Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards
Eligibility for Financial Aid
To maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must make academic progress towards their degree. Once the requirements have been met for the student’s degree, that student will lose eligibility for further funds, even if they choose to stay in school for additional semesters and not graduate.
Our office will measure your academic progress annually after the spring semester grades have been posted or after every payment period if a is enrolled in programs lasting one year or less as mandated in Federal Regulation HEA 484(c). Failure to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards (for all terms enrolled, not just those terms that aid was received) may result in loss of financial aid eligibility.
Standards
All three of the following Satisfactory Academic Progress standards must be met:
1) Qualitative Component – Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
Undergraduate students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Texas Grant and Be On Time recipients must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA. Graduate students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA while medical and dental students should maintain a GPA of at least 2.0. Physician Assistant Students must maintain a 2.75 GPA.
2) Quantitative Component – Minimum Completion Rate for Attempted Credit Hours
A student must earn credit for at least 75% of all semester credit hours attempted (total earned hours divided by total attempted hours). Transferred hours that count toward an undergraduate bachelor’s degree at UT Health San Antonio are included in the completion rate calculation. Medical and Dental students must successfully advance each year to the next level of instruction. A student who is not progressing toward graduation will not receive financial aid regardless of his/her GPA.
3) Quantitative Component – Degree Completion within 150% of the published length of the program
Undergraduate and graduate students must earn their degree within 150% of the number of hours that are required to earn the degree as published in the university catalog. A student becomes ineligible for federal or state financial aid at the point at which it becomes mathematically impossible for them to complete their program within 150% of the published length.
- A student pursuing a double major or degree must earn his/her first bachelor’s or graduate degree within the 150 percent maximum time frame standard.
- Transfer credit hours posted to the official transcript record and all courses removed through the Academic Fresh Start process will be counted as attempted credit hours, whether or not they are applicable to the student’s current degree.
- Medical and Dental students must complete their program within 6 years of their start date.
Repeated Course Work
The regulatory definition for full-time enrollment status (for undergraduates) has been revised to allow a term-based student to retake (one time only per previously passed course), any previously passed course. For this purpose, passed means any grade higher than an “F,” regardless of any school or program policy requiring a higher qualitative grade or measure to have been considered to have passed the course. This retaken class may be counted towards a student’s enrollment status and the student may be awarded Title IV aid for the enrollment status based on inclusion of the class.
Financial Aid Suspension/Requirements to Regain Eligibility
A student who fails to maintain the quantitative and/or qualitative standards will lose his/her eligibility for student financial aid and will be placed on financial aid suspension. This suspension will continue until you complete at least 6 hours in your major with a 2.5 semester GPA or better for undergraduates and a 3.5 semester GPA for graduates (if more hours are taken, all credit hours must be completed with a passing grade) over a long semester. Once these conditions are met, you need to notify our office in writing to have your eligibility reviewed.
Professional students, Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Dental Surgery, returning from Leave of Absence or Withdrawal will be required to follow the SAP Appeal Process as outlined below.
Aid cannot be processed for dismissed students.
Students have the right to appeal the suspension as outlined below. If an appeal is approved a SAP agreement will be entered into to regain eligibility.
SAP Appeal Process
Students may appeal the denial of State and/or Federal Title IV student financial aid due to not meeting SAP requirements. Successful appeals must show that special circumstances (i.e. illness, family emergency) contributed to not meeting SAP requirements and include:
- A detailed explanation of their special circumstances.
- Any and all supporting documents associated with the appeal (i.e., medical documentation, death notice of family member, etc.).
- A letter from their academic department delineating the student’s academic standing and confirming that the student can meet the minimum SAP requirements upon graduation.
To submit an Appeal: print and complete the SAP Appeal Checklist, collect the items indicated, and submit them to one of our Financial Aid Officers. Appeals are submitted to VSFA and will be reviewed by an appeals committee. Students will be notified by email of the outcome when the review is complete. If approved, financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for the academic period specified by the reviewer but typically no more than one academic unit of time as defined by the grading cycle. Failure to meet the agreed upon goals will result in termination of eligibility until you have successfully regained eligibility by meeting SAP standards.
The number of times you may file an appeal is limited to three over your academic career. If you are unable to appeal your suspension for one of the 3 reasons allowed by Federal Regulations, your aid will remain suspended until you complete the requirements to regain eligibility. If your appeal is denied you will be notified by email and any aid already awarded will be cancelled.
If your appeal is approved you will be notified through your email of any additional outstanding document requirement. Federal regulations allow the Financial Aid Office to require students to fulfill specific terms and conditions, such as taking a reduced course load or enrolling in specific courses. You will be required to agree and sign a Financial Aid Probation form before your aid can be processed any further.
A STUDENT WHO WITHDRAWS DURING THE FIRST 60% OF THE SEMESTER MAY OWE GRANT AND/OR LOAN FUNDS BACK TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AFTER THE RETURN TO TITLE IV REFUND CALCULATION HAS BEEN PERFORMED. THERE IS NO EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE AND YOU CANNOT APPEAL THIS DECISION TO UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO.