Satisfactory Academic Progress

Undergraduate and Professional students must earn and maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0* or higher. Graduate students must earn and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. For purposes of determining financial aid eligibility, cumulative GPA calculations include transfer credits. Grades of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) are not factored into the GPA; however, F (Fail) grades are, even when choosing a Pass/Fail grading option.

*NOTE: GPA is not rounded up. For example, 1.997 does NOT meet the 2.0 GPA requirement.

IMPORTANT! The grade point average requirements listed in the financial aid sections of the One Stop website refer to the standards for financial aid eligibility only. The various colleges within NDSU (e.g., College of Health Professions) may have separate requirements for certain course grades and may require a minimum GPA be earned every semester, not just cumulatively. Each student is responsible for knowing the criteria that determines good academic standing within their specific college and degree program. Information is usually posted on the college's website, in their policy manual, or can be found by contacting the department or the student's academic advisor.

Students must successfully complete a minimum of two-thirds (67%)** of the credits they attempt cumulatively. This percentage is determined by dividing the total number of successfully completed credits by the total number of credits the student has attempted based on their enrollment on each semester's census date. The financial aid census dates can be found under Registration and Records Dates and Deadlines with the description "Attempted credits calculated for financial aid SAP". Classes dropped or withdrawn from after the NDSU Census Date are considered attempted credits.

**Successful completion is rounded up to the nearest tenth. For example, 66.666% DOES meet the 67% requirement.

The cumulative credits calculation includes all credits attempted even if they do not pertain to the student’s current degree. (See the section titled "Treatment of Non-Standard Credits" below)

Successfully completed credit hours include grades of A, B, C, D, P, or S. Credit hours that are NOT considered successfully completed include unreported/blank grades, F (Fail), W (Withdrawal), U (Unsatisfactory), and I (Incomplete). Both successfully and unsuccessfully completed credit hours are included as attempted hours.

• Grade Changes – If a blank, incomplete, or letter grade is changed, the SAP status will be recalculated.
  • If the grade change results in the student's status changing from "Disqualified" to "Warning" or "Meets", steps will be taken to determine whether financial aid can be awarded.
  • If the grade change results in the student's status changing to "Disqualified" and will result in loss of financial aid eligibility and the cancelation of any financial aid that was disbursed for the semester, the student will be notified through NDSU email and will have 2 weeks to appeal. Failure to appeal or a denial of an appeal will result in the immediate loss of financial aid eligibility and the cancellation of financial aid that was disbursed for the semester.
• Military Activation or Deployment – Students who are required to withdraw from NDSU after the Census Date for military reasons may be placed on Financial Aid "Warning" or "Disqualification". The student should contact NDSU One Stop to resolve any negative SAP status that has resulted from their deployment.

Students have a maximum credit limit or time frame in which they must complete their degree.

Undergraduate students are required to complete their degree within 150% of the number of published credits needed to graduate. Those who exceed 130% of the published credits required will be placed on Financial Aid INFO status. INFO status allows the student to submit an appeal requesting a higher attempted credit limit if they will not graduate prior to reaching the 150% maximum. If no appeal is received, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Disqualification upon reaching 150% of the published credits needed and will have the opportunity to submit an appeal.

Example: For a program that requires 120 credits to graduate, the student would be placed on INFO status at 156 attempted credits (120 × 130%). If the student does not successfully appeal while on INFO status, the status will change to Financial Aid Disqualification upon reaching 180 attempted credits (120 × 150% = 180). If the student plans to graduate prior to reaching 180 attempted credits, no action is needed while on INFO status.

• Major Changes — Students who have changed their major or are pursuing a second degree are more likely to reach the maximum time frame. Through the appeal process, the maximum number of credits or time frame may be adjusted. If a student changes majors, the credits earned under all majors will be included in the calculation of attempted and earned credits as well as maximum time frame.

Masters, Professional, and Doctoral students will have their maximum time frame calculated based on attempting 150% or 1.5x the number of semesters needed to complete their degree. The maximum time frame varies from 19 to 30 semesters depending on the academic program.

