Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards ensure that you are successfully completing your coursework and can continue to receive financial aid. All students receiving financial aid are required to meet SAP standards as measured after each semester of attendance. Federal regulations require the College to establish, publish, and apply standards to monitor your progress toward completing your degree program. To assure a student remains eligible for financial aid, they must meet the SAP standards outlined in the following section.

The standards of satisfactory academic progress apply for all financial assistance programs including Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Work-Study (FWS), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Direct Student Loans (Stafford and PLUS), Corporation for National & Community Service (AMERICORP), as well as assistance from the state and the institution.

Quantitative Progress

  1. Credit Completion Pace
    1.  Students must complete 67% of all credits attempted. A completed credit has a grade of A, B, C, D, or S.
    2.  Withdrawals, F grades, incomplete courses, and repeated courses are included in attempted credits.
  2. Maximum Time Frame
    1. All students are expected to finish their degree within an acceptable period of time. Financial aid recipients may continue to receive aid through their cumulative attempted credits that equal 150% of the required number of credits needed to complete their program, including transfer credits from another college. As soon as it becomes mathematically impossible for a student to graduate within the 150% limit, the Gustavus Adolphus College will place the student will on Financial Aid Suspension. Students who require developmental coursework or who have changed degrees/majors may appeal to have the 150% limit extended.

Qualitative Progress

  1. Maintain the required minimum cumulative GPA:

    1. 1.80 GPA during either semester of their first year in residence
    2. 2.0 GPA after first semester of second year in residence and subsequent semesters

Definition of Terms

  • Warning: This is the status assigned to a student who, after being in good standing, fails to meet the required qualitative and/or quantitative standards of satisfactory academic progress at the end of a semester.
  • Probation: This is the status assigned to a student who, in the previous semester, was on warning status and subsequently again failed to achieve satisfactory academic progress but whose appeal to have eligibility restored has been granted.
  • Suspension: This is the status assigned to students that fail to meet the required qualitative and/or quantitative standards of satisfactory academic progress following a warning semester or probationary semester. While on suspension, a student is ineligible for financial aid.

Financial Aid SAP Warning and Suspension

  1. A student will be placed on financial aid SAP warning if they fail to meet the required qualitative and quantitative standards. The student will be informed, by the Financial Aid office, of the warning status via a letter and email within 20 days after the end of the term. While on warning you may still receive financial aid. Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only and does not require action (such as an appeal) by the student. A student will be removed from financial aid warning status if the required qualitative and quantitative standards are met by the end of their warning period.

  2. A student will be placed on financial aid SAP suspension if they fail to meet the required qualitative and quantitative standards of satisfactory academic progress following a warning or probationary semester. The Financial Aid office will send a letter to the student, within 20 days after the end of the term, notifying them of their status. The letter will contain conditions under which the student can appeal to have financial aid restored. The letter will also inform the student that the appeal must include why the student failed to meet satisfactory academic progress and what has changed that will allow the student to achieve satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation. While on financial aid suspension, a student is ineligible from receiving Title IV, state, and institutional financial aid. Students on suspension may attend the College at their own expense until they attain the qualitative and/or quantitative requirements for satisfactory academic progress requirements. Students that have their aid suspended may be eligible for a private loan. It is the student’s responsibility to check with private lenders to determine if the lender offers loans to students not meeting SAP requirements. 
    1. Students may have their suspended aid restored under the following circumstances:
      1. A student may appeal their financial aid SAP suspension by performing the SAP appeal process. A student whose appeal is approved will be placed on financial aid probation, making them eligible for financial aid during the subsequent probationary semester.
      2. After a probationary semester, the student meets the required qualitative and quantitative standards, or the student has made substantial academic progress as determined by the Academic Standing Committee (ASC). These students will automatically have their aid restored.
    2. If a student does not attain the required qualitative and/or quantitative parameters during their SAP probationary period, have not made substantial academic progress as determined by the ASC, they will be placed on financial aid suspension a second time.

Additional Factors

The following are considered when evaluating a student’s satisfactory academic progress:

  1. Attempted credits include all grades earned at the College and transfer credits accepted by the College.
  2. Earned (completed) credits will not include grades of W or I.
  3. If you repeat a course, credits will be added to your attempted/earned credit totals each time you register. However, only the best grade received in the course will be used in the calculation of your cumulative GPA.
  4. Transfer and consortium credits accepted by Gustavus Adolphus College will be included when calculating your cumulative completed credits percentage and maximum attempted credits but not your GPA. This includes credits earned from institutions including non-Gustavus Adolphus College study away programs. Credits are included in both attempted and earned credits.
  5. Federal regulations require the College to include the original grade and number of credits for any class you retroactively withdrew from when calculating your SAP status. If you have retroactively withdrawn from one or more courses, the GPA used to determine if you are meeting SAP standards may differ from your official College GPA.
  6. Credits earned while a Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) student at the College will be included in your cumulative completed credits percentage, GPA, and the maximum attempted credits calculation. PSEO credits earned at another postsecondary institution will be treated as transfer credits.
  7. If a student changes majors, the credits they earn under all majors will be included in their GPA calculation as well as their maximum attempted credits and the calculation of credits you have attempted and earned. 

Financial Aid SAP Suspension Appeal Conditions

To appeal financial aid ineligibility a student must submit, to the Financial Aid Office, a signed and dated letter of appeal explaining why financial aid should be reinstated. The letter of appeal must be postmarked or delivered in person no later than 30 days after the start of the semester for which the student wishes to have their aid reinstated.

Acceptable reasons for an appeal include the following:

  • Medical
  • Family problems
  • Death of a relative
  • Other special, significant or unusual circumstances

Documentation verifying the situation may be requested. An appeal decision will be relayed to the student no more than 15 days after receipt of the appeal letter.