SAP - Detailed Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Please note that significant changes have been made to this policy that take effect beginning Fall 2023.
I. INTRODUCTION
Federal and state regulations require that students receiving assistance from financial aid programs be monitored for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Satisfactory Academic Progress includes qualitative progress (Grade Point Average) and quantitative progress (Pace) toward degree completion. Monitoring is required for students who receive aid from any of the following programs:
- Federal Pell Grants
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
- Federal and Institutional Work-Study
- Federal Perkins Loans
- Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans
- Federal PLUS Loans
- KHEAA College Access Program (CAP)
Financial aid programs not covered by this policy include KEES, Tuition Incentive Program, Alumni Grant, Scholarships, and certain Tuition Waiver Programs.
The University's Academic Progress policy, administered through the Academic Advising and Retention Center, is separate from the Department of Student Financial Assistance's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. A student may be placed on probation and/or be required to appeal by both the Academic Advising and Retention Center and the Department of Student Financial Assistance.
II. STUDENT ELIGIBILITY
To be officially admitted to the University a student must have a high school diploma, a GED certificate, or proof of home school completion. Undergraduates receiving financial aid must be admitted in good standing, degree-seeking, and taking courses applicable to their degree program. Graduate students must be officially admitted to a program of study in good standing and taking courses applicable to their degree program.
Students admitted to the University on probation are automatically placed on warning with the Department of Student Financial Assistance for financial aid purposes (refer to Section VI).
III. QUALITATIVE PROGRESS: Grade-Point Average (GPA)
Undergraduates:
Undergraduate students must be admitted or readmitted in good standing and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative Overall GPA and a minimum 2.0 cumulative WKU GPA.
Graduate Students:
Students must be admitted or readmitted in good standing and maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative Overall GPA and a minimum 3.0 cumulative WKU GPA regardless of accumulated GPA Hours.
Qualitative progress is monitored for all recipients at the end of each term. Failure to meet the grade-point average requirements indicated above will result in a student being placed on warning status for the next semester in which they apply for financial aid (refer to Section VI).
IV. QUANITITATIVE PROGRESS: Hours Earned (Pace)
For each term students are awarded financial aid they must earn at least 67% of the number of hours they are attempting (referred to as Pace). Remedial and/or developmental courses (numbered 0-99) are factored into students’ quantitative assessment for federal financial aid purposes.
Please refer to the examples below that demonstrate how the quantitative component is measured:
Undergraduate Case Study:
John Doe is a sophomore at WKU who has attempted a total of 48 hours (6 hours of which were developmental courses). John Doe has only earned 30 hours total. Therefore, John Doe has a quantitative completion rate of 62.5%. The SAP policy requires that students earn at least 67% of their total attempted hours to maintain a good standing for financial aid purposes. John is not eligible for federal financial aid.
Graduate Case Study:
Jane Doe is a graduate student at WKU who has attempted a total of 18 hours. Jane Doe has only earned 12 hours total. Therefore, Jane Doe has a quantitative completion rate of 66.7%. The SAP policy requires that students earn at least 67% of their total attempted hours to maintain a good standing for financial aid purposes. Jane is not eligible for federal aid.
Quantitative progress is monitored for all recipients at the end of each term. Failure to meet the Pace requirements indicated above will result in a student being placed on warning status for the next semester in which they have enrollment (refer to Section VI).
Maximum Time Frame (Excessive Hours):
Students are required to complete their degree requirements within 150% of their particular
published degree program length. Failure to complete the student's graduation requirements
prior to meeting the excessive hours limit may result in the student becoming ineligible
for the next semester in which they have enrollment (refer to Section VI).
| Type of Program | Published Program Length | 150% Rule Calculation |
Maximum Timeframe; once exceeded, student ineligible for financial aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 60 credit hours | 60 x150% | 90 attempted credit hours |
| Bachelor's Degree | 120 credit hours | 120 x 150% | 180 attempted credit hours |
| Master's Degree | Varies per program of study. See GRADUATE/DOCTORAL CHART | ||
| Doctoral Degree | Varies per program of study. See GRADUATE/DOCTORAL CHART | ||
|
UG Certificate ONLY (Financial Aid Eligible) |
Students pursuing Certificate Programs are ONLY eligible to receive Title IV aid for a maximum of one academic year | ||
| GR Certificate ONLY (Financial Aid Eligible) | Students pursuing Certificate Programs are ONLY eligible to receive Title IV aid for a maximum of one academic year |
Students pursuing an Associate’s Degree must complete graduation requirements by the time they have reached 90 total attempted hours. Students pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree must complete graduation requirements by the time they have reached 180 attempted hours. Students pursuing any graduate degree (Master’s or Doctoral) must complete graduation requirements by the time they have reached 150% of their program’s published length (this will vary based on every program; please refer to GRADUATE DOCTORAL PROGRAM CHART for information about your specific program). Students pursuing an Undergraduate or Graduate Certificate Program ONLY are eligible to receive federal financial aid for a maximum of one academic year of full-time enrollment or equivalent timeframe of part-time enrollment (please refer to CERTIFICATE CHART to access a list of financial aid-approvable certificate programs).
