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Satisfactory
Academic Progress Requirements
Undergraduates
| Graduates | Appeals Process
| Financial Aid Suspension
| SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY | |||
| Federal Financial Aid regulations require that the University of Houston-Downtown establishes, publishes and applies reasonable standards for measuring students' satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their educational programs. Included in these standards are a qualitative measure, a quantitative measure and a maximum timeframe requirement. The qualitative and quantitative standards used to monitor academic progress must be cumulative and must include all periods of the student's enrollment including periods for which the student did not receive financial aid. This policy will be enforced at the beginning of each academic year, regardless of previous years' decisions. | |||
| First-time Enrollments | |||
| Students enrolled at the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) for the first time (including transfers) will not be denied financial assistance due to non-compliance. The exception to this is for those students who have already attempted over 170 hours before entering (UHD). Those students will be required to submit an appeal in order to be considered for financial aid. See “Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension” below for more details. All financial aid recipients must meet SAP requirements to continue to receive financial assistance. | |||
| Continuing Undergraduate Students | |||
| In order to be eligible for financial aid, all undergraduate students must: | |||
| • | Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 | ||
| • | Successfully complete at least 73% of all hours attempted. Grades of F, W, U and I are not considered as satisfactory completion. | ||
| • | Complete their program of study within 170 hours. This includes hours that have been attempted at all schools attended. | ||
| If you are not in compliance with these requirements at the beginning of each academic year, you will be placed on financial aid suspension. | |||
| Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension | |||
| Students may appeal their Financial Aid Suspension in writing to the Financial Aid Office. Forms are available online at www.uhd.edu/admissions/financial_aid/FA_Forms.htm | |||
| Appeals may be made based on : | |||
| • | A death in the immediate family. | ||
| • | Serious injury or illness of the student or a member of the immediate family. | ||
| • | Improvement sufficient to meet required standards in hours and/or GPA while attending a subsequent semester at student's own expense. | ||
| • | Special circumstances to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. (Students on Financial Aid Suspension who have not attended college for at least one calendar year may appeal based on change of circumstances.) | ||
| A student whose appeal is granted will be awarded financial aid on a probationary basis. Academic progress will be reviewed at the end of the semester to determine if progress has been made. If progress has been made, the student will continue on probation through the next semester. If progress has not been made the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension for the remainder of the academic year. A student on Financial Aid Suspension whose appeal is denied may attend the University of Houston-Downtown at his/her own expense, if eligible. | |||
| Financial Aid may be reinstated under the following conditions: | |||
| - | The required cumulative GPA is attained | ||
| - | An overall completion rate of 73% of hours attempted is achieved | ||
| - | Hours attempted have not exceeded 170 | ||
| Post-baccalaureate | |||
If you have earned your first Bachelor's degree and are working toward a second degree or teacher's certification, you must provide a copy of your degree plan or certification plan showing the remaining number of hours needed to complete the program. For those seeking a second undergraduate degree, you will have a time limit of 150% of the remaining hours. For example, a student who has earned a first bachelor's degree is working towards a second degree. The degree plan shows that the student has ninety hours toward that degree, leaving 34 remaining hours. The student must complete the program within 51 hours. If you are taking pre-requisites for Graduate Admissions, you may only receive funding in the form of Stafford loans for a period of 12 consecutive months. Undergraduate students who have exceeded these time limits will no longer be eligible for financial assistance. |
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| Graduate Students | |||
| In order to be eligible for financial aid, all graduate students must: | |||
| • | Maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 | ||
| • | Successfully complete at least 73% of all hours attempted. Grades of F, W, U and I are not considered as satisfactory completion. | ||
| • | Complete their program of study within 170 hours. This includes hours that have been attempted at all schools attended. | ||
| If you are not in compliance with these requirements at the beginning of each academic year, you will be placed on financial aid suspension. | |||
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| Appeal of Financial Aid Suspension | |||
| Students may appeal their Financial Aid Suspension in writing to the Financial Aid Office. Forms are available online at http://www.uhd.edu/admissions/financial_aid/FA_Forms.htm | |||
| Appeals may be made based on : | |||
| • | A death in the immediate family. | ||
| • | Serious injury or illness of the student or a member of the immediate family. | ||
| • | Improvement sufficient to meet required standards in hours and/or GPA while attending a subsequent semester at student's own expense. | ||
| • | Special circumstances to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. (Students on Financial Aid Suspension who have not attended college for at least one calendar year may appeal based on change of circumstances.) | ||
| A student whose appeal is granted will be awarded financial aid on a probationary basis. Academic progress will be reviewed at the end of the semester to determine if progress has been made. If progress has been made, the student will continue on probation through the next semester. If progress has not been made the student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension for the remainder of the academic year. A student on Financial Aid Suspension whose appeal is denied may attend the University of Houston-Downtown at his/her own expense, if eligible. | |||
| Financial Aid may be reinstated under the following conditions : | |||
| - | The required cumulative GPA is attained; and | ||
| - | An overall completion rate of 73% of hours attempted is achieved. | ||
| - | Hours attempted have not exceeded 150% of program | ||
| Frequency of Evaluation | |||
| Your academic record will be evaluated once a year, generally at the end of the spring semester, or when you reapply for aid. If you have been placed on financial aid probation, you may have your record checked more frequently. | |||
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| FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION AND APPEAL | |||
| If you do not make academic progress you will be suspended from further financial aid. If extenuating circumstances prevented you from making progress, you may appeal the suspension in writing to our office. To appeal financial aid suspension, you must obtain and complete the UHD Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form. Financial aid appeals must be turned in to our office in a timely fashion. Failure to appeal in a timely fashion can reduce or nullify your eligibility for aid. Financial aid appeals cannot be approved retroactive to completed semesters. You will be notified of our decision in writing. | |||
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