Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Federal law establishes that all students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward their degree to remain eligible for financial aid. Undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Michigan-Flint must meet the following requirements.
Undergraduate Student
- Students may receive financial aid for a maximum time frame of 150% of the published number of credits required to complete each degree as an undergraduate.
- Transfer students will be evaluated by adding their transfer credits to their attempted undergraduate credits, allowing them to receive aid for the balance of the 150% of credits required to complete each degree as an undergraduate.
- Students seeking a second undergraduate degree or teaching certificate may receive financial aid for a maximum time frame of 150% of the published number of credits required to complete each degree as an undergraduate. Credits that count toward the additional degree requirements will be taken into account.
- Students must achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 by the end of their second academic year.
- Pace must be maintained by making progress through a program to ensure graduation within the maximum time frame. Pace is determined by dividing the cumulative number of attempted credits (see below), including transfer, by the number of passed credits (standard rounding rules apply). See the chart below for percentages.
| Attempted Credits | Required Completion % (standard rounding rules apply) |
|---|---|
| 1-30 | 55% |
| 31-60 | 62% |
| 61 and Above | 67% |
Graduate Student
- Students may receive financial aid for a maximum time frame of 150% of the published number of credits required to complete each graduate degree.
- Transfer students will be evaluated by adding their transfer credits to their attempted undergraduate credits, allowing them to receive aid for the balance of the 150% of credits required to complete each degree as an undergraduate.
- Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. This is monitored by each academic unit.
- Pace must be maintained by making progress through a program to ensure graduation within the maximum time frame. Pace is determined by dividing the cumulative number of attempted credits (see below), including transfer, by the number of passed credits (standard rounding rules apply). Minimum pace is 67%.
Attempted Credits
Attempted credits include the following taken at the University of Michigan-Flint:
- Successfully completed (with passing grades)
- Transfer credits
- Non-passing grades (i.e. E, F, I, N, W, *)
- Repeated classes
- Dropped classes after the add/drop period
- Disenrollment from a semester after the add/drop period
- Grades that are changed to a W through the Academic Standards appeal process
Monitoring and Student Notification
- The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) will monitor SAP at the end of each semester including Fall, Winter, and Summer.
- Written notification will be sent to students placed on Financial Aid Warning, Financial Aid Probation, Financial Aid Termination, and Financial Aid Reinstatement.
- In cases where the academic plan is required, the OFA will monitor academic plans and provide a measurement for each student’s pace based on the duration stated in each plan.
Warning – first period after students are not making SAP standards.
- Financial aid eligibility continues for one semester and no appeal is necessary.
- Students below their overall attempted credits at the end of a semester (see chart listed above).
- Students completing zero or near zero attempted credits during the last semester attended at the university- may go to warn status.
- Pertains to the next semester the student is enrolled in classes.
Termination –a student who is not making SAP standards and who either fails to appeal their status or has their SAP appeal denied. Aid cannot be received while on this status.
- Applies to financial aid eligibility, not to registration or academic standing.
- Under the following circumstances, students will be placed on Financial Aid Termination status and will be ineligible to receive future financial aid
- Students who have not reached the required 67% completion rate by the end of the Financial Aid Warning period (see chart above).
- Students reaching the maximum attempted credits.
- Students academically dismissed due to poor academic performance as prescribed by their academic unit within the University of Michigan – Flint.
- Students completing zero or near zero attempted credits during the last semester attended at the university- may go to termination status.
- Undergraduate students who fail to achieve a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 by the end of their second academic year.
Reinstating Financial Aid Eligibility
- Students may regain eligibility by successfully meeting all applicable criteria or through a granted SAP appeal.
- The status of students who have reached the required 67% completion rate or meet the required GPA will be changed to making SAP at the end of the warning period.
Appealing Termination
- If special circumstances prevent students from meeting the 67% completion rate and/or graduating within the maximum time frame, the termination of eligibility may be appealed.
- Appeal forms must be submitted by the last day to add classes during the semester you are asking to reinstate aid.
- Appeal forms must be submitted with supporting documentation.
- An appeal reviewed does not guarantee reinstatement of financial aid.
- Appropriate circumstances include
- serious medical illness or injury to the student
- death of an immediate family member
- other special circumstances
- Appeal forms submitted for a specific term will not be granted for that term if either of the following occur
- appeal form received after a student has stopped attending that term
- if the student withdraws while waiting for an appeal decision during that term
- As part of the appeal, information regarding why the student failed to make SAP, and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to demonstrate SAP at the next evaluation must be included.
- Students may be requested to submit an academic plan that ensures achievement of at least the required 67% completion rate, the minimum required GPA, and/or graduation by a specified time frame.
- Completion rate of attempted credits taken at the university may be considered in the appeal review.
- Students granted an appeal will be placed on academic plan status and monitored each semester.
- The length of the academic plan will depend on the specifics of the appeal.
- Appeal forms are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-yqJdBVOlM2BFXh7-qN8NRW81OOumbFn.
Probation – defined as any student not making SAP standards who has appealed this status, and eligibility for aid has been reinstated. Students may be required to fulfill specific terms such as taking a reduced course load or enrolling in specific courses during the probation period. If a student cannot mathematically achieve SAP standards in one payment period, then an academic plan will be required.
Academic Plan – for students on probation defined as stipulation following an appeal that when followed will allow a student to achieve SAP standards in a prescribed amount of time. Eligibility for aid has been reinstated and can be received as long as all conditions of the plan are met.
Attendance – Merely logging into Canvas or other academic software does NOT constitute active participation. The Federal Department of Education defines academic attendance to include academically related activity as:
- Preparing and submitting an academic assignment
- Taking an examination
- Engaging in interactive computer-assisted instruction
- Participating in on-line discussion about academically related topics