Financial Aid: Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility

As required by Federal law, reasonable standards of satisfactory academic progress for maintaining financial aid eligibility have been established by MWU for all degree-granting programs. These standards apply to all students. The policy/procedure for “Assessing Financial Aid Status” is as follows:

Purpose

To establish, publish, and apply reasonable standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility as required by federal law for all students including those applying for or currently receiving federal, state, or institutional assistance and veterans’ educational benefits administered by MWU.

Policy

1.  All full-time students must complete their academic program in the maximum time frame allowed for their specific program and must maintain academic standards as specified by their program in order to be considered progressing satisfactorily toward their degree (refer to the charts that follow and the detailed descriptions under each college). Students enrolled on less than a full-time basis will have their standard time frames for program completion prorated, and expected program completion per academic year (% of coursework completed in terms of credit hours or contact hours per quarter) prorated.

2.  All students are required to accumulate credits toward graduation and are expected to successfully complete a minimum percentage of their academic program each year as specified by their academic program (refer to the charts that follow), not including those courses in which grades of incomplete were received, course withdrawal occurred, or remedial coursework was performed. Audited courses are also not included. All periods of enrollment will be included regardless of whether or not a student receives financial aid.

3.  Students are governed by the performance standards of the department in which they are enrolled.  To meet the qualitative requirement, the student must meet the cumulative grade point average (GPA) as outlined by their program annually.  For the programs less than one year, the student must maintain the required cumulative GPA each quarter.

4.  The Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) evaluation period for graduate/professional students (except for one-year BMS students) occurs once a year at the conclusion of the spring quarter.  For the programs of less than one year, the evaluation period occurs each quarter.

5.  If a student is not making satisfactory academic progress, he or she will be placed on financial aid probation and lose their financial aid eligibility.  Students can appeal the financial aid probation decision under special circumstances for reconsideration of his or her eligibility for Title IV aid.  Students must complete the SFS appeal form and work with their academic department to come up with an academic plan.  Both the appeal form and academic plan must be forwarded to the Financial Aid Committee for consideration.  If the appeal is granted, the student will be eligible for Title IV aid during the next academic year.  If the appeal is denied, the student will be ineligible for Title IV aid during the next academic year.

6.  Students will be required to follow the academic plan as determined by their department in order to meet satisfactory progress at the next evaluation period.

7.  If a student's academic progress remains unsatisfactory after the completion of the academic year in which he/she is on financial aid probation, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension and no financial aid funds will be awarded until satisfactory academic progress, as determined by the student's program, has been attained.  If a student achieves satisfactory academic progress in the academic year during which he/she is on financial aid probation, and is removed from academic probation, the student will be removed from financial aid probation.  Financial aid eligibility will not be retroactive (backdated to the beginning of the academic year).  Eligibility will resume and commence only for the subsequent quarter(s) in which satisfactory academic progress was attained.  The financial aid probationary period will remain on the student's record.

8.  Students who are denied financial assistance on the basis of unsatisfactory academic progress may regain financial aid eligibility by satisfactory completing, as their own expense, those courses required to attain the minimum academic standards specified by their program.  This statement does not imply that continuation in any academic program is the prerogative of the student.

9.  A student will be allowed a maximum of two nonconsecutive financial aid probationary periods while enrolled at MWU. A student who does not attain satisfactory academic progress at the conclusion of his/her second nonconsecutive period of financial aid probation will be placed on financial aid suspension permanently and will not regain financial aid eligibility for the remainder of his/her enrollment period at MWU. Permanent suspension can be waived at the discretion of the dean of the respective college.

10. A student placed on financial aid probation or financial aid suspension may appeal a decision by the Director of Student Financial Services to discontinue his/her financial aid (See Procedure, #5).

11. Satisfactory academic progress standards may be appealed if a student has personal mitigating circumstances that will not allow him/her to maintain a full-time academic load. An appeal will be considered if these personal mitigating circumstances will not allow the student to meet the expected program completion per academic year or the maximum timeframe for program completion. Examples of personal mitigating circumstances may include: personal injury or illness, family difficulties, interpersonal problems, difficulty balancing responsibilities, etc. 

