Satisfactory
Academic Progress
(SAP)
Julie Wittmis
Texas Woman’s University
What & Why??
• To be eligible for FSA funds, a student must
make Satisfactory Academic Progress, and your
school must have a reasonable policy for
monitoring that progress
• The Department considers a satisfactory
academic progress policy to be reasonable if it
meets both the
Qualitative and Quantitative criteria explained
in this section.
SAP Must . . .
• Be published and include reasonable
qualitative and quantitative standards
• Explain how GPA and pace of completion
are effected by course incompletes,
withdrawals, and repeats, as well as
transfer credits
• Be at least as strict as your SAP policy for
student not receiving FSA funds
SAP Must . . . (continued)
• Apply to all students (different SAP policies
may apply to different programs)
• Require evaluation at the end of each
payment period for program 1 year or less;
annual evaluations required for program
greater than an year
• Notify and describe status that affects
eligibility for FSA funds
• Explain how to regain eligibility
Qualitative Standard
• Grade based (most commonly GPA)
• Must achieve standard at the end of each
period
• In addition, HEA requires a specific review
at the end of the 2nd academic year.
• Programs greater than 2 academic years
• At least a “C” or its equivalent or,
• Must have an academic standing consistent
with your school’s graduation requirements
• Escalating GPA ???
Quantitative Standard
Pace =
• Time-related
• May use graduated completion percentages
• May include but not required to include
remedial courses
• Ensure program completion within the
maximum timeframe
• Student is ineligible when it becomes
mathematically impossible to complete the
program within maximum timeframe
• Appealable
Change of Major & Transfer
Credits
• Generally, all periods of enrollment count
• Even when not receiving FSA funds
• May exclude courses not part of new major
• May limit # of times student changes major
• Must count transfer credits for current
program
• May count transfer grades
• Establish rules for those who want new
degrees
Repeat, Drop, Incomplete,
Remedial & ESL Courses
• Explain course repeats including which
grade will count.
• Quantitative standard includes all repeated
courses
• Policy must explain remedial, incomplete
grades, and ESL course work
• Cannot exclude course work from the
summer term or mini-terms
When Do You Check SAP?
• No longer than one academic year or the
length of the program, whichever is less
• Increments generally coincide with
payment periods
• New/conflicting information is received
Regaining SAP Eligibility
• Policy must explain how to regain eligibility
• Placing them on probation
• Submitting an appeal
• Using non-FSA until all standards are met
• Probation nor Appeals are required (may)
• Sitting out a term doesn’t regain eligibility
• Paying for one term doesn’t regain eligibility
Probation-vs-Warning Status
• Policy explains circumstance and
procedures
• Continue to receive FSA funding
• Must regain eligibility by the end of the
payment period
• Cannot allow over two consecutive periods
Appeal Policy
• Appeal - A process by which a student who is
not meeting SAP petitions for reconsideration.
• May have an appeal policy for mitigating
circumstances, but not required
• Appeal must explain mitigating circumstances
and what has changed to ensure compliance
going forward.
• Approved appeals receive FSA funding
• Must regain eligibility by your policy standards
Appeal Policy (continued)
• May have an appeal procedure
• How the student may re-establish T4
eligibility
• Basis for filing an appeal
• Petition must include why the student
failed to meet SAP, what has changed that
will allow the student to meet SAP at the
next review.
SAP Evaluated Each Payment
Period
• Option 1
– Place on FA warning
– Receives T4 funding for one payment period
– Not meeting SAP after that, loses T4 eligibility
• No appeal policy, regain eligibility when meets SAP
• Approved appeal, FA Probation, receives T4 funds
– Student must meet SAP end of next payment period
or
– Comply with academic plan designed to ensure
student will meet SAP standards
SAP Evaluated Each Payment
Period (continued)
• Option 2
– SAP not met
– Student loses T4 eligibility immediately
– No appeal policy, regain eligibility when
meets SAP
– Approved appeal, FA Probation, receives T4
funds
– Student must meet SAP end of next payment period
or
– Comply with academic plan designed to ensure
student will meet SAP standards
SAP Evaluated Annually or Less
than Each Payment Period




Student not making SAP, loses T4 funding
Approved appeal, receive T4 funding
Part of your policy
Student placed on FA Probation
 Student must meet SAP end of next payment period or
 Comply with academic plan designed to ensure
student will meet SAP standards
• No appeal policy-students regain eligibility
when they meet school’s SAP standards
Financial Aid Probation
• School determines that student should be able
to meet SAP standards by the end of the next
payment period.
OR
• An academic plan is developed and student can
meet school’ SAP standards by a specific point
in time.
Academic Plan
• School and the student must define the steps
needed to meet SAP standards by a specified time
• Can also continue to successful program
completion
• Review of progress at each SAP evaluation period
• Must specify timeframe by which SAP standards
must be met
• Must appeal to change plan
• Must explain what happened to make the change
necessary and how they will be able to make SAP
Terms
• Appeal – A process by which a student who is not meeting SAP
petitions for reconsideration
• Probation – A status assigned to a student failing SAP and
successfully appeals. Eligibility may be reinstated for one
payment period.
• Warning – A status assigned to a student failing SAP. Eligibility
may be reinstated for one payment period without an appeal.
May only be used by schools that evaluate at then end of each
period.
• Maximum Timeframe
• Undergraduate program (credit hours), cannot exceed 150% of
published length of program
• Undergraduate program (clock hours), cannot exceed 150% of
published length of program, measured by cumulative # of
clock hours required to complete.
• Graduate program, school defines based on the length of the
program
Resources
Federal Register 668.34 (c); (d); (a) (3-7), (b)
Federal Student Aid Handbook www.ifap.ed.gov
Volume 1- Student Eligibility, Satisfactory Academic
Progress (SAP), pages 1-13 through 1-17
Industry Webinars