SAP appeals

The general policy outline below is based off a single undergraduate. If a student is enrolled in multiple programs (double+ major), we will evaluate as identified on a case-by-case basis. The only criteria impacted by a double+ major would be max. A second-bachelor’s degree will reset the student’s SAP after having earned the first bachelor’s degree.

A. GPA requirements

The required minimum cumulative grade point average is 2.0.  

B. Pace

Students must successfully maintain pace toward their degree by completing 67% of cumulative attempted credits. Credits attempted and completed each semester are used in the annual evaluation of pace.

All attempted credits for the summer, fall, and spring semesters will be used to calculate the pace rate of 67%. Any transfer credits from Study Abroad, National Student Exchange or other outside courses must be accepted toward a student’s degree requirements.

* (F’s, zero credits, repeats (E), audits (A), withdrawals (W/WU), Incompletes, Non-counted repeat classes, and No-passing (NP) are not included in the earned hours) Remedial courses are not included in a student’s pace calculation.

Successful completion is receiving earned credit as defined by the UI academic policy. For students receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as the number of credits enrolled in as of the tenth day after the start of each term (the UI census date for financial aid evaluation purposes). For students not receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as attempted hours recorded at the end of the semester in the registrar’s system.

Institutional policy on rounding

Per department of education, institutional guidance takes precedence regarding rounding rules and pace. It is the institutional policy of U of I to round up when pace equals at least 66.67%. Below this percentage does not meet pace per the institutional policy.

Example of maintaining pace

Summary Table 1 – First academic year – Student withdraws fall semester

After the first year, this student completed only 50% of courses attempted and is placed on financial aid probation (suspension). To get back on pace to meet the 67%, this student would need an Academic Plan that followed the course load as outlined below to regain financial aid eligibility. In many cases, if a student fails pace, it can take more than a semester to get the completed credits high enough to regain good standing for the pace requirement. See Table 2 below.

Summary table 2 – Example 1 – second year

* Student has regained Satisfactory Academic Progress by completing 67% (66.67% rounded up) of cumulative attempted courses.

As illustrated above, the minimum number of courses this student would have to attempt and pass for the next term is 12 credits. If this student failed to complete 100% of attempted courses, additional term or terms would be needed to get back on pace and regain financial aid eligibility. If it will take more than one semester the student would be required to submit an Academic Plan, detailing the number of courses needed each term to get back on pace for her/his degree.

C. Maximum attempted credits without a degree

A student is allowed to attempt up to 150% of the required credits for a degree. Attempted credit hours are defined as the greater of attempted credits in the Registrar’s system or earned credits. For purposes of the annual evaluation, we will use 120 credits, allowing a maximum attempted credit hour limit of 180 (120*1.5=180). The total number of credit hours required to obtain a bachelor’s degree can vary for certain programs; students in the Bachelor of Architecture program will be allowed 150% of the 169 credits required for the degree for a maximum attempted credit hour limit of 254 credit hours. Most students working on a second bachelor’s degree will be allowed a maximum attempted credit hour limit of 254 undergraduate credits. Hours may vary depending on the program of study and whether U of I or non-U of I credits were earned.

A graduate student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or better to continue to receive federal financial assistance.

Graduate students must successfully complete 67% of their cumulative attempted credits. All attempted credits for each semester will be totaled and the required number to be successfully completed will be 67 percent of that total. If a student enrolls in one semester only, the student will be expected to complete 67% percent of attempted hours for that semester.

Pace: Graduate students must successfully complete 67% percent of U of I credits attempted each term to maintain satisfactory progress toward a degree. Pace is evaluated after each semester and is measured against the cumulative number of courses attempted. Considering this, many students will be required to complete an academic plan if the number of completed credits is insufficient for a student to meet the 67% pace rule. For example, see Summary table 3 as an illustration of the pace requirement.

Institutional policy on rounding: Per Department of Education, institutional guidance takes precedence regarding rounding rules and pace. It is the institutional policy of University of Idaho to round up when pace equals at least 66.67%. Below this percent does not meet pace per the institutional policy.

Summary table 3 – Graduate level-first academic year – Student withdraws fall semester

After the first year, this student has completed only 50% of the courses attempted and is placed on financial aid probation (suspension). To get back on pace to meet the 67% pace rule for U of I, this student would need an academic plan that followed the course load as outlined below to regain financial aid eligibility. As you can see, if a student gets behind on the 67% pace rule, it can take more than a semester to get the total number of completed credits back up to the point where they regain good standing for the pace requirement of 67%. See table 4 below.

Summary table 4 - Graduate level – Example 1 – Second year

*Student has regained Satisfactory Academic Progress by completing 67% (66.67% rounded up) of cumulative attempted courses.

