Complete Satisfactory Progress Policy

Per federal regulations, students, both undergraduate and graduate, must successfully complete at least 67% of their coursework (66.6% can round to 67%). Pace is measured at the end of each semester of enrollment by looking at successfully completed cumulative credits vs. cumulative attempted credit.

Pace is measured by the following scale:

Pace = Cumulative number of hours (credit hours) that you have successfully completed / cumulative number of hours (credit hours) that you have attempted.

NOTE: All college-level attempted hours are included in the pace calculation to determine Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) including: (a) repeated, incomplete (I, X, or Z grade), failed (E grade), and transfer credit hours; (b) withdrawn credit hours; and (c) credit hours attempted for which the student did not receive financial aid.

Qualitative

Must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for all undergraduate students.

Must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 for all graduate students.

Cumulative GPA – qualitative component – will be assessed at the end of each semester of enrollment.

Change of grade

Courses that were graded at the end of the semester, but which are changed later by the instructor due to an appeal or error may impact the GPA as well as the pace calculation. These grades will be reassessed at the next evaluation point of SAP, or the student can appeal their SAP status to be reviewed. In rare circumstances due to a change of grade, not completion of an incomplete grade, a student may contact OSFA to reevaluate their SAP status prior to the next evaluation point if the change brings them into good standing.

Courses that move from an incomplete status to completed will be reassessed at the next evaluation point of SAP, or the student can appeal their SAP status to be reviewed.

Audit courses receive no credit and do not influence grade point average. They are not counted in attempted credits and are not eligible for financial aid.

Academic amnesty

Per federal regulations, we cannot take into account any sort of changes that occur to a student’s academic records; all data must be considered in the SAP status determination.

Satisfactory academic progress statuses

SAP will be reviewed at the end of each semester (fall, spring, and summer) to determine a student's financial aid eligibility for the following semester. Students meeting the minimum standards of SAP will be considered eligible and are in eligible status; students that do not meet the standards will first be placed on warning status for a semester and from there if still not meeting the standards of SAP will be placed on suspension. Please see below for further information.

Satisfactory academic progress warning

The first semester an undergraduate student fails to maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA, 3.0 for graduate students and a minimum of 67% cumulative completion ratio, the student will be placed on warning. Financial aid warning means you have one semester or one payment period to meet SAP requirements and does not require action (such as an appeal) by the student; financial aid is available during that period.

At the end of the warning period, an undergraduate student must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.00 and must also have successfully completed a minimum of 67% of all attempted credits. Graduate students must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA and must also successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all attempted credits.

A student will be removed from SAP financial aid warning after successfully completing the quantitative and qualitative standards listed above.

Satisfactory academic progress suspension

Students who do not meet the SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning period will be placed on financial aid suspension and will be ineligible for Federal Student Aid. Students may regain eligibility by either meeting the standards of SAP or by successfully submitting an approved SAP appeal.

Regaining financial aid eligibility

A student can regain eligibility by doing these three things and notifying the OSFA when they have been accomplished:

1. Complete a semester without the benefit of financial aid and

2. Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for undergraduates (3.0 for graduates) and

3. Increase successful cumulative completion rate to 67% of attempted credits

Students who do not meet the above metrics are ineligible for federal aid. An email notification will be sent to all students who fail to comply with the terms of their warning.

Students denied financial aid through SAP suspension generally may continue attending Central Michigan University using private aid sources such as alternative student loans or by funding their education themselves. Please note that some alternative loans are NOT available to students while on financial aid suspension.

Students that are on SAP suspension status and have lost eligibility for financial aid may appeal.

Appeal process for all students

Students who have faced extraordinary circumstances may appeal a financial aid suspension. Examples of appealable mitigating circumstances are death or serious illness of an immediate family member, serious illness of student or other major family catastrophe. No appeals will be approved if it is not mathematically possible to meet the GPA and 67% cumulative completion standards by the end of the student’s academic program.

All appeals must:

• Be submitted using the CMU Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form available on the CMU OSFA website.
• Include the required documentation.

In most cases, a decision will be made within 15 business days of receiving an appeal letter and the appropriate documentation. Students are notified of appeal decisions in writing or through their CMU e-mail account.

If an appeal for a student on financial aid suspension status is approved, the student will be placed on financial aid probation for one semester and may continue to receive federal student aid for one semester. If at the conclusion of the financial aid probation semester, Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are not met, as outlined below or according to the student's academic plan, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension and become ineligible for Federal Student Aid.

Undergraduate students

• Follow your individual academic plan designed if needed or 
• You must earn a minimum 2.00-semester CMU grade point average during the semester that you are on financial aid probation and
• You must complete at least 67 percent of the coursework attempted during the semester that you are on financial aid probation.

Graduate and certificate students

• Follow your individual academic plan designed if needed or 
• You must earn a 3.00-semester CMU grade average during the semester that you are on financial aid probation and
• You must complete at least 67 percent of the coursework attempted during the semester that you are on financial aid probation.

Students should be prepared to seek other funding options if the appeal is not approved. Students may regain federal aid eligibility by completing the requirements list under regaining financial aid eligibility.