Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid

Appeal Deadline for Review Prior to the Spring 2008 semester is:  January 18, 2008

An appeal may be submitted for consideration for the Spring 2008 semester until January 18, 2008. However, in order to secure your classes, you must make the minimum required payment to the Bursar's Office by the fee payment deadline.  Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval and if your appeal is denied, you must pay the remaining balance owed to the university without financial aid funding.

This policy provides the framework for monitoring academic progress and eligibility determination for all federal, scholarship and other aid programs. All students receiving any financial aid or scholarship from UNO must abide by this policy, as well as any specific requirements for scholarships/exemptions as applicable. This policy applies to all new, transfer, re-entry, and continuing students at UNO.

General Guidelines

Students must be in “good standing” academically, and enrolled in an eligible curriculum. Students must also maintain a specified overall GPA, as well as, total earned hours/attempted hours ratio in accordance within the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, in order to retain their financial aid eligibility.

Maximum Attempted Hours

To establish a quantitative measure, a time frame is set for students to finish a program of study. For any program, regulations require the maximum time frame to not exceed 150% of the published length of the program measured in the required academic credit hours. For example, at UNO the published length of most undergraduate academic programs is 120 credit hours required for degree completion and may not exceed 180 attempted credit hours (150% of 120 credit hours= 180 maximum attempted/pursued hours).

Students enrolled in an eligible undergraduate curriculum may receive financial aid up to a total of 180 attempted hours. Attempted hours include all hours as they appear on the transcript, including those with “W,” “P,” “S,” “U,” “I,” and “*” grades. Attempted hours also include any suspended, non-credit remedial, repeated, transfer, and scholastic amnesty hours. All hours that appear on the transcript are counted as pursued, even those for semesters in which the student did not receive aid. However, while scholastic amnesty hours will count towards the maximum hours attempted, they will not be considered in determining a student’s earned/attempted ratio and GPA Standard.

Students seeking a second baccalaureate degree in an eligible curriculum may receive financial aid up to a total of 225 attempted hours (150% of 120 credit hours plus 45 credits=225 maximum attempted/attempted hours) including all undergraduate course work. For example, if a student completed their undergraduate degree with 200 credit hours, then he or she will only be eligible to receive financial aid for 25 credit hours.

Graduate students enrolled in an eligible curriculum may receive financial aid up to a total of 107 attempted hours of graduate work.

Undergraduate Level Criteria (including Post-Baccalaureate)

Students must adhere to the following categories:

• Students who have attempted up to and including 59 hours must earn at least 67% of those hours.
  
• Students who have attempted up to and including a total of 60 or more must earn at least 67% of those hours and a minimum 2.00 cumulative G.P.A on all college work earned.

Graduate Level Criteria

Graduate students must earn at least 67% of total hours pursued and maintain a UNO and an overall GPA of 3.0 on all graduate course work.

 Probationary Period

Effective Summer 2005, Continuing Undergraduate students will be placed on a one year probationary period(Summer, Fall, & Spring) which allows them to continue receiving Federal financial aid while on probation. Students will be required to meet the necessary SAP requirements at the end of their probationary period to continue receiving financial aid. If a student does not meet the SAP requirements upon completion of their probationary period, then they will have to submit a Financial Aid Appeal for their next enrolled semester/term.

Transfer Students

Effective Fall 2004, transfer students must enroll at UNO with at least a 2.00 GPA to qualify for Federal Financial Aid. Students admitted on scholastic probation will be eligible to receive financial aid for the term in which they enroll. Students UNO and transfer credit hours for the purpose of Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated at the end of the academic year (Spring). Transfer students must adhere to the above ratio and GPA standards.

Re-entry (Returning) Students

Returning UNO students will be evaluated for SAP eligibility upon re-admission to the university.

Evaluation Period

A student’s academic progress, i.e., total earned hours/attempted hours, and UNO and an overall GPA, will be evaluated at the end of the spring semester for the preceding summer/fall/spring academic year to determine a student’s eligibility. Students who do not maintain their earned/attempted hours ratio and GPA requirement (when applicable) will lose their eligibility for financial aid/scholarships at the end of the spring semester.

Appeal Procedures

Only in cases of severe illness or injury to the student, death of an immediate family member, exceeding total attempted hours allowed due to a change in major, or other traumatic life-altering event of the student will an appeal be considered for possible reinstatement of federal aid/scholarship eligibility. All appeals must be submitted on the Financial Aid “Appeal for Reinstatement” form, available at the Financial Aid Office, and must include complete and appropriate supporting documentation. All appeals submitted with complete documentation will be considered by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Students are limited to a maximum of two financial aid “appeal approvals.” The Committee’s decision on each appeal is final.

Click the menu for "Forms and Documents" and navigate to the correct Academic Year to find the "Satisfactory Academic Progress - SAP Policy".

Appeal Deadlines

Priority: Deadlines for filing financial aid appeals for each semester are as follows (unless otherwise stated by the Office of Student Financial Aid):

Fall Semester            June 30th
Spring Semester        November 30th
Summer Semester     April 30th (For students who lost their eligibility prior to the spring semester)

Students who lose their eligibility at the end of the spring semester cannot appeal for the immediate summer semester, but can appeal for the upcoming fall semester through June 30. Appeals received after deadlines dates will be considered for the next upcoming semester. Approved appeals are for subsequent semesters only: Appeals are not retroactive for any semester.

Re-evaluation of Federal Aid due to Grade Change

Students who have lost their federal aid eligibility may request reinstatement after any semester in which they achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid/Scholarships. Students who wish to regain their eligibility should notify the Financial Aid Office. Students should complete a Reinstatement Request Form in order to have their academic record re-evaluated prior to the 1 st day of class of the next enrolled semester, but no later than the last drop date for the currently enrolled semester/term. Evaluations may take 7-10 business days to be reviewed. However, the evaluations will be processed after grades are posted.

There is no limit of times a student may submit a request for evaluation of meeting the SAP requirements. Students who are unsure of their financial aid situation or have questions about their Satisfactory Academic Progress should contact their financial aid counselor.

SAP Worksheet

How to Calculate:

Divide Completed Hours by the Attempted Hours to calculate Completion Ratio

Total Completed Hours ________ divided by Total Attempted Hours ________ = Ratio ________

Overall GPA: _______

Address: Administration Building Room 1005, New Orleans , LA 70148
Telephone: (504) 280-6603
FAX: (504) 280-3973 (Please do not FAX Student Aid Reports)
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Open Tuesday evenings (when classes are in session) until 6:30 p.m.
Email: finaid@uno.edu

Last Revision: June 11, 2007   2004-2005 under review for policy changes. Please contact the Office for details.