1. The student may receive financial aid if otherwise eligible during the semester in which a Financial Aid Warning status is on Campus Connection. The student must meet all cumulative SAP requirements at the end of the warning semester. If he/she does not, the student will lose eligibility for financial aid and will be placed on Financial Aid Disqualification and lose eligibility for future financial aid.
2. A Financial Aid Warning is an informational only status and will not interfere with adding or dropping courses. It will not appear on the student's academic transcript or any other permanent record.
3. While on Financial Aid Warning, students are encouraged to seek assistance from various campus resources (such as ACE Tutoring or the NDSU Counseling Center) that may assist them in meeting their personal and educational goals.

1. The student has lost eligibility for federal student aid until he/she:
   • Meets all cumulative SAP requirements, or
   • Successfully appeals based on documented extenuating circumstances.
     NOTE: Disqualified students who had an extenuating circumstance that negatively impacted academic performance may appeal the disqualification. This may result in reinstatement of their financial aid eligibility (see section entitled "Appeal Process" below for more information).

NOTE: Financial aid eligibility cannot be re-established through a period of non-enrollment.

2. If the student did not have an extenuating circumstance, does not wish to appeal, or submits an appeal that is denied, he/she may still attend NDSU (unless suspended academically by Registration and Records) and can self-pay or apply for a Private Student Loan.

1. The student is nearing the maximum number of credits or time frame allowed for the current degree they are pursuing.
2. A "Financial Aid INFO" indicator is added to Campus Connection. The indicator is informational only and will not interfere with adding or dropping courses.
3. If the student is not beginning his/her final semester when the indicator is added, it is recommended that they complete the Maximum Attempted Credits/Time Frame Appeal Form.

SAP regulations cover the following programs:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Nursing Loan
• Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loan
• Federal SEOG
• Federal Work-Study
• Federal Direct PLUS Loan
• ND State Grant
• North Dakota Academic Scholarships
• North Dakota Career and Technical Education Scholarships
• TEACH Grant
• Tuition Award Program (TAP)
• and some private loans (including the Bank of North Dakota DEAL Loan)

Other scholarships and tuition waivers may be governed by SAP regulations. It is the responsibility of the student to check with the donor or department to inquire about the impact of financial aid disqualification on any scholarships or waivers not listed above.

Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Disqualification may appeal their status if they had an extenuating circumstance that negatively impacted their academic performance. Examples of situations that are acceptable include documented medical problems, impaired emotional health, death of a family member, or extreme financial hardship. Specific documentation must be submitted to support the appeal. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee the approval or reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

A link to the Financial Aid Disqualification Appeal Form will be included in the electronic notification of disqualification. The appeal form must be submitted by the deadline date (see deadlines below), along with supporting documentation to be considered. The student will be notified of the appeal decision via their NDSU email. If the student finds the decision unsatisfactory, he/she may appeal in writing to the SAP Appeals Committee within 10 business days.

Successful appeals may result in the student being granted a probationary semester or placed on a Plan of Study Contract. During the probationary semester, students not meeting cumulative requirements must meet all SAP requirements or those specifically outlined in their Plan of Study Contract to continue receiving aid in subsequent semesters.

1. Student successfully appeals based on documented extenuating circumstances.
2. Student successfully completes a semester without federal financial aid and meets all cumulative requirements. The student would automatically be removed from Disqualification, Probation, or Plan of Study contract when the SAP evaluation process is run after semester grades are posted.

IMPORTANT:

• A period of non-enrollment will NOT result in regaining your financial aid eligibility.
• Although the University has instituted an Academic Forgiveness Policy for former students who meet certain eligibility criteria, the SAP policy cannot exclude or forgive prior academic work when determining financial aid eligibility. Students who are granted academic forgiveness may appeal to request reinstatement of financial aid only if extenuating circumstances occurred during the semester(s) in which the Office of Registration and Records approved academic forgiveness.

The chart below indicates how non-standard credits are used in calculating each of the SAP requirements. The first column lists the type of non-standard credit/course and the second column states whether the credits are used when determining the GPA requirements. The third column states whether the credits are used when determining the 67% completion and the fourth column indicates whether the credits are used in the total attempted for the maximum time frame.