As illustrated above, the minimum number of courses this student would have to attempt and pass for the next semester is 12 credits. If this student failed to complete 100% of the courses attempted after the initial suspension, then an additional term or terms would be needed to get back on pace and regain financial aid eligibility. In this scenario, the student would be required to submit an academic plan, detailing the number of courses needed each term to get back on pace for her/his degree. In addition to pace, the qualitative requirement of maintaining a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 applies to this policy.

Successful completion is defined as receiving earned credit as defined by the U of I academic policy. For students receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as the number of credits enrolled for the census date for federal financial aid. For students not receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as attempted hours recorded at the end of the semester in the Registrar’s system.

A graduate student in the master’s degree program (except M.Ed./M.S. counseling in human services, Master of Fine Arts) requires an average of 36 credits for graduation (see chart below). Therefore, students will be allowed to accumulate up to 150% of the 36 credits, for a total of 54 credits. Once a student accumulates 54 attempted credits, a student will be suspended from receiving further financial assistance. If a student is working on a second Master’s degree they will be allowed to attempt 81 credits (54 plus 27 credits).

*Student has regained satisfactory academic

Students enrolled in the M.Ed./M.S. counseling in human services, Master of Fine Arts, and all specialist degree programs require 60 credits for graduation. Students in these programs will be allowed to attempt up to 150% of the 60 credits for a total of 90 attempted credits. Attempted credit hours are defined as the number of attempted credits in the Registrar’s system, or the number of earned credits, whichever is higher. If a student is attempting a second Master's or specialist degree in these areas they will be allowed to attempt 135 credits (90 plus 45 credits).

All doctoral degree graduation requirements require a minimum of 78 credits. Students enrolled in doctoral degree programs will be allowed to attempt 150% of the 78 credits for a total of 117 credits. If a student is attempting a second doctoral degree in these areas they will be allowed to attempt 175 credits (117 plus 58 credits).

Any students enrolled in the law program will be required to make satisfactory academic progress, as defined by the law school's academic requirements.

A. GPA requirements

Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 at the conclusion of their first semester of law school will be placed on academic probation. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 at the end of his/her second semester, or any semester thereafter, in law school will be suspended.

Any student who is suspended due to a grade point average below 2.00 may once again be eligible to receive assistance upon reinstatement by the dean or associate dean.

B. Pace

Law students must successfully complete pace towards their degree by completing 67% of cumulative attempted credits. Credits attempted and completed each semester are used in the annual evaluation of pace.

All attempted credits for the summer, fall and spring semesters will be used to calculate the pace completion rate of 67%. Any transfer credits from Study Abroad, National Student Exchange or any other outside courses are also evaluated to ensure they are accepted toward a student's degree requirements.

Successful completion is defined as receiving earned credit as defined by the U of I Academic Policy. For students receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as the number of credits enrolled for as of the tenth day after the start of each term. This date is the U of I census date for financial aid evaluation purposes. For students not receiving federal financial aid, attempted credits will be defined as attempted hours recorded at the end of the semester in the Registrar's system.

Institutional policy on rounding: Per Department of Education, institutional guidance takes precedence regarding rounding rules and pace. It is the institutional policy of University of Idaho to round up when pace equals at least 66.67%. Below this percent does not meet pace per the institutional policy.

Example of maintaining pace

Summary table 5 – First academic year – Student withdraws fall semester

After the first year, this student has completed only 50% of the courses attempted and is placed on financial aid probation (suspension). To get back on pace to meet the 67% rate for U of I, this student would need an academic plan that followed the course load as outlined below to regain financial aid eligibility. As you can see, if a student gets behind on the 67% rate, it can take more than a semester to get the total number of completed credits back up to the point where they regain good standing for the pace requirement of 67%. See table 6 below.

Summary table 6 – Example 1 – Second year

* Student has regained Satisfactory Academic Progress by completing 67% (66.67% rounded up) of cumulative attempted courses.

As illustrated above, the minimum number of courses this student would have to attempt and pass for the next term is 12 credits. If this student failed to complete 100% of the courses attempted after the initial suspension, then an additional term or terms would be needed to get back on pace and regain financial aid eligibility. In this scenario, the student would be required to submit an academic plan, detailing the number of courses needed each term to get back on pace for her/his degree.

C. Maximum attempted credits without a degree

Students enrolled in law must have a minimum of 90 credits for graduation. Students who have attempted 150% of the minimum required for graduation, a total of 135 credits, will be suspended from receiving further financial assistance. Attempted credit hours are defined as the number of attempted credits in the Registrar’s system, or the number of earned credits, whichever is higher.

Procedure for appeal before the student financial aid committee of decision suspending financial aid eligibility

The Student Financial Aid Committee is a University of Idaho appointed committee convened for specific functions, including those relevant to hearing and deciding appeals from students in matters concerning student financial aid.

Committee members are nominated by the Committee on Committees, and appointment is approved by the Faculty Senate. Notice of the current appointments are sent to the Financial Aid Office by the Faculty Secretary/Policy Coordinator’s Office, and indicate the names and contact information for each committee member, and any additional appointment information such as committee member’s capacity (i.e., committee chair, voting or non-voting status, etc.)

