SAP Policy
SAP Policy
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Federal financial aid regulations require you to maintain at least a minimum cumulative GPA required for graduation and to progress at a pace so that you will earn your degree within the maximum timeframe allowed, as measured in credit hours. Rowan University’s Financial Aid SAP standards will help you achieve this goal.
You must maintain SAP to remain eligible for financial aidTo ensure financial aid recipients are making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), academic transcripts are reviewed at the end of each term to determine eligibility for the next term. All terms of attendance are reviewed, including periods in which the student did not receive financial aid. Each semester, your Rowan University academic record will be reviewed for the following three measures and you will be assigned a SAP Status.
GPA (Quantitative Progress)
Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 (a C average). Graduate students must maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.
Grades of A, B, C, D, and F affect your GPA (including +/- variations). Grades of W, WF, WP, I, U, P, or NP, and/or transfer credits do not affect your GPA.
PACE (Completion Rate)
Students must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all coursework (registered credit hours) attempted at Rowan University.
Any course with a grade of withdrawal (W), Failure (F), incomplete (I), Not Reported (NR), or audit (AU) is not considered completed coursework. NC grades received during the following terms are excluded from this calculation as allowed under the federal flexibilities for COVID-19: Spring 2020 (202020) – Spring 2021 (202120).
A course is counted as completed only once, regardless of how many times attempted or the grade earned. Transfer credits are counted as both attempted and completed, thus increasing a student’s completion rate.
MAX (Maximum Time Frame)
Students must complete their program within 150% of the credit hours required to complete your degree program, including all transfer credits.
Students who have reached their maximum allowable credit hours will be suspended from receiving financial aid. Developmental or remedial hours are excluded from this calculation. The MTF calculation counts all attempted hours including repeated courses, ineligible courses and transfer hours accepted by Rowan University. This also includes hours taken under a previous major and hours for which a student did not receive financial aid.
| Degree | Credits Needed to Complete Degree | Maximum Credits You May Attempt |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor | 120 | 180 |
| Master | 36 | 54 |
| Doctoral | 72 | 108 (including all graduate coursework) |
This SAP policy applies to the academic programs administered by the Glassboro campus. The professional degree programs administered by the Camden, Stratford, or Sewell campuses have separate policies. Please visit the financial aid office at the appropriate campus for guidance.
Understanding your SAP Status
| What Your SAP Status Means to You | |
|---|---|
| Good Standing | You are eligible to receive grants, work-study and federal loans. |
| Warning or Probation | You are eligible to receive grants, work-study and federal loans. However, you must complete your warning or probation term in Good Standing to avoid FA Suspension in the subsequent term. |
| Financial Aid Suspension* | You are not eligible to receive federal or state aid until your FA Suspension status is resolved. Some scholarships and other resources may also be unavailable. |
| Academic Plan | You are eligible to receive grants, work-study and loans. However, you must meet the terms of the academic plan EACH semester to maintain your financial aid eligibility. |
| Denied |
You are not eligible to receive grants, work-study and loans. |
*Financial Aid Suspension is not the same as Academic Suspension, however, you may attain both statuses simultaneously. If you are on Financial Aid Suspension, please be sure to submit the required appeal documents to the Financial Aid Office for review. For more information about Academic Suspension, please review the policy here.
Detailed Description of SAP Statuses
Good Standing
To achieve Good Standing, you must successfully complete at least 67% of all of the classes for which you registered; meet or exceed the required GPA, and have not exceeded the maximum number of credits allowed for your degree program.
Financial Aid Warning
Continuing students are placed on financial aid warning when they fail to meet the cumulative qualitative (GPA) or completion rate (PACE) components. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during the warning term. Students must meet ALL cumulative standards by the end of the warning term to be eligible for financial aid the next term they attend or they will be suspended from financial aid.
Financial Aid Suspension*
Continuing students are suspended from receiving financial aid if they do not meet all of the SAP components by the end of their warning term, or if their enrollment exceeds the Maximum Timeframe.
Students on financial aid suspension will not receive any form of federal, state, or University financial aid (grants, scholarships, student loans, student employment). Financial aid eligibility may be reinstated when all requirements of SAP are met or the student successfully appeals the suspension.
