incompletes are temporary grades and will be replaced with a final grade. Should the grade become final before the review, the actual grade, credits attempted, and credits earned will be used to determine if the student is making SAP. In many cases, aid for subsequent terms will need to be placed on “hold” until passing grades are earned for incomplete courses.
- Repeats - Courses may be repeated by students. When a course is repeated the most recent final grade will be used to determine eligibility. The prior grade is no longer calculated in to the GPA at MSJ; however, the previous hours attempted will be counted as hours attempted when reviewing SAP completion rate and maximum time frame. Students may repeat a previously taken course one time and be eligible for aid for the hours. This applies to withdrawn, failed, and passed courses.
- Summer Courses - Summer Session hours attempted and earned will be included in the calculation of SAP as for any other term.
SAP Appeals - Students whose financial aid has been terminated due to failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress may submit a written appeal to the Director of Student Administrative Services if they can document extenuating circumstances that have impacted their academic performance. Events/circumstances that may merit an appeal are: a personal or family emergency, a serious illness or accident, a death in the family, a military service commitment, or another serious situation beyond the student’s control.
- Appeals should be submitted within 30 days of notification of Financial Aid Termination due to SAP.
- The student needs to explain what event/situation occurred that had a negative impact on their academic performance, providing supporting documentation if appropriate.
- In the appeal, the student should also explain how this event/circumstance will no longer impact the ability to perform.
- The student should indicate the semester for which they are seeking to re-establish financial aid eligibility.
- Properly completed and documented SAP Appeals will normally be reviewed within 15 business days and a response will be emailed to the student’s MSJ Email.
Students with questions about satisfactory academic progress should contact the Student Administrative Services Office in the Conlan Center on the first floor of the Administration Building.