Academic Plan for Improvement

What is the Jesuit vision of education?

"Jesuit education is a call to human excellence, to the fullest possible development of all human qualities. This implies a rigor and academic excellence that challenges the student to develop all of his or her talents to the fullest. It is a call to critical thinking and disciplined studies, a call to develop the whole person, head and heart, intellect and feelings."  Learn more.

Who Needs to Submit an "Academic Plan" ?

Students who have forfeited their right to particpate in federal financial aid programs or institutional scholarship and grant programs due to their failure to make "satisfactory academic progress"  will generally be required to  design and submit an "Academic Plan for Improvement" as part of any appeal to have their aid eligibility reinstated. (if the student has already designed a plan as part of their appeal to be academically reinstated, the Committee may be willing to accept that document as being acceptable.

The goal of the Academic Plan for Improvement is to give the student a final opportunity to "get on track" towards successfully completing his or her degree objectives at Loyola University New Orleans

The student's unique Academic Plan for Improvement must be developed with either:

• The Director of Retention and Student Success
• Staff in the Academic Resource Center ; OR
• The Associate Dean of the Student's College

The Academic Plan must include - at a minimum:

• Regular meetings throughout the semester with either assigned staff in the Dean's Office, the Academic Resource Center and/ or the Director of Retention and Student Success.
• Specific steps that the student will take throughout the semester to address the academic difficulties that they encountered in the previous semeter.
• Referrals to any other on-campus department to address any other problems that have impacted the student's eligibility to succeed academically.

The initial  Academic Plan submitted with a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form should be for the upcoming semester only.

If the Financial Aid Appeals Committee accepts a student's appeal and proposed  Academic Plan for Improvement, aid eligibility will be reinstated for the upcoming semester. This Appeals Committee does reserve the right to add additional requirements to the Academic Plan. Additional requirements may include setting a minimum number of credits that must be completed each semester as well as minimum grade point average requirements.

The goal of the Academic Plan is to make sure the student makes documented steady progress towards meeting our "satisfactory academic progress" standards and graduates  within the university's "normal" time frame to complete a degree.

In addition, students whose aid packages included federal student loans  will also need to submit confirmation that they have completed Mapping Your Future’s 12-step financial literacy online counseling session . Post-secondary education is expensive, especially at a private institution.  We (as well as the federal government) see aid programs as an investment in the future. Students who are borrowing under the federal student loan programs must be very clear about their responsibility to repay their debts. Students who take a longer time to complete their degrees will accumulate more debt. We want you to be clear about your average starting salary after graduation as well as what your projected loan payments will be if we reinstate your aid eligibility.

The consequences of defaulting on a federal loan are severe.  We want you to think about the long-term financial implications of the choices you are making.

Reviews at the End of the Semester

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the academic records of all students whose aid was reinstated on a conditional basis at the end of the semester to verify that  they met all the conditions outlined in their  Academic Plan for Improvement.

Potential Outcomes

•  Students who now meet the federal satisfactory progress guidelines for their college / division will have their federal aid eligibility fully reinstated.
• Students who chose not to complete an Academic Plan for Improvement AND who do not meet the federal satisfactory progress guidelines for their college / division will no longer be eligible for federal student aid. Students cannot appeal this policy.
• Students who fail to meet all conditions set  in their Academic Plan for Improvement will forfeit their eligibility to receive further federal and institutional student aid funds. They can apply to be reinstated once they meet the university' standards.  Students who have been given a second chance to receive aid are expected to meet all the requirements set forth in their Academic Plan. Appeals will only be accepted from students who experienced a one-time,  unexpected , serious event (such as a death in the family or a documented prolonged illness) that precluded them from meeting the conditions of their Academic Plan 
• Students who  met all the conditions of their Academic Plan for Improvement but who still do not meet the university's regular academic standards may be allowed to continue in federal and institutional aid programs. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee, in consultation with the Associate Dean of the student's college, may make changes to the student's original  Academic Plan based on any changes in the student's situation. Students who meet all conditions of their current Acadmic Plan will be allowed to continue to participate in the federal student aid programs on a semester by semester basis.

Updated June 6, 2012