Satisfactory Academic Progress Eligibility
Southern Oregon University is required to establish and monitor academic progress standards for students who are Federal and state financial aid applicants. This policy ensures that any student who receives or applies for financial aid is making progress toward a degree. The student’s total academic history is monitored regardless of whether they have previously received financial aid. In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must meet the Standard Requirements; two quantitative measures and one qualitative measure. Failure to meet these requirements will result in the loss of aid.
Programs affected by the Standards Requirements are:
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal SEOG
- Federal Direct Loan
- Federal Work Study
- Designated Southern Oregon University Foundation Scholarships
- Designated State Scholarships
Satisfactory completion means that a student has received a minimum grade of “D” or “P.” Grades of “I” (Incomplete), “F” (Failure), NC (No Credit), and “W” (Withdrawal) are not considered successfully completed classes. Students who receive an updated grade change to a passing grade will have SAP recalculated. Grades of I ( Incomplete) are not counted in the GPA calculation but are counted in the Attempted Credits Calculation. Repeat courses will be counted in attempted and completed credits. The Office of Financial Aid has the right to refuse aid to students who abuse the inclusion of repeat courses to obtain funding. Inappropriate selection of courses is not an acceptable reason for not maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Students should contact an SSC located within their major.
Satisfactory academic progress will be reviewed prior to the awarding of any Federal Financial Aid, institutional awards, and foundation scholarships. It will also be reviewed and monitored at the end of fall, winter, spring and summer terms, and prior to the disbursement of aid for the following term.
Establishing Initial Eligibility
In order to establish initial eligibility for Federal Financial Aid, a student’s past academic transcripts will be reviewed according to the following guidelines:
- Students who have never previously attended Southern Oregon University nor any other college will be considered in good standing with regard to minimum Quarter credits completed and minimum GPA requirements.
- Students whose combined attempted credits, including all transfer credits and prior coursework, indicate that they may be unable to complete their current program within 150% of the published program length will be placed on Maximum Time Frame (MTF) status with the option to appeal.
- Students who have previously attended Southern Oregon University will have their past academic transcripts reviewed regardless of whether financial aid was received for any previous attendance.
- Transfer credits from other institutions will be considered in determining eligibility under the maximum time frame criteria.
- Students who have graduated or obtain a previous degree will be placed on Good SAP status to begin. Students will be reviewed every term on their progress.
Maintaining Qualitative and Quantitative Eligibility
To remain eligible for financial aid, students must meet all three SAP standards at the end of each evaluation period:
1. Completion Rate (Pace)
Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted credits, calculated on a cumulative basis. Attempted credits include all enrollments for which the student was registered after the add/drop period, including withdrawals, failures, incompletes, repeats, and transfer credits. The Office of Financial Aid rounds 66.67% to 67%.
2. Grade Point Average (GPA)
Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative and term GPA of 2.00.
Graduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative and term GPA of 3.00.
Withdrawals do not affect GPA but do impact completion rate.
3. Maximum Time Frame (MTF)
Students must complete their program within 150% of the published length of the program, as required by federal regulations. All attempted credits are included in this calculation, regardless of whether financial aid was received.
SAP Eligibility Statuses
Warning and Loss of Eligibility
Financial aid warning and loss of eligibility apply only to a student’s status for purposes of financial aid eligibility at Southern Oregon University. This does not become part of the student’s permanent record and is not transferable to other institutions. Please be aware, each student’s financial aid eligibility status may differ from the student’s academic eligibility status.
Warning
Students who do not complete the minimum number of credits or who do not possess a satisfactory grade point average will be placed on warning status for their next term of enrollment. A student remains eligible to receive Federal Financial Aid while on warning status. If both the minimum number of credits and GPA requirements are met at the end of the warning term, the student will be removed from warning status and put back on Good SAP Standing and eligible to receive aid.
Denied
A student will lose Federal Financial Aid eligibility if the requirements for maintaining eligibility are not met during the warning term and are allowed to appeal for reinstatement for the next term. Students who have reached or exceeded the maximum time frame for completion will be placed on immediate loss of eligibility status (MTF), but do have the option to appeal for reinstatement of eligibility within the next term.
Students on denied status will have all future aid removed until, and if, they appeal and their appeal is approved.
Probation
A student is placed on probation if they have an approved appeal. Once on probation status, the student can receive aid for one term under the conditions of the approved appeal and accompanying academic plan.
