Office of Student Aid : Students Must Know : Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Office of Student Aid is required by federal regulation to monitor student progression toward completion of degree and certificate programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Penn State's Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard requires that all Penn State students, regardless of whether or not student aid was received, complete a specific number of credits each academic year to remain eligible for student financial aid. (Please note: This standard is different from University criteria determining satisfactory scholarship necessary to maintain degree-seeking status.)

Special situations that fall outside this stated general policy are subject to professional judgment appeal by the Office of Student Aid regarding continued eligibility.

Student Aid Programs Impacted by the Standard

The Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan, Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan Program for students, Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant, National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (SMART), some alternative loans and University aid programs are impacted.

This standard does not apply to tuition remission for dependents of Penn State employees, athletic grants, some University scholarships, some outside scholarships, student wage-payroll earnings, and state grants (i.e., Pennsylvania State Grant). State agencies awarding state grants establish their own academic standards.

Eligibility

Full-time undergraduate students* are expected to enroll for 15-18 credits each semester and successfully complete at least 80% of those credits each academic year to maintain student aid eligibility. Graduate students* are expected to enroll for a minimum of 9 credits each semester, successfully completing all credits. By following this standard of credit completion, the student will acquire the credits necessary to graduate from an:

Associate degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 semesters

Baccalaureate degree . . . . . . . . . . .12 semesters

Masters degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 semesters

PA Teachers Certification . . . . . . . . . 6 semesters

Doctorate degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . unlimited

*Part-time enrollment requires successful completion of all credits that are attempted.

This standard measures successfully completed credits only. Credits attempted (at the beginning of the enrollment period) that were later dropped or having received a failed grade, do not count toward the required number of successfully completed credits needed each semester for advancement within this academic progress standard.

Academic records are reviewed at the end of each spring semester to determine academic progress and future student aid eligibility. Students who have met the minimum credit requirement each semester (for full-time enrollment, no fewer than 12 for undergraduate and no fewer than 9 for graduate students; for part-time enrollment, successful completion of all credits attempted) and who have not exceeded the appropriate number of semesters to complete their degree programs (as stated above), are considered to have maintained satisfactory academic progress and are eligible for continued student aid assistance for upcoming enrollment. (Refer to Table 1 for more details.)

Probationary Status

Students enrolled in baccalaureate and associate degree programs (as well as PA Teacher Certification programs) who are unable to successfully complete the required annual credit limit (by 12 credits or less) will be given a one-time probationary period to establish progress while still receiving their student aid. At the end of the probationary period of one academic year, students must have successfully completed a minimum of 24 credits for full-time students or all attempted credits for part-time students.

Those not making progress will be dropped to unsatisfactory status and denied student aid for any upcoming enrollment periods until a minimum of 12 credits at a 2.00 grade point average (GPA) or higher have been successfully completed without failing, dropping, canceling or withdrawing credits or withdrawing from semester(s).

There is no probationary period for graduate students who are unable to successfully complete the required credits.

Reaching Maximum Semesters of Enrollment

Semester extensions on the degree limits are permitted (but require a written appeal) for:

Concurrent majors, change of major: 2 extra semesters

Change of degree program (i.e., associate to bachelor, graduate to undergraduate): determined on the number of semesters needed to complete degree

Transfer credits that do not apply to a degree program: determined on the number of semesters needed to complete degree in a timely manner

Unsatisfactory Progress

***Students who fall below the required annual credit limit by greater than 12 credits or those who have already used the one-time probationary period are not making satisfactory progress and are ineligible for student aid assistance. Regaining eligibility can occur for future semesters once the required minimum of 12 credits (9 credits for graduate students) at a 2.00 GPA have been achieved while attending Penn State and without the benefit of Federal student aid funding.

Undergraduate students may also regain eligibility by taking courses at another institution. Students should review Penn State's Faculty Senate policy 42-00 - Acquisition of Credit. This policy states that course work completed at an accredited college or university may be evaluated for transfer credit if passed with a grade equivalent to A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+ or C at Penn State and useful to the candidate's program of study at Penn State.

Students who have withdrawn (for any reason) from the University for two or more consecutive semesters (including summers) will be ineligible for further assistance until satisfactory academic progress has been regained. Students with multiple withdrawals (whether or not consecutive) over the entire period of enrollment are also subject to review for continued student aid eligibility.

Notification letters will be sent to students who are on probation or not making satisfactory progress upon receipt of the student aid application (FAFSA on the Web). Deficient credits can be made up with enrollment of fewer than 6 credits or non-degree enrollment (without aid). Otherwise, for those in unsatisfactory academic progress status, student aid will not be available until satisfactory progress has been regained.

Regaining academic progress requires the successful completion of a minimum of 12 credits (9 credits for graduate students) at a 2.00 GPA or higher without failing, dropping, canceling, or withdrawing credits or withdrawing from semester(s).

Note: Students must contact the Office of Student Aid upon successful completion of the required credits to initiate the aid eligibility review.

In some situations, students who have lost eligibility for student aid, at the discretion of the Office of Student Aid, may submit a written appeal.

Provisional Status

Undergraduate provisional students are considered to be degree-seeking for purposes of assessing academic progress. Provisional students are eligible for all benefits available to degree-seeking students and accountable for all standards applying to degree-seeking enrollment.

Provisional graduate students are not eligible for student aid consideration.

Grade-Point Average and Effect on Non-Degree Status

Federal regulations require that students have a grade point average of at least a "C" or its equivalent by the end of their second year of enrollment, or have academic standing consistent with Penn State University's requirements for graduation. Students who are in degree status are considered to be meeting this requirement. Students who are dropped to non-degree conditional or who choose to enroll as non-degree regular at both the undergraduate and graduate level are not eligible for student aid. Credits earned during non-degree enrollment do count toward meeting minimum credit requirements when students regain degree-status.

Conditions

1. Credits earned include advanced standing and advanced placement credits and all courses for which grades of SA or D and better have been received.
2. Courses repeated for better grades are included.
3. Credits earned for remedial courses are included.
4. Deferred grades (DF) and No Grades (NG) are included when grades are completed.
5. Grades from all course work are counted as credits are earned. This includes courses taken by regular instruction and continuing education as well as through independent learning and semester-based courses via the World Campus.
6. Course audit credits (AU) are not included.
7. For graduate students, credits for courses below the 400 level are not included.
8. Formal withdrawal from the University during a semester counts as a semester toward the maximum number of semesters allowed. The minimum credit requirements are not met, with possible loss of student aid eligibility. The only exception is for military withdrawal with minimum credit and maximum semester requirements waived for the semester of the official withdrawal.
9. Entire academic records are reviewed when considering satisfactory academic progress for upperclass, re-enrolled, reinstated, and advanced- standing students who are first-time student aid applicants.
10. Academic progress is determined by current degree and certificate programs. Students enrolled in one program while simultaneously working on another are only eligible for their current formal program. Students changing levels from an undergraduate to a graduate program (or vice versa) have their academic progress assessed on their current program only.

To assist you in determining how many semesters of eligibility you have used toward the completion of your program, refer to the table below.

Table 1: Determining Eligibility--Sample Scenarios

Contact the Penn State Student Aid Office nearest you for more information about Penn State's Federal Student Assistance Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard.

The Federal Student Assistance Satisfactory Academic Progress Standard appears in its entirety in The University Faculty Senate Policies for Students.