Satisfactory Academic Progress

1. Satisfactory Academic Progress Rules, Regulations and Institutional Perspectives December, 2011 Indianapolis, Indiana

2. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Regulations/Guidance • Higher Education Act (HEA) • 484(a) and (c) Student Eligibility • Code of Federal Regulations • §668.14 Program participation agreement • §668.16(e) Standards of administrative capability • §668.32(f) Student eligibility • §668.34 Satisfactory academic progress • §668.42(c) Financial assistance information • 2009-2010 Federal Student Aid Handbook • Volume 1, pages 1-10 through 1-13 • Volume 2, page 2-125 • Volume 4, page 4-20

3. Satisfactory Academic Progress • What’s New? • Clarifies that SAP is an administrative capability requirement • Consolidates most rules under §668.34 • Lays out school policy components • Differentiates between every semester versus less frequent monitoring • Standardizes terminology • Sets broad appeal standards

4. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Required Components • Written Policy • Repeats • Incompletes • Withdrawals • Transfers • Minimum GPA • Maximum Timeframe • Pace to Completion

5. Satisfactory Academic Progress • One note about Graduate/Prof Students • Federal SAP rules are specific to undergrads • Schools must establish and follow reasonable graduate/professional SAP rules

6. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Written Policy • A school must establish own policy, but it must contain the federally mandated elements • Must describe standards, monitoring processes, and steps to reestablish eligibility after failing the standards.

7. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Written Policy • Allowing appeals is optional • Must address impact of transfer credits • Must address impact of repeats, incompletes and withdrawals • Must describe required documentation • Can have multiple policies based on specific populations

8. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Minimum GPA • GPA standard must be consistent with the school’s graduation requirement • A single bright line standard • 2.0 for an undergraduate, for example • A graduated standard • 1.5 for a freshman, 1.8 for a sophomore, 2.0 thereafter, for example • Other • If GPA is not used, another method is required

9. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Maximum Timeframe • Regulations allow aid eligibility for 150% of the normal time required for a degree • Example: An associate’s degree that requires 60 credits is allowed 90 credits • This is equivalent to 8 semesters of minimal full time enrollment • For graduate students, you should follow the published institutional standards

10. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Pace to completion • Specifies the rate at which a student must complete courses to stay within the maximum time frame for the degree • Total hours completed / total hours attempted • A 67% pace for a 4 year degree permits 180 attempted & 120 completed credits • The rate calculation should use cumulative hours

11. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Monitoring SAP Standards • No less than annually • As often as every payment period • If you monitor every payment period, you are allowed to grant a semester of aid ‘grace’ without student action • If you monitor less than every payment period, students who fail standards become immediately ineligible for aid (no ‘grace’ period)

12. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consistent Language • Must use specific words in SAP policies • Financial Aid Warning • Financial Aid Denial • Financial Aid Appeal • Financial Aid Probation

13. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consistent Language • Financial Aid Warning • Student failed SAP standards in a semester he started in good standing • He may continue to receive aid without taking action • Only for schools that monitor every term • Allowing this “Warning” semester is optional for an eligible school

14. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consistent Language • Financial Aid Denial • School monitors every semester: • Student failed SAP standards in a semester she started in Warning, Denial or Probation • School monitors less than every semester: • Student failed SAP standards for the monitoring period • No federal aid payments are permitted • That means no Parent PLUS • Policy should state if other aid is stopped too • School may allow an Appeal

15. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Consistent Language • Financial Aid Appeal • A petition for waiver of Financial Aid Denial • Can be for 1 or more semesters • If granted for more than 1 semester, student adherence must be monitored each semester • Financial Aid Probation • Student in Financial Aid Denial who successfully appeals for aid reinstatement • May be granted for one or more semesters

16. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Appeal Components • Strong evidence that student can return to good standing at end of semester of Probation or • Academic plan that moves student to good standing in a defined time frame

17. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Appeal Components • Student statement • What went wrong that caused the failure • What has changed to prevent a recurrence • Regulations specify death of a relative, a student injury or illness as reasonable • Regulations also state “other special circumstances”

18. Satisfactory Academic Progress • Academic Plan • Plan rules are not spelled out by regulation • Who prepares Plan is not spelled out either • Can require specific courses, grades, tutoring or other interventions • School must monitor each payment period if Plan covers more than 1 semester • Student must be given Appeal decision

19. SAP -- VU • Vincennes University - Has historically checked SAP after every semester. - Several years ago introduced a graduated GPA requirement. - Until recent regulations, PROBATION status for students falling below GPA or completion rate standards for the first time. - SUSPENSION status with opportunity for appeal for falling below any standards in semester after probation.

20. VU – Prior Standards • Minimum cumulative GPA: • - After attempting 12 credits: 1.8 • - After earning 30 quality credits: 1.9 • - After earning 45 quality credits: 2.0 • Minimum cumulative completion rate: • - After attempting 12 credits, pass 60% of all • courses attempted. (Contract for probations and approved • appeals: commit to pass all courses during semester of probation.) • Maximum timeframe: 150% of number of • credits required by program.

