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  7. Policy and Procedure for Satisfactory Academic Progress (Distance Education Graduate Students)

Policy and Procedure for Satisfactory Academic Progress (Distance Education Graduate Students)

Federal regulations require educational institutions to determine students receiving federal financial aid remain in good academic standing and make reasonable progress toward completion of their academic program often referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In accordance with federal regulations, the SAP standards that Title IV aid recipients are required to meet are at least as strict as the standards that students not receiving Title IV aid are held to.

For all students enrolled at Bradley University in distance education graduate programs, SAP is reviewed at the conclusion of each semester that a student is enrolled. Bradley University’s SAP policy requires that distance education graduate students who receive financial aid must meet the following quantitative and qualitative standards at each official SAP review point.

Qualitative Standards

Students must meet a qualitative standard for academic progress measured through cumulative grade point average (GPA). Graduate students are considered in “good standing” for academic and federal aid purposes if they maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Graduate students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 are placed on academic probation. Eligibility for federal aid continues for two additional terms so long as a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (at least a “C” average) is maintained. Review of GPA is conducted at the conclusion of each term. Note that a student’s Bradley GPA is not impacted by courses for which the student enrolls at another institution (i.e. transfer credits).

Quantitative Standards (Pace and Duration)

The minimum pace requirement ensures that students stay on track to finish their degree program within the maximum time frame for financial aid eligibility.

Pace

Distance education graduate students must meet a quantitative standard of academic progress known as pace. Pace is measured by a percentage completion rate. To meet the SAP pace standard, students must successfully complete at least 70% of all attempted credit hours. The calculation is made as follows: earned credit hours divided by attempted credit hours = completion rate (result will be rounded to the closest whole number using standard rounding rules). Courses with grades of “W”, “F”, “IN”, “IP”, and repeated courses for which credit hours have previously been earned (i.e. grade of “D” or better) are included in hours attempted but are not included in hours earned. Transfer credit hours from another institution that are accepted toward the student's educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion (Duration)

Federal regulations require institutions to develop a maximum time frame for degree completion that serves as a limit to the duration of financial aid eligibility. At Bradley, the maximum timeframe for completion of a graduate program is 150% of the credit hours required for the program. For example, if a graduate program requires 40 credit hours to complete, a student would be permitted financial aid eligibility for up to 60 attempted credit hours (40 times 150%). Note that a student fails to meet the maximum time frame standard at the point which it is determined to be mathematically impossible for a student to complete their program within the maximum time frame. This will likely be before the maximum time frame is actually reached.

The total number of credits required for degree completion varies by program. The University catalog provides specific information on the number of required credits for program completion. In instances where additional research hours are required, the student’s academic advisor/department chair can indicate if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree objective. Students meeting the required 70% of attempted credits will complete degree objectives within 150% of the expected time frame. Those pursuing a course of study with greater credit hour requirements than what is listed in the University catalog should notify the Office of Financial Assistance for a case-by-case review.

Failure to Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress

Bradley University will review SAP for all distance education graduate students at the conclusion of every semester of enrollment. Students who are failing to meet SAP standards or the conditions of a pre-approved SAP appeal contract will be notified at the time of the SAP review. Written notification includes the reason for failure to meet SAP, the impact on eligibility for all sources of financial assistance (including Title IV), and the process for appeal (if one is necessary). All written notifications will be sent to the student’s Bradley email address.

Students who have failed to meet one or more of the SAP standards at an official SAP review point will lose their eligibility for Federal Title IV financial assistance unless placed on financial aid warning as described below. A student who has failed to meet SAP standards may regain eligibility for financial aid in one of two ways:

  • Students may appeal to have their eligibility reinstated via the appeal procedures detailed below, or
  • Students who have had an appeal denied or choose not to appeal may reestablish their eligibility by attending Bradley courses and achieving the overall SAP standards without the use of financial assistance.

Financial Aid Warning

A financial aid warning status will be assigned to distance education graduate students who were previously meeting all SAP standards, but have failed to meet the pace component at the most recent SAP review. The financial aid warning status will be in effect for the next academic term that the student enrolls in. If placed on financial aid warning, notification will be sent to the student via their Bradley email address informing them of the warning status, future financial aid eligibility, and the importance of seeking guidance/advising/counseling from Bradley staff (academic advisors, professors, and/or support coaches).

Once placed on financial aid warning, appeal for reinstatement of federal aid is not required for the semester in which the warning is in effect. Eligibility will continue at the conclusion of the financial aid warning term provided the student is once again meeting SAP standards. Students not meeting SAP standards at the conclusion of a financial aid warning term will be placed on “financial aid suspension”. Students will be notified of this via an email to their Bradley email address. Financial aid suspension results in the discontinuation of federal aid until once again meeting SAP standards or approval of a SAP appeal via the appeal procedures detailed below.

More than one period of financial aid warning during a student’s academic career is possible, but financial aid warning periods cannot be consecutive. Financial aid warning periods will not be assigned to students who are failing the qualitative (GPA) component or who fail to meet the maximum time frame standard. Students who fail the GPA or duration components are required to file an appeal immediately via the appeal procedures detailed below if they would like to use financial assistance.

