Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal financial aid regulations require Peru State College to establish and enforce standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). SAP is checked the first time a student applies for financial aid and prior to aid disbursement each term.

When SAP is checked for a student, all prior semesters of attendance are considered, even if the student did not receive financial aid for prior semesters.

Requirements
There are 3 requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress:

1. Cumulative Grade Point Average (Cumulative GPA)

Undergraduate students             2.00

Graduate students                        3.00

Cumulative GPA can be estimated using our online GPA calculator.

GPA Calculator

2. Cumulative Credit Completion Rate (Cumulative Pace)

Cumulative pace is measured by dividing the cumulative number of completed credits by the cumulative number of attempted credits. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative pace of 67%. For financial aid purposes, a course is considered completed if a grade of A, B+, B, C+, C, D+, D, or CR is earned. Grades of F, NR, I, and W are considered attempted but not completed.

3. Maximum Attempted Credits Limit

The maximum time frame for completing a degree is limited by federal regulations to 150% of the published number of credit hours required to complete the degree program.

Undergraduate degree attempted credits limit:   180 attempted credits

Graduate degree attempted credits limit:                54 attempted credits

Completed credits, transfer credits, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credits, dual enrollment credits, and courses with grades of F, NR, I, and W all count toward the maximum attempted credits limit.

The maximum attempted credits limit for students pursuing teacher certification or re-certification will be determined on an individual basis.

Treatment of the Following Types of Courses for SAP
Repeated Courses: Repeated courses count as attempted credits and, when passing grades are received, they also count as completed credits.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP): CLEP courses count as both attempted and completed credits.

Transfer Courses: Credits transferred to Peru State College from another institution count as both attempted and completed credits.

Dual Credit Courses: Dual credit courses count as attempted credits and, when passing grades are received, they also count as completed credits.

SAP Statuses

Meets SAP

The Meets SAP status is assigned to students in two circumstances: 1) it is the student’s first semester at Peru State, and 2) when, after their most recent semester, they meet all 3 standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Warning

Students are placed on Warning status when, after their most recent semester of attendance, they are deficient in either their cumulative GPA, their cumulative Pace, or both. Students on Warning status are eligible to receive financial aid.

Suspension

Suspension status is assigned to students in three circumstances: 1) the student was on Warning status and at the end of their warning semester, they do not meet the standards for cumulative GPA, cumulative Pace, or both, 2) the student has reached the maximum attempted credits limit, and 3) the student has not yet reached the maximum attempted credits limit, but it is not possible for the student to complete their program prior to reaching the maximum attempted credits limit.

There are two ways students with Suspension status can earn reinstatement: 1) secure approval of an appeal (details below) or 2) pay on their own for one or more semesters until they meet all three satisfactory progress requirements, then notify the Financial Aid Office.

Probation

When a Satisfactory Academic Progress appeal is approved for a suspended student, the student is placed in Probation status and will be eligible to receive aid during the probationary semester(s). Students on probation are placed on a monitoring plan and are required to achieve a minimum semester GPA of 2.00 undergraduate/3.00 graduate and complete a minimum of 100% of all attempted credits for the semester. Students who meet the probation requirements, but still do not meet all of the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, may have their probation extended to their next term of enrollment. There is not a limit on the number of consecutive terms a student can be on Probation status.

Appeal Process

Students placed in Suspension status due to their cumulative GPA, their cumulative course completion rate, or both, or maximum attempted credits limit have the right to submit an appeal based on mitigating circumstances (unusual or extraordinary circumstances beyond their control that the student could not have planned for). Submission of an appeal is not a guarantee of approval.

Appeals must include the following:

  • A written statement explaining: 1) the mitigating circumstance(s) that prevented the student from meeting SAP requirements, and 2) what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow for a higher cumulative GPA, a higher course completion rate, or both by the end of the next SAP evaluation period.
  • Third-party documentation that supports the information in the student’s written statement (e.g., medical documents, obituary notices, legal documents, police reports). Statements from friends and family cannot be considered.
  • A personal statement explaining why you have accumulated and/or attempted excess units for your degree. If you have taken or plan to take courses that are not required, give your reasons for taking them. Indicate if you have changed your major or program, and if so, why.

Examples of mitigating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

Serious injury or illness of the student, spouse, or child; death of a family member.

Examples of circumstances that are NOT mitigating include, but are not limited to:

Problems accessing required books and supplies, personality conflicts with instructor, transportation problems, loss of child’s day care provider.

Repeat Coursework

Federal regulations stipulate that federal aid may only be awarded to an undergraduate student once for a previously passed course (one repetition per class). The Financial Aid Office is required to monitor students' repeat coursework to determine financial aid eligibility. Students are not eligible to receive federal or state aid for a previously passed course repeated more than one time.

Repeat Policy Conditions

  • If a student passes a course once and repeats the course for a better grade, the student may not be paid for taking the course a 3rd time, even if the desired grade was not earned in the 2nd attempt.
  • If a student passes a course once and then repeats the course and fails the 2nd attempt, that failure counts as their final attempt and the student may be not paid for taking the course a 3rd time.
  • For Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), each time a course is taken will count as an attempt when measuring progress toward a degree.
  • A student may be repeatedly paid for repeatedly failing the same course.

Important Notice

Financial Aid Warning, Probation, and Suspension are completely different than Academic Contract, Probation, and Suspension. Appeals submitted for financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress do not affect Academic Contract, Probation and Suspension, which has a separate appeal process. Approval of an Academic appeal does not guarantee approval of a Financial Aid appeal.