Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The Federal Government mandates that students must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completion of their degrees within a reasonable period of time in order to be eligible for Title IV financial aid programs (includes grants, work-study, Stafford, PLUS, and Perkins loans).

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is defined as:

  • passing a required number of hours (67% of all hours attempted) and
  • achieving a required grade point average (2.0 cumulative for undergraduate students and 3.0 cumulative for graduate students) and
  • not being over attempted hours (150% of the published length of the students' degree program).

All students academic progress will be reviewed at the end of each semester.

At the end of each semester students will fall into one of the following categories:

  • Good Standing: Student has met progress standards and is eligible for aid for the following semester.
  • Warning: Student has not met progress standards. However the student is still eligible for financial aid but must have made progress by the end of the warning semester.
  • Failed Standards: Student has not made progress after warning period. Student is no longer eligible for Financial Aid. Please see re-establishing eligibility below.
  • Probation: Student has not met progress standards, but has an approved appeal and is eligible for financial aid for one semester.


Transfer Students
Transfer students are required to meet the minimum academic standards set by NSU in order to receive Federal Financial Aid at Northwestern State University.  A transfer student must supply the NSU Admissions Office with a transcript from all previous institutions of attendance.  


Re-establishing Financial Aid Eligibility
Students who do not meet SAP Standards have two options to receive Financial Aid in future semesters: attend and regain without the benefit of financial aid or appeal.

You must enroll and be attending to re-establish your financial aid eligibility. Should you choose to "sit out" a semester, you are still subject to meeting the conditions listed below for the semester in which you re-enroll.

Attend and regain without the benefit of Financial Aid:
Students may attend at their own expense without the benefit of financial aid, attempt and earn a cumulative 67% of hours attempted and a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for undergraduates or 3.0 for graduates.
Note: students who are over their attempted hours cannot regain their eligibility.

Appeal:
Students may appeal to the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The student must be able to meet the progress requirements by the end of that semester in which the student is appealing.  Satisfactory Academic Requirements are earning a 2.0 cumulative GPA for undergraduates, 3.0 cumulative GPA for graduates, pass 67% percent of cumulative course attempted, and not exceed 150% of degree program.

CLICK HERE to determine if you are eligible to appeal.


Student Financial Aid Appeal
Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards may have the right to appeal to the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee. These appeals are generally based on extenuating circumstances.

Examples of extenuating circumstances may be defined as, prolonged illness, accidents that require hospitalization to the student or a close family member, death of an immediate family member, or other types of accidents or incidents.

All appeals should have documentation that corresponds with the type of appeal the student is filing.

Appeals that are remitted after the priority deadline will not receive priority consideration, and the student should also make payment arrangements with the Cashier's Office for payment of fees incurred from the registration process.

Students may appeal to the Student Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The student must be able to meet the progress requirements (2.0 cumulative GPA for undergraduates, 3.0 cumulative GPA for graduates, pass 67% percent of cumulative course attempted, and not exceed 150% of degree program) by the end of that semester in which the student is appealing and students must complete a financial aid appeal form that includes all of the following:

  1. Why did the student fail to make satisfactory academic progress
  2. What types of extenuating circumstances existed and documentation of the situation
  3. What has changed in the student's situation that will allow the student to demonstrate progress at the   next evaluation

If the appeal is approved, the student would be eligible for aid during the next semester. The student's academic progress will be checked again at the end of the semester.

There is no limit to the number of appeals a student submits during their academic career.   NOTE: If an appeal for a given semester is denied, the student can appeal one additional time for that semester -  only if the student can submit new and updated information/documentation to go along with the appeal.


Appeal Deadlines:

Fall Appeals                          Spring Appeals                    Summer Appeals
Priority deadline: July 15         Priority deadline: January 2    Priority deadline: June 6
Final deadline: September 30  Final deadline: February 28    Final deadline: July 15


If an appeal for Financial Aid is approved by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, the student regains eligibility for Financial Aid for that semester. The student must maintain academic progress that semester to continue their financial aid eligibility. If an appeal is denied by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, the student must enroll, attempt and earn a cumulative 67% of hours attempted and a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for undergraduates or 3.0 for graduates at the student's own expense.

Financial aid appeals do not apply to academic appeals and are in no way related.

The committee will review the following when making a decision:

  • Why the student did not make progress (grades or hours)
  • Supporting documentation the student has attached to the appeal. They also look at the relevance of the documentation.
  • Number of times a student has appealed
  • Attempted hours, earned hours, and GPA for the past 3 semesters
  • Copies of transcripts from other universities if a transfer student
  • Student's statement should explain why the student did not make progress
  • Student's statement should also include what changes have been made and why the student will be able to currently make progress

Repeat Coursework.

You may include any repetition of the program in a student's enrollment status for a term as long as the student has never passed the course. If the student passes the course, you may include one repetition after passing the course. Any second or subsequent repetition of the passed course may not be included in the student's enrollment status for purposes of the title IV, HEA, programs.