SATISFACTORY
ACADEMIC
PROGRESS
FASFAA Region V Spring Workshop
April 1, 2011
Nova Southeastern University
Presented by Anh Do, St. Thomas University
CURRENT
REGULATIONS
STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
 Maintains
satisfactory academic
progress in his/her course of study
according to the schools published
standards
 § 668.32(f)
 § 668.34
ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITY
 Establishes,
publishes and applies
reasonable standards for measuring
if a student is maintaining
satisfactory progress in his/her
educational program
§ 668.16(e)
CONSUMER INFORMATION
 Publish
and make readily available
to current and prospective students
 Standards for making satisfactory
progress
 Criteria for reestablishing
eligibility if they failed SAP
 § 668.42(c)(2)
SAP STANDARDS
 Apply
to all Title IV programs
 Consistently Applied
 Reasonable
SAP STANDARDS
 Must
be the same as or stricter than
standards for non-title IV students
in the same educational program
 Are you using your school’s
academic standards or standards
specifically for Title IV?
SAP STANDARDS MUST INCLUDE
 Two
Components
 Qualitative
 Quantitative
 Both must be cumulative
QUALITATIVE
 To
assess quality of academic work
 Use standards measurable against
a norm
Grades
Work projects
 May use fixed or graduated
standard
EXAMPLE OF FIXED STANDARD
A
student must maintain a cumulative
grade point average of a 2.0 after two
terms of enrollment, and subsequently,
each year after
EXAMPLE OF GRADUATED STANDARD
 Grade
Point Average Requirements
 1 to 30 credits – must have a 1.60 or
higher
 31 to 60 credits – must have a 1.80 or
higher
 61 to graduations – must have a 2.00 or
higher
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS LONGER THAN 2
YEARS
 By
the end of the second academic year,
student must have:
 A “C” average or its equivalent, or
 Academic standing consistent with
graduation requirements
 Years are measured in time, not grade
level
MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES REGARDING
“C” AVERAGE AFTER TWO YEARS
 These
standards may be set aside if
certain circumstances affect progress
 Death of a relative
 Injury or illness of student
 Other special circumstances
QUANTITATIVE
 To
measure progress toward course
completion
MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME
 Undergraduates
may receive aid for
a maximum of 150% of the published
length of the educational program
 Cumulative, including periods
without Title IV assistance
MAXIMUM TIME FRAME
 School
must develop a written policy
establishing a maximum time frame
in which a graduate student must
complete the program
CREDIT HOUR SCHOOLS
 May
define maximum time frame in
 Academic Years
 Credit Hours Attempted
 Terms
ACADEMIC YEARS
 Degree
program takes 4 years to
complete
4 x 150% = 6 years is the maximum
time frame
 4 x 125% = 5 years is the maximum
time frame

CREDIT HOURS ATTEMPTED
 Degree
program requires 120 credits for
completion

120 x 150% = 180 attempted credits is the
maximum time frame
 Degree
program requires 60 credits for
completion

60 x 150% = 90 attempted credits is the
maximum time frame
TERMS
 Degree
program takes 6 terms to
complete
 6 x 150% = 9 terms is maximum
time frame
CLOCK HOUR MAXIMUM TIME FRAME
 Must
use calendar time
 900 clock hour program takes 8
months to complete
8 x 150% = 12 months is
maximum time frame
EVALUATING STUDENT PROGRESS

Program 1 year or less


Clock hour programs


Must evaluate at least once at the half way point by
calendar time (8 month program = 4 month
evaluation periods)
Programs longer than 1 year


Must evaluate progress at least once at the half way
point
Must evaluate at least once per year
Credit hour Term Degree Program
Must evaluate at least once per year
 May evaluate progress at the end of each term

STUDENT MUST COMPLETE WITHIN
MAXIMUM TIME FRAME
 Your
policy may require
 A fixed amount of work that must be
successfully completed in each
evaluation period
 A percentage of work that must be
successfully completed in each
evaluation period
COURSE REPEATS
 Effect


on progress
Qualitative – average grades, count both
grades, or count the higher grade
Quantitative – included in maximum time
frame as attempted hours
 May
only count toward enrollment status
if receiving credit
CHANGE MAJORS & ADDITIONAL DEGREES

Generally all periods of the student’s enrollment
count when judging SAP, even periods in which
the student did not receive FSA funds.