21. VU – Revised Standards • Minimum cumulative GPA: • - After attempting 12 credits: 1.8 • - After attempting 30 credits: 1.9 • - After attempting 45 credits: 2.0 • Minimum cumulative completion rate: • - After attempting 12 credits, pass 60%. • - After attempting 30 credits, pass 63%. • - After attempting 45 credits, pass 66%. • No revision of maximum timeframe.

22. VU – Appeal Process • Student will link to a form from self-service • portal, complete, print, and turn in with • documentation. • Goal by spring SAP process: all steps online • except documentation • Form will have space for explanation of • extenuating circumstances. • Academic plan will require a draft schedule of • courses looking ahead 2 semesters.

23. VU – Appeal Process (cont.) • Borrowing MSU’s terminology: initiator in • office will judge. If approved, no further • readers. If denied, 1 or 2 other judges. • Approved appeals will be forwarded to • academic advisors to sign off or revise plan. • Student will sign off on revisions before aid • paid on probation status. • Denied appeals go no further. Inform student.

24. VU – Appeals on 150% Standard • VU may exclude credits toward 150% count: • - Up to 30 developmental credits • - Transferred not meeting requireds for VU program • - Earned > 5 years ago not meeting requireds • - Earned toward one VU degree/certificate not • meeting requireds toward 2nd degree/certificate • - Earned while in high school not meeting requireds • but taken because required for HS diploma • - Fs or Ws because of documented extenuating • circumstances

25. About DePaul University • Urban, Catholic • Over 25,000 students • 18,000 undergrads • 70% on financial aid • Quarters (triple the fun) • Law school on semesters • 30% Pell • 10 colleges, including a competency based option

26. SAP at DePaul University • Monitor quarterly (including summer) • Use warning option, followed by suspension if not meeting after warning • Accept appeals • Require student to meet with academic advisor as part of appeal process

27. SAP Policy at DePaul • Located on the FA website- includes: • Minimum GPA - 2.0 • Maximum Timeframe – 150% or timely completion of degree for graduate students based on program • Completion ratio – 67% • Include repeats, transfer hours, withdrawals, incompletes and ‘in progress’ grades as well as earned and unearned failing grades. • Appeal process

28. SAP Appeals at DePaul • May submit appeals on paper or through on-line form • Must include a plan of corrective action • Must include a signature from an academic advisor indicating that student has discussed plan with advisor • Appeals reviewed by committee

29. Appeal Responses at DePaul • Suspension (Appeal Denied) • Probation (Appeal Approved) • When an appeal is granted (approved) a student is placed on a Probation Plan for up to two consecutive quarters. Per policy: “During these two terms, a student is expected to continue to meet the terms of his/her academic plan by continuing to complete all courses each term with a term GPA of 2.5 or higher so that by the end of these terms, the student is fully meeting the minimum SAP requirements. ​​​​​​​​”

30. Final comments on SAP at DePaul • The FA SAP policy is part of a larger retention effort. • OFA participates on a university wide ‘retention committee’ charged with developing innovative methods and approaches for improving retention and decreasing time toward degree for all DePaul students.

31. SAP -- ISU

32. Indiana State University • Enrollment – Fall 2011 • - Undergraduate 9,449 • - Graduate/Professional 2,079 Total 11,528

33. Indiana State University • Financial Assistance • - State $12,959,517 • - ISU $19,110,198 • - Federal $58,153,875 • Total Aid $90,223,590

34. Indiana State University • 2003-04 SAP Review • Discrepancies found in SAP calculations. • This led to students being eligible for aid • when they should have been denied.

35. Indiana State University • 2003-04 SAP Review – End Result? • - A revised SAP policy was developed for ISU. • - ISU faced a major financial liability to the State • Student Assistance Commission of Indiana • (SSACI) and the U.S. Dept. of Education.

36. Indiana State University • Prior to July 2009, the SAP appeal • committee met individually and randomly. • - No regular meetings to review appeals. • - This caused a delay in information being • given to students regarding their SAP • status.

37. Indiana State University Results of 2009 Review: - Dissatisfied students as a result of poor processes in place. - Little guidance and oversight provided.

38. Indiana State University Changes after July 2009 - Makeup of SAP committee changed. - Regular meetings to review appeals. - Decisions communicated within two days.

39. Indiana State University 2009 -10 SAP – Appeals for Aid - Approvals: 395 - Denials: 177 - Total 572 • 69% Approved

40. Indiana State University 2010 – 11 SAP – Appeals for Aid - Approvals: 347 - Denials: 171 - Total 518 • 67% Approved

41. Indiana State University • New Policy for 2011-12 • Appeal must include: • - Why student failed to make SAP • - What changes now in place that will allow • student to meet SAP or demonstrate • improvement • - Also, encouraged to submit an academic plan • - Documentation needed

42. Indiana State University • New Policy for 2011-12 • Approval for fall semester only. • Spring semester aid will be on hold until • fall grades are reviewed to verify • improvement. • Most students can meet standards with one • semester of solid performance.

43. QUESTIONS?