Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility
Graduate students are subject to satisfactory academic progress policies as required by federal regulation and defined by The University of Findlay. Please be aware that a student’s federal loan eligibility is contingent on his/her maintaining satisfactory academic progress.
Students must meet three standards to maintain eligibility for institutional and Federal Title IV financial aid. All three standards are reviewed at the end of each enrollment period (semester and/or trimester).
Qualitative Standard (GPA):
A student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
Quantitative Standard (Completion Percentage):
A student must successfully complete a minimum of 67 percent of his/her attempted hours to maintain progress. Attempted hours will include those for which a student registered and began enrollment but dropped after the beginning of the enrollment period.
Longevity Standard (Maximum Timeframe for Degree Completion):
A student must complete the degree within 150 percent of the published length of the program. For example, if the program requires 36 credit hours, the student must complete the program within 54 hours attempted.
Failure to meet any one of these standards may result in the student being placed on financial aid warning or financial aid suspension.
Financial Aid Warning:
A student will be placed on financial aid warning when any of one his/her qualitative and/or quantitative elements fall below the standards of satisfactory academic progress. The student will be notified via e-mail through his/her University e-mail account, as well as through a formal, written communication, sent to the student’s home address. Financial aid warning is just that, a warning, notifying the student that his/her grades and/or completion percentage are below University standards, and the student must improve in order to continue at the University. It is strongly suggested that a student who registers for courses during a period of warning receive academic assistance from the Academic Support Center and/or the Oiler Success Center.
Financial aid warning may also be assigned to a student who, although meets the cumulative qualitative and/or quantitative elements of satisfactory academic progress, may have had an individual term where his/her grade point average is below a 1.0, and/or his/her completion percentage falls below 50 percent.
Students who are placed on financial aid warning are still eligible for institutional, State of Ohio and Federal Title IV financial aid. However, any aid awards within the University’s student information system for the term immediately following the financial aid warning term will be placed on “hold” status, as the Office of Financial Aid will have to determine eligibility before aid for any future term can be disbursed.
It is possible for a student to have more than one financial aid warning period during his/her academic career if he/she moves above the standards of satisfactory academic progress threshold, and again falls below the standards in a subsequent enrollment period. If this happens, the student is again subject to all of the financial aid warning requirements set forth by the University.
Financial Aid Suspension:
A student who falls in the academic warning status for the previous semester and whose cumulative grade point average and/or completion percentage is still below the requisite level for his/her classification will be subject to financial aid suspension. A student who falls under financial aid suspension will not be eligible for State of Ohio and Federal Title IV financial aid as long as he/she is on financial aid suspension. The student will be notified of his/her financial aid suspension via e-mail through his/her University e-mail account, as well as through a formal, written communication, sent to the student’s home address.
Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility:
Financial aid eligibility may only be regained by appealing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.
All students subject to financial aid suspension have the right to appeal to regain eligibility. In order to appeal a financial aid suspension, a student must submit a letter stating why he/she failed to meet satisfactory academic progress and what he/she will do to improve his/her academic standing. Students may also be required to meet with their academic adviser and create an academic plan, mapping out specific courses and semester grade point average goals to ensure success, if he/she will not be able to correct his/her academic standing within one term. If approved, the Financial Aid Appeals Committee will communicate to the student the terms of his/her continued attendance at the University. This may include, but is not exclusive to, the following:
- Have mandatory follow-up sessions with their academic adviser to help ensure progress on the academic plan.
- Mandatory participation in support services at the Academic Support Center and/or Oiler Success Center, if applicable.
If the student fails to meet the terms of the appeal in any way (deviation from academic plan in terms of number of credit hours taken or specific courses, grade point average or completion percent not at the contracted level, etc.), the student will again be placed on financial aid suspension, and must submit an additional appeal before he/she will be considered for federal and state aid. The student is limited to three appeals over his/her academic career. After the third appeal, the committee will not consider any future appeals.
Questions about the loan process or other facets of the financial aid process may be directed to the Office of Financial Aid at 419-434-4791 or finaid@findlay.edu.