Procedure

1.  The Office of Student Financial Services will be responsible for assessing the financial aid eligibility status of all students by monitoring their academic progress through documentation received from the deans’ offices and the Office of the Registrar.

2.  Following the end of each academic year, the Office of Student Financial Services will send a written notice to students who are not maintaining academic standards as specified by their program and who have been placed on academic probation, informing the student that they are on financial aid probation for the upcoming academic year. The letter will outline for the student the ramifications of being placed on financial aid probation, and inform him/her of the right to appeal. A copy of the written notice will also be sent to the Dean of the college in which the student is enrolled, to the program director, if applicable, and to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee.

3.  Following the end of each academic year, the Office of Student Financial Services will also send a written notice to students who are entering a second sequential year of academic probation, or who have unsatisfactorily completed a second, non-consecutive year of academic probation, informing the student that he/she is on financial aid suspension, effective immediately. The letter will outline for the student the ramifications of being placed on financial aid suspension, and inform him/her of the right of appeal. A copy of the written notice will also be sent to the Dean of the college in which the student is enrolled, to the program director, if applicable, and to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee.

4.  If a student is placed on financial aid suspension due to not meeting standards of satisfactory academic progress, the Office of Student Financial Services will reinstate his/her financial aid eligibility upon receipt of written confirmation from the dean of the respective college that standards of satisfactory academic progress have been met. The Office of Student Financial Services will provide written notification to the student of his/her compliance with standards of satisfactory academic progress, cancellation of his/her suspension and reinstatement of aid. This notification will also be provided to the College Dean in which the student is enrolled, to the Program Director, if applicable, and to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee. Financial aid eligibility will not be reinstated for preceding quarters during the academic year in which the student did not meet standards of satisfactory academic progress.

5.  A student on financial aid probation or financial aid suspension may appeal the decision of the Director of Student Financial Services by so indicating in writing to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee. The appeal must include:

a.  Reasons why the minimum academic standards of progress were not met;

b.  Reasons why his/her aid eligibility should not be terminated or should be reinstated; and

c.  A plan that demonstrates a means to bring his/her academic progress up to satisfactory standards within a period of one academic year.

     It is the student’s responsibility to provide appropriate documentation to support his or her appeal. This written appeal must be submitted to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee within seven (7) working days after receipt of notification of financial aid probation or suspension.

6.  The Chair of the Financial Aid Committee and the committee members will review the appeal. Appeals that do not have the required documentation will be returned to the student for completion prior to review by the committee. The student will be permitted to present his/her appeal to the Financial Aid Committee in person upon written request to the Chair of the Financial Aid Committee. The Financial Aid Committee will vote and render a decision regarding the appeal. The chair of the Financial Aid Committee will send written notification of the decision to the student, the academic dean, and the program director within two (2) weeks of the receipt of the written appeal. In the event that the Financial Aid Committee denies the appeal, the student may then appeal to the Dean of their respective college. A student may appeal to the Dean based upon the following:

a.  New information;

b.  Bias on the part of a committee member; or

c.  Procedural error.

     It is the student’s responsibility to provide appropriate documentation to support his or her appeal.

7.  Students are limited to a maximum of two (2) appeals of their financial aid status during the course of their stay at MWU.

8.  A student may appeal standards of satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility as required by Federal law based on personal mitigating circumstances. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Dean of his/her college. Appeals must include:

a.  reasons why the standards of program completion per academic year and/or maximum timeframe completion cannot be met;

b.  reasons why he/she should be granted a timeframe extension;

c.  reasons why his/her aid eligibility should not be terminated.

     It is the student's responsibility to provide appropriate documentation of the mitigating circumstances to support his/her appeal. The Dean will review the appeal and render a decision within two (2) weeks of the receipt of the written appeal.

9.  In the event that the Dean denies the appeal, the student may then appeal to the President. A student may appeal to the President based upon the following: (a) new information, (b) bias on the part of the dean, or (c) procedural error.