Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a standard used to measure a student's successful completion of coursework toward a degree. The University of Connecticut is required via federal regulation to establish a reasonable satisfactory academic progress policy to determine whether an otherwise eligible student is making SAP in his or her educational program. Students who are found to be in violation of the parameters set forth by the SAP policy are ineligible to receive most forms of federal, state, and institutional financial aid. The parameters set forth by the SAP policy at the University of Connecticut are as follows:

Defined Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress:

Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA):

Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 1.8 prior to earning twenty-three (23) credit hours and at least 2.0 subsequent to earning twenty-four (24) credit-hours. Courses that are repeated will have only the most recent course counted towards the GPA calculation. Graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Courses that are repeated will have only the highest grade achieved counted towards the GPA calculation. Grades with a notation of Incomplete or Withdrawal have no bearing on the calculation of the cumulative GPA. Credit-hours that are transferred into the university and successfully articulated towards the completion of an educational program also have no impact in this regard.

Pace:

All students must earn a minimum of seventy-five (75) percent of their cumulative attempted credit hours. Credit-hours that are transferred into the university and successfully articulated towards the completion of an educational program will be counted as both earned and attempted hours for the purpose of this standard. Courses that are listed as Incomplete or Withdrawal will be counted as attempted but not earned. Repeated courses will always be treated as attempted hours, and as completed depending upon the respective grade for that course.

Maximum Timeframe:

All students are expected to complete their respective educational programs within a specified timeframe, as measured in credit hours. Once this timeframe has elapsed, students are no longer eligible to receive most forms of financial aid. Undergraduate students are expected to complete their educational program in a timeframe no longer than 150% of its published length, as measured in credit hours. Undergraduate students are no longer eligible for financial aid after attempting more than 180 credits (including transfer credits). Graduate students are no longer eligible for financial aid after attempting more than 200 credits (including transfer credits).

Frequency of SAP Evaluation:

For the majority of students, the University of Connecticut evaluates SAP on an annual basis following the completion of the spring payment period, (i.e. academic semester). In general, students who are in violation of the parameters set forth by the SAP policy upon an evaluation are not eligible to receive most forms of financial aid during subsequent payment periods. Students who are deemed ineligible upon an evaluation are designated with a status of “Not Meets” and are notified immediately upon the status being assigned.

Academic performance will be evaluated at the end of the Fall 2011 semester for financial aid recipients who are not in compliance with the SAP policy, but were granted financial aid for the fall semester by virtue of having been granted a "probationary period" or having had a prior SAP appeal approved.

Description of Terms and Concepts:

Financial Aid Appeal:

A Financial Aid Appeal is the process by which a student who is not meeting the university’s SAP policy petitions the university for reconsideration of their eligibility for most forms of financial aid. Circumstances upon which an appeal will be considered are those that involve extreme hardship. Examples of extreme hardship are typically limited to a death or illness in the student’s immediate family and/or an illness and/or injury befalling the student him or herself. Additional special circumstances may be considered at the discretion of the Office of Student Financial Aid Services. All Financial Aid Appeals must contain the following information:

• The nature of the hardship and how that hardship specifically contributed towards the student’s inability to meet the pace and/or minimum GPA standards set forth by the university’s SAP policy
• A description regarding how the circumstances pursuant to the hardship have changed in a way that will enable the student meet the parameters set forth by the SAP policy during subsequent payment periods

Financial Aid Eligibility Plan:

A student for whom a Financial Aid Appeal is approved will be placed on a status of Financial Aid Eligibility Plan. Students placed upon this status may receive all forms of financial aid for which SAP compliance is required. The purpose of the Financial Aid Eligibility Plan is to ensure that a student is able restore financial aid eligibility as defined by university SAP standards prior to their exceeding their educational program’s maximum timeframe. Details regarding the status are as follows:

• SAP evaluations for students with this assigned status will occur upon the completion of each payment period for which the student is enrolled and receives financial aid. In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid while on this status, full-time undergraduate students must complete (i.e. receive grades or notations other than F, F@,W, U, I, X, or N) a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0 for the affected term. Less than full-time (i.e. those students taking less than twelve credit-hours) undergraduate students must complete all courses for which they receive financial assistance with a minimum GPA of 2.0 for the affected term. Full-time graduate students must complete a minimum of nine (9) credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the affected term. Less than full-time (i.e. those students taking less than nine credits) graduate students must complete all courses for which they receive financial assistance with a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the affected term.
• Students who meet the criteria set forth by this SAP status will remain in this status during subsequent payment periods until such time that they meet the standards of the university SAP policy or they exceed the limits of the maximum timeframe for their respective educational program
• Students who fail to meet the criteria set forth by this SAP status upon subsequent evaluations (and who also fail to meet the parameters set forth by the university SAP policy) will immediately be designated as ineligible to receive all forms of financial aid for which SAP compliance is required
• Students assigned this status are subject to disbursement of their financial aid being delayed in instances where information relative to their SAP status (i.e. official grades from a prior payment period) is not available for a full SAP evaluation.

A list of frequently asked questions about SAP is available here.