Frequently Asked Questions - Satisfactory Academic Progress

Overview

To be eligible for federal financial  aid , a student must maintain  "satisfactory academic progress (SAP)" towards completing his/her degree objectives .  The financial aid satisfactory academic progress standards must be the same as or stricter than the standards the school uses for students who are not participating in any federal financial aid program (This includes the federal parent and student loan programs ) .

This page provides an summary overview of the MAJOR components of the university's satisfactory academic progress policy for students who are receiving federal financial aid funds. Check the standards for your college  for detailed information on this topic.

Satisfactory academic progress standards include:

• A maximum time frame to complete your degree objectives ;
• A qualitative component (also known as your Grade Pont Average or "GPA") ;
• A quantitative component (how many credits you complete each year) .

The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid checks the academic records of all federal aid recipients at the end of each academic semester to document their status.

Key Concepts

Please feel free to contact the  your assigned finacial aid counselor if you have any questions. To "keep it simple", answers to these questions refer back to undergraduate programs but the general concepts apply to all degree  programs.

How much time do I have to complete my degree?

What is the minimum GPA I must maintain?

How is many credits do I need to earn every year ?

Can I appeal my status ?

If my appeal is denied what other options do I have?

How Long Do I Have to Complete My Undergraduate Degree?

To quantify academic progress, a school must set a maximum time frame in which a student is expected to complete a program. For an undergraduate program, the maximum time frame cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the program measured in credit hours attempted.

The majority of undergraduate programs require 120 hours for graduation. The maximum time frame for students in these programs is 180 attempted hours (120 x 1.5=180). Students whose programs require more than 120 hours for a degree will have a higher limit.

• As expressed in years: students are normally expected to complete an undergraduate degree by the end of 4 years of full-time study. Therefore,  students will forfeit their eligibility to participate in federal financial aid programs after 6 years of full time enrollement ( 4 x 150% = 6 )

What Is the Minimum Grade Point Average ("GPA") that I need to maintain?

During the first four semesters of undergraduate enrollment, the qualitative standards for making progress will not be primarily monitored by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, but by the several deans in accordance with the policies of each college. Standards for "Academic Actions" (academic probation, exclusion, and dismal) are listed in the current University Bulletin .

Students who are allowed by their Dean to continue their enrollment on a probationary status will also be put on "Financial Aid" warning or probation and will be expected to meet the same minimum standards outlined by the Dean for continued enrollment.

However, in accordance with federal regulations by the second calendar year of enrollment in a post-secondary educational program, the student must have at least a 2.0 cumulative g.p.a. to be considered making satisfactory progress for continued participation in federal aid programs. Students who do not meet this test will be ineligible to participate in federal financial aid programs until this deficiency is corrected.

How Many Credits Do I Have to Complete Every Year?

Students have a limited amount of time to complete their undergraduate degree requirements. To earn our basic undergraduate degree, students must successfully complete 120 credit hours.

For a student to be considered as progressing normally, the student's ratio of earned hours to scheduled hours (or pace towards degree completion) must be no less than as shown on the following table:

Attempted hours are those hours for which students were still officially registered at the conclusion of each semester's Add/Drop period. This will include all classes with "grades" of "W" or "I".

Can I appeal my status ?

Students have the right to appeal any decision of ineligibility to continue to receive financial assistance. Appeals must be filed within 30 days of notification that aid eligibility has been lost OR 30 days after a semester begins (which ever comes first).  An Appeal must be made in writing to the Director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid . The appeal may not be based upon your need for the assistance OR your lack of knowledge that your assistance was in jeopardy. An appeal would normally be based upon some unusual situation or condition which prevented you from passing more of your courses, or which necessitated that you withdraw from classes. Examples of possible situations include documented serious illness, severe injury, or death of a family member.

• Appeal Form

Appeal Approval Conditions: Appeals can only be approved if the Financial Aid Appeals Committee determines :

• that the student will be able to meet the university's satisfactory academic progress after the next payment period; or
• that the student has agreed to follow an academic plan that, if followed, will ensure that the student can meet the university's satisfactory academic progress guidelines by a specific point in time.

If an appeal is granted: Students whose appeals are granted will receive aid on a conditional basis for one semester. The conditions will be outlined in the letter sent to the student granting the appeal. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the student's record at the end of that semester to determine his/her status for the following semester. Students who fail to meet the conditions outlined in their individualized academic plans during their conditional semester will not be to eligible to submit a subsequent appeal.

If my appeal is denied what other options do I have?

Student who has lost eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs for reasons of academic progress can regain that eligibility only by enrolling at Loyola at his/her own expense and demonstrating that he/she is capable of completing a semester without any failures, incompletes or withdrawals and showing the ability to complete his degree requirements in a more regular fashion. The mere passage of time will not ordinarily restore eligibility to a student who has lost eligibility for failure to make satisfactory progress.

Updated May 3, 2011