*There is no limit to the number of times a student can repeat a course but there are limits with regard to the number of times financial aid can be used for repeated course. Repeated courses are included as attempted credits each time the course is taken when calculating minimum completion and maximum time frame. The most recent grade earned in a repeated course will be counted in the GPA calculation. For more information, please refer to the Repeated Coursework Decision Tree.

Each letter grade is assigned a specific number of honor points for each credit earned (see the academic policy for Grades and Grading in the University Catalog for more information on grading and honor points). There are three different GPAs calculated for each student as explained below. For SAP purposes, the cumulative "special GPA" is used.

• Semester (or term) GPA refers to the grade point average for any given period. It’s based on the point system mentioned above.
• Institutional cumulative GPA is based on grades earned at NDSU only and excludes transfer credits that were accepted by NDSU. The “institutional GPA” is the GPA that will appear on your academic transcript.
• Special cumulative GPA is the weighted average of your NDSU grades along with those that transferred into NDSU from other schools. The cumulative “special GPA” is the GPA that is used to determine whether students meet the SAP requirement of earning a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher (or 3.0 or higher for graduate students).

Before you drop, here are some important things to consider:

• If you drop below full-time status and you have not received all of your financial aid for the semester, certain types of aid may be canceled or reduced. Types of aid that may be affected include the North Dakota State Grant, Pell Grant and the Cultural Diversity Tuition Waiver. Please contact One Stop at 701-231-6200 before dropping if you have any of these types of aid.
• If dropping causes you to go below the required 67% cumulative completion rate, your future financial aid may be in jeopardy. All students are required to complete two-thirds (67%) of the credits they attempt cumulatively.
• If dropping the credits takes you below half-time status, your loan grace period will kick in. You will have to provide verification of enrollment to your lender once you return to school full time.
• Dropping below full-time enrollment can affect other areas including tuition waivers, veterans' benefits, and whether or not you will be covered if you are under your parents' health or car insurance benefits. Please check into all of these areas before dropping classes.

• Tuition Payment Plan: Customer Account Services offers a monthly payment plan for tuition and other school related costs. For more information, call 1-866-924-8969 or 701-231-6200.
• Private Student Loans: There are some private student loans who will borrow to students on Financial Aid Disqualification. Private student loans are non-federal, interest-bearing loans. The interest rate is determined by the lender and based on the borrower's credit. A credit worthy co-signer is usually required. To determine which loans are available to you, click on FastChoice (Enter FASTChoice Loan Comparison Tool) then Enter FastChoice and scroll down to “Loan Options for Students on Disqualification”.

If you meet the cumulative requirements, you will automatically be removed from Disqualification, Probation, or Plan of Study when we run the SAP process following grade posting at the end of the semester. We do not notify you if you've been removed from Disqualification, Probation, or Plan of Study, but you will be able to check Campus Connection to confirm that the hold has been removed.

NOTE: A period of non-enrollment will not result in regaining your financial aid eligibility.

Appeals are encouraged if you had an extenuating medical or emotional problem that negatively impacted your academic performance. Appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, but our general guidelines for acceptable appeals include: hospitalization, surgery, medical illness, depression, anxiety, ADD, death in the family, etc. Appeals that are not considered extenuating include: working too many hours, dropped courses due to changing major, did not like the class or instructor, was unaware of drop date or policy requirements.

Due to the number of students at NDSU, we are not able to notify each individual of the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. We do publish our policy annually and whenever there is an update. The complete policy is posted on our website. In addition, we discuss the SAP requirements in detail at Orientation during the "Guide to Student Finances at NDSU" session. Ultimately, final responsibility for knowledge of and adherence to the SAP guidelines rests with the student.

No. If you are in good academic standing you can still attend NDSU, but you will not be eligible to receive most financial aid programs while you are on disqualification. If you are in need of funding to cover your educational costs you may wish to consider a private student loan. Please call One Stop at 701-231-6200 if you have further questions.

If you have a grade that is changed or posted after you have been placed on Financial Aid Warning or Disqualification, please notify One Stop as soon as the grade has been posted to request that your SAP status be recalculated.