Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is one of the more complicated standards for determining Title IV financial aid eligibility. One reason is that the standards are different for different types of programs. A second reason is that it may differ from the institution’s own academic standards. Finally, there are a variety of different ways to give students ‘a second chance’ when they are not meeting the standard for their grade level and program.
You don’t have to work long in financial aid to learn the basics of SAP like that there is a qualitative (grades) versus quantitative (pace) standard or that there are certain points during a student’s enrollment that assessments must be made; however, there are a lot of moving parts dependent on the student’s grade level, major, and type of program (credit hour versus clock hour, for example). With that said, read on for the answers to questions regarding some of the more complex aspects of SAP.
Q: Must I have a single SAP policy for all students enrolled at my institution?
A: No, you don’t and if you have a wide range of programs, you probably can’t. For example, your certificate programs operating on a clock-hour basis need to be assessed differently than your degree programs operating on a credit-hour basis. A program where letter grades are not awarded will require a different assessment than one that does. The only rules are that students in the same program need to be assessed the same and the policy applied to Title IV aid recipients must be at least as strict as applied to students in the program that don’t receive financial aid (the institutional policy). Having escalating Grade Point Average (GPA) requirements for different grade levels within an academic program can also be employed, so that upper classmen have a higher standard than freshmen, for example.
Q: What do I do when the student enrolls in courses that are pass/fail or is completing remedial work for which they won’t get a grade?
A: It depends. When pass/fail courses comprise a small portion of the student’s overall enrollment, the result is not calculated into the student’s GPA. However, if the student is enrolled in only pass/fail courses, you must develop a method for assessing whether they meet a qualitative standard. Similarly, remedial courses must be included in qualitative assessment, but do not necessarily have to be included in the students’ GPA. Another criterion may be used instead. Remedial courses may be, but are not required to be, included the quantitative assessment.
Q: What do I do if a student receives an incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W) grade?
A: While they can’t be calculated into the student’s GPA, courses where the student receives an ‘I’ or a ‘W’ still need to be counted as credits attempted as part of the quantitative assessment.
Q: Are there any programs exempt from the SAP assessment?
A: No. Students receiving Title IV financial aid in any type of program must have their academic progress reviewed at intervals; however, non-term credit, subscription-based, and clock-hour programs are now exempt from the quantitative portion of the requirement.
Q: How often do I need to complete the SAP assessment for programs that are not offered on a semester basis?
A: For programs lasting one year or less, the assessment must be done at the end of each payment period. For all other programs, it must be done at least annually.
Q: Do I need to adjust a student’s financial aid if grade changes are submitted after the initial assessment is done?
A: The short answer is no; you do not have to make any changes or even re-evaluate SAP if a student’s grades change. However, there are circumstances where you may want to do so. For example, a student deemed ineligible for financial aid because ‘I’ grades resulted in not meeting the quantitative standard, who later gets passing letter grades, can receive Title IV financial aid under certain conditions and depending on the type of award. Pell Grants and Teach Grants may be disbursed during the payment period immediately following the SAP evaluation. For all other Title IV aid, you may make a disbursement during the academic year following the SAP evaluation or if the evaluation occurred at the end of the academic year, during the following academic year. In cases where the student was eligible at the time of disbursement and became ineligible due to grade changes, you should not return Title IV aid.
Q: What can I do to help students in situations that temporarily affect their ability to meet our SAP standards? Do they have any recourse?
A: There are many options an institution can include in its SAP policy to give students a ‘second chance’ if they stand to lose eligibility for Title IV aid. You may, without requiring a formal appeal, put the student into a Financial Aid Warning status for one payment period, but only if you assess SAP after each payment period and the student was meeting SAP standards up until the point they lost eligibility or if they were only enrolled during one payment period. You may employ an appeal process (in addition to or instead of the Financial Aid Warning status) where the student can explain the circumstances that negatively impacted their academic performance and how they plan to return to good standing. When you approve an appeal, the student is put in a probationary status for one additional payment period. If it is determined that the student will be able to return to good standing at the end of the probationary period, no academic plan is required. If it takes more than one payment period to return to good standing, you must work with the student to create an academic plan and if the student is meeting the requirements of the plan, they can receive Title IV aid on a probationary basis. An assessment must be made at the end of each probationary payment period.
Q: Are there any requirements the school must employ in its appeal process or in creating an academic plan?
A: The process, offices involved and workflow are at the discretion of the institution. However, If the school permits appeals, they must follow the established guidelines: students may appeal based on the “student’s injury or illness, the death of a relative, or other special circumstances. The appeal must explain why the student failed to make satisfactory progress and what has changed in their situation that will allow them to make satisfactory progress at the next evaluation.” If the student is placed on an Academic plan and requests a change to their plan, they must submit a written appeal explaining the reason.
Q: How can a student who is not eligible to be placed in a financial aid warning or probation status regain eligibility for Title IV aid?
A: You may have an institutional policy that requires students to pay in full (if they can) for one or several payment periods or take a leave of absence for a certain amount of time before they can return to their program. However, even if the student meets the criteria to return to their program, they must also be making SAP to receive Title IV financial aid. So, particularly in the second scenario, the student will need to enroll elsewhere and take courses applicable to their program at your institution and meet your SAP standard.
Q: It seems like the academic area of my institution needs to be in on this information, so we’re on the same page. Is this correct and how do I go about opening those lines of communication?
A: Absolutely! The method of getting on the same page will certainly vary based on the size and structure of your institution. We’ve seen many successful models — from a team of academic and financial aid department heads meeting at the end of each term, to a notification and/or referral process between the academic and financial aid departments. Communicate requirements in writing to the involved offices and ask for their help in developing procedures. It should be smooth sailing if everyone is operating under the same policies and procedures and communicating about any exceptions. Additionally, you must disclose your SAP policy to financial aid applicants at your institution, not just enrolled students receiving aid.
Q: This is very overwhelming! Is there anyone who can help me review our current policy to ensure it is compliant and properly shared?
A: Of course! Email the Higher Education Assistance Group and ask about our compliance and business process review services.