Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to denote a student's successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Federal regulations require the OSFA to monitor the progress of each student toward certificate/degree completion. Students who fall behind in their coursework or fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average and completion of classes, may lose their eligibility for all types of federal and state aid, and university aid administered by the OSFA.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress in 1986, mandates institutions of higher education to establish minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for students receiving financial aid. To receive financial aid at Pittsburg State University, a student must:

1. be enrolled in at least six credit hours
2. be in good academic standing
3. make satisfactory progress     

If you received federal student aid for the first time on or after July 1, 1987, and you're enrolled in a program that is longer than two years, you must have a "C" average by the end of your second academic year of study (60 credit hours attempted). At Pittsburg State University, financial aid includes the following programs:

1. Pell Grant
2. Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
3. Kansas Comprehensive Grant
4. Perkins Loan
5. College Work-Study
6. Stafford Loan
7. Nursing Loan
8. Parent Loan for Undergraduate Student (PLUS)
9. State of Kansas Scholarship
10. TEACH Grant

II. REASONS FOR DISCONTINUANCE OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

1. Any one of the following conditions will be grounds for discontinuance of financial aid:
   1. Academic Dismissal - A student whose accumulated hours and grade points show a deficiency of 20 or more grade points on hours attempted will be dismissed for poor scholarship.
   2. Failure and/or withdrawal from all courses taken during any semester of a given academic year.
   3. Failure to complete the following minimum numbers of hours of course work in one academic year (Fall, Spring, Summer).
      1. Full-time enrollment: Undergraduate-18 credit hours; Graduate-14 credit hours
      2. Three-fourths time enrollment: Undergraduate-14 credit hours; Graduate-11 credit hours
      3. Part-time enrollment: Undergraduate-8 credit hours; Graduate-8 credit hours
      4. Failure to satisfactorily complete 6 credit hours per semester (not including summer session) if enrolled in 12 credit hours or more.
      5. If enrolled in less than 12 credit hours for which you received financial aid, failure to satisfactorily complete a minimum of one-half of the credit hours enrolled (i.e. 9 credit hours enrolled, must complete 5 credit hours; or 6 credit hours enrolled, must complete 3 credit hours.)
   4. Failure to meet the academic requirements of "C" average by the end of your second academic year of study (60 credit hours attempted).
   5. Withdrawal from the University and, if required, failure to repay federal funds received.
   6. Default on a previous educational loan or owe a repayment on a federal grant.
2. Time limitation students may receive aid according to the following maximum credit hours received from all post-secondary institutions regardless of whether or not financial aid was received.

III. TRANSFER STUDENTS
A transfer student eligible to receive financial aid at Pittsburg State University will follow the same standards for satisfactory academic progress and maximum time frame limits as all other students.

IV. REINSTATEMENT OF AID
Students whose aid has been discontinued may apply for reinstatement of financial aid when they have met the qualifications for satisfactory academic progress and/or have been reinstated by the University. Academic reinstatement by the University does not necessarily assure reinstatement of financial aid.

1. A student who had been denied financial aid, must complete without financial aid, 12 credit hours as an Undergraduate student, or 9 credit hours as a Graduate student with a letter grade of "C" or better for each class enrolled and successfully completed.
2. Appeal to the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee.

V. CONDITIONS OF REINSTATEMENT
Students who have had their financial aid reinstated must receive a 2.0 GPA or better for the hours enrolled during the reinstated semester, or will again be denied financial aid for the following semester. Students who have been reinstated for financial aid by the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee must enroll in, maintain, and satisfactorily complete the required hours as specified in the letter of reinstatement, or will be denied continued financial aid at anytime during the reinstated semester.

Students who are again awarded federal funds for the Spring semester of the same academic year after having been denied financial aid, will be reprocessed for only those funds which are available at that time.

