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LU Policy Number: AS.024
Effective Date: 7/1/2011
Approval Date: 7/1/2011
Revised Date: N/A
Purpose: To clarify conditions required for academic progress
Additional Authority: N/A
Scope: All Students (COC&CGUS) of Life University
Approval Authority: Provost/EVPAA
Responsible Authority: Academic Affairs-Student
Definitions: N/A
Policy Title
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Policy Statement
In order to receive approval for any form of Title IV financial assistance, reasonable academic progress must be made toward graduation. To demonstrate progress, a student must comply with the following requirements:
Effective 7/1/2011 (supersedes all former policies):
The United States Department of Education and most agencies providing financial assistance require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their course of study to continue receiving funding. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of Federal Title IV financial aid, as well as State and other aid. Federal Title IV financial aid includes Pell Grant, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Subsidized Stafford (Direct) Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford (Direct) Loan, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Graduate PLUS loan and Federal work-study. State aid includes Georgia Tuition Equalization Grant (GTEG), HOPE Scholarship and Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Grant (LEAP). The student’s entire academic history is evaluated to determine whether or not he/she is maintaining SAP. This evaluation is not affected by whether or not aid was previously received or whether a student has changed programs. The Federal Student Aid program regulations make no provision for the concept of academic amnesty or grade forgiveness.
Doctor of Chiropractic and Undergraduate Program
Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and Undergraduate (UG) students will be evaluated annually at the end of each spring quarter. Students in the Doctor of Chiropractic and Undergraduate programs are expected to complete at least 67% of all attempted hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. When students are evaluated and are not meeting SAP requirements, they will become ineligible for Federal and State financial aid. Students may regain federal and state eligibility by enrolling using their own resources or alternative funding sources until they have met a cumulative 2.0 GPA and completed 67 percent of their courses.
Master’s Program
Master’s students (GR) will be evaluated at the end of each quarter. Students in the Graduate (GR) program are expected to complete at least 67 percent of all attempted hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Graduate students will be evaluated after their first (and subsequent) quarter in the program because of the short duration of the master’s program. Students not meeting SAP will be placed on financial aid warning for one-quarter. If at the end of their warning quarter the students are not meeting SAP, they will become ineligible for federal aid. Students may regain federal eligibility by enrolling using their own resources or alternative funding sources until they have met a cumulative 3.0 GPA and completed 67 percent of their courses.
SAP is measured in three ways
1. Qualitative Standard (Grade Point Average - GPA)
- The cumulative GPA provided by the Registrar’s Office, it is listed at the bottom of the student’s transcript.
- DC and UG students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
- GR students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.
2. Quantitative Standard
- All students (UG, GR, DC) are expected to complete at least 67 percent of all courses attempted.
- Attempted courses are defined as those for which one has registered and been charged in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, I, P, SP, NP, WNP or IP are given.
- Completed courses are defined as those in which grades of A, B, C, D (in some UG courses only) SP, or P are given.
Example of meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements:
At the end of spring quarter 2011, Kevin Smith, an UG student, has attempted 45 credit hours.
He has earned grades of “C” in all 45 hours. He has met the qualitative standard because his cumulative GPA is 2.00.
He has successfully completed all of the courses he attempted. He has met the quantitative standard because his completion rate is 100 percent.
Example of not meeting the SAP requirements:
At the end of spring quarter 2011, Susan Moore, a DC student, has attempted 95 credit hours and completed 70 of those 95 credits.
Her cumulative GPA is a 1.90, she did not meet the qualitative standard since her GPA is below a 2.00.
She met the quantitative standard because her completion rate is 73 percent.
3. Time-Frame
- All students (UG, GR, and DC) are expected to finish their degrees after having attempted coursework not to exceed 150 percent of their program requirements (measured in credit hours attempted).
- UG: Students seeking an Associate degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 147 credit hours. Students seeking a Bachelor’s degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 282 credit hours.
- GR: Students seeking a Master’s degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 78 credit hours.
- DC: Students seeking a Doctor of Chiropractic degree may not receive financial aid after having attempted 525 credit hours.
Warnings
It is an academic policy of the University that DC students have a maximum of eight calendar years to complete their programs. Please be advised that, should DC students average less than 12 earned hours per quarter, they will be unable to complete the program in 8 calendar years.
Full-time DC students are eligible to borrow no more than $224,000 in Federal Direct Loans. Please be advised that, should DC students average less than 19 earned hours per quarter while receiving the maximum Federal Direct Loans for all quarters, they will exhaust their Federal Direct Loan eligibility prior to completion of the program.
Appeals
If there are extenuating circumstances beyond their control, students have the right to appeal their SAP determination. The appeal must be directly relatable to the academic period for which the student is being evaluated and cannot have been previously submitted for review. Appeals must be submitted in writing using the SAP appeal form obtained by speaking with the Financial Aid Counselor and MUST include supporting third party documentation. Appeals without supporting documentation will not be accepted. Students are required to submit a statement regarding why the student failed to make SAP, and what has changed in the student’s situation that would allow the student to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation.
Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval and if the appeal is denied students will be responsible for paying the Institution any balance owed without Federal funds. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee (FAAC) will consider each appeal on its own merits and the decision of the FAAC committee is final.
During the FAAC review, it will be determined if the student can or cannot meet SAP after the next quarter of enrollment. This will be done by looking at the student’s current transcript of completed classes and GPA for all quarters attended at Life University in the appropriate program. Any student who has their SAP decision successfully appealed and cannot meet SAP after the next quarter of enrollment will receive an Academic plan and be placed on Financial Aid Probation. The Academic Plan will be individualized and specific to each student in order to put the student on track to successful academic progress in no more than four quarters. If at any time during an Academic Plan students do not meet the terms of their plan, they will lose their federal aid and will not be eligible to appeal. If, when presented with the Academic plan, the student chooses not to accept it, the student will need to pay using other resources until meeting the minimum requirements for SAP.
Students who choose not to appeal or have their appeal denied may regain their eligibility for financial aid by enrolling using their own resources or alternative non-federal funding and bringing their academic performance into compliance with this policy.
Students who separate from the Institution without appealing when not meeting SAP lose their right to appeal the decision. If students return to the Institution and are not meeting SAP upon return, they will be responsible for using their own resources or using Private loans. Once the students are meeting SAP, they must self-identify to the Financial Aid Office and request to be reevaluated for Federal aid.
Procedure(s)
N/A
Other Notes
N/A
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