SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP)
Federal regulations require all financial aid recipients to maintain satisfactory academic progress in a course of study leading toward a degree or certificate. Failure to meet one or more of the established standards of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will make a student ineligible for financial aid, however, students may file an appeal.
Financial Aid SAP status includes all previous academic history, even if the student did not receive financial aid. Statuses are updated at the end of each semester, including summer. It is the student's responsibility to monitor academic progress. Although the Financial Aid Office attempts to send students correspondence informing them of their status, students who do not meet the standards will be ineligible for financial aid even if they do not receive correspondence.
Students can monitor their financial aid SAP status on Campus Connect or get more information about each SAP status.
NOTE: Financial Aid SAP standards are not the same as Ivy Tech's Academic Standards of Progress criteria. The academic standards do not monitor completion rate or maximum timeframe.
SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS FOR FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY:
Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement
After attempting 15 or more credit hours, students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA on all hours attempted at Ivy Tech. This calculation excludes academic skills advancement (ASA) and transfer coursework because Ivy Tech does not assign a GPA to these course types.
Completion Rate Requirement
Students are required to complete 67% of cumulative credit hours attempted. All for-credit courses taken at Ivy Tech, transfer hours from other institutions and verified competency credit are included in this calculation. Withdrawals and repeated courses will be counted toward all hours attempted. When courses are repeated, only the earned credit hours associated with the higher grade will be counted in the completion rate calculation. If both grades are equal, only the earned hours from the earlier course will be included in the completion rate calculation.
| Total Hours Attempted | Required Hours Earned |
| 36 | 24 |
| 24 | 16 |
| 12 | 8 |
| 9 | 6 |
| 6 | 4 |
Maximum Time Frame
Federal regulations require students receiving financial aid to complete their program of study within a reasonable time frame. The maximum time frame is 150% of the published length of the academic program or certificate (to include all transfer credit hours). Up to 30 credit hours of developmental coursework will be excluded from the maximum time frame calculation. Attempted hours associated with repeated coursework will be included in this calculation.
Example: Associate of Applied Science Degree in Office Administration = 61 hours x 150% = 91.5 hours. Students would be required to complete this program within 91.5 attempted credit hours.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If at any time it is determined to be mathematically impossible for the student to complete their program within the maximum time frame, the student will be terminated from financial aid.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT MEETING FINANCIAL AID SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP):
Failure to meet one or more of the established financial aid standards of satisfactory academic progress will make a student ineligible for financial aid. Students who have their financial aid revoked due to the failure to meet the SAP standards will remain ineligible until such time that they are able to meet the cumulative financial aid SAP standards. Those students will be responsible for payment of their own tuition and fees.
- Financial Aid Warning: The first time that a student fails to meet the SAP standards of a cumulative 2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate, he or she will be placed on financial aid warning status. Statuses include: Warning-GPA, Warning-Completion Rate, or Warning-GPA and Completion Rate
- Financial Aid Termination: If, after being placed on financial aid warning status, a student fails to meet the SAP standards of a cumulative 2.0 GPA and 67% completion rate, he or she will be placed on Financial Aid Termination and will immediately lose financial aid eligibility. Statuses include: Terminated-GPA, Terminated-Completion Rate, or Terminated-GPA and Completion Rate
- Maximum Time Frame Termination: After a student has attempted 100% of the Maximum Time Frame (MTF), he or she may receive a warning alert. [If the student is failing to meet other components of the SAP policy, those statuses take priority over MTF and the student may not receive a specific MTF warning.] If a student fails to meet the MTF standards, he or she will be placed on Maximum Time Frame Termination and will immediately lose financial aid eligibility. Statuses include: Warning-Maximum Time Frame, or Terminated-Maximum Time Frame
Reinstatement of Eligibility
Financial aid eligibility can be reinstated after a student meets the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards as listed above: both a cumulative 2.0 grade point average and overall 67% completion rate. Students who regain eligibility by completing required coursework must notify the Financial Aid Office in order to have their progress reevaluated.
GPA and Completion Rate Appeal Options
Students terminated due to failure to meet one or more of the established financial aid standards of satisfactory academic progress may be able to submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances that contributed to their failure to meet the expected financial aid standards. The appeal form is available on our Forms page. By signing the appeal form, the student agrees to complete 100% of enrolled courses with grades of C or better and to meet the requirements outlined in an approved academic plan submitted with the appeal. Contact the financial aid office for more information about financial aid appeal options. The financial aid office will notify the student of the appeal decision.
Maximum Time Frame Appeal Process
Students terminated for maximum time frame issues may be able to submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances that contributed to their failure to meet the expected financial aid standards. By signing the appeal form, the student agrees to complete 100% of enrolled courses with grades of C or better and to meet the requirements outlined in an approved academic plan submitted with the appeal. Contact the financial aid office for more information about financial aid appeal options. The financial aid office will notify the student of the appeal decision.
Course Types and Grades: Effects on Financial Aid Eligibility
Financial aid will not be provided for certain courses. Please be aware of the following stipulations:
- Academic Skills Advancement (ASA) courses: courses and other services to help students develop and refine basic academic skills such as reading, writing, communication, mathematics and problem solving.
- Financial aid is not available for courses taken by audit, credit hours earned by placement tests, credit hours earned by verified competency, non-credit courses and Continuing Education (CE) courses.
- Grades of A, SA, B, SB, C, SC, D, SD and S will be considered hours completed.
- Grades of I, IP, NG, W, F, SF, FW, SFW, U and will be considered hours attempted but not completed.
- Grades of A, B, C, D, S, F, and FW will be counted in the GPA. Withdrawals and repeated courses will be counted toward all hours attempted. When courses are repeated, only the earned credit hours associated with the higher grade will be counted in the completion rate calculation. If both grades are equal, only the earned hours from the earlier course will be included in the completion rate calculation.
- Excluded courses will be counted toward all hours attempted but will not count in all hours completed.
- Financial aid is, by regulation, limited to funding a maximum of 30 credit hours of developmental coursework. While English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are considered developmental, they are excluded from the 30 credit hour federal limit.
Click here to download a printable version of the SAP Policy. If you have any questions, please contact your local financial aid office.
Course Retakes: Once a course has been passed (D or higher), it can be repeated only once for financial aid purposes. If a course is repeated more than once after a student earns a passing grade, it is not counted in the hours for financial aid enrollment. Example: you earn a D in a 3-hour course, repeat it and get a D again. Even if your program requires a higher grade, the federal definition of passing is a D and you have repeated the course after earning a passing grade. If you repeat the course again, it is not included in your "financial aid hours"; if you are taking 12 hours including this course, your aid would be based on 9 hours of eligible courses.
Federal Return of Funds
Federal financial aid recipients who withdraw or stop attending all classes before the 60 percent point in the term will owe money back to the federal government and/or Ivy Tech. More information on Federal Return of Funds
Disbursement Procedures
If you are eligible for financial aid in excess of tuition, you may be eligible for bookstore credit for necessary books and supplies. Excess grant aid should be disbursed to you after the end of the refund period. Contact the financial aid office if you have questions about disbursement procedures for work or loan aid. If you receive federal financial aid, and you withdraw or stop attending all of your classes during a term, you may owe money back to the federal government.
