Financial Aid

Previous SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) which expired June 30, 2011

Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of each applicant for financial assistance and that the school certify that the applicant is making satisfactory academic progress towards earning his/her degree.  Financial aid recipients must maintain satisfactory progress in the four areas listed below:

1. Average Credit Hours per Semester (Full-Time Students Only)
2. Cumulative Grade Point Average
3. Hours Earned (Completion Ratio)
4. Maximum Length of Study (Time Limit)

It is the student’s responsibility to stay informed of the university’s SAP standards and to monitor their progress. For SAP purposes, student’s academic records are reviewed by the Office of Student Financial Assistance at the end of the fall and spring semester.  Students who are not meeting one or more of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards become ineligible to receive federal financial beginning the following semester.  Eligibility may be regained by resolving all deficiencies (except the Maximum Length of Study).

Federal regulations require the university to establish Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, involving both a qualitative (cumulative grade point average) and a quantitative (hours earned compared to hours attempted), as where a maximum length of study requirement. This requirement applies to all applicants for any federal assistance, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, and the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans, which includes the Direct Subsidized, Direct Unsubsidized and the Direct PLUS Loan programs.  The same standards may apply to all assistance from the Catholic University of America.  To be eligible for financial aid at CUA, whether or not aid was received in the past, students must be in compliance with all three of the following areas: cumulative GPA, hours earned, and maximum length of study.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance’s SAP requirements listed below are generally more stringent in relation to the University’s Academic Probation, Academic Warning and Academic Dismissal Policies administered by the individual academic departments.  There could be instances when a student is considered to be in good academic standing within their academic department/school but fail to meet one or more of the Office of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements making them ineligible to receive financial aid.  (The most common example is failure to maintain the required course completion ratio.)

Full –Time Requirements

1. Have completed an average of 12 credits per semester using formula:  Number of Credit Hours completed/Number of Semesters
   
   
2. Have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 1.50 in first three semesters and a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least a 2.00 by the end of the fourth and all subsequent semesters (regardless of the number of credits taken or completed).
    
3. Have a course completion ratio of at least 75% following the student’s third semester at CUA using the formula: Number of Credit Hours Earned / Number of Credit Hours Attempted
   
   
4. Have not attempted more than 150% of the number of credits required to complete a degree.

Part–Time Requirements

1. Have a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 1.50 in first three semesters and a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least a 2.00 by the end of the fourth and all subsequent semesters (regardless of the number of credits taken or completed).
    
2. Have a course completion ratio of at least 75% at CUA using the formula: Number of Credit Hours Earned / Number of Credit Hours Attempted
   
   
3. Have not attempted more than 150% of the number of credits required to complete a degree.
    
4. Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA)

The following grades and their values are used in computing your semester and cumulative GPA for SAP purposes:

Hours Earned (Completion Ratio)

We recommend that undergraduate students attempt to earn at least 30 hours per academic year in order to graduate in four years for programs that require 120 credit hours. To remain eligible for financial aid, students must earn 75% of total attempted hours for the previous enrollment periods.

For financial aid purposes, the following definitions and conditions apply:

To earn hours at CUA, one must receive a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-,  or D.  All other grades, including F, F*, I and W do not earn credit hours.

Audited courses count as attempted but not earned hours. Therefore, auditing classes will negatively affect a student’s ability to satisfy the hours earned standard.  When a student repeats a course, the total attempted hours will increase with each repeat, but the student may only earn hours for a successfully completed course once. Therefore, repeating courses may negatively affect student’s ability to satisfy the hours earned standard. Accepted transfer credit will count as both attempted and earned hours, but will have no effect on C.G.P.A.

Maximum Length of Study

To remain eligible for financial aid, undergraduate students must complete their degree requirements within 150 percent of the published length of their academic program. For example students in programs requiring 120 hours for graduation may be eligible for financial aid during the first 180 attempted hours as an undergraduate. All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, hours taken before a change in major, whether or not financial aid was received, or the course work was successfully completed. The maximum length of study will be reviewed every semester. No financial aid will be disbursed for the student during subsequent semesters unless the student has an approved Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal.

