Satisfactory Academic Progress Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
The U.S. Department of Education mandates that all students receiving financial aid funding must maintain "Satisfactory Academic Progress" to ensure timely degree completion. This policy applies to both federal and institutional awards. Some state grant programs, including Pennsylvania, have different guidelines for measuring progress. There are three criteria that must be met for a student to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress. They are:
- Successful Completion of Credits (Pace)
- Minimum GPA Requirement
- Maximum Time Frame to Complete the Program
At Point Park University, Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured at the end of each semester. The semesters include fall, spring and summer.
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Point Park University, any full-time or part-time undergraduate student must meet the following requirements:
PACE
Students must successfully complete a certain percentage of courses that have been attempted. Students who fail to pass this percentage while receiving financial aid will not be able to make pace toward completion of a degree. This chart includes courses attempted at Point Park and transfer credits from any other college or university.
IF YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED: YOU MUST HAVE EARNED AT LEAST:
1 - 29 credits 60% of the total credits attempted
30 - 59 credits 67% of the total credits attempted
60 - 89 credits 67% of the total credits attempted
90 or more credits 67% of the total credits attempted
Successful completion of credits will consist of grades received of A, B, C, D, or P. Any student who receives a grade of F, I, W, NP, N or NG is considered to have NOT successfully completed the credits, but counts as attempted credits. A student is not permitted to receive federal and institutional aid if a course has been attempted more than three times. If a student repeats a course for the fourth time, they are ineligible for aid for that course. Repeated courses count as both credits attempted and credit earned. The grade of the most recent attempt of the repeated course will be the grade utilized to calculate the grade point average.
Credits transferred into Point Park University count as both credits attempted and credits completed.
CREDITS EARNED AND GPA REQUIREMENT
Full-time and part-time students must achieve the following grade point averages to maintain financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress.
CLASS |
CREDITS |
MINIMUM GPA |
Freshman |
1 - 29 Credits Earned |
1.80 |
Sophomore |
30 - 59 Credits Earned |
2.00 |
Junior |
60 - 89 Credits Earned | 2.00 |
Senior |
90 + Credits Earned |
2.00 |
MAXIMUM TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE
Eligibility for financial aid is regulated by the U.S. Department of Education for a limited period of time. The U.S. Department of Education requires students to complete their program within 150 percent of the normal time it would take to earn a degree. For instance, a bachelor's degree takes four years (or approximately 120 credits) to complete, but it may take some students longer to earn their degree. The maximum length of time and/or attempted credits for a full-time student would be six years (4 x 150%) or 180 credits (120 x 150%). Part-time students would be calculated accordingly. Transferred credits from another institution are considered attempted credits and count toward the 180 maximum.
*In order to keep pace for four-year completion, it is recommended that all full-time students complete 30 credits per academic year. If a student changes his or her major or has a documented second major, the Office of Financial Aid will document these circumstances if the student is not meeting the maximum time frame requirement.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress at Point Park University, any graduate student must meet the following requirements:
Graduate students must complete 50 percent of their attempted credits and earn a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
PACE
Students must successfully complete 50 percent of courses that have been attempted. Students who fail to pass this percentage while receiving financial aid will not be able to make pace toward completion of a degree
Successful completion of credits will consist of grades received of A, B or C. Any student who receives a grade of D, F, I, W, NP or NG is considered to have NOT successfully completed the credits, but counts as attempted credits. A student is not permitted to receive federal and institutional aid if a course has been attempted more than three times. If a student repeats a course for the fourth time, they are ineligible for aid for that course.
GPA REQUIREMENT
Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average to maintain financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress.
MAXIMUM TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE
Eligibility for financial aid is regulated by the U. S. Department of Education for a limited period of time. The US Department of Education requires students to complete their program within 150 percent of the normal time it would take to earn a degree. For instance, some master's degrees take 2 years (or approximately 42 credits) to complete, but it may take some students longer to earn their degree. The maximum length of time and/or attempted credits for a student would be 3 years (2 x 150%) or 63 credits (42 x 150%).
FOR ALL STUDENTS
FINANCIAL AID WARNING
Students who do not meet these minimum academic standards will be placed on financial aid warning. Students can receive financial aid while on financial aid warning, but must achieve the minimum standards prior to the completion of the next term.
FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION
If a student does not meet the minimum academic standards at the end of the following term, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students cannot receive any financial aid, including federal, state and institutional aid, while on financial aid suspension. This will require a student to enroll for courses at his or her own cost if the student remains in good academic standing according to the academic guidelines. However, an appeals process to regain financial aid eligibility is available to students who have legitimate and extenuating circumstances, such as serious illness or injury or death of a family member.
FINANCIAL AID APPEALS
Financial aid suspension can be appealed to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Appeal forms can be obtained by calling or visiting the Financial Aid Office. In addition to the Appeal form, a student must also submit an academic plan which must demonstrate a plan for academic success. The student must meet with a member of the Center for Student Success to construct the academic plan, which outlines future courses and grades to return to Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students in online programs must contact their online counselor instead of the Center for Student Success to construct the academic plan. If the appeal and the academic plan are approved, the student will be placed on financial aid probation for the number of terms that he successfully meets the academic plan or comes off of probation and only awarded for one term. If the student does not meet SAP each term as stated on his/her academic plan, financial aid will be terminated.
FINANCIAL AID TERMINATION
If a student does not meet the specifications of the academic plan that was approved by the Appeals Committee, their aid will be terminated.
FINANCIAL AID REINSTATEMENT
Financial Aid will only be reinstated at Point Park University if the student regains eligibility by attaining the required GPA and credits earned. Any courses for which the student enrolls while the aid is terminated, must be paid for by the student. Alternative loans are available through private lenders or payment plans are available through Student Accounts.
A student also has the option of taking 12 credits at another institution and earning a “C or better” in each course. Point Park University will use a recalculated GPA that combines the Point Park GPA with the student’s other work from other colleges and universities since leaving Point Park. The new recalculated GPA must be a minimum of 2.0 to qualify for the merit awards.
The student must request for aid to be reinstated at Point Park.
Updated 1/23/19