Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid - Undergraduate and Graduate
Undergraduate Student:
Federal and St. Lawrence Student Financial Aid: Recipients of assistance under the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Direct Student Loan, Federal Parent Loan, TEACH Grant, Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant (IASG), or any St. Lawrence University financial aid programs must meet minimum qualitative and quantitative academic progress standards. Academic progress is determined by two criteria: the quality of academic achievement as indicated by the cumulative grade point average and progress toward the degree. With the exception of suspended students, continuing eligibility for federal and SLU-based assistance is reviewed at the end of the academic year.
To make Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (FA SAP), a St. Lawrence University undergraduate student must earn at least the minimum grade point average compared to the attempted course units in the table below. The attempted course units with the associated minimum cumulative grade point average must be earned before the beginning of the term in which financial aid is to be disbursed. In order to continue to receive Federal and institutional financial aid, an undergraduate financial aid recipient must complete their program within 150% of the published length of the program measured in units attempted. (Note that one may exhaust funding prior to reaching the 150% mark depending on aggregate totals used.) For instance, if the published length is 33.5 units, the maximum time frame to complete the program cannot exceed 50 attempted units.
Please Note: For St. Lawrence University financial aid programs, the maximum length of eligibility will not exceed 8 semesters.
|
Attempted Units |
Minimum Grade Point Average |
|
9 or less |
1.5 |
|
More than 9 and less than 17 |
1.75 |
|
17 or more |
2.0 |
A Student is expected to maintain:
1. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher ('C' average) after two years of enrollment.
2. Satisfactory progress in units completed toward graduation, also known as PACE.
In order to meet the quantitative component of satisfactory academic progress, students must also complete their program of study at a cumulative pace of 67 percent. For example, if a student attempted eight courses during their first two semesters of enrollment, the student would need to successfully complete a minimum of five courses to satisfy this requirement (8 x .67 = 5.36).
Additionally, students must maintain minimum enrollment requirements of 3.5 units to remain eligible for most Federal and St. Lawrence resources. Contact the SLU Financial Aid Office for details as different minimum enrollment requirements exist for various aid programs.
Failure to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress: Students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office. The student will lose eligibility for all Federal and St. Lawrence aid until the requirements are achieved, or a waiver of standards is approved.
Waiver of Standards:
The above standards for satisfactory academic progress may be waived provided documented medical or unusual personal circumstances can be shown to exist. A documented medical withdrawal determined by the Office of Student Life may be used. The student's progress is evaluated at the end of the term. A waiver of standards is granted on a semester-by-semester basis only.
A SAP Appeal form must be completed and submitted with all documentation prior to the start of the academic term for which eligibility has been lost. The appeal should include the circumstances specific to the issue of the student's inability to achieve the minimum cumulative GPA and/or units earned as of the end of a particular semester or term. The appeal must also include an academic plan approved by the student's advisor with specific measures to meet during the financial aid probationary period. We highly encourage students to work with our Academic Advising team to develop an academic plan that will address the steps you plan to take to regain your aid eligibility. Academic Advising has created an Advising Toolkit with helpful resources including information on SAP Appeals.
A student who successfully appeals will be placed on financial aid probation and will be permitted to continue to participate in Federal and Institutional aid programs for a subsequent semester. After this financial aid probationary period, the student's financial aid satisfactory academic progress will be reviewed.
Reinstatement of Aid Eligibility: If a student fails to meet satisfactory academic progress, the student will not be permitted to receive financial aid unless a waiver is granted or until the student is able to meet the minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.
Academic Status: Academic status decisions, such as academic probation and suspension, are made independently of a student's financial aid status. Thus, standards of eligibility for some financial aid programs may be stricter than standards of eligibility to remain at St. Lawrence.
Graduate Students:
Eligibility for Financial Aid: All graduate students eligible for Federal awards must complete minimum course progress and meet minimum GPA requirements to retain such awards in subsequent semesters. A graduate student must earn at least the minimum grade point average compared to attempted courses in the table below to meet the qualitative standard. The attempted course units with the associated minimum cumulative grade point average must be earned before the beginning of the term in which financial aid is to be disbursed.
Qualitative Standard
|
Attempted Units |
Minimum Grade Point Average |
|
0-12 |
2.5 |
|
12 or more |
3.0 |
In order to continue to receive Federal financial aid, a graduate financial aid recipient must complete their program within 150% of the published length of the program measured in units attempted. For instance, if the published length is 33.5 units, the maximum time frame to complete the program cannot exceed 50 attempted units.
To meet the quantitative component of satisfactory academic progress, students must also complete their program of study at a cumulative pace of 67 percent. For example, if a student attempted eight courses during their first two semesters of enrollment, the student would need to successfully complete a minimum of five courses to satisfy this requirement (8 x .67 = 5.36).
