Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Policies

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Policies

NOTE: For purposes of financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress, an Academic Year is defined as 2 semesters. Summer terms are considered one-half of an academic year for financial aid SAP purposes.

A. ALL UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Must earn a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 during at least one of two semesters of each academic year.

Must earn a 2.0 or above by the end of their second year of attendance.

Must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above after the second year of attendance at UDM.

Must meet the minimum incremental standards toward the completion of a degree as set forth below, based on the university’s 75% completion rate requirement:

1. FULL TIME STUDENTS (those who register for at least 12 credit hours per semester) must complete a 126 credit hour degree program by the end of the sixth academic year (12 full time equivalent semesters). Summers count toward the total semester count. In addition, students must complete the minimum number of credit hours per year indicated below:

Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 126 credit hours must complete a minimum of 26 credit hours in each year beyond the sixth year. The only exception to this policy will be made for students requiring fewer than 26 hours to graduate.

2. LESS THAN FULL TIME STUDENTS (those who register for 6 -11 hours per semester) must complete a 126 credit hour degree program in a maximum of 12 full time equivalent semesters. In addition, the incremental standards below must be met:

Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 126 credit hours must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours for three-quarter-time students and 12 credit hours for half-time students in each year beyond these. The only exception to this policy will be made for students requiring fewer hours to graduate.

3. LESS THAN HALF-TIME STUDENTS (those who register for 1- 5 credits per semester) must complete a minimum of two-third of the hours for which they enroll each semester. Credits are evaluated at least once a year.

All terms of enrollment are considered when evaluating SAP status

B. ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS (NOT PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS)

Must maintain a 3.0 GPA each semester.

1. FULL-TIME STUDENTS (those who register for at least 9 credit hours per semester) must complete a 36 hour degree program by the end of the third academic year.

Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 36 credit hours must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours in each year beyond the third year. The only exception to this policy will be made for students requiring fewer than 12 hours to graduate.

2. LESS THAN FULL-TIME STUDENTS (those who register for fewer than 9 credit hours per semester) must complete a 36 hour degree program in a maximum of 4 academic years. Students enrolled in a program of study requiring more than 36 credit hours must complete a minimum of 9 credit hours in each year beyond the fourth year. The only exception to this policy will be made for students requiring fewer than 9 hours to graduate.

C. PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS

Students in the Professional (Law and Dental) Schools must meet the following requirements:

1. Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.0.
2. Students must complete, with passing grades, the number of credit hours for which financial aid was awarded in at least one of any two consecutive semesters.
3. Students on academic probation with their respective professional schools are also on financial aid probation.

D. RE-ADMITTED STUDENTS

For re-admitted students using the transfer option, all previously attempted credit hours, regardless of grade, will be counted toward completion time requirements.

E. TRANSFER STUDENTS

To evaluate academic progress for transfer students, the number of credit hours accepted by the University of Detroit Mercy will determine the incremental completion requirements. For example, if a transfer student enters U of D Mercy with 36 credit hours, the student will be expected to complete a minimum of 21 credit hours during the first year at the University of Detroit Mercy if a full time student, or the incremental standard noted if a part time student. The student in this example would be considered to have completed two years in a full-time program or three years in a part time program of study (see section A).

F. POST-DEGREE TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Students in post-degree teacher certification programs may receive financial aid through limited federal financial aid programs if they meet the following qualifications:

1. The program must be required for elementary or secondary teacher certification or re-certification in the state in which the student plans to teach.
2. The student enrolls ONLY for courses required by the teacher certification program in the state in which the student plans to teach. Optional courses that the student elected to take for professional recognition or advancement, and courses recommended by the school but not required for certification do not qualify for aid. Remedial courses (those courses with a course level under 100) and courses designated for high school students do not qualify for financial aid.
3. Students taking courses other than those designated as EDU or SED (for Special Education Majors) must, upon request, present information demonstrating that their courses are required for certification in the state in which they plan to teach.
   

G. REMEDIAL AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL COURSEWORK

Undergraduates taking remedial (under 100 level) courses may receive financial aid if they are in a degree or certificate program.
However, the following restrictions apply:

1. Courses that are remedial and/or do not receive credit toward a degree or certificate do not count toward the incremental requirements listed in Section A above.
2. Students may not receive aid for more than 30 credit hours of remedial course work, regardless whether the class is dropped, not passed, or completed and passed.
3. Courses that are designated for high school students and count toward a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent are not eligible for financial aid.
4. ESL credits are not given academic credits, therefore are not eligible for consideration for financial aid or counted toward completion increments in Section A above.
   

