Graduate and Professional Student Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Educational Institutions must establish a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy for determining if an otherwise eligible student is making satisfactory academic progress in his or her educational program and may therefore; receive assistance under the federal student aid programs (Section 668.34, 34 CFR). In addition, all State of Georgia financial assistance program regulations require students to meet the SAP criteria established for federal student aid. SAP consists of two components of measurement: quantity and quality. The Office of Student Financial Aid at the University of Georgia checks SAP criteria at the end of every semester.

Measurement of Quantity

Minimum 67% Pace of Completion

Graduate and Professional student financial aid applicants and recipients must demonstrate they are making measurable progress toward earning a degree by successfully completing a minimum of 67% of all hours attempted in their degree program and all hours accepted in transfer (including those hours attempted when the student did not receive federal or state student aid).

Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, or S are successfully completed hours, as long as credit is earned.
Grades of F, W, WF, WP, I, IP, U, NR, ER and repeated courses are not successfully completed hours.
V (audited courses) do not count as attempted or successfully completed hours.

Independent and Distance Learning Courses

Only Independent and Distance Learning courses with passing grades posted at the end of the semester of enrollment are considered successfully completed hours. For courses completed after the end of the semester, students must contact OSFA when their grades are entered on the student’s academic record to request a re-evaluation of their rate.

Study Abroad/Student Exchange Programs/Consortium Courses

These courses do not count as successfully completed hours until a transcript is received by the appropriate graduate school and grades are entered on the student's academic transcript. Students should contact OSFA once Study Abroad, Student Exchange or Consortium grades are entered so OSFA can determine if the student is now meeting the Minimum Pace of Course Completion for SAP.

Excessive Elective Courses

Students taking an excessive number of elective courses may have their financial aid eligibility revoked as they do not contribute toward making satisfactory progress toward earning a degree.

Maximum Timeframe to Complete A Degree (Including Program Changes)

Master’s or Specialist Degree Programs

Students are no longer eligible for financial aid in their Master's or Specialist degree program once they have attempted 102 hours.

Once it is apparent a student will be unable to complete a graduate degree within the maximum total attempted hour time frame, the student will no longer be eligible for financial aid. The following attempted hour example illustrates aid eligibility for students approaching the maximum time frame and may no longer be eligible for aid:

Example

End of Current Semester Master's degree student: 90-101 hours attempted

Student must be graduating the next semester to remain eligible to receive aid during that semester.

Financial aid eligibility is limited to the pursuit of one Master's or Specialist degree program. Students who change their Master's or Specialist degree program after having pursued a Master's or Specialist program are not considered to be making SAP, and are not eligible for federal financial aid. See "Financial Aid Appeal Policy and Process".

Doctoral and Professional Degree Programs [School of Law (J.D); College of Pharmacy (Pharm.D); College of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)]

Students are no longer eligible for financial aid in their doctoral or professional degree program once they have attempted the following hours:

Doctoral: 280.5 hours
Law J.D.: 132 hours
Pharm.D: 312 hours
D.V.M.: 265.5 hours

Example

End of Current Semester Doctoral degree student: 269-280 hours attempted

Student must be graduating the next semester to remain eligible to receive aid during that semester.

Financial aid eligibility is limited to the pursuit of one doctoral degree or professional degree program. Students who change their doctoral or professional degree program after having pursued a doctoral or professional program are not considered to be making SAP, and are not eligible for federal financial aid. See "Financial Aid Appeal Policy and Process".

Dual/Joint Graduate/Professional Degrees

All requirements for the degrees, including the thesis/dissertation and final oral/written examination, must be completed in the maximum timeframe permitted of the longer program. However, as noted above, financial aid eligibility is also limited to the pursuit of one Master’s degree program and one doctoral or professional degree program, including one dual/joint graduate/professional degree program at UGA.

Students who change their post-graduate degree program after having pursued a post-graduate program are not considered to be making SAP, and are not eligible for federal financial aid. See "Financial Aid Appeal Policy and Process".

Measurement of Quality

School of Law (J.D.) students must also maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on law school coursework at the end of each semester of enrollment to meet the qualitative SAP standard. In addition, students dismissed from the program cannot receive student financial aid.

Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students must also maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on pharmacy coursework at the end of each semester of enrollment to meet the qualitative SAP standard. In addition, students dismissed from the program cannot receive student financial aid.

Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) students must also maintain a minimum 2.2 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) on veterinary medicine coursework at the end of each semester of enrollment to meet the qualitative SAP standard. In addition, students dismissed from the program cannot receive student financial aid.

The GPA requirement for all other graduate and professional programs is monitored by the graduate or professional schools in which the student is enrolled. Students dismissed from these programs cannot receive student financial aid.

Evaluation of Graduate/Professional Student Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Students will be reviewed at the end of each semester to determine if they are meeting all the SAP standards. After grades are posted, OSFA will send an e-mail to any affected financial aid recipients and applicants informing them of their failure to maintain the relevant SAP standard(s). The information provided the student will include the specific SAP standard(s) not being met and the SAP Appeals Policy & Procedures.

