Financial Aid Eligibility: Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Financial Aid Handbook

Policy

Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to monitor students’ (undergraduate and graduate) academic progress. This is to ensure that students receiving funds are successfully progressing through their program of study. In order to receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid, all matriculated students must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress toward their degree, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This is in addition to any renewal criteria required for specific state, institutional, or other outside awards. At Saint Elizabeth University, Satisfactory Academic Progress is monitored at the end of each academic year following the conclusion of the spring semester.

All Undergraduate and Graduate students who receive financial aid are subject to the following SAP standards.

The financial aid programs affected by SAP are:

Federal Programs

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Work-Study Program
Federal William D. Ford Direct Loans
(Subsidized, Unsubsidized and PLUS
loans)

State Programs

New Jersey State Programs
o Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)
o Governor’s Urban Scholarship (GUS)
o Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF)
o Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ Stars II)
o NJCLASS Loans

Institutional Programs

University Grants and Scholarships

SAP is comprised of three areas of quantitative and qualitative progress standards:

Completing the degree requirements within an established timeframe (quantitative) and;
Maintaining the minimum required grade point average (GPA) and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) (qualitative) and;
Achieving a minimum pace of completion (quantitative).

1) Timeframe:

Federal regulations allow a student to receive funding for up to 150% of the normal timeframe required to complete their academic program, measured in credits. The formula is: The number of total credits required for graduation in a degree program multiplied by 150%. Example: a degree that requires 120 credit hours for graduation cannot exceed 180 attempted credits (120 credits x 150% = 180 credits).

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):

2) Cumulative GPA required:

All matriculated undergraduate students, who receive financial aid, must:

achieve at least an overall CGPA of 2.0 each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA;
complete their academic skills requirements by the completion of their 63rd earned credit.

Undergraduate Transfer Students must:

maintain at least a 2.0 CGPA each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA.

Graduate Students must:

maintain at least a 3.0 CGPA each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA.

Policy

All Undergraduate and Graduate students who receive financial aid are subject to the following SAP standards.

The financial aid programs affected by
SAP are:

Federal Programs

Federal Pell Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Work-Study Program
Federal William D. Ford Direct Loans
(Subsidized, Unsubsidized and PLUS
loans)

State Programs

New Jersey State Programs
o Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)
o Governor’s Urban Scholarship (GUS)
o Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF)
o Student Tuition Assistance Reward Scholarship (NJ Stars II)
o NJCLASS Loans

Institutional Programs

University Grants and Scholarships

SAP is comprised of three areas of quantitative and qualitative progress standards:

Completing the degree requirements within an established timeframe (quantitative) and;
Maintaining the minimum required grade point average (GPA) and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) (qualitative) and;
Achieving a minimum pace of completion (quantitative).

1) Timeframe:

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):

2) Cumulative GPA required:

All matriculated undergraduate students, who receive financial aid, must:

achieve at least an overall CGPA of 2.0 each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA;
complete their academic skills requirements by the completion of their 63rd earned credit.

Undergraduate Transfer Students must:

maintain at least a 2.0 CGPA each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA.

Graduate Students must:

maintain at least a 3.0 CGPA each year;
Pass/Fail grades do not count towards GPA or CGPA.

3) Pace of Completion:

A student must complete at least sixty-seven percent of cumulative credits attempted to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Example: 24 cumulative credits earned/36 cumulative credits attempted = 67%

Treatment of Transfer Credit, W, NC, INC,
AU, F, S and U Grades and Repeated Coursework

Transfer credits and/or credits for prior learning will be counted in the total number of credits attempted and earned.
Course withdrawals (W) after the add/drop period are not included in the CGPA calculation, but are counted as attempted but not earned coursework.
A non-calculated (NC) grade is considered attempted but not earned coursework. It is not included in the CGPA calculation.
Incomplete (INC) grades are not included in the CGPA calculation but are considered in the attempted but not earned coursework until the incomplete grade is replaced with a permanent grade and academic progress can be reevaluated.
An audit (AU) grade is not considered attempted nor earned coursework. It is not included in the CGPA calculation.
A failing grade (F) and/or (FI) are treated as attempted credits but not earned; they will be included in the calculation of the CGPA.
All grades earned for a repeated course [ ] will be included in the calculation of the CGPA and every repeated attempt will be included in the pace of completion.

Notification

Students not making Satisfactory Academic Progress toward their degree will receive written notification from the Financial Aid Office.

Financial Aid Suspension

If at the end of the Financial Aid Warning semester, a student fails to meet the SAP standards, their financial aid is suspended. Students will receive a Financial Aid Suspension letter from the Director of Financial Aid. Financial aid cannot be received while in this status. Students in this status have the right to an appeal process. See Appeal Process below.

Financial Aid Probation

Financial Aid Probation is assigned to a student who successfully appeals a Financial Aid Suspension. See Appeals Process below. Eligibility for financial aid is reinstated while on Financial Aid Probation.

Appeal Process

Students have the right to appeal their FA Suspension status by submitting an appeal to the Appeals Committee by the deadline stated in the Financial Aid Suspension letter. The Appeals Committee will consider appeals that involve extenuating circumstances outside of the student’s control that had a negative impact upon the student’s academic performance. The SAP Committee will consist of members of no less than 3 University Departments such as Financial Aid, Registrar, Academic Advising, Bursar, Retention, etc.

The appeal letter must explain why the student failed to make satisfactory progress and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to make satisfactory progress at the next evaluation. Extenuating circumstances can include, but are not limited to, illness or injury; death of a family member, or other special circumstances.

Appeals will only be approved if the Appeals Committee determines that the student:

will be able to meet the University’s satisfactory academic progress after the next semester of enrollment. The student is placed on Financial Aid Probation for the next semester of enrollment and is eligible to continue to receive financial aid; or
has agreed to follow an academic plan that will be developed for the student by the SAP Committee. If followed, the academic plan will ensure that the student can meet the University’s SAP standards by the end of the prescribed period of time outlined in the academic plan. SAP will be reviewed at the end of each semester while the academic plan is in effect to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. The student is placed on Financial Aid Probation and is eligible to continue to receive financial aid as long as the student continues to meet the requirements of the academic plan.

The SAP Committee will review the appeal and notify the student in writing whether the appeal has been approved or denied. If the appeal has been approved, the student’s financial aid will be reinstated and the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. The Financial Aid Probation will begin the next semester the student is enrolled.

All decisions made by the Appeals Committee are final and will not be subject to further review.

Reinstatement of Aid after Financial Suspension

Reinstatement of financial aid after a student is placed on suspension is achieved as follows:

The student attends Saint Elizabeth University during the suspension semester, pays for tuition and fees without financial aid, and satisfies their deficiency in the SAP standards. The student must notify the Financial Aid Office if they are planning to attend without financial aid; or
The student may attend summer school at SEU in an effort to satisfy their deficiency in the SAP standards. The student must notify the Financial Aid Office if they are planning to take classes during the summer.
Students may take classes at another institution in an attempt to satisfy the deficit in the attempted and earned coursework. Taking classes at another institution has no impact on a student’s CGPA.

Financial Aid Eligibility: Satisfactory Academic Progress