Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students
All students who have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and wish to be considered for federal, state, and some private aid must meet the criteria stated in federal regulations (34 CFR 668.34). Financial aid eligibility is based on satisfactory academic progress standards established by the University, pursuant to federal law, to ensure that all financial aid recipients progress towards degree completion.
Important Update: Effective Fall 2025, significant changes will be made to the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy. These adjustments include a new SAP evaluation process which will now be assessed at the end of each semester (fall, spring, summer) for all students.
The Office of Financial Aid/VA monitors qualitative, quantitative, and maximum timeframe standards for students after completion of each semester (fall, spring, and summer). Students who do not complete classes enrolled in or fail to achieve the minimum standards for grade point average may lose their eligibility for all types of state, federal, and some private aid.
Elements of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress
Qualitative Standard
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative institutional 3.0 grade point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale. Please note that while passing grades (P) are treated as completed units, they do not count in the GPA calculation.
Quantitative (Pace) Standard
Graduate students must complete 67% of all attempted hours at USCB, plus hours accepted for transfer by USCB, regardless of whether federal financial aid was received. Please note the following:
- Courses in which a student receives a W, WF, I, U, NR, or F are counted as attempted hours, but not completed or earned hours. Only grades of A, B, C, D, S, and T are counted as attempted hours and hours earned. Students enrolled in audit courses (AUD) will not receive financial aid for these classes. Grades of W, NR, I, U, S, T and AUD are not used when computing GPA. Receiving grades W, WF, I U, NR, or F can negatively impact the percentage of completion.
- If a student repeats a course, both the original and the repeated courses will count toward attempted credit hours and earned credit hours.
- Transfer units will be counted in the completion rate as both attempted and earned hours, provided they have been accepted by the University for degree credit.
Maximum Timeframe Standard
Graduate students receiving financial aid must complete their program of study within a reasonable time frame. The total hours attempted at any post-secondary institution cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the academic program (including transfer hours), regardless of whether financial aid was received.
- Master of Science in Computational Science
- Has a maximum timeframe of 54 attempted credit hours
- Master of Education in Literacy Program
- Has a maximum timeframe of 54 attempted credit hours
A student who changes their major or courses is still required to complete their degree within the maximum time frame established by the institution. If a student exceeds this maximum time frame, they will lose their financial aid eligibility, even if they meet the other two standards for maintaining aid.
Failure to comply with any component above may result in the loss of financial aid eligibility.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Evaluation Process
Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed every semester (fall, spring, and summer), including periods when the student did not receive financial aid or was enrolled in non-degree programs. Financial aid eligibility may also be assessed when students submit a FAFSA or apply for specific aid that requires compliance with SAP standards. Failure to meet SAP standards by the end of the semester will affect financial aid eligibility for the following semester.
SAP Warning
If a student starts the semester in good SAP standing and fails to meet the cumulative GPA of a 3.0 or completion rate percentage of 67% SAP standards at the end of any term, the student will be placed on SAP Warning for one payment period (semester). During this warning period, students can still receive financial aid. Students on warning status must meet the SAP standards by the end of the warning period to continue receiving aid for future terms. Warning periods cannot be consecutive, but students may have multiple warning periods during their academic career. Note that students placed on financial aid warnings must have met the SAP standards during the prior semester in which they were enrolled.
SAP students who improve performance at the conclusion of the next term of enrollment and are again meeting the SAP standards will be placed back in good standing and may continue to receive financial aid if otherwise eligible.
SAP Hold
Students who are on a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) warning and do not achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0, as well as a completion rate of at least 67%, will be placed on a SAP Hold at the end of the term. This hold will stop the disbursement of financial aid for the following term until a successful SAP appeal is submitted, provided there are new extenuating circumstances.
Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility
If a student loses federal, state, and private aid eligibility because they are not meeting SAP Standards, they may regain eligibility in one of the following ways:
Appealing SAP Requirements
Graduate students deemed ineligible can submit a written appeal if they had extenuating circumstances that prevented them from making satisfactory academic progress. Extenuating circumstances are significant life experiences that impacted a student’s emotional and/or physical health so much that they were unable to make good academic progress. Documentation to support/verify the circumstances is required, and cannot be from family members, significant others, roommates, etc. Extenuating circumstances are defined as:
- Death (immediate family member)
- Personal illness of student
- Immediate family member illness
- Divorce or separation
- Traumatic/Extraordinary Event (traumatic event does not include college adjustment issues, homesickness, problems w/roommate, problems w/faculty, staff or administration at college, difficult course load, dependent care allowance or transportation problems. This list is not an exhaustive list.)
The appeal should be typed and fully explain:
- The reason that you failed to meet SAP standards,
- How the circumstances that prevented you from meeting SAP standards have been resolved, and
- An outline of your plan to meet SAP standards going forward.
The SAP Committee will review the appeal and determine whether the student is eligible
for reinstatement of Federal, State and private aid. The Committee will meet prior
to the start of each semester, and the student will be advised in writing of the committee’s
decision within ten days after the review of the appeal. All decisions that are rendered
by the Committee will be final and not subject to further review.
Appeals may be approved, approved with stipulations, or denied. If an appeal is approved,
the student is considered to be on Probation and may receive financial aid for only
one semester. At the end of that probationary period, the student must meet USCB’s
SAP standards or meet the requirements of an academic plan to qualify for future financial
aid. Academic plans may be developed by the Financial Aid Director, Academic Advisors,
or members of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee. If a student fails
to either regain regular SAP eligibility or meet the conditions of their academic
plan, the student is placed on Financial Aid Suspension.
Students who are on Financial Aid Probation may experience delays in receiving funds the following semester due to the need to confirm the previous semester's grades before releasing further financial aid.
Non-Appealable Circumstances
If a student does not have extenuating circumstances or a valid reason, they may regain eligibility by completing one semester at USCB with at least part-time enrollment (6.0 to 8.0 credits) without receiving financial aid. Courses taken must be in the student’s degree program, and the student must earn a 3.0 GPA or higher in all courses taken. Please note that a student does not regain eligibility for financial aid by sitting out a semester. In addition, the student must submit an Eligibility for Title IV Aid - Reestablished Form at the end of the term, after the grades have been posted to the student’s official record by the Registrar's Office. If the student is reinstated, they may be eligible for future aid only because awards are not retroactive.
If you have reached the maximum timeframe and do not have an appealable situation, this option does not apply to you.
For further information regarding SAP, the student should contact:
The USCB Office of Financial Aid/VA
1100 Boundary Street Room 121
Beaufort, SC 29902
(843) 521-3104