The academic plan will specify the requirements the student must meet during the probationary term in order to continue receiving financial aid. These requirements are designed to ensure the student is able to regain satisfactory academic progress within a reasonable time frame and may include, but are not limited to:
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Completion of all attempted credits for the term
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Minimum term grade point average requirements
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Enrollment in specific courses required for degree completion
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Mandatory academic support interventions such as advising, tutoring, or other student success resources
If the student meets the conditions of the approved academic plan at the end of the probationary term, the student may continue to receive financial aid under probation status until SAP standards are fully met. Once both the cumulative completion rate and cumulative GPA requirements are met, the student will return to Good SAP Standing.
If the student does not meet the conditions of the approved academic plan, the student will return to denied status and will lose eligibility for financial aid. The student may submit a subsequent appeal; however, any new appeal must include new or changed circumstances and an updated academic plan.
Undergraduate students on probation must meet the minimum term GPA requirement of 2.00. Graduate students on probation must meet a minimum term GPA of 3.00.
If you are submitting an appeal, you will need to include an up to date Academic Plan from your advisor. This plan should include all of the classes that you are registered for and those that you still need to complete for the next three terms unless you will graduate in less than three terms. This form will need to be signed by your advisor and submitted along with your appeal.
Maximum Time Frame
Students who are mathematically unable to complete their program within 150% of the published program length are automatically put onto Maximum Time Frame (MTF) status with the option to appeal.
Reinstatement of Eligibility (Appeal Process)
Completion of Credits and Cumulative GPA
Students may appeal loss of Federal Financial Aid eligibility for any of the following reasons: personal injury, illness, death of a family member or other special circumstances. To appeal for any of the aforementioned situations, students must submit a complete appeal packet.
To submit an SAP Appeal login to sou.verifymyfafsa.com with your InsideSOU information then click the plus button in the top right to request a SAP Appeal. Make sure to request the appeal for the correct aid year and to indicate in the request which term you are appealing. Please note: MTF’s are the only appeal that is still completed on paper as of now.
The SAP Waiver Committee may require 3rd party non-biased documentation tied to the reasons the petitioner was not able to meet the minimum academic standards in order to support the request to have federal aid reinstated.
As it relates to “academic plans” the Waiver Committee will be looking for multiple academic interventions that will reverse the prior trend of falling short of the minimum academic benchmarks required to retain eligibility for federal student aid. Examples of those interventions could include tutoring support, regular meetings with an advisor, applying for TRIO, etc.
If the appeal is approved, then the student will be reinstated with the status of probation. Financial aid awards will be based on funds available at the time of reinstatement. If the student does not adhere to the submitted conditions of approval, then the appeal that granted eligibility becomes null and void. Reinstatement of Federal Financial Aid will be effective for the current term or next term of enrollment as determined by the Office of Financial Aid at SOU.
Maximum Time Frame
Students are allowed to appeal for the maximum time frame (MTF). To appeal, a student must submit a complete appeal packet.
The packet includes:
- A written statement indicating why the student should be allowed to exceed the maximum time frame
- Documentation as needed
- A SOU Satisfactory Max Time Frame Appeal Form
If the Max Time Frame appeal is approved, then the student will be reinstated on MTF status for the length of the submitted academic plan. Financial aid awards will be based on funds available at the time of reinstatement. If the student does not adhere to the submitted academic plan, then the appeal that granted eligibility becomes null and void. Reinstatement of Federal Financial Aid will be effective for the current term or next term of enrollment as determined by the Financial Aid Office.
Max Time Frame appeals are calculated based on 150% of the remaining hours to complete the students’ program as indicated on the appeal paperwork and as indicated by the advisor. Financial Aid Counselors still review the courses on a student’s MTF plan to ensure the courses count towards the student’s degree.
Appeal/Review Process
There is no secondary appeal process. If an appeal is denied, students can only be reinstated for aid eligibility if they satisfy all deficiencies. If an appeal is approved and the student does not fulfill the conditions of her/his approval conditions via the SAP Committee, the student may appeal again for forthcoming terms. However, any new information must be considered with any new appeal. If you are appealing your SAP status for the second or more times, you will be required to submit an academic plan along with your appeal.
The academic plan should include:
- Courses left in degree completion
- Length left till you complete your degree
- Major/Faculty/SSC signature
The SAP Appeals are determined by the SAP Committee. The Committee will review all elements that contribute to a student’s current SAP status, including current GPA and pace, number of programs attempted or completed, the documentation supporting the student’s appeal, the student’s proposed academic plan, and the number of previous SAP appeals that have been submitted by the student. The Office of Financial Aid retains final authority over SAP determinations to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
Other Factors
Remedial, Developmental or Pre-Requisite Courses
Remedial credits that are considered to be part of the student’s selected program of study will be eligible for Federal Financial Aid up to 30 credits. Any remedial credits that are not considered to be part of the student’s program of study will, under no circumstance, be eligible for Federal Financial Aid disbursement.