Satisfactory Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The Financial Aid office is required by federal law to monitor the progress that students make in their classes, even if they have never applied for financial aid. This process is known as Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP.

SAP requirements include:

Students must maintain a satisfactory pace towards completing their degree

Students must maintain a cumulative GPA

Students must complete their degree within a maximum time frame

More detailed information about each rule can be found below.

Effective Fall 2011, IPFW will perform an evaluation of student records at the end of each term to determine compliance with the federal rules for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).  This is a mathematical test of a student's record against the three requirements with either a positive or negative outcome; positive meaning the record meets all requirements, negative meaning one of the three requirements was not met. This outcome affects a student's SAP status for the next evaluation period.

Making Satisfactory Progress
Each student begins enrollment at IPFW with a "Making Satisfactory Progress" status. A positive evaluation result means the student would keep that status, and a negative result would mean that the student would be put on probation. No communication is sent to a student if there is no change in status. When a status change does occur, a paper letter is mailed to the student.

Requirement Details

Satisfactory Pace towards degree

You must complete, with a passing grade, at least 67% of all coursework you attempt at IPFW.

• Successful completion is considered any passing letter grade(repeat courses may only count as earned once, but each attempt will add to attempted hours)
• Unsuccessful completion includes any never attends, audits, withdrawns, incompletes or failing statuses.

The number of earned credits divided by the number of attempted credits must be at least 67% to satisfy the requirement. All courses, including repeats, remedial, and ESL, count as attempts, even when they do not count as earned with a passing grade.

GPA requirement:

You must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) to prevent SAP probation or suspension. The minimum cumulative GPA required is as follows:

150% Rule (Maximum Time Frame) Requirement:
The 150% rule requires you to complete your degree within a certain time frame. If you do not complete your degree within the maximum credit hour limit, you will not be eligible for further financial aid.  In order to figure 150%, we take the amount of credit hours your degree program requires and multiply that by 150% in order to come up with the maximum amount of credit hours a student can take using federal student aid.  For example, a bachelor’s in biology at our institution requires 124 credit hours to complete.  To figure 150% for a bachelor’s in biology you would take 124 x 150 = 186.

In cases where a student is pursuing a second bachelor's degree, all coursework attempted is considered regardless of which degree program the courses were applied. An appeal for exception may be made. All courses, including repeats, remedial, and ESL, count as attempts, even when they do not count as earned with a passing grade,

SAP Warning

The first time there is a negative result on a SAP evaluation the student’s SAP status will change to Warning.  Notification of this status will be sent to both student and to their academic advisor. During the next term of enrollment, the student may want to meet with their academic advisor to make a strategy for success that will resolve this status. During this term:  

• the student can receive aid
• the student’s advisor will be notified that they are having difficulty
• the student must carefully consider what is required to resolve the problem and enroll accordingly

It is never possible to have two consecutive Warning semesters.

SAP Suspension            

A status of SAP suspension means that two consecutive SAP evaluations had a negative outcome. On a suspension status, a student may not receive any financial aid with the exception of private/alternative loans where the lender does not require satisfactory progress.

Regaining Eligibility

Through enrollment: A student can regain eligibility for aid by repairing their academic record through enrollment at their own expense.

Through the appeals process:  Occasionally a student will believe that their suspension is due to circumstances that were both unforeseeable and beyond their control.  A student who can document those circumstances can use the appeals process to ask for an exception to this suspension. 

An appeal of SAP suspension requires that you complete the form, a personal statement and meet with your academic advisor to discuss how you will repair your record and make an academic plan for success. 

Once you have met those requirements, your appeal will be reviewed in the financial aid office and either accepted or denied.  If you receive a denial, you remain suspended from aid eligibility until your record is repaired through your successful enrollment. 

If your appeal is approved, you will be eligible for aid.   It is expected that you work closely with your advisor and follow your academic plan, making all effort required to repair your academic record.

SAP Warning

The first time there is a negative result on a SAP evaluation the student's SAP status will change to Warning. Notification of this status will be sent to both student and to their academic advisor. During the next term of enrollment, the student may want to meet with their academic advisor to make a strategy for success that will resolve this status. During the term:

• The student can receive aid
• The student must carefully consider what is required to resolve the problem and enroll accordingly

It is never possible to have two consecutive Warning semesters.

SAP Suspension

A status of SAP suspension means that two consecutive SAP evaluations had a negative outcome. On a suspension status, a student may not receive any financial aid with the exception of private/alternative loans where the lender does not require satisfactory progress. 

Through enrollment: A student can regain eligibility for aid by repairing their academic record through enrollment at their own expense.

Through the appeals process: Occasionally a student will believe that their suspension is due to circumstance that were both unforeseeable and beyond their control. A student who can document those circumstances can use the appeals process to ask for an exception to this suspension.

Regaining Eligibility

Through enrollment: A student can regain eligibility for aid by repairing their academic record through enrollment at their own expense.

Through the appeals process: Occasionally a student will believe that their suspension is due to circumstance that were both unforeseeable and beyond their control. A student who can document those circumstances can use the appeals process to ask for an exception to this suspension.

An appeal of SAP suspension requires that you complete the form, a personal statement and meet with your academic advisor to discuss how you will repair your record and make an academic plan for success. Your advisor's signature is part of a completed appeal.

Once you have met those requirements, your appeal will be reviewed in the financial aid office and either accepted or denied. If you receive a denial, you remain suspended from aid eligibility until you record is repaired through your successful enrollment.

If your appeal is approved, you will be eligible for aid. It is expected that you work closely with your advisor and follow your academic plan, making all effort required to repair your academic record.

After grades are posted in each term, we will recalculate your SAP Status. If you improved your academic record, your aid for the next term will be authorized. Otherwise your aid will be suspended until your record meets all required standards; according to the law, no further appeals are possible. Please be aware that this may mean a delay in bookstore credit or packaging aid between terms.

A student who has their appeal denied but believes they have properly documented that they meet the guidelines for reinstatement of financial aid may request review by the Financial Aid Appeals committee. The committee meets at least one time per month. Appeals must be received no later than five business days prior to the committee meeting to be reviewed at that month's meeting. Appeals received four days or later before a meeting will be reviewed at the next monthly meeting. The committee's decision is final and reinstatement of financial aid is not guaranteed.