Submitting an Appeal
Appeal Review Dates

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Click here to view the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy Effective Prior to Fall 2011.

New Policy Effective Beginning Fall 2011:

All students enrolled at ASU must meet the following Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. All students’ academic progress will be reviewed at the conclusion of each semester, and/or during the application process. In reviewing academic progress, the Financial Aid Office, will review GPA, percentage of completion, and enrollment status. Transfer work will be evaluated in the same manner as credit hours received at ASU.

1. 1. Students must be admitted and enrolled in a degree or certificate granting program to be eligible for Federal Financial Aid. Students enrolled in a four-year baccalaureate program will be allowed the equivalent of twelve full-time semesters to complete a degree. Students enrolled in a two-year associate program will be allowed the equivalent of six full-time semesters to complete the degree or certificate. Students enrolled in a certificate granting program will be allowed the equivalent of three full-time semesters to complete the certificate. Summer enrollment will be evaluated as one semester. Students pursuing a degree that requires admission to a program must be admitted to the program by the end of the student's eighth full-time semester.
2. 2. Full-time students must successfully complete, at a minimum, the cumulative hours of credit indicated in the SP Chart below on an annual basis. Adjustments are made appropriately for part-time students. Allowances will be made on an individual basis for semesters involving remedial courses. As a minimum, all students must complete 67% of their attempted coursework each semester and maintain a 2.00 grade point average (GPA). Developmental coursework is considered in this evaluation.

SP CHART
Semester	Cumulative Earned Hours
1	10
2	20
3	30
4	41
5	51
6	62
7	72
8	83
9	93
10	104
11	114
12	125

3. 3. Withdrawal from the university, dropping below half-time, and/or receiving a 0.00 G.P.A. for a semester is viewed as unsatisfactory progress and is a direct violation of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid. Any student that withdraws, or receives a 0.00 GPA, will automatically be placed on Financial Aid Suspension.
4. All students must maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. If a student does not receive a 2.0 GPA for the semester, or if they do not pass or complete the required percentage of attempted hours for the semester, they will be placed on a Financial Aid Warning for one semester. Please note: Students placed on Financial Aid Warning must complete and pass all hours they register for, with a minimum GPA of 2.0. Receiving any grade less than a D, or a W, WN, FN, or I, or a GPA less than 2.0 will result in the loss of financial aid.
5. If at any point it is clear that a student will not be able to graduate in twelve semesters, the student becomes ineligible for federal aid. Students may not exceed 150% of the published length of their academic program.
6. Students repeating courses must contact the Registrar’s Office to have their academic transcript recalculated. Only one repeat per course will be eligible for financial aid.
7. Incomplete course work will be evaluated as failing grades until the course has been satisfactorily completed or an explanation accepted by the Financial Aid Committee. Incomplete coursework must be completed by the end of the next semester.
8. Graduate students must be accepted into the Graduate School as well a degree seeking program. They must be enrolled in at least 4.5 graduate credit hours during the fall and spring semester or three credit hours during the summer semester. Graduate students are considered eligible for financial aid as long as they are meeting the academic requirements set forth by the Graduate School to complete their degree. In addition, they must complete at least 67% of their coursework with at least a 2.00 GPA.
9. Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree or certification must submit a Degree Completion Plan approved by their academic advisor indicating the required courses and time frame needed to complete the degree. Students who have taken more than twelve semesters for undergraduate degree and six for associate’s degree may be denied aid based on the number of semesters and hours attempted. Students may be allowed to attempt one additional degree, if the program is defined as a high need area, or if they are able to complete the program within the 12 semester or 150% limits.
10. When a student, who has been placed on Financial Aid Suspension, completes the required coursework to bring them back into compliance, it is the student's responsibility to notify the financial aid office via appeal. This coursework must be completed at the student's expense.

Submitting an Appeal

• Students may appeal to have their eligibility restored if there are extenuating circumstances related to their academic progress. They must include a letter explaining why they failed to make academic progress, as well as an explanation of what has changed in their circumstances that will allow them to make Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the semester. In addition, an Academic Plan must be included, stating what specific steps the student will take to get back in line with ASU’s Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Financial Aid.
• Students who have attempted 60 hours or more, and less than a cumulative 2.0 GPA are not eligible for an appeal.
• Extenuating circumstances are typically identified as situations beyond the student's control that do not allow them to successfully complete the semester; such situations may include unplanned medical conditions, victim of a severe crime, or a participant in a vehicle accident.
• Although these situations do not ensure that your appeal will be approved they are merely examples of situations that have been reviewed in the past and might be considered extenuating. Please click here to download an appeal form. The appeal form must be completed with the student’s name, signature, and ASU ID number.
• Any necessary documentation that can validate the student’s situation should be turned in with the appeal. Such documentation may include medical records, police records, court records, or letters from your doctor. The committee will review your appeal only once before the semester starts, therefore all information related to your appeal should be submitted to the committee.
• Any necessary documentation that can validate the student’s situation should be turned in with the appeal form. The committee will review your appeal only once before the start of the semester, therefore all information related to your appeal should be submitted to the committee.
• Students who are eligible for an appeal that have 60 attempted hours or above are required to submit a signed Degree Completion Plan. Appeals submitted without a signed Degree Completion Plan will not be reviewed. Any deviation from the Degree Completion Plan submitted, may result in loss of financial aid eligibility.
• Submit your appeal with all documentation to the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office which is located in the Student Union, room 2078.
• Appeal meeting dates will be posted on the Financial Aid website. The Wednesday before the start of the semester including summer semesters, will be the last appeal meeting. Appeals must be submitted by the deadline posted on the Financial Aid website. The committee will review appeals beginning in June and will post additional appeal meeting dates on the Financial Aid website. Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to submit an appeal after a semester has started.
• Incomplete appeals will not be reviewed.
• The committee will notify the student of its decision by replying to the student’s university assigned email address. Neither the committee nor the financial aid staff will give appeal results over the phone.

  ALL DECISIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ARE FINAL

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Review Dates

• All appeals will be reviewed before each semester begins.
• Under no circumstances will an appeal be heard after a semester starts.
• Dates for the committee meetings will be posted on the website after each semester ends.
• The Wednesday before a semester begins will be the last committee meeting until the end of the semester.

Checking the Status of an Appeal

The committee will review appeals during regular scheduled meetings before each semester. The committee will notify you of its decision through your Astate e-mail address. Results of the committee meeting will not be given out over the phone.

Scholarship Appeals

Please note that the above appeal process is for Financial Aid only. Students appealing the loss of a scholarship due to extenuating circumstances should contact the Scholarship Coordinator at dbolar@astate.edu for additional information

 

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