Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility

Federal Regulations require that students must be making measurable academic progress towards completion of an eligible degree or certification. This requires evaluation of both quantitative and qualitative academic progress as well as completion of degree objective within 150% of the normal timeframe. The policies described in this section pertain only to the awarding of financial aid.

Students failing to meet the University’s satisfactory academic progress requirements will be ineligible for Federal Financial Aid which includes: Federal Stafford Loans, Federal PLUS Loans. Students will be notified by mail and their WINS account should they need to appeal. A student will remain ineligible until such time the student meets the SAP requirements or has an appeal granted.

All periods of enrollment will be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress including terms in which the student enrolled but did not receive financial aid. Progress will be measured once per academic year at the end of the spring term. A student who is deemed ineligible and does not successfully appeal may have his/her SAP status reviewed on individual basis at the end of any payment period. This request must be made to the WLU Financial Aid Office in writing.

Qualitative Standards:

Students must meet a qualitative standard of academic progress measured through grade point average. The required G.P.A. is based upon the total number of credit hours earned. Graduate students must have an accumulative G.P.A. of 2.5.

Quantitative Standard:

Students must meet a quantitative standard of academic progress measured by a percentage completion rate. Students must successfully complete 70% of all attempted credit hours. The calculation is made as follows: earned credit hours/attempted credit hours = completion rate. Courses with grades of “W”, “WP”, “WF” “I”, “F”, “FI”, “N” and courses taken under the WLU class repeat regulations are included in attempted credit hours but are not included in earned credit hours. All credit, including transfer work, are included on the student’s academic transcript.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion:

To remain eligible for financial aid a student must complete their degree within 1.5 times the total number of credit hours attempted for their degree program, for example, a graduate student in an academic program requiring 30 credit hours must complete their master’s degree program within 45 attempted credit hours. Students pursuing second degrees may be considered for financial aid. A second master’s degree must be completed within an additional 36 credit hours. Federal Financial Aid shall be limited to two master’s degrees. Students wishing to pursue additional degrees beyond these may do so but without federal financial assistance.

Appeal Process:

Under certain extenuating circumstances a student may appeal the satisfactory academic progress requirements. These circumstances include personal injury or illness during a period of enrollment; death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during a period of enrollment; or other unexpected documented circumstances beyond the control of the student.

Appeals must be submitted to the WLU Financial Aid Office and must include supporting documentation of a student’s extenuating circumstances. The deadline to submit an appeal will be documented in the student’s notification of failure to meet SAP requirements. Appeals submitted after the published deadline will not be considered.

Financial Aid Probation:

Probation status for financial aid purposes will be assigned to a student who has failed to meet SAP requirements and who has had their SAP appeal granted. A student on financial aid probation may receive financial aid for one enrollment period. At the end of the probation period the student must meet SAP standards. Failure to do so will result in the student being ineligible for federal aid.

Scholarships

Some scholarships are awarded by various departments of the university on the basis of students’ majors and/or special abilities. More detailed information on each of the scholarships offered may be obtained by contacting the Enrollment Services Center. Application deadlines can be found on the WLU webpage http://www.westliberty.edu/financial-aid.