Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
All college students who receive Financial Aid must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward a degree to continue to receive financial aid. Although they may be taking college classes while still in high school, the college credits they earn can be considered when a college calculates SAP. This is important when deciding to accept or decline their WOU credit. Students who do not receive passing grades may receive a notice with a financial aid warning or suspension. If this happens, they should appeal to the Financial Aid Office.
There are typically three main components to SAP: GPA, pace, and timeframe.
- Grade Point Average (GPA). The standard minimum GPA for SAP is 2.0. However, GPA requirements can vary by institution and departments within the same institution.
- Pace. Academic pace refers to the percentage of credits attempted vs. credits earned each academic term to maintain SAP.
- Timeframe. Timeframe refers to the maximum number of credits to receive federal financial aid (i.e., Pell Grants). The time frame equals 150% of the credits required to complete the degree or certificate a student plans to earn. For example, if an associate degree program requires 90 credits of college-level work, federal financial aid would be available to a student for up to 135 credits.
Appealing
The U.S. Department of Education requires all colleges and universities to establish, publish, and apply standards to monitor each student’s progress toward completing a degree or certificate program. If a college or university notifies a student not meeting SAP standards, they may be placed on financial aid warning or suspension and temporarily lose their financial aid. Check with the Financial Aid Office to learn about the school’s specific SAP policies, which can vary.
Each college and university has an appeal process. Students should talk to the Financial Aid Office right away if they are notified that they have been placed on financial aid warning or suspension. Financial Aid officers must follow specific rules and processes in calculating SAP. Some parts of the calculation are flexible, and others are not.
College credits earned in high school and all college credits a student attempts – regardless of where or how they are paid for – are counted as part of their Satisfactory Academic Progress. If a student receives low grades for college courses in high school, they may have SAP issues starting their first term of college. This can also happen if they take courses over the summer before their first year of college and don’t complete them all or receive satisfactory grades.
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