All attempted hours for which the student demonstrates enrollment after the 100% drop/add period are counted, including transfer credits, credit hours earned towards a prior degree completion, credit hours earned while dually enrolled in two separate programs concurrently, and those credit hours earned for a changed major, regardless if Title IV aid was received for those hours. Previously earned credits that have not been provided to WKU by the awarding institution are not counted towards Max Time Frame.
Quantitative progress is monitored for all recipients at the end of each term.
V. FREQUENCY OF SAP REVIEW PROCESS
Students will be subject to a review of their satisfactory academic progress standing at the end of each payment period. This is inclusive to Fall terms, Spring terms, and Summer terms. Students who take Winter term courses will be subject to their next SAP review at the end of the subsequent Spring term; for federal financial aid awarding purposes, students are not awarded aid for Winter term, but can use their Spring aid to help cover their Winter term cost, if eligible. Students enrolled in any term are subject to a SAP review at the end of that term regardless of whether any Title IV aid was received. Therefore, the SAP review process could have an impact on a student’s SAP status and eligibility to receive Title IV aid in subsequent semesters, even if no Title IV aid was received in a semester of review. SAP status is based on enrollment, rather than receipt of Title IV aid, for every term.
VI. FAILURE TO MEET SAP REQUIREMENTS
Students who fail to meet either the qualitative (refer to section III) or quantitative (refer to section IV components of the SAP policy are placed on warning status for the subsequent semester. In addition, students admitted to the University on probation are likewise placed on warning status with the Department of Student Financial Assistance.
VII. WARNING STATUS
Students who are placed on warning status for a particular term must be meeting overall cumulative and institutional qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements by the end of the warning period in order to receive aid for future terms. Students cannot be placed on financial aid warning for consecutive terms; however, students can have multiple terms of a warning period during their academic career.
Students who do not meet overall SAP standards while on warning status are ineligible for aid for any subsequent semester until they meet the criteria for reinstatement of aid (refer to Section VIII) or have gained approval based on a successful appeal (refer to Section IX).
Access the online interactive WKU GPA calculator to determine how many credit hours you will need to complete and what grades will need to be earned in those hours to ensure that you will be meeting the minimum qualitative SAP requirements by the end of your warning period.
If both qualitative and quantitative requirements are met, the student will be removed from warning status for the next subsequent term and placed in a good standing for federal financial aid purposes.
VIII. REINSTATEMENT OF AID
Students who are deemed ineligible for financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress (failure to meet requirements of warning/probation status) must meet the minimum qualitative and quantitative requirements listed below before aid can be reinstated. Courses can be earned in efforts to reinstate eligibility at WKU or visiting institutions. However, ONLY course work taken at WKU will calculate into the student’s WKU/Institutional GPA qualitative standards. Students failing to meet the WKU SAP Policy due to their overall WKU/Institutional GPA cannot reestablish their eligibility by taking classes elsewhere. To improve their overall WKU/Institutional GPA, classes MUST be taken at WKU unless granted permission from the WKU Registrar’s Office. Students MUST meet all SAP qualitative and quantitative requirements to reinstate federal aid funding at WKU. Once the student has met all SAP qualitative and quantitative requirements, the student will be notified via Toppermail following the next SAP review process.
Qualitative Requirements: Undergraduate students must be admitted or readmitted in good standing and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative Overall GPA and a minimum 2.0 cumulative WKU GPA.
Graduate students must be admitted or readmitted in good standing and maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative Overall GPA and a minimum 3.0 cumulative WKU GPA.
Quantitative Requirements: Students must earn at least 67% of their total attempted hours.
