Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Persons Receiving Financial Aid
Purpose and Scope
The following Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) are in accordance with federal guidelines for continuing student eligibility for financial aid.
Procedures
SAP will be reviewed, by the financial aid office each semester after the student applies for financial aid. New students, and transfers and returning students in good standing will be awarded for the entire year, but will be reevaluated at the end of their first semester. Students not in good standing will be denied aid and must follow the appeal process below to be considered for any aid.
Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement
Students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible to receive financial aid. Included in this calculation will be all college coursework attempted at all schools attended.
Completion Rate Requirement-PACE
A student receiving financial aid must maintain a reasonable pace towards completion of their degree. Pace will be determined by dividing the number of hours earned by the number of hours completed. Students must maintain a pace of at least 70% to remain eligible to receive aid. Courses attempted include all courses for which a student is registered. In order for a course to be considered complete, the student must receive a grade of A, B, C, D, or S. Grades of W, Q, F, U, NG or I will not be considered as complete for SAP purposes. Included in this calculation will be all college coursework accepted at the institution.
Time Limits for Academic Progress
A student may receive financial aid for no more than 150 % of the published length of their declared degree program. For example, if the stated number of hours for a degree program is 60 hours the student may receive aid for no more than 90 hours. (60 x 1.5 = 90) Included in this total will be all college coursework attempted at all schools attended.
Remedial Courses
A student enrolled in a regular program may receive financial aid for no more than 30 semester hours of remedial coursework. Remedial courses will be considered when calculating a student's completion rate and will count towards their total number of hours for SAP.
Summer Courses and Mini-Sessions
Summer and mini-session coursework will be included in all completion rate and GPA calculations.
Repeat Course work
Students may repeat a course as many times as needed until they have attained a passing grade, but all attempts will count towards the GPA and pace standards. Once a student has received a passing grade, the course may be repeated only once. Any attempts in excess of the one allowed repeat will not be funded.
Warning
Students placed on a warning status will remain eligible to receive aid for the subsequent semester. If they fail to attain satisfactory progress at the end of that semester they will be ineligible to receive future aid unless they are granted an appeal or complete coursework, which returns them to good standing.
Probation
A student not meeting SAP, but who have their appeal accepted, will be placed on probation if it is possible for the student to regain an acceptable academic progress status at the end of the semester. A student placed on probation will be notified through the Gator Self Service account at the time they are awarded. In order to continue receiving aid the student must complete 75 % of all coursework attempted for that semester, and a cumulative GPA, which meets the standards described above. Their status will be reevaluated at the end of the semester, which they are placed on probation.
Academic Plan
A student not meeting SAP, but who have their appeal accepted, will be placed on an Academic Plan if it is determined the student will require more than one semester to regain satisfactory academic progress. Students placed on an academic plan must meet the Academic Plan (PLAN) agreements which are: not dropping, withdrawing, or making below a “C” in any course, and taking only the classes that are required for their degree plan. Failure to comply with these conditions will terminate any and all further financial aid eligibility. Students who fail to comply with their PLAN agreements do have the option to submit one last chance appeal letter to the Financial Aid Advisor for the following semester.
Appeals
Students denied aid may appeal in the form of submitting an appeal form to the financial aid office. This appeal should explain any mitigating circumstances, which have caused the student's failure to make academic progress. The Financial Aid Advisor will review appeals. Relevant documentation necessary to verify or support the appeal (e.g. death in immediate family, extended personal illness, recent divorce, etc.) should be submitted with the appeal letter. Students shall be notified of their appeal decisions on their Gator Self Service account within two (2) weeks of the appeal letter being received in the financial aid office. Students denied their appeal may then make an additional appeal to the SAP Appeals Committee (NOTE: If a student's appeal is denied, new information and documentation is required at each level of appeal to enhance the chances for granting subsequent appeals.) The decision of the committee is final. Fourteen (14) working days should be allowed at each level of appeal. Students will be notified of all appeal decisions through their Gator Self Service account. A student not meeting SAP, but who has their appeal accepted, will be placed on probation or be placed on a Satisfactory Academic Plan. They will receive notification by status updates on their Gator Self Service account. Under the terms of probation, the student must complete 75% of all attempted coursework for that semester, and attain a GPA of 2.0 for the semester. Their status will be reevaluated at the end of the semester, which is when they are placed on probation. They will be notified of their new status on their Gator Self Service account at the end of that semester.