Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

 

The Office of Financial Aid is required by federal and state regulations to monitor the academic progress of all financial aid recipients. Financial aid applicants must comply with the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy as a condition of continued eligibility. Academic progress of all financial aid recipients are required to be tracked from the first date of enrollment, whether or not financial aid was received.  

The Office of Financial Aid evaluates student academic progress annually at the end of the spring semester. Students are evaluated on the basis of grade point average, successful completion of a required percentage of attempted credits and obtaining a degree within the allotted maximum time frame. Financial Aid recipients are required to be in good standing and to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward their degree/certificate requirements for each semester in which they are enrolled.   

Failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress may result in the cancellation of financial aid awards which include: Federal Perkins Program, Federal Work Study, William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan programs (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Graduate PLUS), Federal TEACH Grant and State Grants/scholarships and all other programs which require the monitoring of academic progress.

Minimum Standards for Graduate Students

Institutional requirements for graduate students are defined as follows:

1.       Student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

2.       Student must maintain a minimum completion rate of two thirds of credit attempted (67%).

3.       Students must complete their educational program within a time frame no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program. The published length for a student to obtain his/her degree varies. Please refer to the Bowie State Graduate Catalog to determine published length of the degree you are pursuing.

Students who do not meet one of the above criteria will be ineligible for financial aid will be placed in a “Not Meet” status.

Treatment of Grades, Course Work and Transfer Credits 

1.       Attempted credits include grades of A,B,C, F, I, NG, P, PS, T, W,AU. 

2.       Students may repeat courses in order to improve a grade. However, credits for repeated courses will count as additional credits attempted for financial aid purposes.  

3.       Transfer credits will be counted as attempted and completed credits for the completion ratio calculation and count towards the maximum time frame allowed. 

Not Meet Status 

Students who fail to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and or fail to maintain the minimum completion rate will be placed in a “Not Meet” status for the following semester of enrollment and no financial aid will be awarded and or disbursed during subsequent semesters until the student has regained eligibility or reinstatement has occurred due to an appeal being granted.  

Students who do not earn their degree within the maximum timeframe will be placed in “Not Meet" status. No aid will be awarded and or disbursed during subsequent semester unless the student has made an appeal and the appeal has been granted.  

Reinstatement of Aid  

Reinstatement of financial aid after being placed in a “Not Meet” status is achieved in the one of the following ways: 

1.       Student submits a written letter of appeal with supporting documentation and the Financial Aid Appeals committee grants the appeal. The student is placed on financial aid probation for the next semester of enrollment. At the end of the probation semester, SAP will be reevaluated. The student must meet all SAP requirements at the end of that semester or they will be placed in a Not Meet status and they must reestablish eligibility as described in item 2.  

2.       The student pays for all obligations, (tuition and fees), without financial aid assistance and reestablish eligibility by meeting the SAP requirements. 

Appeal Process 

1.       Students wishing to appeal the Not Meet status must submit a written appeal with supporting documentation that led to not meeting the SAP requirements. This appeal must include a plan for meeting SAP at the end of the next enrollment period. Circumstances may include death of a family member, unexpected injury or illness of the student or other circumstances with supporting documentation. 

2.       Appeals must be submitted by the deadline date. 

3.       Student will be limited to two appeals during their graduate career. 

4.       Appeals submitted without supporting documentation will not be reviewed. 

5.       The Financial Aid Appeals committee will review the appeal request and respond in writing to the student regarding the decision. The Financial Aid Appeals committee reserves the right to submit a financial aid academic plan to the student and upon his or her agreement must meet certain standards in the upcoming semester that would lead to the reestablishment of eligibility. If any terms of the plan are not met the student shall be placed in a Not Meet status for the next enrollment period. 

Example of a financial aid academic plan – student must maintain fulltime status during period of probation- student drops below fulltime. Student has not satisfied term of plan – student will then be placed in a Not Meet status for the upcoming semester. 

6.        Appeals that are granted will result in a “Probation” status, allowing the student to receive aid for the subsequent semester. Students placed on probation will be reevaluated at the end of that payment period.    

All decision of the Financial Aid Committee Are Final  

Policy Effective Date: July 1, 2011 and will be first calculated for students on probation under the prior policy at the conclusion of the fall semester.