In order to receive federal, state, or institutional aid, regulations require that students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward completion of their current academic program. All students will have their progress reviewed at the end of each term, whether or not they are receiving financial aid, since these rules decide eligibility for future terms.
There are three academic standards that all students are required to maintain in order to remain eligible for future financial aid assistance (including student loans). The standards required to maintain eligibility for financial aid are: Grade Point Average (GPA), Pace, and Maximum Timeframe. The SAP calculation includes coursework that applies toward the students current program level (undergraduate/graduate). In addition, students must be accepted for continued enrollment under the policies defined in the St. Francis School of Law Catalog.
Requirements for Maintaining SAP
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Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 at the end of each term. Students will be considered in violation if they do not maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00.
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Pace Requirement. Students must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of their cumulative credit hours attempted (including transfer credits) by the end of each term. Students will be considered in violation if they do not meet this requirement. A student's completion rate is determined by dividing cumulative earned credit hours by cumulative attempted credit hours, the result is rounded to the closet whole percentage (i.e. 66.5% wil round to 67%). This calculation ensures that students can mathematically complete their program within the maximum timeframe requirement.
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Maximum Timeframe Requirement. Students must complete their academic program within 150% of the published program credit hours. Students will be considered in violation if they have not graduated by the end of the term they reached their allowable credits. For example, students pursuing a law degree requiring 130 credit hours, must graduate within 195 attempted credits (130 x 150% = 195).
Attempted Credit Hours Include all credit hours attempted at St. Francis School of Law. This includes passing grades, failing grades, withdrawals, credit/no credit, pass/fail courses, and non traditional credits (i.e. articulation, waiver tests and experiential learning). All transfer credits listed on the student’s transcript are also included.
Attempted Credit Hours Do Not Include Unofficial Withdrawals, Incomplete, Audit, and In progress grades.
Earned Credit Hours Include all credits that a student successfully completed (D- or better). This includes for credit, pass, and non traditional credits (i.e. articulation, waiver tests and experiential learning). All transfer credits listed on the student’s transcript are also included.
Incomplete Grades are not counted until they are converted to an actual grade.
Course Repeats are counted in attempted credits but will only count once as earned credit hours for PACE and Maximum Timeframe calculations.
Financial Aid Warning
Students who are in violation of Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements will be placed on Financial Aid Warning and have one term (the next term attended) with the use of financial aid funds (including loans) to get back in good standing. Students attending a program which is less than one year in length are not provided this warning period due to regulatory requirements.
Students who are unable to get back into good standing by the end of the next term attended will lose future financial aid eligibility.
Reinstatement of Eligibility
Students who do not re-establish good standing after the warning period may submit an appeal to request reinstatement of their financial aid (see details on this process below). Students in violation of GPA and/or Pace may also raise their cumulative GPA to a 3.00 and/or complete the number of credit hours to re-establish 67% successful completion without the use of financial aid funds. Students with an approved grade change may contact the financial aid department to request a re-evaluation of their SAP status.
Appeal Process
Students who fall into violation of SAP due to a special circumstance may submit a financial aid appeal for consideration of financial aid reinstatement. Please review our SAP Appeal Process article for complete details.
Academic Considerations
The Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Rules measure a student’s eligibility for financial aid and are separate from the academic policies, which students must maintain for continued enrollment.
- Academic Appeals: The academic appeals are completed separately from the financial aid appeals and students may be required to complete both.