2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

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Satisfactory Academic Progress - Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master's Programs

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS GUIDELINES for FINANCIAL AID PURPOSES       

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is language set forth in the federal guidelines [34 CFR §668.34] that specifies the minimum academic progress required of a student to avoid termination of funding provided by federal and state governments.  The guidelines also relate to programs funded by the institution (except for tuition waivers) or as determined by the University of Jamestown.

To demonstrate SAP for financial aid purposes, all students must comply with the following three components:

  1. Qualitative Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
  2. Pace or Quantitative Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted credits.
  3. Maximum Timeframe or 150% Rule Students must complete their program within 150% of the total credits required for completion.

Monitoring Procedure

The University of Jamestown monitors student progress after every payment period (term).   Summer is considered a payment period for this purpose and, consequently, progress will be monitored for those students enrolled in summer school courses after the summer session as well.

Possible statuses of each SAP calculation are good standing, warning, probation, and suspension. A student who fails SAP after one semester is placed on financial aid warning.  A student who fails SAP the next consecutive semester after being placed on warning will be placed on financial aid suspension. A student placed on financial aid suspension may appeal the suspension by submitting an official Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Form (which can be found on the University of Jamestown website under Current Students/Financial) by the stated deadline. A committee including the Associate Provost/Dean of the Undergraduate College, Vice-President of Enrollment Management, Program Director, Registrar, Student Success Coordinator, and Director of Financial Aid will review the appeal.  If an appeal is granted by a majority vote of the committee, an academic plan will be generated for the student.  The student and financial aid representative will sign the academic plan.

Students will be notified of SAP statuses of warning and suspension and be sent an academic plan by email to their UJ email.  Requirements necessary to regain eligibility for financial aid will be included in an academic plan.

Additional Information

  • Limited funding may be available through private sources explicitly stating that SAP is not required.
  • The Financial Aid Office reserves the right to adjust SAP verbiage at any time.
  • Grades of incomplete that change to a letter grade will result in a recalculation of SAP, providing the change occurs within the same award year the class was taken. The registrar’s office must notify the financial aid office of the grade change.
  • A course in which a student received a passing grade may be repeated only one time for federal student aid payment of both times the course was taken. Federal student aid may not be used for a second repeat of the same course with a passing grade.  All course repeats count toward the total number of credits the student has attempted, which may affect pace and/or 150% calculations for SAP.
  • Credit hours from another school accepted toward the student’s educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours and be considered toward total GPA.

Glossary/Additional Information

ACADEMIC PLAN The status of ACADEMIC PLAN is assigned when a student’s appeal has been granted.  An ACADEMIC PLAN will be created by the Director of Financial Aid and the Registrar to determine how many semesters it would reasonably take any student to regain compliance both quantitatively and qualitatively.  There is no set length for an ACADEMIC PLAN. Once a student is in compliance, s/he is again considered to be in GOOD STANDING.  The personalized ACADEMIC PLAN will be monitored by the Registrar and the Director and/or Assistant Director of Financial Aid each semester for compliance.

APPEAL Should a student fail to make progress after a semester on WARNING, an APPEAL is required for possible reinstatement to financial aid privileges.  The APPEAL must be submitted by the published deadline on an official Financial Aid Appeal Form (which can be found on the University of Jamestown website under Current Students/Financial Aid). Students have the right to appeal action taken regarding the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress policies.  However, for any given circumstance, a student may only appeal once.  There is no limit to the number of appeals a student may submit.

Appeal Denied If a student’s appeal is denied, s/he is no longer eligible to receive financial aid until compliance has been regained.

APPEAL GRANTED If a student’s appeal is granted, s/he is eligible to receive financial aid for the followingsemester, after which the transcript will be reviewed.

Attempted Credits All courses taken for which a student receives a ‘W’ or grade on the transcript are counted.    Attempted credits also include those taken during terms in which the student receives no aid as well as repeated courses and credits transferred into the University of Jamestown from other institutions.

GOOD STANDING All three compliance factors are being met or surpassed.  Student is eligible for financial aid.

Incompletes Courses for which a student receives an incomplete must be finished in a timely manner as determined by the Registrar.  Action will be held until the prescribed period has elapsed (unless the course would have no impact on the decision).

PACE The quantitative component for all grade levels, calculated to ensure that the students successfully complete (grade of ‘D’ or higher) at least 67% of all (cumulative) attempted credits.

Repeated credits Credits earned from a repeated course will be counted only once for total number of credits completed.  However, both sets of credits will be counted toward the 150% Rule.  The highest course grade will be used in determining GPA compliance.

WARNING The first semester that a student fails to make satisfactory academic, s/he is assigned the status of WARNING.  This is an automatic action, and no appeal is required by the student.  The otherwise eligible student will be entitled to financial aid for one additional semester.  

SUSPENSION Should a student be determined to be in noncompliance with any of the three components of Satisfactory Academic Progress and has not successfully appealed, s/he is no longer eligible to receive assistance under financial aid programs at the University of Jamestown.  Any charges that the student incurs during this period of SUSPENSION from financial aid privileges are the responsibility of the student. 

TRANSFER CREDITS Credit hours from another school accepted toward the student’s educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours and be considered toward total GPA. 

https://www.uj.edu/about/policies-handbooks-and-forms/sap-graduate/