Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility

Downers Grove, IL Campus

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 less than full-time 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. The student must meet the cumulative grade point average (GPA) as outlined by their program annually. For programs less than one year in length, the student must maintain the required cumulative GPA each quarter.
4. Students must progress through their program of study to ensure completion within the maximum timeframe permitted. The completion ratio (pace) is calculated by determining the cumulative number of credit hours the student has successfully completed divided by the number of cumulative credit hours attempted by the student. Students must earn 67% of their cumulative credits attempted.
5. 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.
6. Students in programs longer than one year who are not making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) will be placed on financial aid suspension and will lose their financial aid eligibility.  Students can appeal the financial aid suspension 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 approved academic plan. Both the SFS appeal form and approved academic plan must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services and forwarded to the Financial Aid Committee for consideration.  If the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on financial aid probation and be eligible for Title IV financial aid until the next SAP review which, according to the student's Academic Plan, has been achieved.  If the appeal is denied, the student will be ineligible for Title IV financial aid until SAP has been achieved.
   
   Students in one-year (Biomedical) programs that are not making satisfactory academic progress (SAP) will be put on financial aid warning. They will remain eligible for financial aid while on financial aid warning, but must achieve SAP by the end of the quarter or they will be put on suspension and lose financial aid eligibility.  Students can regain eligibility by appealing the financial aid suspension 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 approved Academic Plan. Both the SFS Appeal Form and approved Academic Plan must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Services and forwarded to the Financial Aid Committee for consideration. If the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on financial aid probation and remain eligible for Title IV aid for one quarter. SAP must be achieved at the end of the quarter while on probation in order to continue receiving financial aid. If the appeal is denied, the student will be ineligible for Title IV financial aid for the next quarter or until SAP has been achieved.
7. 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.
8. 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 has been attained. If a student achieves satisfactory academic progress in the academic year during which he/she is on financial aid probation is removed from academic probation, the student will be removed from financial aid probation. Financial aid eligibility will not be retroactive. 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.
9. Students who are denied financial assistance on the basis of unsatisfactory academic progress may regain financial aid eligibility by satisfactorily completing, at 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.
10. 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.
11. 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 #6).
12. 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, etc. (See Procedure #9).

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 suspension, and inform him/her of the right to appeal. A copy of the written notice will also be sent to the College Dean, 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. A copy of the written notice will also be sent to the College Dean, to the Program Director, if applicable, and to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee.
4. For students enrolled in the Biomedical Sciences (M.A.) program, 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 warning for the next academic quarter. The letter will outline for the student the ramifications of being placed on financial aid warning, 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. Following the end of the next quarter, the Office of Student Financial Services will also send a written notice to students who are entering a second sequential quarter 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.
5. 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 College Dean 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.
6. A student on financial aid probation or financial aid suspension may appeal the decision to the chair of the Financial Aid Committee. The appeal must include:
   • Reasons why the minimum academic standards of progress were not met;
   • Reasons why his/her aid eligibility should not be terminated or should be reinstated; and
   • 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.
7. 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 College 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 College Dean. A student may appeal to the College Dean based upon the following:
   • New information;
   • Bias on the part of a committee member; or
   • Procedural error.
   It is the student's responsibility to provide appropriate documentation to support his or her appeal.
8. Students are limited to a maximum of two (2) appeals of their financial aid status during the course of their stay at MWU.
9. 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 College Dean. Appeals must include:
   • reasons why the standards of program completion per academic year and/or maximum timeframe completion cannot be met;
   • reasons why he/she should be granted a timeframe extension;
   • 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 College Dean will review the appeal and render a decision within two (2) weeks of the receipt of the written appeal.
10. In the event that the College 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.