Appeal Procedure

Students who are denied financial aid because they failed to make measurable progress (pace) after a period of financial aid warning or have failed the maximum time frame standard may appeal the decision. All appeals must be made in writing to the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Petition & Scholarship Appeal Form. A link to the appeal form will be provided to the student with the notice of failure to meet SAP. All appeals must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards. These circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. The appeal must include a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

All appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee within 15 business days of submission, and the student will be contacted via email if additional information is needed. A student who appeals will be notified via their Bradley email address of the outcome of the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the Committee will determine a set of stipulations that the student must meet each semester going forward that will ensure they reestablish SAP within a set period of time. The student will be sent an approval contract (also known as an academic plan) detailing these stipulations via email. This contract will need to be signed and returned to the Office of Financial Assistance via email, mail, or in person. Once the signed contract is returned, the student will be considered to be on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan for one semester. Provided the student continues to meet the conditions laid forth in the appeal approval contract at the conclusion of each enrolled semester, the Financial Aid Probation status will continue to be in effect and the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

Students who failed to meet the conditions set forth in their appeal approval contract or do not meet the GPA standard may appeal in writing via email to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Financial Assistance who can grant an extension of their Financial Aid Probation for an additional semester. Again, the appeal must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards and a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation. Extraordinary circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. Subsequent appeals that are based on the same rationale as a previous appeal will likely not be granted. Appeal decisions will be communicated with the student in writing via the student’s Bradley email.

SAP Financial Aid Probation

Distance education graduate students who submit a SAP appeal form that is approved will be placed on financial aid probation. The duration of probationary status is determined on a case-by-case basis and will be based on length of time and/or course load necessary to meet SAP standards. Progression will be monitored during probation to ensure the prescribed academic plan is being followed and the student is on track with degree completion.

SAP Financial Aid Suspension

Financial aid suspension is assigned when a student fails to meet SAP standards while on financial aid warning or financial aid probation. A student on suspension will be notified of their status and is no longer eligible for federal aid. Federal aid will be reinstated once the student is again meeting SAP standards or with the approval of a SAP appeal.

Suspension may be assigned to a readmitted student who does not meet SAP standards. The Office of Financial Assistance reserves the right to suspend distance education graduate students who completely withdraw. Complete withdrawal or failure to complete all courses in a term may result in financial aid suspension and require appeal.

Incomplete Coursework

A course with a grade of Incomplete “IN” or In Progress “IP” will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours therefore impacting a student’s pace. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. Once a grade is assigned for the course, that grade will be included in the next official SAP review for pace, duration, and GPA which could impact a student’s aid eligibility either positively or negatively.

Repeated Coursework

Repeated courses will be included in the pace calculation. If a student has previously earned credit hours for the course (i.e. grade of “D” or better), the repeat will count towards attempted hours but will not count towards earned hours. If a student has not previously earned credit for the repeated course, a successful course attempt will count as both attempted and earned hours while an unsuccessful attempt will only count for attempted hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Pass/Fail and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Coursework

Courses that receive pass/fail (P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades (S/U) should be few and far between for most students. These courses will always be included in pace calculations as attempted hours. However, only those with a grade of “P” or “S” will be counted as earned hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Withdrawn Coursework

If a student drops some but not all of their courses during the officially recognized add/drop period (i.e. through the second full week of classes each semester), the dropped courses will not be included in pace calculations. However, if a student completes a full withdrawal from all classes after beginning attendance but before the end of the add/drop period, those courses will be considered for SAP measurements. In pace calculations, these courses will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours. Similarly, all classes for which a student receives a grade of “W” will count as attempted but not earned. For duration calculations, semesters in which the student performs a full withdrawal after establishing attendance will be counted as a semester of enrollment. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Remedial Coursework

Remedial coursework will be counted in both attempted and earned hours for the quantitative SAP evaluation as applicable based on the grade received. Even if remedial coursework will not impact a student’s official university grade point average, it will be included in the qualitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation as required by federal regulations.

Grade Changes

Evaluation of SAP standards is based on the initial final grades that have been posted for the most recently concluded semester. If a grade change for a prior term occurs after the start of a subsequent semester, that grade change will not be considered for SAP eligibility that semester. Therefore, a student would need to submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid if SAP standards were not being met based on the initial grade that was posted. The revised grade would be considered in subsequent SAP evaluations.

Academic Amnesty/Forgiveness

In rare circumstances, students can have prior grades forgiven on their academic record via the university’s Academic Forgiveness Policy so that they do not factor into the cumulative grade point average. However, the Academic Forgiveness Policy does not exempt courses from being included in a SAP evaluation. All courses that the student has taken at Bradley University will be included in both the quantitative and qualitative components of each official SAP evaluation. A student may choose to discuss the academic forgiveness as part of an appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

Other SAP Considerations

The academic year for distance education is 3 terms: fall, spring, and summer. Qualitative and quantitative satisfactory academic progress is assessed for all enrolled distance education graduate students at the completion of each term (once grades are posted).

Distance education graduate students enrolled in their first term at Bradley University (including those who transfer coursework that is applicable to their degree) are considered to be meeting SAP. Students who have been academically suspended from a Bradley graduate program and/or who are readmitted are not eligible for financial aid unless meeting the SAP policy. Students who are readmitted and are not meeting SAP standards may follow the appeal procedures detailed in this policy if consideration for financial aid is desired.

Students may change majors/programs, but evaluation of academic progress for federal aid will include all attempted credit hours and grades earned. Change of major may be considered as part of an appeal.

All periods of enrollment will be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Terms in which the student enrolled but did not receive financial aid and/or terms in which the student completely withdrew or ceased attending after classes began are included in the measurement.

All SAP measurements will be based on cumulative Bradley University hours and GPA.

Policies and Procedures