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student centerSATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS STANDARDS (SAP)

 

Students receiving financial assistance under the federally supported Title IV Programs must comply with the following set of standards to be eligible for such assistance. What follows are the university standards for SAP:

 

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) POLICY
TO MAINTAIN FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY
FOR TITLE IV AND OTHER STUDENT AID PROGRAMS
AT
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

This policy affects student eligibility for financial aid through any/all of the following federal and state financial aid programs:

  • Federal Pell Grants (PELL)
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Federal Work-Study Program (FWSP)
  • Federal Perkins Loan (PERK)
  • Federal Stafford Loan Program, both subsidized and unsubsidized, (FELP)
  • Federal Direct Stafford Loan Program, both subsidized and unsubsidized (FDSL, FDUL)
  • Federal Parent Loan Program (PLUS)
  • Federal Graduate PLUS Loan (GRPLUS)
  • Connecticut State University Grant (CSUG)
  • Connecticut Assistance for Public Colleges Grants (CAPS)
  • Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)
  • National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART)

To be eligible to receive from the university any of the types of financial aid listed above, a student must be:

  • Matriculated
  • Enrolled currently and
  • Meeting the terms of this Satisfactory Academic Progress policy

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

"Satisfactory academic progress" is a measurement of the student's successful progress in their studies, based on their degree level (undergraduate/graduate) and status (part time/full time).  Satisfactory progress is evaluated once a calendar year, using standards that are both qualitative (academic performance as measured by grade point average) and quantitative (total number of academic credits earned within specified time periods). 

Academic Performance as Measured by Grade Point Average   (Qualitative Standard)

To meet this standard, a student must maintain the level of academic performance required to remain at the University as a matriculated student. The minimum required level of academic performance varies by degree level and number of credits attempted,  as follows:

Undergraduate 

  • Has attempted 30 - 44 credits: 1.5  
  • Has attempted 45 - 59 credits: 1.8
  • Has attempted  60 or more credits: 2.0

Graduate 

  • Has attempted 9 or more credits: 3.0

Undergraduate and graduate students who are placed on academic probation continue to be eligible to receive financial aid under this policy, assuming the student meets the Quantitative Standard outlined below.

Total Credits Earned and Time Limits for Degree/Certificate Completion  (Quantitative Standard)

The university has determined what level of performance/grades count toward the required credits earned, as follows: All courses in which a grade of A through D or  a CR grade (when the course has been recommended by the advisor) have been assigned will count toward the required quantitative standard. Failed courses (F), audited courses (Z),  courses which the student never attended (N), courses in which no grade is reported by the instructor ( R ), courses from which students withdrew (W, WP, WF),  courses which are Incompletes (I), and courses transferred from another institution prior to the student's attendance at SCSU will NOT count toward the total credits earned and the achievement of this quantitative standard. Any student who receives an "I" in any course must notify the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships when the "I"  is changed into a letter grade, in order for credits earned in that course to be counted toward the quantitative standard of performance.

Total credits earned and time limits required to meet this standard vary by degree level and part-time/full-time status, as follows:

Undergraduate Students

  • For full-time students, satisfactory progress is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 21 semester hours of academic work per academic year for students who enroll in the fall and spring or summer, and 12 semester hours of academic work for those initially enrolling in the spring or enrolling only for the fall or summer term.  An academic year runs from the beginning of the fall term to the end of the following summer.     Full time students making satisfactory academic progress of 2.0 may receive financial aid for up to 12 semesters (six years) of full-time attendance or until the student is certified for graduation by the University, whichever comes first.
  • For part-time students, satisfactory progress is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 12 semesters hours of academic work per academic year for students who enroll in the fall and spring or summer, and 6 semester hours for those initially enrolling in the spring or enrolling only for the fall or summer term.  An academic year runs from the beginning of the fall term to the end of the following summer.   Part-time students making satisfactory academic progress may receive financial aid for up to 24 semesters (twelve years) of part time attendance or until the student is certified for graduation by the university, whichever comes first.
  • Note: Students pursuing a second bachelor's degree will have only four additional full time semesters to complete their second bachelor's degree.  If the student received no financial aid for the first degree and the student becomes eligible for financial aid by the beginning of the second degree program, he/she will be eligible for a maximum of 12 semesters.
  • A change of major will not affect the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Graduate Students

  • For full-time students, satisfactory academic progress is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 18 semester hours of academic work toward completion of a graduate degree or planned program per academic year for students who enroll in the fall and spring or summer, and 9 semester hours for students initially enrolling in the spring or enrolling only for the fall or summer term.  Students may receive financial aid for up to 14 semesters (seven years) of full-time attendance or until the student is certified for program completion by the university, whichever comes first.
  • For part-time students, satisfactory academic progress is defined as the successful completion of a minimum of 12 semester hours of academic work toward completion of a graduate degree or a planned program per academic year for students who enroll in the fall and spring or summer, and 6 semester hours for student initially enrolling in the spring or enrolling only for the fall or summer term.   Students may receive financial assistance for up to 28 semesters (14 years) of part-time attendance or until the student is certified for program completion by the university, whichever comes first.

Students Who Fail to Meet Either the Qualitative or Quantitative Standards
 
Students who fail to attain the qualitative and/or quantitative standards outlined above may:

  • Enroll in Summer Session, in order to complete the necessary credits and or improve the GPA. A student whose  performance in summer session meets the standard that would have been required for satisfactory academic progress at the end of the spring semester when eligibility was lost, shall be again eligible to apply for financial assistance for the immediately following academic year. 
  • Consider "repeating" a failed course.  Many students repeat courses that have been passed with low or average grades in order to raise their cumulative grade point average (GPA). However, students are often unaware that repeating a course in which a credit has been earned (a grade of"D" or higher received), will not earn additional credit for purposes of graduation or meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress quantitative standard.   While there may be academic reasons for repeating such courses, it is not the purpose of financial aid to pay for the same course during different semesters. Students should plan to take repeat classes during the summer sessions so that their financial aid eligibility to earn enough credit hours each year (fall/spring semesters) to meet the SAP minimum requirements is not negatively affected.
  • File an appeal, requesting reconsideration of the loss of financial aid eligibility, as outlined below.

Appeal Process

The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships determines the eligibility for financial aid after the submission of spring semester grades (once a year).  Undergraduate and graduate students who do not meet  the minimum requirement for continuance on federal aid according to this policy will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships during the month of June. 

Students have the right to appeal this determination by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.  Students should obtain a "Application for Satisfactory Academic Progress Waiver"  either on-line or from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. The completed form, together with documentation/evidence of medical emergencies or other legitimate personal or family circumstances which prevented the student from meeting the required SAP standards must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.  The dean will review each appeal for consideration of financial aid probation (continuance on financial aid with academic conditions).  

The Dean of Student Affairs will make the following decisions on each appeal in timely fashion: 

  • The student's appeal may be denied thus making him/her ineligible for any Title IV funding and most other student financial assistance for the next academic semester. In this case, the  student must regain his/her eligibility without financial aid before consideration of a second appeal or

 

  • The student's appeal may, given justification, be accepted and the student  may be placed on financial aid probation by the dean of student affairs.   This will allow the student to receive financial aid, on conditions stipulated by the dean at the time of the decision. IMPORTANT:  Generally, only one financial aid probation as described above can be granted to a student during his/her academic career at Southern Connecticut State University; or

 

  • The student's appeal may be fully accepted, and financial aid eligibility fully reinstated, usually made as a result of  an administrative or recording error made on the student's academic record.