Students who are deemed ineligible for financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress (failure to meet requirements of warning status) and also have documentable extenuating circumstances may be eligible to appeal (refer to Section IX).
| What SAP requirement am I not meeting? | Not meeting Overall Cumulative GPA | Not meeting Overall WKU GPA | Not meeting Pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where can I take classes in efforts of rehabilitating my SAP standing? | Can take approvable transferrable classes at WKU or Visiting School to rehabilitate Overall Cumulative GPA | Must take classes at WKU to rehabilitate Overall WKU GPA unless granted permission from the WKU Registrar's Office to take classes elsewhere | Can take approvable transferrable classes at WKU or Visiting School to rehabilitate Pace |
IX. APPEAL PROCEDURES
Eligibility to Appeal:
Only certain conditions, listed below, allow a student to appeal:
- Excessive Hours: If a student has earned excessive hours without completing a degree and/or certificate (refer to section IV, Max Time Frame) they are eligible to submit an appeal for the term in which aid is being sought. An appeal must be submitted at least one month prior to the end of the term to be reviewed for that current term of enrollment. An appeal submitted after this deadline or after the end of the term in which a student is seeking aid will not be reviewed for that term and will be rolled to the next term of enrollment.
- Extenuating Circumstances: If a student is on a warning status and does not meet the terms of the status and has documentable extenuating circumstances (i.e. illness, death of immediate family member, divorce, other unusual circumstances) then he/she is eligible to submit an appeal for the term in which aid is being sought. An appeal must be submitted at least one month prior to the end of the term to be reviewed for that current term of enrollment. An appeal submitted after this deadline or after the end of the term in which a student is seeking aid will not be reviewed for that term and will be rolled to the next term of enrollment. Students pursuing this option must provide supporting documentation and such documentation should be able to be verified for authenticity. If a student is on a warning status and does not meet the terms of the status and does not have extenuating circumstances, he/she is not eligible to appeal and therefore not eligible for aid until the conditions for reinstatement of aid (refer to Section VIII) are met.
The following reasons are NOT considered extenuating circumstances and will NOT merit an approved appeal for federal financial aid purposes:
- Need for financial aid or lack of knowledge that your aid was in jeopardy
- Unfair/incorrect grade for class or improper advising
- Childcare or daycare problems
- Transportation issues
- Problems with web based or On Demand classes
- Work-related issues
The following chart outlines the possible circumstances for submitting a SAP Appeal:
| Circumstance | Statement/Acceptable Documentation |
|---|---|
| Your own illness, injury, hospitalization, or disability |
|
| Illness, accident or injury, hospitalization, or disability of a significant person in your life such as a parent, sibling, or grandparent |
|
| Death of a family member or significant person in your life such as a parent, sibling, grandparent, or lifelong friend |
|
| Your own divorce or legal separation or the divorce or legal separation of your parent(s) |
|
| Victimization of a violent crime or natural disaster |
|
| Maximum Time Frame (excessive hours) exceeded |
|
| Other unforeseen circumstances beyond your control |
|
Students are limited to 2 Approved SAP Appeals due to extenuating circumstances per academic career level (i.e. Undergraduate, Graduate). There is NO limit to the number of Approved Max-Time Frame SAP Appeals that a student can obtain based strictly on changing of major. Appeals that were granted an approved status due to COVID related obstacles during the national COVID-19 PHE will not be included in the students’ maximum two approved appeal opportunities due to extenuating circumstances.
**Covid related policy changes in reference to the appeal process and number of appeals allowed took effect March 13, 2020 and remained in effect through the end of Spring 2023 when the national PHE officially ended on May 11, 2023. Appeals due to Covid related issues experienced during this timeframe will continue to be excluded from the maximum number of appeal opportunities per circumstance and career level.**
Appeal Process
Excessive Hours:
If a student has earned excessive hours without completing a degree and are submitting an appeal , they must complete the following:
- A review of the student’s degree audit (refer to section IV, Max Timeframe), Second Degree Program Form, or Program of Study Form will be conducted by a SAP Counselor
- Submit an Appeal Form to the Department of Student Financial Assistance
Extenuating Circumstance:
If a student was on a warning status and did not meet the terms of that status and has documentable extenuating circumstances with dates that correspond to the term in which they failed to meet satisfactory academic progress (i.e. illness, death of immediate family member, divorce, other unusual circumstances) and are submitting an appeal, they must complete the following:
- Submit an Appeal Form to the Department of Student Financial Assistance
- Submit supporting documentation of the extenuating circumstances (please refer to Appeal chart in section above). Students must provide supporting documentation and such documentation should be able to be verified for authenticity
Appeals are reviewed by the Department of Student Financial Assistance and/or the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final. Students may contact the Department of Student Financial Assistance if they feel an unjust appeal decision was made.