Financial Aid Warning Status

Financial Aid Warning status is a defined by federal regulation and cannot be altered or modified. Graduate financial aid recipients who are identified at the end of a semester as failing to maintain any applicable SAP standard will be automatically placed on Financial Aid Warning status for one semester of enrollment. Although students placed on Financial Aid Warning status are no longer making SAP, they are still eligible to receive any federal or state financial aid for which they are otherwise eligible during their one semester on Financial Aid Warning. All financial aid awarded for any semesters subsequent to the Financial Aid Warning semester will be cancelled.

Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Warning to their overall GPA being less than GPA requirement of their program and/or completing fewer than 67% of their total attempted hours, will retain their financial aid eligibility if at the end of their Financial Aid Warning semester they are again meeting both of these SAP requirements. Previously cancelled aid for which they are otherwise eligible will be reinstated.

Students who have either exceeded the Maximum Total Attempted Hours or cannot regain SAP on their own during their Financial Aid Warning semester should read the "SAP Appeals Policy and Procedures."

SAP Appeals Policy & Procedures

Federal student aid regulations permit, but do not require colleges to establish a SAP Appeals Policy. Furthermore, if an institution does choose to craft a SAP policy which permits appeals, it is solely up to the institution to specify when and how such appeals will be permitted as well as how often and how many times a student may appeal.

OSFA established the following SAP Appeals Policy and Procedures to assist students who have failed to maintain SAP due to mitigating circumstances which have now been resolved. Under this policy, students may submit to OSFA for consideration, a signed, written appeal to explain their circumstances. Mitigating circumstances are essentially unanticipated and unavoidable circumstances beyond his or her control which directly affected the student’s ability to be academically successful, and which have been resolved or stabilized so he or she is now able to be academically successful. Examples of mitigating circumstances are:

serious injury/illness, or an acute mental health condition of the student, or of an immediate family member, or
death of an immediate family member, or
any other circumstances deemed as sufficiently mitigating by OSFA.

As part of a SAP appeal, students must also provide supporting documentation which confirms the occurrence/circumstances. In addition, the student must explain and provide documentation regarding how the situation has been resolved or stabilized; thereby, enabling the student to now be academically successful.

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form for Student Financial Aid Recipients is available at forms/121.pdf .

Financial Aid Probation Status

Financial Aid Probation status is defined by regulation and cannot be altered or modified. If OSFA finds that the graduate or professional student’s appeal circumstances were sufficiently mitigating, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one semester. An OSFA approved Financial Aid Plan may or may not be a stipulation included as part of an appeal approval. See "Financial Aid Academic Plan" below for more information. Students placed on Financial Aid Probation can receive any federal or state financial aid for which they are otherwise eligible.

At the end of the one semester on Financial Aid Probation, the student must again be meeting either all SAP criteria or must be meeting all the requirements of his or her OSFA approved Financial Aid Academic Plan in order to continue to be eligible for financial aid.

Students whose appeals are approved will continue to be reviewed at the end of each semester to determine if they are either meeting all SAP requirements, or meeting all the requirements of their Financial Aid Academic Plan.

Financial Aid Academic Plan

OSFA’s review of student SAP appeals will include consideration of and possible approval of an individual student academic plan.

OSFA may work with students on a case-by-case basis to identify an academic plan that will be designed to get the student back on track and be academically successful. This is the purpose of an academic plan.

Depending on the individual student situation, an academic plan may be as simple as a mathematical calculation by OSFA that specifies the percentage of coursework the student must now complete and/or the minimum grade point average the student must earn each semester, or it may be as complicated as a course by course degree plan. In many cases OSFA will instruct the student to meet with his or her UGA graduate/professional school advisor to formulate a structured academic plan which clearly sets forth the courses in which the student must enroll, and the minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) he or she must earn each term. The student will then provide a copy of the formal academic plan to OSFA for consideration.

Students for whom OSFA approves an academic plan can receive federal or state financial aid for which they are otherwise eligible as long as they strictly adhere to their approved plan. Students on an OSFA approved academic plan will be evaluated following each semester of enrollment and a student’s failure to meet ALL the requirements of his or her academic plan will result in immediate loss of financial aid eligibility.

Appeal Denial Policy & Procedure

When OSFA does not approve a student SAP appeal based on its determination the student’s circumstances were not sufficiently mitigating, or that although the circumstances were mitigating, the student has not sufficiently documented the circumstances are now resolved or stabilized, the student may request further consideration by the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee. This Committee meets once a semester is composed of the Registrar and two University administrators.

To request further consideration by the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee, the student needs only to send OSFA a signed written request (or e-mail from their UGA Mail account).

The decision of the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee is final.

Student Financial Counseling May Be Required

Students who previously received Federal Direct Student Loans or previously failed to maintain SAP may also be required to complete additional financial counseling before eligibility for student financial aid can be re-established.

Effective Semester When SAP Students Can Regain Student Financial Aid Eligibility

A student may be awarded Federal Direct Loans or Federal Perkins Loans for the semester in which the student is now making SAP or the semester for which a SAP appeal and/or an academic plan has been approved.

All other rules and regulations governing federal and state student financial aid programs still apply.

If you have questions concerning the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Student Financial Aid Recipients telephone (706) 542-6147 or visit OSFA at 220 Holmes/Hunter Academic Building.