Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
The Higher Education Amendment Act of 1965, as amended, mandates institutions of higher education to establish a minimum standard of “Satisfactory Academic Progress” for students receiving financial aid. A&M-Commerce makes its standard applicable to all federal, state and institutional financial assistance programs for the purpose of maintaining a consistent policy for all students receiving financial aid.
To make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), students must meet all of the following standards:
- Academic Standards
- Maximum Time Frames
- Enrollment Status
- The Free Application for Federal Student Aid be completed.
Academic Standards
Students must maintain a cumulative GPA minimum requirement at the end of each academic year for all credit hours attempted at A&M-Commerce: Undergraduate Freshman must have a 1.8 cumulative G.P.A. at the end of the first academic year; Undergraduate Sophomore through Senior level must have a 2.0 cumulative G.P.A.; Graduates must have a 3.0 cumulative G.P.A. If the cumulative G.P.A. drops below the minimum requirement, the student will no longer be eligible for financial aid.
Maximum Time Frames
The number of credit hours a student attempts may not exceed 150% of the number of credit hours required for graduation in his or her program of study, as published in the University catalog. If the published number of hours required for graduation is 120, a student may not attempt more than 180 credit hours (120 x 1.5 = 180) and continue to receive financial aid. All periods of enrollment must be considered, even those for which the student did not receive financial aid as well as hours transferred in from another school. If the number of attempted hours reaches 150% of the hours required for graduation, the student will no longer be eligible for financial aid.
Students will be limited to the following number of attempted hours to complete their degree or certification program:
Undergraduate Degree
180 attempted hours
2nd Undergraduate Degree
45 attempted hours
Master’s Degree
54 attempted hours
Teacher Certification
45 attempted hours
Doctoral Degree
120 attempted hours
Attempted hours include all registered hours per semester whether
or not the student earns a grade or receives credit. The following
are considered hours attempted, but not completed:
a) “F” grades for undergraduate students
b) “D” or “F” grades for graduate students
c) “W” or withdrawal from courses
d) “DP” dropped passing or “DF” dropped failing
grades
e) “DS” dropped satisfactory or “DU” dropped
unsatisfactory grades
f) “I”, incomplete, “IP”, in progress, or
“X” incomplete grades
g) “U” unsatisfactory grades
h) All transfer hours
Completed hours include all semester hours for which the student
earns a grade:
a) “A” through “D” grades for undergraduate
students
b) “A” through “C” grades for graduate students
c) “S” satisfactory grades
d) All transfer hours completed
Enrollment Status
For each academic year (Fall/Spring/Summer) a student who receives financial aid must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all attempted course work. If the number of completed hours drops below 67% of attempted hours, the student will no longer be eligible for financial aid.
Examples:
a) If a student attempts (registers for) 30 credit hours in an academic year, he or she must complete a minimum of 20 credit hours (67% x 30 = 20) in order to make SAP for the year.
b) If at the end of the second year a student has attempted 60 credit
hours, he or she must have completed a minimum of 40 credit hours
(67% x 60 = 40) to be making SAP.
Note: All partial credit hours will be rounded to the nearest
hour
Review Policy
The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) will review the progress of each financial aid recipient for SAP at the end of each Spring semester. Student records will be reviewed to ensure that the following criteria are met:
* Cumulative G.P.A. of 1.8 or higher (freshman undergraduates)
Cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or higher (sophomore-senior undergraduates) or
Cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher (graduates).
* Successful completion of at least 67% of all attempted course work
for all periods of enrollment (cumulative), even those for which the
student did not receive financial aid.
* Total attempted hours do not exceed 150% of the published length of the program of study.
Financial Aid Termination
In the event the student does not meet the requirements for SAP, he or she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. This means that the student will not be eligible for any type of federal, state or institutional aid until he or she returns to satisfactory academic progress.
Conditions for Reinstatement
Students whose eligibility for financial aid has been suspended may appeal the decision in writing to the Office of Financial Aid if they had extenuating circumstance(s) that led to their unsatisfactory progress. The Financial Aid Director will notify the student in writing of the decision. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Financial Aid Director, then the final option for the student is to appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee (must be within 10 calendar days of notification of denial by the Financial Aid Director). The student must request in writing that they would like their appeal to be reviewed by the Committee. This request must be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid. The Chair of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee will notify the student in writing of the decision.
A student will only be allowed to submit an appeal for review twice as an undergraduate and twice as a graduate student.
To appeal for the reinstatement of financial aid eligibility, complete and submit the Request for Appeal Form. A completed form must include:
* A letter from the student documenting the extenuating circumstance(s). For example, personal illness, medical problems, death in the family, etc. This letter should provide a detailed explanation of the situation. Documentation must be provided to substantiate the extenuating circumstance(s).
* If the student has exceeded the maximum time frame of 150% of the number of credit hours required for graduation in his or her program of study, as published in the University catalog and is appealing based on a change of major, he or she should state the reason for the change and indicate the number of hours remaining to be taken in the new major. The student must also have his or her Department Head and Academic Advisor complete a 150% Worksheet which indicates the number of credit hours required for the major and the number of hours remaining. Appeal will not be reviewed without submission of this form.
Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Suspension because
they do not meet the G.P.A. or Enrollment Status requirements may
do the following if they decide not to appeal, or if their appeal
is not approved:
* Students may attend the next semester without financial aid.
* If at the end of that semester the student meets the SAP requirements,
they may submit a request to have their aid reinstated for the next
and subsequent semesters for that award year only.
Students will be reviewed again at the end of the spring semester to determine if they meet the SAP requirements and eligibility for aid will be reviewed during the regular review process.