The earlier an appeal is submitted, the sooner eligibility for financial assistance can be determined. A student submitting an appeal should be prepared to make any tuition and fee payments required for that term in the event the appeal is not processed prior to any pending due date or the appeal is denied.
An appeal must be submitted at least one month prior to the end of the term in order to be reviewed for that current term of enrollment. An appeal submitted after this deadline or after the end of a term in which a student is seeking aid will not be reviewed for that term and will be rolled to the next term of enrollment.
It is the responsibility of the student who submits an appeal to determine that all other financial aid application materials are complete. If an appeal is approved and application materials are incomplete, a further delay in the awarding process will result.
If a student has been academically dismissed from the University, an appeal for federal financial assistance cannot be processed until the student is allowed re-admittance to the University as determined by the Advising & Career Development Center.
Approved Appeals
Students are notified through email if an appeal has been approved. Once approved, the student is required to make satisfactory academic progress for the term in which the appeal was submitted and approved. Students on an approved appeal will be required to adhere to an Academic Plan established for them by the SAP Coordinator. All students must schedule the Academic Plan appointment on their TopNet account. Students who do not adhere to the conditions established in the Academic Plan will not be eligible for federal financial aid for future terms.
Academic Plan: The student must adhere to the established Academic Plan. Requirements are specific to each student each term.
**All students on a financial aid probationary status due to an approved SAP appeal are REQUIRED to earn a semester GPA of at least a 2.0 (or 3.0 for Graduate students) as well as pass 100% of their attempted credit hours (exceptions can be made depending on when the Academic Plan is established- contact the SFA Department if you have questions or concerns about these exceptions). **
Students receiving financial assistance based on an approved appeal (probation status) for a particular term who do not make satisfactory academic progress for that term cannot submit a new appeal unless a new documentable extenuating circumstance exists for that particular term or until they have met requirements for Reinstatement of Aid (refer to Section VIII).
Students who are on an approved appeal and are meeting the minimum conditions established in their Academic Plan agreement will remain on probation for consecutive terms until their cumulative Overall and WKU GPA is a minimum of 2.0 undergraduate/ 3.0 graduate (or within the appropriate graduate GPA scale) AND their total hours earned is at least 67% of total attempted hours. Once these requirements are met, the student will be removed from the approved appeal probationary status for the subsequent term and should transition into a good standing for federal financial aid purposes.
Students whose approved appeal is for excessive hours may only take courses that are reflected on their Degree Audit, Second Degree Program Form, or Program of Study Form. Taking courses not part of an approved degree program will result in revocation of approved appeal status and loss of financial aid eligibility at WKU.
Denied Appeals
Students are notified through email if an appeal has been denied. If an appeal for financial assistance is denied and the student enrolls in courses for that term, he/she is responsible for all tuition and fees for that term.
Students whose academic appeals are denied must meet the requirements for Reinstatement of Aid (refer to Section VIII) before regaining federal financial aid eligibility.
Multiple Appeals
Students who were on an approved appeal and did not meet the Academic Plan term requirements or do not meet overall qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements are not eligible to re-appeal for subsequent terms (unless new extenuating circumstances merit another approved appeal) until they have met the requirements indicated under the Reinstatement of Aid section (Section VIII).
Students are limited to 2 Approved SAP Appeals due to extenuating circumstances per academic career level (i.e. Undergraduate, Graduate).
**Appeals that were granted an approved status due to COVID related obstacles,during the Federal PHE which ended on May 11, 2023, will not be included in the students’ maximum two approved appeal opportunities due to extenuating circumstances.**
X. COURSES FOR WHICH NO CREDIT IS EARNED/REPEATED
- Audits, Incompletes, and grades of 'W' or 'F', or FN’s (failure due to non-attendance) do not count as hours earned; but do count as attempted hours, and therefore negatively affect the student’s quantitative component.
- A student must complete all assignments for an Incomplete (X) or an In Progress (IP) course and have a passing grade for that course posted on his/her academic transcript before credit may be included in the number of hours earned for that term; however, those ‘X’ or ‘IP’ credit hours will be calculated into the student’s total attempted hours. The Student Financial Assistance Office can use professional judgment after the initial SAP review to re-evaluate a student’s SAP status at the student's request if a grade is now submitted for a prior ‘X’, ‘IP’, grade change update or if a late grade is posted. A grade of NR (no report) or ER (no report for just one student) indicates a grade has not been posted by an instructor. Students on warning/ probation must also have official grades for these courses reflected on their academic transcript before they can be included in the number of hours earned for that term.
