Financial Aid
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
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Satisfactory Academic Progress Suspension Appeal Forms
An appeal and supporting documentation needs to be filed by the appeal processing priority deadline, which is 14 business days prior to the semester's semesters add/drop date, as processing can take up to 14 business days. If the appeal is submitted after the priority deadline or the appeal is denied and the student does not drop by the add/drop date, the student will be responsible for the semester charges.
To appeal, students should login to SOAR and navigate through the Student Dashboard to their To-Do List. Click on the blue link within the checklist item that says Online Appeal Form. Follow the prompts on the screen to submit your financial aid appeal form online with supporting documentation included.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Students receiving federal student aid are required to adhere to academic standards that may differ from those already required through the Office of the Registrar.
Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for federal aid eligibility is measured based on the following:
- The student must progress qualitatively by maintaining the required minimum grade point average. (Qualitative Measure)
- The student must progress quantitatively by completing the required minimum number of credit hours each semester. (Quantitative Measure)
- The student must complete a program of study within a reasonable time period. (Maximum Timeframe Measure)
Qualitative Measure
The Office of Financial Aid strictly adheres to the academic standards presently practiced by The University of 51¶ºÄÌ Mississippi and printed in the University . Undergraduate students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average. Grade point averages are based solely upon credits earned while enrolled at The University of 51¶ºÄÌ Mississippi. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to maintain their financial aid. Minimum acceptable academic standards for undergraduates are represented below:
If a student does not maintain the minimum acceptable grade point average outlined above for total hours attempted after the spring semester of each academic year, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension. A student placed on financial aid suspension is ineligible for any federally-funded financial aid programs until the student’s grade point average improves to the minimum required level.
Quantitative Measure
Students receiving financial aid must also complete a minimum number of credit hours each semester. The minimum requirements are outlined below:
Undergraduate: Undergraduate students enrolled during a fall, spring, or summer semester must attempt at least six credit hours in each of those semesters in order to receive financial aid. At the conclusion of each semester during which aid is received, undergraduate students must complete at least 67 percent of the classes attempted (undergraduate students with a full-time enrollment status must complete only 67 percent of the classes attempted based on the minimum full-time enrollment status of 12 semester hours). The Office of Financial Aid reviews this measure at the conclusion of each spring semester.
Graduate: Graduate students enrolled during a fall or spring semester must attempt at least four graduate-level semester hours in each of those semesters in order to receive financial aid, while graduate students enrolled during a summer semester must attempt at least three graduate-level semester hours. At the conclusion of each semester during which aid is received, graduate students must complete at least 67 percent of the classes attempted (graduate students with a full-time enrollment status must complete only 67 percent of the classes attempted based on the minimum full-time enrollment status of 9 semester hours). The Office of Financial Aid reviews this measure at the conclusion of each spring semester.
Completed grades include A, B, C, D, E, P, and Z. Grades of F, NA, NP, I, AW, W, WP, WF, XF, and Audit are not accepted as completed grades. Students failing to complete the minimum number of semester hours after the spring semester will be placed on financial aid suspension, making them ineligible for federal financial aid.
Maximum Time to Complete Course of Study
Students must complete degree requirements within a normal time frame, and the following maximum standards have been established:
Undergraduate: A first-time undergraduate student will be deemed in good standing and eligible to receive federal financial aid until he or she has attempted 150 percent of the number of hours normally required to complete degree requirements, usually 186 hours. Attempted hours will include all courses on the academic transcript including grades of A, B, C, D, E, F, P, NP, W, XF, Z, NA and I.
Graduate: Graduate students will be deemed in good standing and eligible to receive federal financial assistance until they have attempted twice the number of hours normally required to complete their program of study leading to a master’s or doctoral degree. Attempted hours will include all courses on the academic transcript including grades of A, B, C, D, E, F, P, NP, W, XF, Z, NA and I.
Second Degree Undergraduate: Students who have already earned a baccalaureate degree and are now seeking a second undergraduate degree will be eligible to receive federal financial assistance for up to 282 undergraduate hours attempted.
Second Degree Graduate: Graduate students pursuing an additional master’s degree are limited to a maximum of 120 graduate hours, which includes all graduate hours accumulated. Once a student earns a specialist’s degree, he or she will be eligible for additional financial assistance only at the doctoral level; once a student earns a doctoral degree, he or she is ineligible for additional federal financial assistance.