Satisfactory Academic Progress
Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Students at the University of Idaho must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive federal student financial aid. At a minimum, SAP will be reviewed at the end of each spring semester (annual evaluation for all students). Students not meeting the minimum requirements of SAP as stated below are no longer eligible to receive assistance under Title IV HEA programs. These students are evaluated on a term-by-term basis to ensure they are meeting the requirements of their conditional reinstatement/probation. For purposes of evaluating satisfactory academic progress, the academic year is defined as summer, fall, and spring. Therefore, the summer session prior to fall and spring will be included in the review. Students receiving financial aid for the first time will be considered in good academic standing until they reach the defined annual evaluation time for SAP.
How to Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid
Students wishing to appeal their suspension of financial aid should complete a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement Form and submit it to the contact listed below under their degree level. Special circumstances concerning the student’s academic progress for student financial aid will be reviewed on an individual basis. The Director of Student Financial Aid Services may reinstate a student based on special circumstances unique to that student.
- If you have been suspended from financial aid due to missing grade transcripts outside of the University of Idaho due to: study abroad, national student exchange, concurrent agreement with North Idaho College, a consortium agreement with another institution, or a reevaluation of previously submitted transcripts, we will reevaluate your suspension once all final transcripts are received. Students can provide an unofficial grade transcript to Student Financial Aid Services, to expedite the re-evaluation of your credits and remove the suspension hold if you meet the Pace ruling.
- If the suspension is due to an incomplete course, your suspension can be reevaluated after the grades have been posted. This reevaluation can be reviewed by either the Student Financial Aid Services or the Dean's Office of your college upon request.
- If you were suspended during a previous program and graduated, you will regain full eligibility for future financial aid.
Upon receiving a completed Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement Form from the student, the student’s academic dean (or designee) may recommend a waiver of all satisfactory academic progress criteria due to the special circumstances detailed in the petition form. If the petition is denied, the Director of Student Financial Aid Services will review the recommendation and make a final determination of whether to waive the suspension for the student. The decision of the academic college and the Director of Student Financial Aid Services may be appealed to the Student Financial Aid Committee and then to the Administrative Hearing Board.
If the petition is granted, the suspension will be waived and all federal financial aid/eligibility will be reinstated for one term unless an Academic Plan was part of your Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form. You will be notified of any final decision. Your status can be viewed by logging on your VandalWeb under "Student Financial Aid & Scholarships".
There are two possible ways for undergraduate students to pursue financial aid reinstatement.
1. Attend Until Aid Eligibility is Regained - Students can attend without financial aid. Progress toward SAP will be evaluated every semester, and once the student meets all SAP requirements aid will be reinstated. Any student who chooses not to attend without financial aid must submit a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form and the embedded Academic Plan (section E) to be considered for future financial aid.
2. Petition for Reinstatement - Undergraduate students wishing to appeal their suspension should submit the petition form to the Dean’s Office in the college for which they are enrolled. The petition form is available here.
SAP Contacts for Undergraduate Students
There are two possible ways for graduate students to pursue financial aid reinstatement.
1. Attend Until Aid Eligibility Is Gained - Graduate students can attend without financial aid. Progress toward SAP will be evaluated every semester and aid will be reinstated once the students meets all SAP requirements. Any student who chooses not to attend without financial aid must submit a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form and the embedded Academic Plan (section E) to be considered for future financial aid.
2. Petition for Reinstatement - Graduate students wishing to appeal their suspension should submit the petition form to College of Graduate Studies in Morrill Hall room 104, 208-885-2647, or cogs-forms@uidaho.edu. The petition form is available here.
There are two possible ways for law students to get their financial aid reinstated.
1. Attend Until Aid Eligibility Is Attained — Law students can attend without financial aid. Progress toward SAP will be evaluated every semester, and will be reinstated once the student meets SAP requirements. Any student who chooses not to attend without financial aid must submit a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form and the embedded Academic Plan (section E) to be considered for future financial aid.
2. Petition for Reinstatement — Law students wishing to appeal their suspension should submit a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form to reestablish financial aid eligibility to lawadsa@uidaho.edu.
SAP Policies at U of I
Academic Amnesty (Fresh Start)
These types of programs are not exempt from SAP. If a student is subject to SAP and returns after a prolonged absence and is approved for academic amnesty, they will still be subject to completing a petition for financial aid reinstatement and will need an academic plan.
Audit, Nonattendance W, Pass/Fail and Incomplete grades
PACE: All of the above will be considered as attempted but not completed coursework for SAP purposes. This will count towards the denominator of pace calculation.
MAX: All of the above counted toward max as well.
Qualitative: None of these types of courses would impact the qualitative measurement of SAP.
Incompletes: Counted as failed coursework because the student has 1 year from the time of the incomplete to obtain a grade, which will not align with federally mandated evaluation timelines.
Conditional Reinstatement
Financial aid conditional reinstatement is a status assigned to a student who fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress and who has appealed and has been approved for aid reinstated eligibility. This is also known as being on an academic plan. The waiver period of conditional reinstatement can be as long as the academic plan put in place by the students' college contact. If a student does not maintain their academic plan, they may petition for reinstatement again.
Financial Aid Warning
Students are not provided a warning because we accept appeals. Students are notified of suspension and informed of the petition process once annual evaluation is conducted and suspension is confirmed.
Missing Transcripts
If a student is missing Consortium/Study Abroad/NSE transcripts (or similar) during annual evaluation, they may be evaluated and suspended for PACE.
Notification of SAP Changes
The students' college contact will work with the student to create an academic plan and inform students of the outcome of any recommended waivers for Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement. A detailed list of financial aid suspensions will be forwarded to the contact of the college in which the student is enrolled.
Transfer Credits
Students who complete other college coursework and transfer those credits to U of I will have their transcripts evaluated. Any accepted coursework will be applied to the student’s degree program. For purposes of evaluating Satisfactory Academic Progress, accepted transfer credits will be counted as both attempted and completed coursework and added into the student’s pace and max calculation for each evaluation period.