However, your policy may permit that for students
who change majors, credits attempted and grades
earned that do not count toward the new major will
not be included in the SAP determination. You may
limit how many times a student can change majors
and “reset” SAP.
You must also establish rules for students who
seek to earn additional degrees.
OTHER
 Appeal

Specify procedures for student to appeal if not
making SAP
 How

Policy
to Re-establish Eligibility
If an appeal is unsuccessful or the school does
not have an appeal process
 Disbursement

of Funds
Make sure the student meets SAP standards
as of the last time your policy required
evaluation
TRANSFER STUDENTS
 You
must at least count those transfer
credits that apply toward the current
program, though you may count all credits
from the previous school. You may count
transferred grades or not, depending on
your policy.
NEW SAP
REGULATIONS
FINAL REGULATIONS 668.16, 668.34
EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2011
SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS
 Consolidates
SAP regulations
 Describes all of the required elements of a
SAP policy
 Retain institutional flexibility to set policy

Such as evaluating categories for students
differently
 Additional
flexibility allowed for
institutions that monitor SAP more
frequently than annual requirement
SAP POLICY
 Policy



must include the following:
Pace of progression required to insure student
completes within maximum time frame
Measurement of student’s progress at each
evaluation
Calculate the pace at which the student is
progressing by –
Dividing the cumulative number of hours the
student has successfully completed by
 The cumulative number of hours the student has
attempted
 Not required to include remedial courses

SAP POLICY …CONTINUED
 Policy

Describes how student’s GPA and pace of
completion affected by incompletes,
withdrawals, repetitions or transfer of credits


must include the following:
Transfer credits accepted toward completion of
student’s program must count as both hours
attempted and hours completed
Student’s SAP evaluations, whether each
payment period, annually or less often than each
payment period, must occur at the end of a
payment period
MONITORING SAP EACH PAYMENT PERIOD
 In
general, a student who is not making
SAP is no longer eligible for Title IV aid
 For an institution that chooses to evaluate
SAP at the end of each payment period, a
“financial aid warning” status may be
used


Student may continue to receive Title IV aid
for one payment period
No appeal necessary
MONITORING SAP ANNUALLY OR LESS
OFTEN THAN EACH PAYMENT PERIOD
 Student
will lose eligibility for Title IV aid
if not meeting SAP (no “financial aid
warning” period)

May appeal and be placed on “financial aid
probation”
MONITORING SAP
 If
on “Financial Aid Warning”
After 1 payment period, student must make SAP; or
 May be placed on “probation” after successful appeal

 To


be placed on “Probation”
Student is expected to make SAP in the next
payment period; or
Be successfully following an academic plan designed
to ensure student will be able to meet SAP by a
specific point in time
 Not required to develop academic plans
 Can set conditions on developing plans
MONITORING SAP … CONTINUED
A student on “Probation” may only receive Title
IV funds for ONE payment period
 A student on “Probation” may not receive Title IV
funds for the subsequent payment period unless:

Student is now making SAP; or
 Institution determines student met requirements
specified by the school academic plan
 A student reinstated to eligibility under an
academic plan and making progress under the plan
is considered to be eligible
 May be evaluated at the same time as other Title
IV recipients or at more frequent periods based
on plan

SAP POLICY - APPEAL
 Appeals


Process by which student who is not meeting
school’s SAP policy petitions for
reconsideration of eligibility for Title IV aid
Policy must specify the conditions under which
a student may appeal


Appeal must include:
 Why the student failed to make SAP; and
 What has changed that will allow the student to
make SAP at the next evaluation
Federal Register reminds schools that 150%
maximum time frame can be appealed
SAP – APPEAL NOTIFICATION
 Notification


Must notify student of results of SAP review
that impacts student’s eligibility for Title IV
aid
If institution has an appeal process, must
describe the specific elements required to
appeal SAP


to students
May specify how often and how many appeals are allowed
If institution does not have an appeal process,
must describe how a student who has failed
SAP can reestablish eligibility for Title IV aid
SAP IMPLEMENTATION
 2011

Summer crossover payment period
School may choose to use current SAP policy or
any new SAP policy based on new regulations
 Must
publicize any changes to students
and state when any new SAP policy is
effective