/Institutions/University-of-Science-and-Arts-of-Oklahoma/json/2024-2025/2024-2025-Course-Catalog-local.json

/Institutions/University-of-Science-and-Arts-of-Oklahoma/json/2024-2025/2024-2025-Course-Catalog.json

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Students at the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a degree, as stipulated in this policy, to receive federal and State financial aid from the following programs: Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG (FSEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), Oklahoma’s Promise (OKP), Oklahoma Tuition Aid Grant (OTAG), Federal Direct Student Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), and Federal Direct PLUS Loans for parents. Other aid programs not listed may also fall under this policy. SAP is measured quantitatively by completion rate, or “pace” (total credit hours successfully completed / total credit hours attempted), and qualitatively by GPA. There is also a total credit hour attempted limit, or “maximum timeframe”, allowed to complete a BS or BA degree at USAO.

Other resources such as institutional and outside scholarships, tribal funding, Workforce Oklahoma, etc. may not be affected.

SAP REQUIREMENTS FOR COURSEWORK AT USAO AND ALLL ACCEPTED INSTITUTIONS

Minimum Graduation/Retention GPA	2.00
Minimum Graduation/Retention GPA for Teacher Education/Certification Programs	2.50
Minimum Pace % of Total Credit Hours Successfully Completed	67%

(Standard rounding rules apply in the calculation of pace percentage.) 67%

MAXIMUM TIME-FRAME LIMIT FOR THOSE ADMITTED UNDER CATALOGS PRIOR TO 2023-2024 (Automatic Federal Financial Aid Suspension)

Maximum Total Credit Hours Attempted Allowed for Earning a BS, BA, or BFA Degree	150% of 124 credit hours = 186 maximum attempted credit hours
OR it is mathematically impossible to complete a BS, BA, or BFA degree before reaching 186 total attempted credit hours. This formula applies to those students with a pace of less than 100% and/or have less than 124 credit hours successfully completed. If the result of the formula calculation is equal to or greater than 186, maximum time-frame is exceeded.	(124 - successfully completed hours) + total attempted hours = result to compare to 186

MAXIMUM TIME-FRAME LIMIT FOR THOSE ADMITTED UNDER THE 2023-2024 CATALOG & BEYOND (Automatic Federal Financial Aid Suspension)

Maximum Total Credit Hours Attempted Allowed for Earning a BS or BA Degree	150% of 122 credit hours = 183 maximum attempted credit hours
OR it is mathematically impossible to complete a BS or BA degree before reaching 183 total attempted credit hours. This formula applies to those students with a pace of less than 100% and/or have less than 122 credit hours successfully completed. If the result of the formula calculation is equal to or greater than 183, maximum time-frame is exceeded.	(122 - successfully completed hours) + total attempted hours = result to compare to 183
Maximum Total Credit Hours Attempted Allowed for Earning a BFA degree	150% of 127 credit hours = 191 maximum attempted credit hours
OR it is mathematically impossible to complete a BFA degree before reaching 183 total attempted credit hours. This formula applies to those students with a pace of less than 100% and/or have less than 127 credit hours successfully completed. If the result of the formula calculation is equal to or greater than 191, maximum time-frame is exceeded.	(127 - successfully completed hours) + total attempted hours = result to compare to 191

SAP Evaluation

SAP is calculated for all enrolled students at USAO at the end of each fall, spring, and summer term after all grades are posted. Transfer or returning students are evaluated for entry after review of all previous transcripts and the student is accepted for admission or readmission.

Students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements are placed on federal FINANCIAL AID WARNING. Students on financial aid warning are eligible to receive federal and State aid for one additional term. Financial aid warning status applies only to GPA and pace requirements.

Students attending the term on federal financial aid warning status, and at the end of the term again do not meet the minimum SAP requirements, are placed on federal FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION. Students on federal financial aid suspension are not eligible for federal and/or State financial aid. Students may appeal the financial aid suspension status (see APPEALS); or reestablish aid eligibility on their own by meeting the minimum requirements by the end of the next term of enrollment. If successful, aid reinstatement is not retroactive and may only apply to the following term after SAP standards are achieved. Students reaching the maximum time-frame limit are automatically placed on federal financial aid suspension and cannot reestablish aid eligibility on their own.

Students granted a federal financial aid appeal approval are on federal FINANCIAL AID PROBATION. Students attending on appeal approval and on federal financial aid probation are eligible for federal and State aid for one term. If during the review of a federal financial aid appeal it is determined to not be possible for the student to meet the minimum SAP requirements in one term, the student may be considered for placement on an ACADEMIC PLAN (see ACADEMIC PLAN).

Notices of federal financial aid warning and suspension are sent to student email accounts after each term’s SAP evaluations are complete, usually within 1-3 days of final grades posting. It is the student’s responsibility to know their SAP status. Notification to new transfer and returning students required to reapply for admission is sent after the completion of the SAP review for entry or re-entry. If the new or returning student indicates on the application of admission that they do not wish to apply for federal financial aid, or the student is accepted as non-degree seeking, a notice may not be sent.

Rules are applied uniformly to all students, continuing and new, even if financial aid was not received previously.

Aid eligibility is reestablished after the student improves their academic record to meet the minimum standards. In cases of suspension due to reaching the maximum timeframe, aid eligibility can only be continued if an extension of aid eligibility is approved by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, through the appeals process.

Academic notice, probation, and suspension are separate from Financial Aid SAP policies. See Academic Policies in the University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma catalog.

