Three components of your academic record determine whether you are maintaining satisfactory academic progress: (1) course completion, (2) grade point average (GPA) and (3) maximum eligibility. The requirements in each area vary according to your status as an undergraduate, graduate or professional student, your school/college of enrollment, and your enrollment status (full-time, half- time, or less than-half-time). This federal policy affects your eligibility for all forms of assistance, including but not limited to, the following aid programs:
Federal: Federal Work-Study,
Federal Pell Grant,
Federal Perkins Loan,
Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Parent loan),
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG),
Graduate PLUS Loan,
Federal Family Education Loan Program,
Federal Direct Loan Program (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), Nursing Student Loans and;
Health Professions Loans and Grants.
Private Loans: Students on SAP may only apply for private loans that do not seek a student's academic progression (or lack thereof) a necessary criterion. This is often done by conducting an internet search.
If AP's are not received within a timely manner, this will subsequently affect the disbursement of a student's aid for that particular semester. If a student changes their classes (by adding or dropping) within the same semester, they must resubmit their AP to the Office of Financial Aid noting the necessary changes and their academic advisor must e-sign those changes. At the conclusion of each semester, a student's performance will be assessed upon the following criteria:
Completion Ratio
Your enrollment status is reviewed at the conclusion of each academic semester (fall and spring) to verify that you have earned the required minimum number of credits during fall and spring semesters. You are required to complete at least 70% of all attempted hours of coursework each academic semester. (E.g. If a student registers for 15 credit hours in the fall semester; 5 (3 credit) courses, they must pass each course with a letter grade of "C" or better.) Grades or indicators of ‘F’ (Fail), ‘I’ (Incomplete), ‘U’ (Unsatisfactory), ‘UW’ (Unofficial Withdrawal), ‘NR’ (Never Reported) all count against your completion ratio. Repeated coursework may not be used in the calculation of your completion ratio and is not covered by financial aid.
Satisfactory Academic Progress will now be evaluated on a per semester basis. It will no longer be evaluated on an annual basis. Once a student finds themselves as being on 'financial aid suspension' per email notification and by checking their BisonWeb account, they then are to initiate the appeal process. Once an appeal has been received, reviewed, and approved by members of the office's Professional Judgment Committee, students must also submit an Academic Plan (AP) to be electronically signed and acknowledged by their major advisor. The AP must have the advisor's signature on it to confirm they have approved the courses a student plans to take and successfully pass in the upcoming semester.