Understanding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?
Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to establish fair and consistent standards for evaluating students' academic progress. These standards ensure that students are successfully advancing toward their degrees while maintaining eligibility for financial aid.
Meeting SAP requirements is essential for both academic success and financial stability. Falling below the minimum standards could result in a loss of financial aid, making it crucial to stay informed and proactive about your academic progress.
Who Does SAP Apply To?
The SAP policy applies to all students receiving federal and state financial aid. Additionally, certain institutional grants and scholarships may be subject to SAP requirements, depending on donor or program administrator guidelines.
However, academic or performance-based merit aid -- that does not have a financial need component -- generally does not include SAP requirements.
Your Responsibility
Any student utilizing financial aid has a responsibility to understand and comply with SAP requirements. Staying informed and proactively managing academic progress can help you maintain financial aid eligibility and minimize student debt, while working towards successfully completing your degree.
SAP Requirements
Your academic progress is measured based on three key standards: Grade Point Average (GPA), Pace, and Maximum Time Frame (Max Time). These standards apply to all coursework listed on your transcript, even if you completed it before receiving financial aid.
- To maintain financial aid eligibility, you must successfully complete at least 67% of the credit hours you attempt.
- This is calculated as: Total Earned Hours ÷ Total Attempted Hours = Pace Percentage
- Important: We do not round up percentages, so a Pace percentage of 66.5% does not meet the requirement.
- You must complete all requirements of the graduate program and The Graduate School within six calendar years (master’s and education specialist degrees) or eight years (doctoral degrees).
- All students enrolled in graduate degree programs must enroll each regular semester for a minimum of one graduate credit hour.
- A student cannot graduate with a GPA below 3.0.
- You will be dismissed from the degree program if you receive an "F" or "U" in any graduate course or a total of three "C" grades in your graduate program.
- In addition, you will receive a notice of academic warning upon receiving a grade of "C" in any two graduate courses or if your GPA falls below 3.0.
Pace Percentage
Your Pace requirement is based on the total number of attempted credit hours. To calculate this, you’ll need to include:
- All credit hours attempted at JMU
- Credit hours transferred to JMU from other institutions
- Incompletes
- Withdrawals (W/WP/WF)
- Repeat coursework
- Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U)
- Credit by examination (CR)
By adding up these components, you can determine your total attempted hours, which directly impacts your Pace percentage.
Note: Non-credit (NC) or audited (AU) courses do not count toward the calculation of attempted hours
How Often Is SAP Evaluated?
SAP is evaluated at the conclusion of each semester (summer, fall, and spring). If you take/transfer courses that improve your GPA or Pace, your status will be updated in the next review.
If you do not meet SAP standards, you will be placed in one of the three statuses below:
- Warning – when a student fails to meet the minimum GPA and/or Pace requirements for the first time or following a semester of meeting SAP, they are placed in a warning status for one semester and are still eligible to receive financial aid while working to make improvements.
- Not Meet – when a student is still not meeting SAP requirements at the end of their warning period, financial aid eligibility is lost, and they are placed in a not meet status.
- Probation – when a student is not meeting SAP but submitted an appeal that was approved, they will be placed in a probation status and are eligible for financial aid if certain conditions are met. Students sign an academic plan that provides specific conditions (i.e. no F’s, no/limited withdraws, 2.0 term GPA, etc.) that must be met for continued eligibility.
Notification of Your SAP Status
If you fail to meet GPA, Pace, and/or Max Time requirements, we will notify you via:
- Email: You will receive an official email detailing your SAP status and if you were placed in a Warning or Not Meet status.
- To-Do List in MyMadison: A reminder will appear on your MyMadison “To-Do List.”
Note: No SAP information will appear in MyMadison until you have filed your FAFSA and received a notification regarding financial aid eligibility.
Opportunity to Appeal
If you experienced extenuating circumstances that affected your academic performance, you may submit an SAP appeal for review.
Visit the SAP Appeals Process section of this website for details on deadlines, forms, and eligibility requirements.
For questions or assistance, contact your advisor and/or our office to explore resources that can support your success!
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