In order to be considered to be making satisfactory progress towards a degree, a student must both maintain quantitative (completion ratio) and qualitative (GPA) standards. The student’s progress will be evaluated every sixteen (16) weeks. If the student’s cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) or completion rate is less than the minimum required at that point in the student’s program the student will be placed on a SAP Warning. The student may receive financial aid due during the warning period, but if the student fails to achieve the required grade average or completion rate at the end of the following evaluation period, the student will be SAP Cancelled.
At the end of each semester, the student’s cumulative GPA will be evaluated and must meet the minimum required GPA listed in the chart below. If the student’s GPA is below the average specified in the chart based on the number of evaluation periods attended, they will be placed on FA Warning for one evaluation period. If the student does not meet the satisfactory performance requirements by the end of the FA Warning period, they will be SAP Cancelled and no longer eligible for financial aid until satisfactory performance is achieved. This policy is critical to ensure academic standards and institutional goals are upheld.
Evaluation Weeks | Required GPA at End of Period Undergraduate | Required GPA at End of Period Graduate | Required Completion Rate of Attempted Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
16 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 50% |
32 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 66.67% |
48 | 1.75 | 2.75 | 66.67% |
64 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
80 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
96 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
112 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
128 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
144 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
160 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
176 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
192 | 2.00 | 3.00 | 66.67% |
In addition to maintaining the grades specified above, a student must successfully complete at least half of the credits attempted in their first semester and two-thirds of the credit hours attempted in semesters thereafter. Attempted credit hours include completed courses, failed courses, repeated courses, withdrawn courses, and incomplete courses as well as those that received a grade of A, B, C, D, F. A student’s completion rate is measured at the end of each 16 week evaluation period. If the student has not completed two-thirds of the cumulative credit hours attempted to date based on the chart above (half, if it is the first semester), the student will be placed on warning. If at the end of the following evaluation period, the student has still not raised the completion rate to two-thirds of the cumulative hours attempted, the student will be dismissed.
It should be noted that students are expected to complete the requirements for their courses in the scheduled time frame, but in no case may the credit hours attempted exceed 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program (e.g., 120 credits required for undergraduate degree x 150% = 180 credits). Program maximum time frame is defined as 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program. If at any point it is determined the student is unable to complete the required courses for their program without exceeding the maximum time frame, the student is considered SAP cancelled and no longer eligible for financial aid for that program.
If a student fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) after the warning term, he/she may file an appeal on the basis of: injury, illness, the death of a relative, or other special circumstances with appropriate documentation. The appeal must explain why he/she failed to make SAP and what has changed in his/her situation that will allow him/her to make SAP at the next evaluation. A record of the appeal and the final determination will be maintained in the student’s file. The Appeal Committee will review the student’s appeal and special circumstances. If the appeal is granted, a student will be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and aid will be awarded on a term by term basis. The student will be assigned a status of Financial Aid Probation. In some cases, the student will require more than one term to meet the SAP standards. If the student has been placed on Financial Aid Probation, an academic plan must be developed that would ensure that the student will be able to meet the SAP standards by a specific point in time. The committee will review the student’s progress at the end of each academic period. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student is eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid as long as the student continues to meet those requirements and is reviewed according to the requirements specified in the plan.
A student’s program GPA is calculated using only grades earned at CDU in courses that are applicable to the student’s program. Transfer credits do not apply when calculating the student’s GPA at CDU. Transfer credits include credits for all courses not completed at CDU that are applied toward the completion of the student’s degree program.
Grades for prior attempts are excluded when calculating the qualitative component (GPA). However, credits from all attempts are included when assessing if the student meets the quantitative component (Credits). Although a student may successfully complete a course more than once, only the first passing grade is counted as a completion when calculating the quantitative component.
CDU evaluates SAP for the program based on completed weeks and credits of the semester, regardless of whether or not the student is enrolled concurrently. All credits completed at CDU applicable to the primary program will apply toward the primary program’s GPA.
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