Once the maximum length of study standard has been exceeded, financial aid eligibility ends, even if the student is in compliance with the other two standards.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Review

At the end of the fall and spring semesters, a review is conducted, and students who are out of compliance with one or more of the SAP standards become ineligible for further financial aid until all deficiencies are remedied.  The Office of Student Financial Assistance will send written notification of ineligibility to students at their permanent addresses as listed in official university records in the Office of Enrollment Services.

Summer School

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Summer School will be based on the student eligibility for the previous term. A student who met the requirements for spring (or fall if student was not enrolled in the preceding spring semester) will also qualify for financial aid for the summer sessions. However, if you are not meeting SAP at the end of the spring term, you will not qualify for financial aid for the upcoming fall semester and any future terms until you are meeting the satisfactory academic progress policy.  Your summer enrollment will be included in determining your continued eligibility in the following fall SAP review.

Additional degrees

If a student successfully completes a degree and enrolls in a subsequent degree program at the University, that students SAP eligibility will be “reset” and reviews of SAP for the subsequent degree will only count coursework completed towards the additional degree.  This reset provision does not pertain to a change in program/major/minor.  

Regaining Eligibility for Financial Aid

To regain eligibility for financial aid, a student may consult with a financial aid counselor to determine the appropriate alternatives. The following may be considered for regaining eligibility for financial aid:

• Taking courses during the summer sessions(s)
• Repeating failed courses
• Removing incomplete grades
• Completed courses at another institution

Cumulative GPA can only be improved by course work at CUA. Hours earned deficiencies may be made up by attendance at CUA or another institution. However, if enrolling elsewhere, the student must complete the appropriate transfer study forms and have the course work pre-approved by the Dean of the College or School for the program of study at CUA prior to enrolling at the other institution. Following the completion of course work elsewhere, the student must request that an academic transcript be sent to their academic department and follow their academic department policy to have transfer credits evaluated.  Once deficiencies have been remedied, the student must notify the Office of Student Financial Assistance and request reinstatement of eligibility. This request should be made after all grades and credit hours are officially recorded by the appropriate academic office with the Office of Enrollment Services at CUA.

Once the maximum length of study standard has been exceeded, financial aid eligibility ends, even if the student is in compliance with the other two standards.

Automatic Probation

If a student fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress and if an assessment of the student's record by the Office of Student Financial Assistance indicates that there is a reasonable expectation that the student will be able to meet satisfactory progress requirements within a reasonable timeframe, a probationary period may be offered. Only one period will be granted.

A student who does not regain eligibility in a probationary period must complete any future course without the assistance of federal or institutional financial aid, until the student is once again meeting satisfactory academic progress as defined above.

Appeals

Federal regulations allow for certain cases in which the school may waive the standards. Specifically, if a student’s failure to be in compliance with one or more areas of satisfactory academic progress is due to events beyond the student’s control, such as a student’s extended illness, serious illness or death in the immediate family, or other significant trauma, and if such mitigating circumstances can be appropriately documented for the specific term(s) in which the deficiency occurred, the student may appeal to the Office of Student Financial Assistance.

If the Office of Student Financial Assistance determines that a student is not making satisfactory academic progress and the student has not been granted a prior probationary period based on an appeal, the student may appeal to be granted probation if extenuating circumstances exist. The student must submit a letter of appeal detailing the extenuating circumstances and provide reasonable documentation to support the claim.  The letter should be mailed to the Office of Student Financial Assistance and addressed to the SAP Appeal Committee. The Office of Student Finacial Assistance will review the student's request and notify the student in writing of the outcome of their appeal. The decision is final and is not open to further appeal. 

The following may be grounds for appeal:

• a student has a death in the immediate family during the semester that affects his or her performance in school or is the cause of his or her withdrawal from the university. Documentation: advocacy in writing from the Dean of Students.
   
• a student has an serious illness or accident that impacts his or her attendance in class for an extended period of time. Documentation: advocacy by the Academic Dean or the Dean of Students and a doctor's certificate stating the nature, duration and impact of the illness.
   
•  a student is forced to withdraw from the University after the add/drop period due to a family emergency, thereby not completing his or her coursework. Documentation: advocacy by the Dean of Students.

This SAP policy was approved August 2010, and SAP will be measured by this policy beginning the fall 2010 semester.  This policy replaces all previous SAP policies.