Students suspended from receiving financial aid are not eligible for a financial aid deferment of tuition billing. This suspension pertains only to financial aid and does not prevent you from enrolling and paying for classes on your own.
*Financial Aid Suspension is not the same as Academic Suspension, however, you may attain both statuses simultaneously. If you are on Financial Aid Suspension, please be sure to submit the required appeal documents to the Financial Aid Office for review. For more information about Academic Suspension, please review the policy here.
Financial Aid Probation
Continuing students are placed on financial aid probation after having a SAP appeal completed and approved. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during the probation term. Students must meet ALL cumulative standards by the end of the probation term to be eligible for financial aid for the next term. Students who improve, but do not meet ALL cumulative standards after the probationary semester, will need to complete and submit a SAP academic plan. Students who do not improve their academic performance will become ineligible for financial aid and be placed on a DENIED status.
Financial Aid Plan
Students required to complete a SAP Academic PLAN have been determined that they will need more than a single semester in order to either meet the GPA or PACE requirements. Continuing students are placed on financial aid PLAN after having completed and submitted a SAP Academic Plan form with an academic advisor. Students are eligible to receive financial aid during the PLAN term. Students must meet the terms of the PLAN each semester in order to maintain their financial aid eligibility. Students who continually improve their academic performance can work their way out of the PLAN status. Students who do not meet the terms of the SAP academic plan each semester will become ineligible for financial aid and be placed on a DENIED status.
Financial Aid Denied
Continuing students placed on a financial aid DENIED status have failed to improve their academic performance during a probation semester and/or did not meet the requirements of a SAP academic plan. Students in a DENIED status can still register and attend the university; however, they are ineligible for financial aid until they have met the minimum SAP standards.
How Coursework is Evaluated for SAP
Attempted vs. Earned Credits
For financial aid SAP standards, grades of A, B, C, D (including all +/- variations) and P are counted as both attempted and earned hours. Grades of W, WF, WP, I, F, NP, and U are counted as attempted hours, but not earned. NC grades received during the following terms are excluded from this calculation as allowed under the federal flexibilities for COVID-19: Spring 2020 (202020) – Spring 2021 (202120). Transfer credit hours count as both attempted and earned credits, this helps to increase your completion rate.
Cumulative GPA
Grades of A, B, C, D, and F affect your GPA (includes +/- variations). Grades of W, WF, WP, I, U, P, NP, or NC and/or transfer and dual enrollment credits do not affect your GPA.
Beginning with the Fall 2022 (202240) SAP evaluation, the standard academic cumulative GPA will be used to determine whether you meet this minimum requirement.
Prior to the Fall 2022 term, the financial aid GPA was calculated as described in the video linked below.
Maximum Attempted Credits Allowed (150% Requirement)
Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to define a maximum timeframe in which a student must be able to complete his or her program. This time-frame cannot exceed 150% of the published program length and does not include developmental or remedial credits. All attempted credits count toward this limit, even if you did not receive financial aid or have extenuating reasons for not completing your credits. Additionally, credits earned at other colleges may help complete your degree or certificate; therefore, all credits accepted by Rowan are included in the maximum credits allowed.
Repeated Coursework
The grade(s) included in the academic cumulative GPA by the Registrar’s Office is used to determine the GPA minimum. Repeated coursework counts once as earned, and all attempts are counted in the calculation of PACE or completion rate. Every attempted credit counts towards the maximum timeframe, regardless of the grade earned.
Remedial Coursework
Basic skills, pass/fail courses (IN, NC, S and U, or no credit) courses will be counted when determining the number of credits attempted. NC grades received during the following terms are excluded from this calculation as allowed under the federal flexibilities for COVID-19: Spring 2020 (202020) – Spring 2021 (202120). When a passing grade is received, the grade will be added to the number of credits earned. These grades are not used in the calculation of the financial aid GPA.
Transfer Credits
Credits accepted by Rowan count toward your cumulative completion rate and the Maximum Attempted Credits Allowed. GPA is not affected.