VI. PROVISIONS FOR APPEAL
Students must submit a written appeal form, unofficial transcript, and supporting documentation to the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee for review. An appeal form is mailed to each student not meeting satisfactory academic progress standards by the Office of Student Financial Assistance following the semester of non-compliance. Deadline dates for appeals will be listed on the students appeal form and/or the letter notification. Students are allowed to appeal if they believe unusual, mitigating circumstances caused them to not meet satisfactory academic progress standards. Mitigating circumstances include severe illness, severe accident or injury, close relatives death.

VII. APPEAL PROCESS
Appeal dates are set by the Office of Student Financial Assistance. Appeals will be reviewed by the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee no later than the first week of classes each semester. The Financial Assistance Appeals Committee will notify each student in writing of the decision.

VIII. POLICY ON REPEAT COURSES
Students who have received a passing grade of "D" may retake the course for a higher grade one time for financial aid. Courses in which a grade of "F", "W" (withdrawal), or "NC" (no credit) is recorded, do not count as credit hours completed and may be repeated one time for financial aid.

IX. POLICY FOR SUMMER SESSION
Students who plan to enroll in at least 6 credit hours for a summer session may be considered for financial aid. Financial aid for 6 hours or more will be based on a maximum enrollment of 6 credit hours. To be considered for summer aid, you must be making satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of your academic degree. Satisfactory progress is determined by an annual review of each Student Financial Assistance file immediately following spring semester. This means you must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on all prior work and complete 75% of coursework during the previous year for which you received aid. If credit hours are necessary to meet academic deficiencies from the Fall/Spring terms, you will not be eligible for summer financial aid.

Students who did not successfully complete the number of credit hours for which they received summer financial aid will not be considered as making satisfactory academic progress. Students must complete the same number of credit hours without receiving further financial aid, or appeal their situation to the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee.

• Basic Requirements
• Undergraduates Who Have Already Received One or More Bachelor's Degrees
• Students Enrolled at More than One Institution
• Special Note to Out-of-State Students
• Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Basic Requirements:

While each aid program has special requirements, the following are the basic requirements in order to be eligible to receive financial aid. A students must:

1. have financial need (except for some loan programs and many scholarship programs). Students who think they may need financial assistance are strongly encouraged to apply for aid by the deadline dates listed in this Web site in order to be considered for all eligible aid programs;
2. be accepted for enrollment or be enrolled as a student working toward a degree or certificate;
3. be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-U.S. citizen (federal regulations and University policy severely limit the types of financial assistance available to non-U.S. citizens-see International Programs and Services for more information;
4. have a valid Social Security Number;
5. be registered with Selective Service, if required;
6. be making satisfactory academic progress;
7. use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
8. not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on any federal educational loan.

For more information about eligibility to receive federal aid, also see The U.S. Department of Education's Student Guide. For more information on eligibility for specific financial aid programs, see our Types of Financial Aid Available.

Students Who Have Already Received A Bachelor's Degree(s):

Undergraduate students who have already received a bachelor's degree will only be eligible for certain aid programs, such as loans, TEACH, and Work-Study while pursuing additional bachelor's degree(s). This includes students in dual degree programs who have already met the requirements for one of their degrees and are continuing their education toward the additional degree. Financial aid is limited to two undergraduate degrees and two graduate degrees.

Please contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance for more specific information that is required for this situation.

Students Enrolled at More than One Institution:

Students who are enrolled at more than one college or university at the same time may receive financial aid from only one of the institutions, not both. Contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance for more information.

Special Note to Out-of-State Students

While the Office of Student Financial Assistance does not have sufficient funds to meet the full demonstrated need of out-of-state students directly, those students who are eligible for scholarships from Pittsburg State University or private sources can often cover their costs through these combined resources. Another option often utilized by out-of-state families is the Federal PLUS Loan available to the parents of dependent undergraduate students.

For questions about residency requirements Prospective Students should contact the Office of Admission and Enrollment Services, current PSU Students should contact the Registrar's Office.