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Seton Hall University

Satisfactory Academic Progress Procedure

Federal regulations mandate that the Student Financial Services monitor and evaluate the academic progress of all undergraduate students whether or not the student received financial aid. The following requirements apply for all periods of enrollment and all college work attempted, including transferable work. The measurement of academic progress is a monitoring process by which Seton Hall University compares the number of credit hours successfully completed to credit hours attempted. There is also a cumulative grade-point average (CGPA) component. Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade of A, B, C, D, P, or S for any course taken. The standards of measurement used in this process for the academic year are listed below. These standards are in compliance with federal and university regulations.

Standards Of Satisfactory Academic Progress: The Higher Education Act requires that financial aid recipients maintain "SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS" in their course of study. This status is determined by the qualitative (CGPA) and quantitative (cumulative credit hours attempted/ completed percentage and maximum credit hours for degree) measures below:

Standards of Academic Progress
Credit Hours Attempted Current Minimum CGPA Required Completion Rate
0-29 1.75 72%
30-59 1.90 72%
60-195 2.00 72%
Graduate/Certificate Attempted Hours 3.00 72%

The CGPA is based on a 4.0 scale and only includes classes taken at Seton Hall University to determine this average. The maximum deficit credit hours allowed for the completion rate is the difference between the cumulative number of credit hours registered for and the number of credit hours successfully completed.

The minimum standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress includes the following:

  1. Maintain the required cumulative grade point average.
  2. Complete a minimum of 72% of cumulative attempted credit hours (including all transfer credits).

According to federal regulations, financial aid eligibility expires when a student has attempted more than 150 percent of the credit hours required for completing the degree or certificate program. Transfer credits are included in the total number of attempted hours for determining the maximum time frame. For Title IV purposes, the maximum credit hours allowed per degree or certificate at Seton Hall University are:

Bachelor's Degree: 130 credit hours
Master's Degree: 48 credit hours

Good Academic Standing: An attending student is considered to be in Good Academic Standing for purposes of Seton Hall University financial aid eligibility, reports, and communication to other institutions unless the student has not successfully completed the required number of credit hours, fallen below the minimum cumulative grade-point average, or been dismissed, suspended, or dropped from Seton Hall University and not readmitted.

Repeated Courses: All repeated course work will count in the maximum number of attempted credits each time the course is taken. Repeated courses are eligible for financial aid funding for students in good Satisfactory Academic Progress standing.

Courses Dropped Before The Census Date: If a student drops courses before the semester census date (usually the end of the 100% refund period), those courses will not be counted towards credit hours attempted.

Dropping Or Withdrawing From Classes: Reducing your enrollment during any semester can create serious consequences for financial aid recipients. Before dropping or withdrawing from classes, check with Student Financial Services. One or more of the following may be the result:

  1. Satisfactory Academic Progress may be affected.
  2. In cases of complete withdrawals, students may be required to repay a percentage of financial aid received for that semester. See Title IV Return of Funds.
  3. Students receiving Federal Stafford Loans may go into repayment if current enrollment drops below six credit hours for a period of time greater than the six month grace period (or you may lose your grace period). See Title IV Return of Funds. Future disbursements of loans will also be cancelled once enrollment drops below 6 credit hours.

Second Degrees and Double Majors: Students seeking a second associate, bachelor's, or master's degree must pursue a different major from the degree(s) they already have completed to be eligible for federal financial aid. Students seeking double majors must complete their degree program for the primary major within the limits set for that major. Additional hours will not be allowed for double majors for the maximum credit limits.

Graduate Students: Students starting a graduate program are considered to be starting a new degree program for tracking deficit credit ratio and maximum credit hours for financial aid. Maximum time frame requirements for aid eligibility are contingent upon the student completing degree requirements within 150 percent of the program's published length in accordance with the standards established by the academic department. This is usually 48 credit hours. A minimum 3.0 CGPA progress is required for students to remain in good standing in their program of study per department guidelines and to remain eligible for financial aid. Graduate students are reviewed once a year following the Spring semester to determine eligibility for the upcoming academic year.

