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Students receiving federal student financial aid
must maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” in
order to be eligible to receive aid. The Financial
Aid Office evaluates Satisfactory Academic Progress
after the completion of each academic year,
generally two semesters. There are three components
to satisfactory progress: a qualitative standard (
grade point average); an incremental quantitative
standard (number of credits attempted and earned for
each year of study); and a maximum time frame for
the degree or program. All courses attempted must be
factored into the determination of satisfactory
academic progress.
Purpose
The intent of
this policy is to ensure that students using the
financial aid program are demonstrating responsible
use of public funds in pursuit of their educational
goals; to set standards for monitoring all financial
aid recipients’ course completion rates each year,
and to warn individual students when progress is
inadequate.
Definitions
Attempted Course –
course that remain on the student’s record after the
first fourteen days of the term.
Completed Course/earned
credit – course in which a grade of A, B,
C, or D was received. Withdrawals (W), incomplete
grades (I), or failures (F) are not considered
“earned credit” for meeting satisfactory progress
requirements.
Financial aid – The
Federal Title IV programs and state institutional
programs listed below:
1. FFEL
Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized)
2. Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS)
3. Scholarships and Awards
4. Fee Waivers
Financial aid probation
– A term in which a student who has been identified
as not meeting one or more standards in this policy
and continues to receive financial aid. At the end
of the semester of financial aid probation, a
student is expected to meet satisfactory academic
progress requirements in order to continue receiving
financial aid.
Financial aid termination
– The point at which a student is no longer eligible
to receive financial aid as defined in this policy;
normally, this is following an unsuccessful term of
probation.
Incomplete – A
grade of “I” received for an attempted course; no
credit is received until the course is completed.
Quantitative measure
– Time frame for the student to complete
the program and a minimum number of credits the
student must satisfactorily complete each year.
Qualitative measure
– Measurement of a student’s academic standing
consistent with the requirement for graduation from
the program of study.
Satisfactory Academic
Progress – Completion of courses at a rate
that meets the standards defined in this policy.
Transfer credit –
Course(s) accepted for credit at SULC from another
institution.
SATISFACTORY PROGRESS STANDARDS
It shall be the
policy of the Southern University Law Center to
provide financial aid awards to students who are
making satisfactory academic progress toward their
degrees while receiving financial aid. In order to
be eligible for financial aid, satisfactory academic
progress shall be defined as having a minimum
cumulative grade point average as outlined in the
chart below and having earned 70 percent of the
credits attempted.
A financial aid
recipient is to earn credit for at least 70 percent
of all courses attempted. A student who receives
financial aid but does not earn credit for any
courses within a semester is not eligible to receive
financial aid in subsequent semesters. If mitigating
circumstances were responsible for zero course
completion within a semester, a student may appeal
and be granted a term of financial aid probation if
adequate documentation is provided (e. g., a
doctor’s statement).
Financial aid
recipients who do not meet these conditions will
lose their financial aid eligibility. Unless
otherwise stated, a student’s entire academic
history (including transfer hours) is considered for
purposes of this policy regardless of whether the
student received financial aid at the time the
credit hours were completed. The official class list
from the 14th day report is used to determine a
student’s attempted hours.
Credit
hours attempted Maintaining Progress
Financial Aid Suspended
0-29credit hours
1.9 or better
0.00-1.89
30-96 credit
hours 2.0 or better
0.00-1.99
Course
Repetitions, Incompletes, and Withdrawals
When a student
repeats a course, the grade earned in the course
before it was repeated is included in the cumulative
computation of the student’s average.
Incomplete
grades–Students receiving excessive incomplete
grades in their courses are not progressing
satisfactory. Therefore, a student who has six or
more hours of incomplete grades in any semester or
at any time will be placed on financial aid
probation for the next semester of attendance and is
expected to complete the courses with incomplete
grades within six weeks after registration for the
following semester. Failure to remove timely an
incomplete grade results in automatic conversion to
“F.” An incomplete grade is given only when the
student can convincingly demonstrate, through
documentation whenever possible, that he will be or
was unable to take a final examination as regularly
scheduled and that he would have taken it, but for
the intervening circumstances.
A course in which
a student withdraws and receives a “W” grade will be
counted as an attempted course in evaluation of the
student’s satisfactory academic progress.
MONITORING INTERVALS
Satisfactory
academic progress shall be monitored annually at the
conclusion of each spring semester or at the time
the student is applying for financial aid if a
current satisfactory progress assessment is not
available.
NOTIFICATION OF FINANCIAL AID PROBATION OR
TERMINATION
The Financial Aid
Office will send a warning letter to any student who
is put on probation or a termination letter to any
student who is no longer eligible for financial aid.
It is the responsibility of the student to maintain
current addresses with the Office of Registrar or
JAGNET.
INELIGIBLE STUDENTS
Students who are
deficient in credit hours or grade point averages at
the end of the Spring Semester and subject to losing
their financial aid eligibility may make up the
deficiencies during the Summer Session. First year
students who fall below a 2.0 cumulative grade point
average are not eligible to attend summer school. A
student may lose financial aid eligibility if the
student fails to attain academic progress after the
Summer Session.
APPEALS
Students who have
been denied financial aid based on this policy have
the right to appeal. To initiate a satisfactory
academic progress appeal, the student must complete
a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form and
submit it along with all required supporting
documentation, to the Southern University Law Center
Financial Aid Appeals Committee (Appeals Committee).
If a student is on academic probation and the Law
Faculty allows the student to continue enrollment,
he or she shall be deemed to be making satisfactory
progress if the Appeals Committee allows the student
to continue to receive a limited conditional or
probationary semester of aid. In special extenuating
circumstances, the SULC Director of Student
Financial Aid may use professional judgment to
review an appeal request.
REASONS
FOR APPEAL
Under general
circumstances, a student may appeal his or her
financial aid termination for one or more of the
following reasons.
-
-
Death or serious illness of an immediate
family member (e.g., parent or legal
guardian, sibling, spouse, or family
member). A death certificate and a notarized
statement regarding the relationship with
the deceased are required.
-
Medical illness or injury to the student or
a dependent child (attending physician’s
statement is required).
-
Other causes (e.g.,
natural disaster, acts of God,)
All appeals must
be in writing and submitted within the timelines
established by the Appeals Committee. All documents
and appeal applications will be accepted by U.S.
Mail, Express Mail (e.g., Federal Express) or hand
delivery. Faxes and late separated documents will
not be accepted. All appeals must be completed by
the student. Appeals completed by the parents,
guardians, friends or other parties on behalf of the
student will not be accepted.
REINSTATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY
Students who do
not maintain satisfactory academic progress shall
lose their eligibility for financial aid but may
regain eligibility only after eliminating all
deficiencies.
RETURNING
AND TRANSFER STUDENTS
Returning and
transfer students must be in good academic standing
and must have earned 70 percent of all hours
attempted with a minimum cumulative grade point
average of 2.0 to be eligible to receive financial
aid.
This policy will
be amended whenever applicable federal or state laws
and regulations are changed.
Implementation of
this new Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
begins with the 2004 Fall Semester. |
