Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the policy that outlines minimum requirements students must meet, in order to remain eligible for federal and selected state financial aid (i.e. federal loans, grants, etc.).
While a student may be academically qualified to take courses, that does not guarantee they are eligible for financial aid. SAP has requirements beyond Southeast's academic standing policy, which can be found in the current year's undergraduate bulletin or graduate bulletin.
Federal regulations require every Title IV institution to have a policy establishing standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, for students who receive financial aid.
Southeast reviews progress at the end of every semester, including summer (if applicable), to verify that the following three requirements are met.
Step 1: Unofficial Transcript - Access your unofficial transcript through the Southeast portal to view your current overall GPA and overall GPA hours. (How to view the unofficial transcript.)
Step 2: GPA Calculators - Predict your cumulative/semester GPA using one of the following:
Step 1: Determine Current PACE - View your current PACE through the Southeast portal, including your attempted hours and earned hours. (How to view your current PACE.)
Step 2: Predict Future PACE - To predict how an additional semester will impact PACE, increase the attempted
hours to include the number of course you are taking, and increase the earned hours
by the number you will successfully complete. Then, once again divide your earned
hours by the attempted hours total. Remember that courses count as earned hours as
long as you receive a grade of "D" or greater. Any course that is started and not
dropped within the published 100% refund period, or those in which an "F" grade is
earned, count as attempted hours. To determine when the published 100% refund periods
are for any course, make sure to review the Student Financial Calendar.
*Note: Repeating a course in which you have already receive a "D" or greater will count as additional attempted hours, but will not increase your earned hours (since you can only earn credit for a course once).
Step 1: Bulletin - Review the undergraduate bulletin or graduate bulletin (for your catalog year) to determine the total number of hours needed for your degree. This total can be multiplied by 1.5 to determine the maximum time frame allowed for your program.
Step 2: Hours Attempted + Hours Needed to Graduate - View your overall attempted hours through the portal. The combined total of your overall attempted hours and the remaining hours needed for your degree must fit within the max time frame determined in step 1. (How to view overall attempted hours.)
If you are unsure if you can complete your degree within the maximum time frame allowed, consult your academic advisor.
Students who fall below any of the three minimum requirements at the end of a semester will be given a warning semester and will be notified through their Southeast email address. During the warning semester the student will still be eligible to receive financial aid; however, the student must meet the minimum SAP requirements by the end of the warning semester.
If the minimum SAP requirements are not met by the end of the warning semester, the student is placed on Unsatisfactory Academic Progress (USAP). Students on USAP cannot receive federal/state financial aid and remain ineligible until they complete the required hours to make up any deficiencies, or successfully appeal the USAP standing.
NOTE: When taking additional courses to makeup deficiencies, students still have the option to enroll in an Installment Payment Plan and/or seek a private/alternative loan, despite their inability to receive traditional financial aid.
All appeals are reviewed by a committee and decision notifications are sent via the student's Southeast email address.
Appealing for GPA or PACE:
If a student loses financial aid eligibility and had extenuating/mitigating circumstances
which significantly contributed to their inability to meet the requirements of SAP,
they may submit an Unsatisfactory Academic Progress Appeal. The appeal should include a personal statement explaining the reason(s) the minimum
requirements were not met and supporting documentation.
Appealing for Maximum Time Frame:
If a student has been placed on USAP due to reaching the "maximum time frame" allowed,
they should review the Maximum Time Frame Appeal Directions for specific guidance.
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