Transfer and Returning Students

Transfer students and returning students who are transferring back to USAO must submit all prior transcripts before SAP eligibility is determined. All transfer hours accepted by USAO for transcript posting count toward SAP minimum requirements and the maximum time-frame limit.

Transfer and returning students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements or have met the maximum time-frame limit are entered on federal financial aid warning or suspension accordingly.

Students who leave USAO with an approved appeal and return after nonattendance, and have not attended another institution, may reenter on federal financial aid probation, or on an academic plan depending on their circumstances, when they return; provided the leave of absence is not for a period of more than one year.

Students who leave USAO in good academic standing and return after a period of nonattendance, and did not attend another institution, are in good standing when they return; provided the minimum existing SAP standards are met at the time of return.

Students who leave USAO on federal financial aid suspension status and return after a period of nonattendance, and did not attend another institution, will reenter on federal financial aid suspension, provided the minimum existing SAP standards are still not met at the time of return.

Repeated Courses

Federal regulations indicate that federal financial aid may be paid for repeated coursework previously taken in the program but may not include more than one repetition of a previously passed course. Courses passed with a grade of D or better may be repeated once toward enrollment status for federal financial aid eligibility determination. Courses passed with a grade of D or better twice are excluded from federal financial aid enrollment status.

Grades

For federal financial aid purposes, all grades of A, B, C, D, RP, P, RF, F, W, WP, WF, AW, I, N, and NP, and their equivalents from other institutions, are credit hours attempted.

Grades of A, B, C, D, RP, and P are counted as credit hours successfully completed. CLEP and Advanced Placement (AP) credits count as hours attempted and successfully completed. Audit (AU) classes are not eligible for federal financial aid and are not counted as hours attempted or successfully completed.

Remedial classes count as hours attempted for pace and successfully completed (with a grade of RP), or not successfully completed (with a grade of RF), but do not affect GPA.

If a student who is on federal financial aid warning, probation, suspension, or on an academic plan receives a grade change that improves their GPA and/or pace to the required minimum standards; the student’s SAP status may be updated for the current term, including reinstatement of federal aid eligibility for suspended students. The update of status is not retroactive for a previous term. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure any grade changes are submitted to the USAO Registrar by the appropriate faculty member. It is also the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office of any request for re-evaluation of the previous term’s SAP due to a grade change.

Appeals

Appeals of federal financial aid suspension are accepted. Successful appeals should exhibit extenuating circumstances affecting student performance. Extenuating circumstances include (but are not limited to) illness, severe injury, or death in the family.

Appeals of federal financial aid suspension are due by the designated last day to add classes of each term. Late appeals may not be considered.

The federal financial aid suspension appeal form is available online at https://usao-gcgxy.formstack.com/forms/suspension_appeal. A printout of this SAP policy can be obtained in the Financial Aid Office, Troutt Hall 112, and is available in USAO Self-Service. If the student is unable to complete the online financial aid suspension form, a PDF version may be requested from the Financial Aid Office.

Appeals must be signed and include a personal explanation of extenuating circumstances affecting student performance and information on the improvement of these circumstances, and a list of classes enrolled in or plans to enroll in for the upcoming term. Students must also acknowledge the reason for their federal financial aid suspension status. Students appealing for reaching the maximum timeframe must provide a list of all terms and classes still required to achieve the BA or BS degree(s). Extenuating circumstances must also include documentation such as, but not limited to, medical documentation, obituaries, death certificates, counseling appointment schedules, tutoring and/or mentoring records, signed statement from professional outside third party detailing circumstances, police reports, court documents, etc.

Incomplete appeals are not considered.

Appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee does not meet with students. Decisions are sent to student email accounts following the committee meeting, by the designated last day to drop classes of each term.

Students must meet all conditions of appeal approval to continue receiving aid until they meet all minimum requirements. The conditions of an appeal approval may include enrollment changes such as a reduction in hours or a change in courses, or counseling recommendations. Changes to the financial aid package may occur due to committee requirements regarding changes in credit hours.

All decisions of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee are final.

Academic Plan

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee may recommend an academic plan for some students.

The academic plan is intended to bring the student’s progress up to minimum SAP requirements by a certain point in time. Students attending on academic plans are evaluated at the end of each term to verify the requirements of the academic plan are met. It is possible to require an academic plan through graduation.

Students who do not meet the requirements of the academic plan are placed on federal financial aid suspension.

Minimum GPA and pace requirements not specifically addressed by the academic plan must also be maintained.

Students placed on suspension after not meeting the requirements of the plan may reestablish SAP by meeting the minimum SAP requirements on their own, except in cases of exceeded maximum timeframe. Aid may be reinstated after the term when minimum SAP requirements are established. The student may also appeal the suspension status through the appeals process.

Student Responsibility

Students are held responsible for their SAP eligibility and their status at the end of each term. It is the student’s responsibility to know their SAP status. It is also the student’s responsibility to monitor their student email account. It is the student’s responsibility to work with faculty regarding incomplete coursework and grade change submissions to the Registrar. If questions arise, contact the Financial Aid Office. NOTE: SAP total hours attempted for federal financial aid eligibility may differ from the total hours attempted on academic transcripts due to grades such as W, RP, and RF, which are not counted toward academic attempted credits but must be included in evaluating SAP. Also, the cumulative GPA on a grade report may differ from the student’s retention/graduation GPA.