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Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (PDF)

Federal regulations require that all student financial aid recipients make satisfactory academic progress toward achieving a certificate or degree. The standard applies to all terms regardless of whether or not the student received financial aid and in addition, students must also meet the retention standards of the university as outlined in the Butler University Handbook. Progress is measured by three components:

Quantitative - Credit hours attempted versus credit hours earned
Qualitative - Cumulative Grade Point Average
Cumulative progress - The maximum time to complete a program

Progress will be measured annually at the end of the spring semester for degree seeking students. Students on probation will be reviewed at the end of each academic year semester.

I. Progress Standards

Quantitative

Students must, at a minimum, receive a satisfactory grade in the courses attempted during fall and spring semesters as follows:

Financial Aid Based on enrollment of:	Student Must Complete satisfactory:
15 or more credit hours	12 credit hours
12-14 credit hours	9 credit hours
9 - 11 credit hours	6 credit hours
8 credit hours or less	75% of credit hours attempted

Examples: A student who attempts 15 or more credit hours for the fall term and then 15 credit hours or more for the spring term, must complete a minimum of 24 hours from the two combined terms to meet SAP standards. Likewise, a student who attempts 12 credit hours for fall and 15 credit hours for spring would have to have completed a minimum of 21 credit hours (9+12) from the 2 combined terms to meet SAP standards.

Satisfactory grades consist of A, B, C and D. Unsatisfactory grades are F, W, I, or any other grade that does not result in credit hours completed. A few programs require coursework ("Z courses") that is assigned a grade but for which the credit hours are not counted toward the minimum required for a degree. Credit hours for these courses are measured as successfully completed if a letter grade of A, B, C, or D is assigned.

Quantitative progress is reviewed on an annual basis to determine if the student has completed sufficient total credit hours during the academic year.

Qualitative

Students must have a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher at the end of their first two years at Butler University and continue a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher for all subsequent semesters.

Cumulative Progress

Students in an academic program with a program length of 120-140 hours who have attempted 180 credit hours toward a degree will be ineligible for student financial aid. Students in an academic program with a program length of more than 140 hours who have attempted 200 credit hours toward a degree will be ineligible for student financial aid. Students in the pharmacy program (minimum length 210 hours) who have attempted 300 credit hours will be ineligible for student financial aid. Students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 credit hours of Remedial/Developmental coursework.

Graduate students in a program length of 30 credit hours have 5 years to complete their degree and a maximum of 45 attempted credit hours. Graduate programs of longer than 30 credit hours have a maximum of 7 years to complete and maximum attempted credit hours not to exceed 150% of the program length.

Cumulative Progress Terms

Withdrawals (W grades): Recorded on the student's permanent academic transcript will be included as credit hours attempted and will have an adverse effect on the student's ability to meet the requirements of the credit hour progression schedule for financial aid.

Incomplete grades: Courses that are assigned an incomplete grade are included in the cumulative credit hours attempted. These cannot be used as credit hours earned in the progress standard until a successful grade is assigned.

Repeated Courses: Enable the student to achieve a higher cumulative grade point average. Repeating courses adversely affects the student's ability to meet the requirements of the credit hour progression schedule.

Pass/Fail: No more than seven credit hours of regular, non-developmental courses taken will be counted as satisfactorily completed credit hours under this policy.

Transfer Credits: Only credit hours officially accepted in transfer and specifically applied toward a student's certificate or degree program will be counted in the maximum number of allowable semester credit hours for financial aid eligibility. If the student is required to take hours above the maximum number allowable as a result of transfer from another institution, the student must submit a written appeal to the Office of Financial Aid. If the appeal is approved, the student may continue to receive financial aid.

Second Degree Students: Students who are enrolled in a degree program which is equal to or lower than a degree already earned, will have officially accepted credit hours which are specifically applied toward the student's current certificate or degree program counted in the maximum number of allowable credit hours for financial aid eligibility.

Note: A student will not be considered to have reached the credit hour maximum until the semester following the one in which the student reaches or exceeds the maximum semester hours attempted.

II. Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Probation

(referred to as Financial Aid Probation hereafter)

Students will be placed on financial aid probation if they fail to meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard at the time of review.

Students placed on probation are then reviewed at the end of each academic year semester.

Students placed on academic probation by the college are automatically on financial aid probation. Students will be removed from financial aid probation if they satisfactorily complete two consecutive full-time semesters and meet the standards outlined above. See examples.

III. Disqualification from Financial Aid (Loss of Financial Aid Eligibility)

Students on financial aid probation who fail to meet the stated standards of progress in their next semester of enrollment will be ineligible for financial aid.

Students who receive all F's or W's in courses attempted in any semester will be ineligible for financial aid without a probationary period. In evaluating satisfactory progress for financial aid, an "I" will be considered an "F".

Students who are identified as having met the college's definition of "Academic Dismissal" are immediately disqualified for financial aid eligibility without a probationary period. The student may appeal with a change in academic program.

Students who pre-register for a subsequent semester before grades are evaluated and who use financial aid to defer tuition and fees may owe a financial aid repayment if they do not maintain satisfactory academic progress and are placed on financial aid removal after grades are posted and reviewed.

Returning students who have not received financial aid previously at Butler University and who upon review do not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards will be allowed to receive financial aid for one semester without penalty. They must, however, make satisfactory progress that semester according to the standards above to continue to receive financial aid in future semesters.

Disqualification from financial aid does not prevent students from enrolling without financial aid if they are otherwise eligible to continue their enrollment.

Students should consult with a Financial Aid Counselor to determine how to regain eligibility for financial aid.

IV. Appeals To Regain Eligibility

Students who fail to meet these standards and have lost eligibility for financial aid may appeal. The appeal must be in writing and accompanied by appropriate supporting documents. Appeals should be submitted to the Office of Financial Aid within two weeks of the date on the student notification. Appeals are then reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee. Reasons that may be acceptable for appeal are: (1) serious illness or accident on the part of the student; (2) death, accident or serious illness in the immediate family; (3) change in academic program; and, (4) other extenuating circumstances. The reasonableness of the student's ability for improvement to meet the appropriate standards for the certificate or degree program in which the student is enrolled will be taken into consideration. The student is limited to two appeals. Appeals will be approved, denied or approved for a probationary period not to exceed one academic year.

V. Regaining Eligibility

Students who failed to meet these Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards and who choose to enroll without benefit of student financial aid may request a review of their academic record after any term in which they are enrolled without the receipt of financial aid. If the standards are met, eligibility may be regained for subsequent terms of enrollment in the academic year on a probationary status.