H. TREATMENT OF WITHDRAWALS, INCOMPLETE, REPETITIONS, AND NON-CREDIT REMEDIAL COURSES

For financial aid purposes, marks of A, B, C, D, and P and marks of 1.0 or greater are considered passing grades. Classes elected for audit, courses that are remedial, high school, or non credit (see Section E above) and credits earned through CLEP testing do not apply to completion of incremental requirements each year.

Marks of X, I, X/F, I/F, NR and F and numerical grades less than 1.0 are considered non-passing grades. Grades of X/F and I/F, if changed to passing grades, will be taken into consideration. A grade of “W” will be counted as attempted but will not be counted in the calculation of GPA, and will not be considered a course completed toward the incremental requirement.

Students who repeat a course during a semester must meet the grade point and increment standard for the year for continued eligibility for financial aid. STUDENTS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR AID FOR REPEATED COURSES FOR WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A PASSING GRADE. Repeated courses are not given credit toward the minimum incremental completion rates in Section A above.

I. SUMMER SESSIONS

Students enrolled in summer sessions must meet the same incremental and grade point requirements they would if they attended a regular fall or winter session.

J. PROBATION

Students receiving financial aid who fail to meet the SAP standards will be placed on probation for one semester. While on probation, students will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress. First time financial aid applicants who do not meet SAP requirements will also be placed on probation.

Students who do not meet SAP requirements will be notified by letter. If you, as a student, receive a “Financial Aid Probation Notice and Satisfactory Academic Progress Contract,” you must follow the steps below:

1. Read the notice carefully. If you have questions about the notice or if you believe that you have met the SAP requirements, contact your financial aid officer.
2. Once you have examined the notice and contract, make an appointment to meet with your Academic Advisor or Dean to discuss your academic progress, schedule your classes for the upcoming term, and complete the SAP contract. Your advisor will try to assist you to make class choices that will fulfill both the requirements of the SAP policy and the requirements of the college. It is very important that you select your classes wisely so that you will not be overburdened; yet you will meet the minimum SAP requirements. It is also strongly recommended that the student meet with professors regularly, and schedule study and/or tutoring time with the Learning Center to ensure that the student is receiving the help s/he needs.
3. Return the completed contract to the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office by the date indicated on the contract. Failure to do so may delay your financial aid for the term. No Federal or State financial aid will be disbursed until the signed contract is returned to the Scholarship and Financial Aid Office.
4. Do your best to meet the requirements of the contract during your probationary semester. If the contract specifies that you must complete a minimum number of credit hours, be aware that dropping classes will result in the loss of financial aid for future semesters. If the contract specifies both a credit hour and a GPA requirement, you must meet both requirements during your probationary semester.
5. At the end of your probationary semester, your academic progress will be reviewed. If the SAP requirements have been met, your probation will end. If you failed to meet the minimum SAP requirements, no further financial aid will be disbursed to you until you have met the SAP requirements. If there are mitigating circumstances, you may make an appeal to continue your probation for one additional semester by following the process described in section K of this policy. In rare circumstances, the Financial Aid Office may extend your probation for more than one term. For Law students whose classes run a full year, the student is on probation for the year.
   

K. APPEALS AND MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES

Students denied financial aid because of failure to make SAP may appeal the denial in writing to the Financial Aid Office if there are mitigating circumstances. The appeal must describe in detail all circumstances which the student believes are relevant to his or inability to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Some examples of mitigating circumstances include illness or injury to the student or family member with whom the student resides, death or divorce of a family member, etc. 

The appeal letter should address the issues that made it impossible for the student to complete the terms of the SAP contract; the conditions which existed that caused the student to not make SAP in the previous two terms, and what the student has done to ensure that those issues have been resolved and will no longer present a barrier to the student’s academic progress. Students should also outline what steps they have taken during their probationary period to avoid problems (such as seeking assistance from their professors, spending study time in the Learning Center, etc.). When a student makes an appeal, she/he may also include evidence from the Dean of the college, or his/her academic advisor, which verifies that the student is making satisfactory academic progress within that college.

Students must submit letters of appeal, plus any supporting documents, by the end of the first week of classes (late registration week).

NOTE: At any point that the student becomes mathematically unable to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, whether based on credits attempted, years completed, or grade point average, federal regulations mandate the termination of financial aid.

L. REGAINING FINANCIAL AID ELIGIBILITY

If a student becomes ineligible for financial aid due to a lack of satisfactory academic progress, he or she may regain eligibility by meeting the SAP policy without the benefit of federal or state financial aid at the University of Detroit Mercy. To do this, the student must enroll and complete courses which are applicable to a degree at the University of Detroit Mercy, and the student must achieve the number of credit hours and/or Grade Point Average sufficient to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Contact your financial aid officer to determine your minimum.