Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Federal regulations require that students receiving federal financial aid maintain SAP, which involves completing coursework towards an eligible degree within a set timeframe.

SAP Requirements

SAP applies to all undergraduate and graduate students' academic records, regardless of whether financial aid was received previously.

Grade-Point Average (GPA)
- Undergraduates: Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 after two academic years (or 4 semesters).
- Graduate students: Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Pharmacy students: Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 during P1 and P2 years, and 2.5 during P3 and P4 years.
PACE (Completion Rate)
- Must earn at least 67% of all attempted credits.
- Incomplete courses do not count toward attempted credits until completed.
- Example of PACE Calculation:
  Let's say a student has attempted 60 credits so far in their program and has successfully completed 42 credits.
  
  PACE Calculation:
  PACE = (Completed Credits ÷ Attempted Credits) × 100
  PACE = (42 ÷ 60) × 100 = 70%
  Since this student’s PACE is 70%, which is above the required 67%, they are making satisfactory progress and remain eligible for federal financial aid.
  
  If a student’s PACE falls below 67%, they may lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and demonstrate an ability to regain SAP.
Maximum Time Frame
- Undergraduates: Must complete degree within 150% of the required credits.
  - CCPA: 186 credits
  - Decker & Watson: 192 credits
  - Harpur & SOM: 189 credits
- Graduate Students: Must complete the degree within 5 years. Doctoral students have 5 years to reach candidacy and 5 years post-candidacy to complete all degree requirements.
- PharmD Students: Must complete within 5 years.

Note: "W" grades, repeat courses, and transfer credits count toward attempted credits when determining federal aid eligibility.

SAP Eligibility Review

SAP is reviewed at the end of each semester (including summer) for all students.
Federal Warning: Students failing to meet GPA or PACE standards will receive a Federal Warning and can retain aid for one additional semester without action. Students should use this semester to get back on track academically.
Maximum Time Frame: Federal Warning does not apply. Once the maximum time frame is reached, federal aid is no longer available.

Loss of Financial Aid Eligibility

If a student fails to meet SAP standards after one semester of receiving aid on Federal Warning, federal aid will be canceled.

Re-Establishing Eligibility

Students can regain aid eligibility by:

Filing an SAP appeal.
Improving GPA or PACE through summer/winter courses to meet SAP standards.

For more resources for academic success, visit the SAP resources page.

Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)