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Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Federal regulations require the university to establish Standards of Academic Progress in the following areas:

Cumulative GPA

Hours Earned

Maximum Time Frame

Financial Aid Recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress in all three areas whether or not aid was received in the past.

The Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) for undergraduate students are as follow:

Full-time students must:

• Complete 24 new credits per year.
  • Repeated courses count as new credits only if the student originally received an “F” in the course.
  • Courses with a previous grade of “D” do not count as new credits unless the course catalog specifically states that a higher grade is required for a prerequisite or major.
  • Shippensburg University defines an Academic year to be not less than 30 weeks of instructional time in which a full time student is expected to complete 24 semester credit hours.
• Maintain a 1.7 cumulative GPA as a freshman.
• Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA as a sophomore, junior, or senior.

Part-time students must:

• Meet identical minimum GPA requirements.
• Complete 75% of all attempted credits each academic year.

Maximum Time Limit:

Students must complete their degree requirements within 150% of the published length of their academic program. 

• Shippensburg University sets the maximum time limit for federal aid at 12 full time semesters. 
• All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, whether or not financial aid was received. 

Annual Review and Notification:

• A year –end review is completed at the end of each spring semester.
• Students who are out of compliance for one or more SAP are ineligible for further financial aid until all deficiencies are remedied.
• Written notification of ineligibility is mailed to students at their permanent address.
• A warning letter will be sent to “at risk” students over the Winter break

Regaining Eligibility for Financial Aid:

• The student may resolve GPA and/or Credit hour deficiencies by taking courses on their own (no federal aid).
• Cumulative GPA may be improved by taking courses at Shippensburg University.
• Hours earned deficiencies may be made up with credits earned at Shippensburg or another “approved” university (see your academic advisor).
• If extenuating circumstances exist, the student may file an appeal to have federal funding reinstated.
• Students readmitted to the university after a one year absence will be mitigated and allowed to continue in good standing.  Less than a one year absence will require appeal or proof of transfer hours to mitigate.

Appeals:

• Federal regulations allow for standards to be waived based on a special circumstance appeal.
• Appeal information will be provided with student notification of Satisfactory Academic Progress deficiencies.
• Appeals will be considered if a student’s failure to comply with one or more areas of Satisfactory Academic Progress is due to events beyond the student’s control.
• Students must provide written documentation of the special circumstance(s).