The U.S. Department of Education requires that all students receiving Title IV financial aid maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). To assure this goal is met, the U.S. Department of Education requires colleges to determine whether financial aid is being utilized in the most effective way. It is the responsibility of the Financial Aid Office at Worcester State University to monitor each financial aid applicant’s academic work and to confirm the student’s academic success and continued financial aid eligibility or to determine if a student is not academically progressing toward the goal of degree attainment. This also includes credits not paid for by financial aid.

Requirements: As part of the qualitative measurement of SAP, a student must have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.00 (grade of C) when they have attempted sixty or more credits. As part of the quantitative measurement of SAP, the maximum number of credits a student may complete and still remain in good standing for financial aid is 180 (one and a half times the number of credits required for graduation). The following are additional qualitative and quantitative requirements for maintaining SAP:

• Students who have attempted 1-15 credits, must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 1.00 and have satisfactorily completed at least 66.67% of their credits.
• Students who have attempted 16-29 credits, must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 1.50 and have satisfactorily completed at least 66.67% of their credits.
• Students who have attempted 30-59 credits, must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 1.75 and have satisfactorily completed at least 66.67% of their credits.
• Students who have attempted 60-180 credits, must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.00 and have satisfactorily completed at least 66.67% of their credits.

Please note: All courses attempted with earned grades of A, B, C, D, and E are included in the GPA calculation. Additionally, transfer credits accepted by Worcester State University and dual enrollment coursework taken at Worcester State University are included in the calculation for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

If a student does not meet the minimum requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student is notified that they are no longer eligible for financial aid. The Financial Aid Office sends the student a letter informing the student of the unsatisfactory academic progress. The letter includes the grade point average and completion percentage that the student earned which made them ineligible. The letter also includes details on how the eligibility was calculated, requirements for the student to regain good standing, and information about the appeal process.

A student may submit an appeal of unsatisfactory progress if there were extenuating circumstances that prevented the student from succeeding. The appeal requires explanation, possibly documentation of the extenuating circumstances, and an explanation of what changes the student has made to succeed in future semesters. If the appeal is approved, the student may be required to contact the Academic Success Center for a degree audit. Within the degree audit, the Academic Success Center reviews the student’s progress and sets up a plan for the student to graduate. The plan is sent to the student in writing. Upon completion of the Academic Success Center degree audit, the student is eligible for aid during the current semester and may continue eligibility if the student earns a minimum of 2.0 for each semester and completes at least 66.67% of the credits attempted each semester. All students with approved appeals are monitored at the end of each semester. If a student loses eligibility after a semester, the student must regain overall good standing to be eligible for aid.

• Graduate students are making Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid as long as they are in good standing in their graduate program.
• Incomplete grades count as attempted but not completed.
• If a student withdraws from a course after the add/drop period, the course will be counted as attempted but not completed.
• A student may repeat a course twice in which a low grade was earned and still have that course counted in the semester load and the higher grade replaces the lower grade which may improve a student’s GPA.
• If a student drops a course during the add/drop period, the course will not be counted as attempted.

This policy is applied consistently to all students at Worcester State University. Satisfactory Academic Progress is measured at the end of each academic year.