Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Requirements
Pace: A student must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of the units attempted on a cumulative basis. For financial aid SAP purposes, “units attempted” are defined as units for classes for which the student has a grade at the completion of a quarter, with the exception of the classes Writing Skills and Financial Skills Workshop. Units for classes dropped prior to the deadline to drop in a quarter are not considered attempted, but units for a class with a grade of “W” are considered as units attempted. “Successfully completed” units in undergraduate programs are units for classes with grades of “A”, “B”, “C” “D” or “P”. “Successfully completed” units in master’s degree programs are units for classes with grades of “A”, “B”, or “C”. Units considered to be not successfully completed are units for classes with grades of “F” or “W” in undergraduate classes and units with grades of “D”, “F”, or “W” in master’s degree classes. Units for classes with a grade of “I” can be either successful or not, depending on the eventual resolution of the incomplete.
Monitoring Period
Except as noted*, a student’s financial aid SAP will be monitored at the completion of three quarters of attendance (once per academic year). To be in compliance with SAP standards, the student must meet both components of SAP at the point of monitoring, meaning the student must: 1) Have successfully completed at least 67% of the units they have attempted and 2) Have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 (3.0 for Master's). A student who is not meeting both of these standards is subject to SAP disciplinary action.
See the chart below for examples of monitoring periods for some programs. The standards for financial aid SAP are stricter than those for students who do not receive financial aid.
| Program Description | Program units | SAP Monitoring point |
|---|---|---|
| 3 quarter P.D. or Advanced A.A. | 45 | at the end of every quarter of attendance |
| 3 quarter Advanced A.A. | 48 | at the end of every quarter of attendance |
| 1 year Bachelor | 46 | at the end of every quarter of attendance |
| 2 year A.A. | 90 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 2 year Bachelor | 91 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| Master’s MBA | 61 | at the end of every two quarters of attendance |
| 5 quarter P.D. | 72 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 5 quarter P.D. | 60 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 4 quarter P.D. | 66 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 4 quarter P.D. | 60 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 4 quarter P.D. | 57 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 4 quarter P.D. | 54 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
| 4 quarter P.D. | 51 | at the end of every three quarters of attendance |
*Exception for students enrolled in the Master’s program. A student’s financial aid SAP will be monitored at the completion of two quarters of attendance.
*Exception for students enrolled in a 3 quarter Professional Designation, Advanced AA, or Bachelor program. The SAP for students in a program of study of three quarters or less will be monitored on a quarterly basis. If a student in one of these programs fails to meet SAP standards, they will be placed on “Financial Aid Warning” status. A student in “Warning” status may receive financial aid for one additional quarter. If the student fails to meet SAP standards in that additional quarter, they are subject to SAP disciplinary actions as described below.
Appeal Procedures
Students who have not met SAP standards at the point of monitoring (and are not entitled to “Financial Aid Warning” status) will lose their eligibility for financial aid. The student will receive a communication from the Financial Aid Office with instructions on how to appeal. The student must follow all the instructions, including the time frame for return of the appeal form. The appeal form must be returned to the Department of Student Success unless otherwise directed. FIDM Staff will review and respond to the appeal. The response will inform the student if:
- The appeal has been accepted and aid has been reinstated,
- The appeal has been accepted and aid has been reinstated subject to the student’s successful adherence to the terms of an academic plan, OR
- The appeal has been denied and the student has been disqualified from receiving further aid.
Subsequent Appeal
FIDM Staff may accept a subsequent SAP appeal from a student who has failed to meet the terms of an Academic Plan. A subsequent appeal will only be approved if the student has encountered challenges in addition to those on which a previous appeal was approved. A revised Academic Plan may be created. To maintain financial aid eligibility, the student would then need to meet the terms of that new Plan.
Course Repetitions
If a student repeats a class, only the higher grade will be included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA. For purposes of pace in undergraduate programs, repeated classes with grades of “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” or “P” are considered as successfully completed; repeated classes with grades of “F” or “W” are considered as not successfully completed. For master’s degree programs, only classes with grades of “A”, “B”, “C” are considered to have been successfully completed. However, a student who repeats a class for which they received a passing grade (“D-” or better) may only receive federal financial aid for one repeat of that class.
Changes of Major
A change of major within a program (for example, a student in a two-year AA program changes her major from Fashion Design to Product Development) will often result in an increase in the length of time required for completion of the program. The student must continue to meet existing pace and GPA requirements.
