Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) ensures that students are able to complete their academic program in a timely manner while achieving minimum academic standards.

Federal regulations (CFR 668.32(f) and 668.34) mandate that all students be required to maintain SAP while pursuing a degree in order to receive financial assistance through the Title IV Federal Financial Aid Program. This program includes but is not limited to the PELL Grant, Stafford Loan, Perkins Loan, Parent PLUS Loan, Federal Work Study, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, TEACH Grant and need based state aid such as the Tennessee Student Assistance Award. Students must meet standards as outlined in the SAP policy. These standards are for financial aid purposes only and neither replace nor override academic policies outlined by Maryville College. Federal regulations state that Satisfactory Academic Progress standards must include a review at all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not aid was received. Students will be evaluated using the standards described below. Failure to meet any of these minimum standards will result in loss of Title IV, HEA program (federal financial aid) eligibility.

Evaluation Period

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be evaluated at the end of each semester; fall, spring and summer.

Components of Satisfactory Academic Progress

There are three components of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) consisting of qualitative and quantitative measurements. The qualitative measurement evaluates the quality (GPA and Academic Standing) of the student’s academic work. Quantitative measurements evaluate the pace and progress by which a student is working toward the completion of their program. This is measured by establishing a required percentage of attempted credit hours that must be passed and a maximum timeframe in which a student must complete all required course work for their degree. Failure to meet any of these standards will result in suspension of eligibility for financial aid.

Qualitative Requirements:

Note: Grades of F, I, U, W, WP, WF are considered attempted but not meeting progress standards for the purposes of financial aid and are counted for SAP. Students must meet the following credit hour/cumulative grade point average CGPA.

 Credit Hours AttemptedAcademic & Financial Aid Suspension
 0-30 1.00
 31-60 1.60
 61-90 1.92
91-1202.00

 

Quantitative Requirements:

Pace

Students must be on target to complete their academic program within the set time frame. To determine if a student is meeting this standard, total cumulative earned hours are compared to total cumulative attempted hours. This is calculated by dividing the total cumulative earned hours by the total cumulative attempted hours. The result must be greater than 66.66% to stay on Pace towards a degree. In other words a student must complete and pass two-thirds of all their total cumulative hours attempted.

Examples:

 Cumulative Earned HoursCumulative Attempted HoursSAP CalculationSAP Evaluation
14 3014/30=46.67%Does Not meet SAP
 627562/75=82.67%Does meet SAP
 599459/94=62.77%Does Not meet SAP

 

Maximum Time Frame

All students are expected to finish their degree within the maximum time frame as determined by the college. All attempted credit hours are considered toward the maximum time allowance, regardless of whether or not the student received financial aid.

Example:

A student’s total cumulative attempted hours may not exceed 180 hours. This is based on 120 hours required for a degree. (150% of the typical Maryville College Bachelor’s Degree Program or 120 hours * 150% = 180) Maximum hours for degrees that require more than 120 hours would be calculated the same way.

Evaluation and Notification

The Financial Aid Office will monitor Qualitative, Quantitative (pace) and Maximum Time Frame requirements after the end of each term and determine a student’s status. If SAP is not being met, the following process will be taken. All notifications will be sent to the student’s Maryville College email address and the student’s permanent address as noted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Financial Aid Warning – Students who fail to meet SAP for the first time (excluding students that have attempted 150% of the credits required for their degree) will be placed in a Warning Status for one term and are expected to meet SAP requirements by the end of the following term of enrollment. Students who fail to meet SAP requirements at the end of the Warning Status will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students may appeal this suspension to the Maryville College Appeals Committee and, if their appeal is approved, will be placed on strict financial aid probation that will include an academic plan. They will retain financial aid eligibility as long as they continue to follow and meet the terms of their academic plan.

Financial Aid Suspension – Students who do not meet the terms of their academic plan, the cumulative grade point average standard, and/or Pace will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension. Students on Financial Aid Suspension are not eligible to receive any Title IV Aid as outlined above and all aid will be cancelled for future semesters until the student has regained SAP. Students allowed to re-enroll while on Financial Aid Suspension can apply for an alternative or private loan or pay out of pocket.

Financial Aid Probation (appeal approved) – Students who have successfully appealed their financial aid suspension are place on Financial Aid Probation. Students on Financial Aid Probation are eligible to receive financial aid for one semester, after which they must meet SAP or meet the requirements outlined in their academic plan that was approved by the Maryville College Appeals Committee.

Appeal Process

Federal regulations allow for certain cases in which the school may waive the standards for satisfactory academic progress. Specifically, if a student fails to be in compliance with one or more of the satisfactory academic progress components due to events beyond the student’s control, such as extended illness, serious illness or death in the immediate family, or other significant trauma, and if such mitigating circumstances can be appropriately documented for the specific term(s) in which the deficiency occurred. Appeals must be made in writing to the Maryville College Financial Aid Office and the student should include appropriate supporting documentation. The appeal should be well presented with attention to spelling and grammar, and it should outline the extenuating circumstances that contributed to the student’s inability to meet SAP standards and what has changed that will allow the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation. A student whose appeal is approved will be required to follow an Academic Plan developed by the Maryville College Financial Aid Office. Failure to successfully complete all conditions during the probationary period (as defined in the academic plan) will result in loss of financial aid eligibility.

Appeal Deadline for Submission

The student will receive a letter (permanent address indicated on FAFSA) and an email (Maryville College email address) regarding failure to meet the standards of Title IV Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. This letter will inform the student of the deadline date for submitting an appeal. The appeal must be submitted on or before the deadline date as stated in the letter. The student should pay close attention to the deadline for submission of their appeal.