Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal financial aid regulations require that students make Satisfactory Academic Progress toward the completion of their degree or certificate program. Making Satisfactory Academic Progress means that the student:

Maintains a cumulative and institutional GPA of at least a 2.0 for undergraduates or a 3.0 for graduates
Completes at least 67% of their attempted credits
Is able to complete their degree or certificate with 150% of the number of credits required for the program

Each of these criteria are described in greater detail below. These standards are as strict or stricter than the university’s academic SAP policy. These standards apply to all students in every program regardless of enrollment level, year in college or program.

Maintain a Cumulative GPA of 2.0 (Undergrad) or 3.0 (Graduates) or Higher

The grade point average for satisfactory academic progress is calculated based on both PSU and/or overall credits, which includes credits transferred from another school depending on student level. Only letter grades (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F) count towards the calculation of GPA. non-standard grades (W, P, NP, I, X, M, IP) are excluded from GPA calculations.

Successfully Complete at Least 67% of Attempted Credits

Attempted credits are those credits that a student has registered for and attended at least one session of a course. A student is considered to have completed an attempted credit when they are issued a letter grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-) or earned a Pass.

Incomplete and In-Progress (IP) grades are not included in the completion rate calculation until a final grade is assigned. The non-standard grades (W, X, and M) are not considered completed credits.

Students must successfully complete 67% of their attempted credits, not 67% of their attempted courses. Consider the following example of an undergraduate student. A student who enrolls in the following courses is attempting 13 credits.

Statistics 244 (5 credits)
Anthropology 415 (4 credits)
Anthropology 321 (4 credits)

In the above example, this student is taking three courses and must pass 67% of their attempted
credits. At the end of the term, this student receives the following grades:

Statistics 244 = W
Anthropology 415 = A
Anthropology 321 = B

The student completed the term with a GPA of 3.5, which is above the required 2.0 GPA. However, this student only passed two, four-credit classes. That means that they completed 8/13 attempted credits (remember the statistics course was 5 credits). That means the student didn’t pass 67% of their attempted credits. Students who do not attend at least one session of a course are not considered to have attempted a credit.

Graduate-level students' completion rate calculation may be affected by enrolling in undergraduate courses. Undergraduate coursework cannot comprise more than 1/3 of the total undergraduate and graduate credits a graduate student attempts from the start of their program.

Complete the Program Within 150% of the Number of Credits in the Catalog (Maximum Timeframe)

Students must complete their degree or certification within 150% of the number of credits of the published program length. For example, most undergraduate certificates require a student to pass 180 credits. Students are allowed to attempt up to 270 credits to complete this program:

180cr. x 150% = 270cr

Graduate and postbaccalaureate programs vary greatly in their published length. Some are very short and only require a few credits; others require several years to complete. The 150% rule applies to these programs as well. If a student exceeds their maximum timeframe their financial aid will be suspended and they must file a successful appeal to have their aid reinstated.

Repeated Courses

Once a student earns a passing grade (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or P) in a course, financial aid will cover one repeat of that course, regardless of its outcome. Students who fail (F/NP) a course or are assigned the non-standard grade of W, X or M are allowed to repeat the course as many times as it takes to earn a passing grade.

Students issued and I or IP must work with their instructor to complete those courses after the end of the term. When those credits are converted to a letter grade (A-F, P/NP), student’s SAP status will be evaluated at the next evaluation period, at the end of the term. Alternatively, a student may file an SAP appeal to have their SAP status re-evaluated once grades have been updated.

For undergraduate students only, a repeated course grade replaces the student’s prior grade for the course and will be used in the GPA calculation. However, the course will be counted as attempted credits and count towards both the completion rate and the Maximum Timeframe rule described in the previous section.

Frequency of SAP Evaluation

A student’s GPA, completion rate, and maximum timeframe are calculated after the end of every term, including the Summer Term. As part of the end of term process, grades are submitted by the deadline established by The Office of the Registrar and evaluated after they are posted.

All applicants for state and federal student financial aid are evaluated. Recipients of most alternative loans and scholarships and institutional aid programs must also meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.

SAP statuses

Students are assigned one of four possible SAP statuses at the end of each term. Students entering into PSU are assigned a SAP status based on any coursework they have submitted for transfer credit. Students without any coursework are assigned the status of ‘good standing.’ See below. Students in an SAP status other then ‘good standing’ are notified of their SAP status via institutional email at the end of each evaluation period and/or after they have submitted an appeal to the financial aid office.

Good Standing

A student is making satisfactory academic progress. They have a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0, passed at least 67% of their attempted credits, and have not exceeded the maximum timeframe for their program of study. Students who have no GPA or attempted credits on record are issued Good Standing.

Warning Status

A student who doesn’t make satisfactory academic status for a term is placed in Warning Status. This status lasts only one term the student is enrolled. An enrolled student in Warning will move into Good Standing if they are able to improve their GPA and completion rate to the standard described above.

Suspended Status

Students who do not make satisfactory academic progress for two consecutive terms of enrollment will be placed into a Suspended Status and lose financial aid eligibility. Once a student’s financial aid is suspended they must either file an appeal and have it approved, or increase their cumulative GPA and completion rate using non-Title IV resources. Suspended students who can increase their cumulative GPA and completion to the required levels will be placed into Good Standing.

Probation Status

It may take a student more than one term to improve their cumulative GPA and completion rate. These students will be placed into a Probationary Status and are assigned terms of their probation. Terms will include a minimum GPA and pass rate for the student to reach the minimum graduation rate requirement of 2.0 GPA (undergraduate) and 3.0 GPA (graduate) and complete their program of study within the maximum timeframe. Probationary conditions may also require a student to seek out tutoring, support from the CARE team, academic advising, or other university services.

Suspended Status and Submitting an Appeal

Students placed in Suspended Status are not eligible to receive federal or state financial aid. In addition, some alternative loan and scholarship programs require students to be in Good Standing under satisfactory academic progress guidelines.

Students in Suspended Status, using the Appeal Process detailed below, may petition the Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility by documenting the special or unforeseen circumstances that interfered with the completion of the coursework or meeting the basic requirements of the SAP policy. Please note that there is no guarantee your appeal will be approved.

Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and all decisions are final. However, if a student has additional documentation or would like to amend their appeal, they can submit a new one for consideration.

The Appeal Process

Go to your Financial Aid Dashboard.
Review your Outstanding Requirements. This is where you will find a link to the appeal form.

There are four parts to a successful appeal:

A detailed written statement that explains why the student was unable to maintain a cumulative GPA of at least at 2.0 and pass at least 67% of their attempted credits for two consecutive terms in a row.
A second statement that describes how their situation has changed and how they are going to be successful going forward.
Documentation that supports both of the statements described above. Good documentation is from a neutral third party that is familiar with your situation. These could include medical documents, statements from a mental health provider, an obituary, police or court documents, bank statements, case notes from a social worker, or a letter of support from priest, rabbi, imam or another religious leader. Poor documentation comes from friends and family that cannot be independently corroborated.
A signed academic plan from the student’s academic advisor.

Remember to sign and date your appeal. Federal regulations require your statement to be signed. Unsigned statements will be returned to students for correction.

Appeals must be received by the end of the eighth week of the term in which the student is suspended, or they will lose access to aid for that term.