Failure to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress: Students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office. The student will lose eligibility for all Federal aid until the requirements are achieved, or a waiver of standards is approved.
Waiver of Standards: The above standards for satisfactory academic progress may be waived provided documented medical or unusual personal circumstances can be shown to exist. A documented medical withdrawal determined by the Office of Student Life may be used.
An SAP Appeal form must be completed and submitted with all documentation prior to the start of the academic term for which eligibility has been lost. The appeal should include the circumstances specific to the issue of the student's inability to achieve the minimum cumulative GPA and/or units earned as of the end of a particular semester or term. The appeal must also include an academic plan approved by the student's advisor with specific measures to meet during the financial aid probationary period. The student's progress is evaluated at the end of the term. A waiver of standards is granted on a semester-by-semester basis only.
A student who successfully appeals will be placed on financial aid probation and will be permitted to continue to participate in Federal programs for a subsequent semester. After this financial aid probationary period, the student's financial aid satisfactory progress will be reviewed.
Additional SAP Considerations (applicable to both undergraduate and graduate students):
Remedial Course: St. Lawrence University does not offer remedial courses.
English as a Second Language: St. Lawrence University does not offer ESL courses.
Change in Major: Courses completed for enrollment in current and previous majors are included in the evaluation of the Satisfactory Academic Progress review for financial aid.
Repeated Coursework: When a student repeats a course, the higher grade will be computed in the cumulative average. Grades from both attempts remain on the transcript. A repeated course does not earn additional credit toward graduation unless the first attempt received a failing grade. Students repeating a previously passed class may do so only once. The repeated course may be counted towards a student's enrollment status.
Grades of Incomplete: Grades of Incomplete are considered courses attempted and do not count as credit earned.
Grades of "W" (withdrawal): Grades of "W" are considered courses attempted and do not count as credit earned.
Grades of Pass/Fail: Grades of Pass/Fail courses are considered courses attempted. A 'P' grade is considered attempted and completed and an 'F' grade is considered attempted and not completed.
Readmitted Students: Students readmitted after one or more semesters of not being enrolled will have their satisfactory academic progress for financial aid reviewed at the time of readmission.
Transfer Students: Financial aid satisfactory academic progress for transfer students is evaluated on a case-by-case basis using the transfer credit evaluation results from the Registrar's Office. Progress toward a degree is evaluated according to these results.
Financial Aid Eligibility for New York State
As mandated by New York State HESC, eligible students are required to meet qualitative (minimum grade point average) and quantitative (minimum courses accrued) requirements to retain New York State financial aid awards such as the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). The New York State Education Department mandates these requirements. These requirements are shown below:
Non-Remedial Program
|
Before Being Certified for this Payment |
Students Must Have Earned at Least This Number of Units |
Students Must Receive a Grade for this % of Courses in Previous Semester |
Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average* |
|
1st |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
2nd |
1.67 |
50% |
1.50 |
|
3rd |
4.17 |
50% |
1.80 |
|
4th |
7.50 |
75% |
1.80 |
|
5th |
10.83 |
75% |
2.00 |
|
6th |
14.17 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
7th |
18.33 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
8th |
22.50 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
9th |
26.67 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
10th** |
30.83 |
100% |
2.00 |
Remedial Program
|
Before Being Certified for this Payment |
Students Must Have Earned at Least This Number of Units |
Students Must Receive a Grade for this % of Courses in Previous Semester |
Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average* |
|
1st |
0 |
0 |
0.00 |
|
2nd |
0.83 |
50% |
1.10 |
|
3rd |
2.50 |
50% |
1.20 |
|
4th |
5.83 |
75% |
1.30 |
|
5th |
9.17 |
75% |
2.00 |
|
6th |
12.50 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
7th |
16.67 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
8th |
20.83 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
9th |
25.00 |
100% |
2.00 |
|
10th** |
29.17 |
100% |
2.00 |
*Courses with incomplete grades cannot be included unless they are resolved to a passing or failing grade by the end of the following term. Failing grades are included in the number of courses completed per semester, only passing grades are included in the number of courses earned.
**Only students enrolled in the HEOP program are eligible for ten TAP payments.
Continuing eligibility is reviewed at the beginning of each semester. New York State Award/TAP recipients must be in full-time status defined as enrollment for at least 12 semester hours (3.5 SLU units) of matriculated credit for a term of 15 weeks.
A student whose academic progress is unsatisfactory and who therefore loses eligibility for New York State awards may be eligible for a one-time waiver of the good academic standing requirements by submitting a petition to the Financial Aid Office. Please complete the New York State TAP Waiver Form and submit it for approval.