Failure to Meet The Standards Of Academic Progress: In the following provisions, warning or suspension means financial aid warning or suspension, not academic probation or suspension.

Financial Aid Warning: In the "first review period" in which the standards of academic progress are not met, the student will be placed on warning and will be notified of that status. The student will be eligible to receive financial aid during the warning period. Eligibility for each term thereafter will be reviewed for compliance.

Financial Aid Suspension: If a student does not meet the requirements while on financial aid warning and has their financial aid suspended, the student may file a written appeal. The student must clearly explain why Satisfactory Academic Progress standards were not met and provide documentation of their academic plan.

Procedure for Review of Satisfactory Academic Progress: After every term following the posting of grades to the official transcript, Student Financial Services will review the student academic history and notify students who are being placed on financial aid warning or financial aid suspension. All students placed on suspension will be mailed a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form.

Students not meeting the minimum standards for the first time will be placed on financial aid warning. Students on warning are eligible to receive all aid. Students not meeting the minimum standards the following term after receiving a warning status will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students on suspension are not eligible to receive any federal or state financial aid. Pending financial aid awards for upcoming semesters will be cancelled. Students may appeal using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form.

Warning or Suspension Letters: Letters are generated for all students who apply for financial aid for the academic year. This includes students who have never received financial aid in prior semesters of attendance and did not meet the standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress during that time. The letter will indicate the reason for not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards. One or all of the following reasons may be checked:

  • Deficiency in required number of credit hours successfully completed compared to the number of credit hours registered. Grades of I, W, F, and Audits do not count toward successfully completed hours.
  • Cumulative grade-point average (GPA) below the standard set for each year in school based on credit hours attempted.
  • Failure to meet conditions of probation period. No other appeal will be reviewed until the student has successfully completed at least 6 credit hours during one semester including summer. All classes attempted must be completed with no grades of I, W, F, or Audits, and improvement must be shown in the cumulative GPA toward the minimum required if below the required standard for credit hours attempted.
  • Degree requirements have not been met within maximum timeframe allowed.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS APPEAL PROCESS: Students placed on financial aid suspension for not meeting the minimum standards for a second time may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid by filing a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form. If approved, the student will be placed on financial aid probation for one semester. If Satisfactory Academic Progress is met for that semester, the status will be cleared. Reinstatement of all aid is subject to professional judgment, submission of proper documentation of the students circumstances and availability of funds. Circumstances of the appeal must have supporting documentation (such as police reports, death notices, etc.) and/or letters (such as verification from a doctor, instructors, counselors, etc.) to validate information provided in the students' written explanation statement.

The following special circumstances will be considered when processing an appeal:

  1. A significant medical illness or injury that directly affected students ability to meet the academic standards.
  2. The death of a close relative during the time period that directly affected the students ability to meet the academic standards.
  3. The student attended school more than two years prior to the current year and experienced difficulties at that time that directly affected the students ability to meet the academic standards.
  4. The student received a change of grade from a previous semester and is requesting that Satisfactory Academic Progress be re-evaluated.
  5. The student experienced a significant personal tragedy or event that affected the students ability to meet the academic standards.
  6. Other significant situation that affected the students ability to meet academic standards.

The Student Financial Services Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee will only evaluate appeals that are considered to be complete. A decision will be reached, and the student will be notified by mail of the results. Students will have the option of attending/enrolling in classes when an appeal is pending. However, financial aid will not be released unless the appeal is approved. The student is responsible for all tuition, fees, room and/or board charges for any period of enrollment with or without financial aid. Additionally, Seton Hall does not consider the student paying for classes on his/her own or sitting out for a period of time as sufficient to re-establish eligibility for Title IV aid.

For questions regarding the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress procedure, call (800) 222- 7183, or stop by Student Financial Services.

Effective Date

August 31, 2009