- Nonpunitive grades such as NG (no grade) indicate that no grade will be assigned for that particular course. Nonpunitive grades will not be calculated into a student’s qualitative or quantitative SAP review.
- A student can receive aid for a repeated course until the course is passed (credit received). If a student chooses to repeat a previously-passed course (for a better grade), federal aid can be paid for only one repetition of the passed course.
- Courses numbered 0-99 (continuing education and special purposes courses, typically known as remedial or developmental courses) do not count in the total hours and quality points required for graduation. If such courses are recommended for a student's program of study, the courses will be considered as part of the hours earned for financial aid purposes. Students receiving financial aid may not take more than 30 hours of courses numbered 0-99.
XI. FAILURE TO PASS ANY COURSES FOR A TERM
A return of funds to financial aid programs may be required as a result of receiving all FN grades (failure due to non-attendance) or combination of FN’s and Withdraw grades.
If a student fails all courses due to FN’s (failure due to non-attendance) in a term but still meets overall minimum qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements, the student could remain in a good standing or possibly transition to a financial aid warning status for the subsequent term and could be subject to a return of Title IV funds.
XII. WITHDRAW BELOW HALF-TIME ENROLLMENT AFTER RECEIVING TITLE IV FUNDS
Students who drop below half-time enrollment after receiving federal financial aid for a particular term but are still meeting overall minimum qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements after the next SAP review process, could remain in a good standing or possibly transition to a financial aid warning status for the subsequent term. However, the student should not be subject to a return of Title IV funds as long as the student passes or earns F(s) in their remaining credit hours during the specific term they withdrew below half-time. Students may also be contacted by their federal student loan servicer (if applicable) if repayment of prior loan(s) is required.
| WKU Full-time Enrollment | WKU Three-quarter-time Enrollment | WKU Half-time Enrollment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | 12 credit hours per Fall/Spring | 9 credit hours per Fall/Spring | 6 credit hours per Fall/Spring |
| Graduate | 9 credit hours per Fall/Spring | 6.75 credit hours per Fall/Spring | 4.5 credit hours per Fall/Spring |
XIII. TOTAL WITHDRAW (0 CREDIT HOURS) AFTER RECEIVING TIV FUNDS
Students who drop all courses (0 credit hours) after receiving federal financial aid for a particular term but are still meeting overall minimum qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements after the next SAP review process, could remain in a good standing; however, students who are not meeting all overall qualitative and quantitative SAP requirements will transition to a financial aid warning status for the subsequent term. Students who totally withdraw will also be subject to a return of Title IV funds. Students may also be contacted by their federal student loan servicer (if applicable) if repayment of prior loan(s) is required.
See additional information regarding the Return to Title IV Policy.
XIV. ACADEMIC RENEWAL
A student's entire academic record is considered when deciding whether Satisfactory Academic Progress is being made. Students who have completed academic renewal (refer to WKU Undergraduate Catalog) are still subject to the qualitative and quantitative standards of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. The WKU Student Financial Assistance’s SAP Policy requires a complete review all academic history when determining a student’s SAP standing, regardless of whether a student has had a semester or multiple semester’s worth of academic work bankrupted or excluded.
XV. TRANSFER CREDIT
Transfer credit is considered as part of the cumulative Grade Point Average and Pace for those courses that are recognizable as transfer credit by the University. Likewise these are included in the cumulative grade-point average and Pace for purposes of evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress.
XVI. CONCLUSION
It is the student's responsibility to maintain the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students should be familiar with their academic records. Academic records are available to the student from his/her TopNet account, and an official copy can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar. Students should work closely with their academic advisor to plan their degree program and to develop strategies for timely degree completion. Students planning to complete their degree at WKU should contact either their advisor or the Academic Advising and Retention Center before registering for courses at another college or university.
Any student who does not meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid and who plans to enroll for a particular term must be prepared to pay all tuition and fees for that term.
The SAP Policy is available to students in the office of the Department of Student Financial Assistance, Potter Hall and online. You may also download the policy as a PDF.
The SAP Appeals Committee may in rare circumstances choose to use professional judgment to supersede a specific element of the SAP Appeals Policy.
Please contact the Department of Student Financial Assistance if you have questions regarding financial aid policies and procedures.
Rev. 20-September-2024
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