Initial appeal for reinstatement of financial aid to college/department

When a student receives notice that their financial aid eligibility has been suspended, the student is advised of the right to petition for financial aid reinstatement. The student must complete a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement form online. Petitions should be submitted 3 weeks prior to the start of the term to allow enough time for processing. The petition form allows the student to make a statement as to why aid eligibility should be reinstated.

The College may request additional documentation in order to render a decision. The College may also review the student’s academic records and/or speak with course professors/instructors who have knowledge of the student’s situation. The College will render a decision to either reinstate the student’s financial aid eligibility upon certain terms (i.e., specific terms that the student must meet, also known as a Financial Aid Academic Plan), or to deny reinstatement if it feels the revocation of aid eligibility is appropriate. The College relays its decision to the student by email and also notifies the Office of Student Financial Aid Services. Upon receipt of said notice, Student Financial Aid Services will note the decision on the student’s financial aid record, recording either the terms of the Financial Aid Academic Plan if reinstatement has been approved or the suspension of financial aid eligibility if reinstatement is denied.

If financial aid reinstatement is denied, the College advises the student of the right to appeal the decision to the Student Financial Aid Committee and the student is instructed to contact the Student Financial Aid Services office.

Appeal of college/department decision to the student financial aid committee

Upon contact by a student who indicates a desire to make an appeal to the Student Financial Aid Committee, the Student Financial Aid Office will instruct the student to provide a written statement as to why the student feels his/her financial aid eligibility should be reinstated. The student may provide any additional information he/she desires, including statements of third parties (i.e., physicians, counselors, or other persons who may have knowledge of the student’s situation), and details of any remedial steps student has taken.

Upon receipt of such notice, the office of Student Financial Aid Services will convene a hearing before the current members of the Student Financial Aid Committee (or a quorum thereof) at a time most convenient to the student and the committee members. Notice of the hearing date and time is provided to the student, all committee members, and the representative(s) of the student’s College. The representative(s) of the College are invited to attend the hearing if there is additional information regarding the matter that the College might wish to present. The student may notify any person(s) he/she would like to attend the hearing of the time and date so that they may provide testimony in support of the student’s petition.

The hearing is generally held in the Student Financial Aid Services office library. The Student Financial Aid Committee chair will convene the meeting, the committee members will review the student’s petition, academic records (including a degree audit and grade transcripts), and any information provided by the student and/or the College. The student is called before the committee to explain in person the circumstances of his/her financial aid suspension and answer any questions the committee members might have.

After student leaves the meeting, if a representative of the suspending College has elected to attend, the committee may meet with him/her to further discuss the reasons for the suspension. After the College representative has left the meeting, further discussion takes place and a decision is reached.

After the committee has heard all testimony, fully reviewed the petition and information provided, and fully discussed the issue, it will decide whether to reinstate the student’s financial aid eligibility. The Student Financial Aid Committee also has the authority to set terms with which the student must comply for reinstatement of aid to be made. Compliance with those terms must be maintained in each academic semester following the hearing for the reinstatement of aid to continue.

The Director of Student Financial Aid Services will promptly contact the student to advise of the committee’s decision. The committee’s decision is also relayed to the student by written communication.

The Committee’s decision is recorded in the student’s Financial Aid account record, including any terms of reinstatement (which then become a formal Financial Aid Academic Plan). A copy of the decision letter is mailed to the student’s College for its records. Minutes of the meeting, including the decision rendered, are provided to all committee members. In addition, redacted minutes (information that identifies the student removed) are provided to Provost, Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Chair of the Committee on Committees, the ASUI President, the Faculty Secretary and the Dept. of Special Collections & Archives at the U of I Library. Copies of all documents are also retained in the Student Financial Aid Committee records in the office of Student Financial Aid Services

Failure to comply with terms of reinstatement

If the Student Financial Aid Committee’s decision reinstates the student’s financial aid eligibility upon student’s compliance with certain terms and conditions, those terms must be met each semester following the committee’s decision. Failure to meet those terms in any subsequent academic term will result in the student’s financial aid eligibility again being revoked. In that event, the student will have the right to start the appeal process over again, beginning with the appeal to his or her College/Department, as outlined in Paragraph 1 above.

Athletic aid appeal process

The committee used to appeal College decisions on Satisfactory Academic Progress is the same committee used to review appeals for athletic aid cancellations. If a student has lost athletic aid and they would like to appeal the decision beyond the athletic department the student appeals to the Student Financial Aid Committee. Student Financial Aid Services sends a letter to the student letting them know the aid will be canceled in 16 days. The student must notify the Director of Financial Aid prior to that time with their intent to appeal the aid cancellation. The same committee and process will be followed in reviewing the student case.