SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS (SAP) RELATED TO FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID
Satisfactory Academic Progress (“SAP”) ensures that students are able to complete their academic program in a timely manner while achieving and maintaining compliance with minimum academic standards. Federal regulations mandate that all students are required to conform to SAP standards as they work towards a degree in order for them to qualify to receive federal financial aid assistance through all California Health Sciences University eligible Title IV federal financial aid programs. SAP is in alignment with the CHSU progression policy.
SAP standards (GPA, Pace, and Maximum Time Frame) consist of quantitative and qualitative measurements that are determinants of SAP.
Qualitative measurements include GPA and Academic Standing and quantitative measurements include the Pace by which students are working toward completion of their program (completing a specific number of units per term or year) and the Maximum Time Frame required to complete the entire program. Federal regulations also require that all terms of attendance be considered, including any term(s) in which no financial aid is received.
Grades
The only grades that meet SAP standards are A, B, C, RC (Successful Remediation), and P. Withdrawal (W), incomplete (I), Not Passing (NP), D, RF (Unsuccessful Remediation), and F grades are not passing grades. Unsuccessful Remediation and F grades require students to re-take the course and will impact both progression through the program and affect financial aid eligibility. These students will be placed immediately in SAP Suspension.
Grades are required when evaluating SAP. Students who have not been graded for a prior term during which they were enrolled cannot be evaluated for SAP and therefore will be suspended from federal financial aid. Eligibility can be restored when the missing grades are officially recorded and the student is evaluated and meets the appropriate SAP standards.
Quantitative Measurements
Pharmacy students must complete at least two-thirds of all units recorded on their official graduate transcripts for each term of enrollment, starting from the time of first attendance in a graduate/professional program at CHSU. Thus, a student that enrolls in 18 units, and does not pass 4 units, but successfully completes the other 14 units, would be meeting this quantitative measurement but may not be meeting the qualitative measurement.
Review Period
The Academic Affairs Office in conjunction with the Registrar and the Academic Performance and Standards Committee will review academic records at the end of each term (semester) to determine if SAP is being achieved. The Financial Aid Office will also review academic records at the end of each academic term (semester) to determine if SAP is being achieved.
SAP Notification
Any student found to not be meeting the SAP Standards will be notified in writing by the Academic Performance and Standards Committee (APSC) and the student will be placed on SAP Suspension. Written notification will be sent electronically via their CHSU email account and/or mail via the last known mailing address according to the Registrar’s Office.
SAP Probation
SAP Probation is a status assigned to any student who fails to meet the SAP standards and has been placed on an Alternate Progression Plan (APP) and have appealed their Financial Aid Suspension (see FA appeal process further in this section). If placed on Financial Aid Probation, students will be required to follow an approved Alternate Progression Plan (APP) in order to receive federal financial aid for one semester and have their progress reevaluated at the end of that semester. Students who meet all SAP standards or the requirements of their APP will remain eligible for federal financial aid. Students who fail to meet the SAP standards or the requirements of their APP will again be placed on SAP Suspension and be required to meet with the APSC again. They will also be suspended from financial aid eligibility and will be ineligible for federal financial aid going forward. Students may have plans that extend for more than one semester but their progress will still be evaluated at the end of each semester to ensure that they have complied with their APP.
Financial Aid Appeal Process
Students who become ineligible to receive federal financial aid for failure to meet the SAP standards and have been notified of the Financial Aid Suspension status have the right to make a written appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. Students who appeal must demonstrate all of the following:
- That failure to meet the minimum standard was caused by extreme or unusual circumstances (corroborating documentation must be supplied), some of the mitigating circumstances can include:
- The student, spouse, dependent children have experienced illness that prevented class attendance; a death of an immediate family member; or some other extraordinary situation that prevented them from meeting the SAP standards.
- In cases of illness or disability, a letter of explanation is needed from a health care provider.
- In cases of death, the student must provide a copy of the death certificate or obituary notice.
- In cases of extraordinary circumstances, the student must provide a written explanation of the cause and how it was resolved. The student should provide as much supporting documentation as possible.
- Have completed an approved Alternate Progression Plan showing how they have identified and will resolve the issue(s);
- That the issue(s) will not affect their performance in the future.
Once an appeal has been submitted to the Director of Financial Aid and the APP has been verified as approved, the Director will have 7 business days to respond. The response will be in writing via their CHSU email and/or mail via the last known address on file with the Registrar’s Office with either an:
- Approval: The student is now on Financial Aid Probation
- Denial: The student is no longer eligible for federal financial aid
All financial aid appeal decisions are final. If a decision has not been made by the time tuition is due, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the Business Office to discuss the options on how to proceed. Students may appeal for reinstatement and be placed on Financial Aid Probation a maximum of two times during their attendance at CHSU.
To the extent that SAP requirements imposed by the federal government conflict with this policy, the federal government requirements for SAP, as they may change from time to time, will govern the COP’s treatment of any progression issue.