You need to make satisfactory academic progress to continue receiving federal student aid. In other words, you have to make good enough grades, and complete enough classes (credits, hours, etc.), to keep moving toward completing your degree or certificate in a time period that's acceptable to your school.
Satisfactory academic progress (SAP) standards are measured at the end of each semester to ensure students receiving Title IV Federal Student Aid funds – Grants, Work-Study, Direct and PLUS Loans – are meeting both quantitative (pace of completion) and qualitative (grade) requirements:
- Completion Rate: Attempted hours should be completed
- GPA: Grades earned should be sufficient to apply to degree or certificate plan
- Maximum Time Frame: Degree program must be completed in a timely manner
Following is the policy used by Eastern New Mexico University in compliance with federal regulations to determine students are meeting SAP and should be considered to receive Title IV Federal Student Aid:
SAP Requirements
| Degree | Pace/Completion Rate | GPA | Overall Maximum Time Frame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Year Certificate | 67% | 2.0 | 56 attempted hours |
| Associate | 67% | 2.0 | 106 attempted hours |
| Bachelor's | 67% | 2.0 | 196 attempted hours |
| Second Bachelor's | 67% | 2.5 | appeal required |
| Teacher Certification* | 67% | 3.0 | 30 attempted hours |
| Preparatory Leveling* | 100% | --- | 1 calendar year |
| Master's | 67% | 3.0 | 70 attempted hours |
| Second Master's | 67% | 3.0 | appeal required |
Cumulative Completion Rate
The percentage of work a student has successfully completed at all post-secondary institutions. All attendance including part time coursework, remedial coursework, repeated coursework, coursework waived under academic amnesty and periods when students did not receive federal student aid are counted in the cumulative hours attempted and other SAP rules.
Completion Rate = Cumulative Hours Passed / Cumulative Hours Attempted
Example: 72 Passed / 85 Attempted = 84%
Cumulative GPA
Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) earned on all coursework at all post-secondary institutions.
Maximum Time Frame
Maximum Time Frame is calculated as 150 percent of the hours necessary to complete the degree program and includes all attempted hours from all post-secondary institutions. Title IV Federal Student Aid expires when students appear to lack more hours than they can complete within the maximum time frame limit for their degree program. Students will begin to be monitored when they reach approximately 120 percent of the hours necessary to complete their program. Students may be asked to petition for reinstatement and provide supporting documentation to show their degree program can be completed within the maximum time frame. Students who lack more hours than can be completed before reaching the maximum time frame limit may petition for reinstatement to receive an extension of Federal Student Aid. The procedure for reinstatement of financial aid includes submitting a Petition for Reinstatement, an Academic Success Action Plan (ASAP) and a current Degree Plan Checklist or CAPP Degree Evaluation Report. If approved, students must only enroll in the hours listed on their ASAP and complete all attempted hours with the GPA required by their program in order to continue receiving Federal Student Aid. Second or subsequent bachelor's or master's seekers must petition for reinstatement and should thoroughly explain and document any mitigating circumstances which extended past time frame plus how the subsequent degree will provide a better future.
*Teacher Certification and *Preparatory Leveling
Teacher Certification applies to students who already have a bachelor's degree and are returning for certification only. Preparatory Leveling applies to students who already have a bachelor's degree but must complete undergraduate prerequisite courses before enrolling in an eligible program. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of “B” or above for the student to continue receiving federal student aid funds for one calendar year.
Grade Calculation and Completion
Grades of "F", "I", "U" and "W" are considered unsuccessful completion of the course and count against completion rate and maximum time frame calculations. Grade of "S" will count as work completed and will be counted as successful completion of the course. Since no grade point is given for the grade, it is not calculated into the GPA. Successful completion of the term is defined as completion of all attempted hours with grades sufficient to satisfy the degree plan requirements. Title IV Federal Student Aid funds may be awarded once for a previously passed course.
ENMU Financial Aid SAP Status
Students must be enrolled and have a current FAFSA before their SAP status can be reviewed. ENMU updates SAP status for continuing students at the end of each semester, following the official posting of grades. New students and transfer students will be assigned a SAP status based on their cumulative transcript history.
SAP Status
| Academic Progress | Status | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting Completion Rate and GPA | Eligible: Meeting SAP Policy | Eligible |
| Not Meeting Completion Rate and/or GPA (New or Transfer Students) | Ineligible: Rate/GPA | Not Eligible |
| First Failure Completion Rate and/or GPA (Continuing Students) | Warning: Meet SAP by Next Term | 1 Semester Provisional Eligibility |
| Second Failure Completion Rate and/or GPA (Continuing Students) | Ineligible: Rate/GPA | Not Eligible |
| May Exceed Maximum Time Frame | Ineligible: May Exceed Max Time | Not Eligible |
| Exceed Maximum Time Frame | Ineligible: Over Max Time Limit | Not Eligible |
| Approved Petition/Academic Plan | Probation/Follow Plan | 1 Semester Provisional Eligibility |
Students may review their financial aid academic progress online by accessing their MyENMU Portal account and following links to the financial aid area. Students with provisional eligibility should use this opportunity to prove they can make successful progress. Ineligible students will lose Title IV Federal Student Aid funding eligibility and have to pay for classes on their own until meeting the SAP requirements or completing a successful reinstatement request.
Reinstatement
The Scholarship and Financial Aid Committee will review written requests for reinstatement from students who have extreme mitigating circumstances which prevented them from complying with the SAP Policy. Mitigating circumstances are defined as unanticipated and unavoidable events beyond a student’s control. An approved petition will not extend eligibility that has exceeded federal limitations. Petitions for Reinstatement will not be accepted beyond the midpoint of each semester. Contact ENMU Office of Financial Aid at 575.562.2194 for more information.
Academic Standing
Academic Progress maintained by the Office of Financial Aid is not the same as Academic Standing which is maintained by the Office of the Registrar. Students must be academically eligible and registered at ENMU before written requests concerning Academic Progress will be reviewed.
This policy may change at any time with proper approval. Updated 07/2017
