Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to define successful completion of coursework toward a degree to maintain eligibility for financial aid. Alderson Broaddus University is required by federal regulations and institutional policy to determine whether a student is meeting SAP requirements. Students must meet the minimum standards set forth in the applicable SAP policies below to continue to receive financial aid.
2020-21 Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Requirements
Financial Aid SAP is required by federal regulations. SAP monitoring is intended to assure that students are able to complete their academic program in a timely manner by achieving minimum academic standards. To maintain Financial Aid SAP, students must complete the required percentage of attempted credit hours and earn the minimum cumulative GPA based on his or her total credit hours attempted (see chart below), as well as complete their academic program within the maximum number of credits permitted, which is 150% of the required course credits.
| Credit Hours Attempted by Student | % of Credit Hours Attempted that Must Be Completed | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|---|
| 1-23 | 67% | 1.60 |
| 24-47 | 67% | 1.80 |
| 48-71 | 67% | 1.90 |
| 72+ | 67% | 2.00 |
Hours Attempted
Please note that for Financial Aid SAP purposes, Hours Attempted is defined as follows:
“Semester hours attempted” is defined as the total semester hours for which a student has enrolled during all enrollment periods, whether or not the student received financial aid during those enrollment periods. All courses that transfer from other institutions will count as hours attempted.
Grades
A, B, C, D, S, P, H are all passing grades and count as hours attempted. A student who receives a grade of Incomplete (I) or Failure (F, U, NF) is considered to have attempted those credit hours. Successful completion will be measured by the number of semester credit hours passed or the number of semester hours earned, whichever is greater
Withdrawal
Any course that is withdrawn from will still count as credit hours attempted
Repeated Classes:
All course repetitions will count as hours attempted. The student’s grade for a repeat will be the “best grade” of the attempts.
Transfer Students
Transfer students may be eligible to receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid during their first semester of enrollment at Alderson Broaddus, subject to federal, state, and institutional guidelines for the federal, state and/or institutional awarding policies. Transfer credits accepted by Alderson Broaddus will be added to attempted credits at Alderson Broaddus in determining the maximum period that a student will be considered eligible for aid. Transfer credits accepted by Alderson Broaddus will not, however, be used to determine cumulative grade point average while the student is enrolled at Alderson-Broaddus.
Graduate Students
Graduate students will be considered to be making satisfactory progress as long as they are permitted to continue in their degree program.
SAP Evaluation
Formal evaluation of SAP will be monitored at the end of each academic payment period, or term, including summer, fall, winter, and spring. The formal evaluation will determine a student’s SAP status. Any student who fails to achieve the required cumulative GPA and/or complete the required percentage of attempted credit hours at the time of the formal evaluation will be placed on Financial Aid Warning. The FA Warning status lasts for one payment period (term) during which the student may continue to receive financial aid funds. Students who are still failing to make SAP after the FA Warning period will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal.
Right of Appeal
Students on FA Suspension may submit an appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. There is a designated deadline for appeals. The appeal form may be obtained online at www.ab.edu or in the Financial Aid Office. The appeal must be completed in full, signed by the student and include any requested documentation.
Final Appeal
Appeals are reviewed and granted or denied by the Financial Aid Committee.
Should the FA Committee grant the appeal, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation. While on FA Probation, the student will again be eligible to receive federal, state, and institutional financial aid. When on FA Probation, unless the academic plan states otherwise, the student is required to achieve minimum SAP standards at the end of the next payment period (term). If the student’s academic plan states that it will take longer than one term to meet SAP, the student will then be placed on Continued Plan. If the student fails the conditions of their academic plan, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension without further right to appeal.
Should the FA Committee decline to grant the appeal, the student will remain on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive any financial aid. All appeal decisions made by the FA Committee are final.
Reinstatement
Should the student choose not to appeal, or if the student’s appeal is denied, the student may regain financial aid eligibility only after taking action that brings him or her into compliance with the institution’s Financial Aid SAP standards.
