Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The KU Academic Progress Policy conforms to federal regulations (Sections 668.16(e), 668.32(f) and 668.34) and state regulations that govern financial aid programs and require all financial aid recipients to (1) be in good academic standing and to (2) be making academic progression (pace) toward a degree in a reasonable amount of time before the financial aid office disburses any federal funds for the subsequent semester. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be monitored at the end of Spring semester. Students MUST meet both components of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) as follows:

Good Academic Standing (Qualitative Component)

The student must earn a minimum cumulative grade point average that meets the requirements for continuing enrollment and graduation as defined by the college.

Undergraduate Students: 2.0 GPA

Graduate Students: 3.0 GPA

Academic Progression (Quantitative Component)

Pace of Completion

Students are evaluated on pace of completion, meaning students must complete 66.67 percent of the credit hours in which they are enrolled beyond the last day of add/drop. The formula used to determine the pace of completion consists of taking the credit hours completed and dividing that number by the credit hours attempted. This number must be equal to or exceed 66.67 percent. Advance standing hours (e.g., transfer and AP) that are accepted for credit are counted in both the hours attempted and hours completed. Incompletes and withdrawals are attempted but not completed credit hours and will decrease a student’s pace of completion. Redemption and duplicate credits are counted as completed credit hours only once and will also decrease a student’s pace of completion.

Maximum Time Frame

Students must complete their degree in 150 percent of the time frame published in the University Catalog if it is an undergraduate program, or within the maximum time frame established by the university if it is a graduate program. The maximum time frame for an undergraduate degree is measured by the average number of credit hours required to complete a degree multiplied by 150 percent. This is the maximum number of credit hours a student can attempt and maintain satisfactory academic progress. Advance standing hours applied toward the student’s degree program (e.g., transfer and AP) count in the maximum time frame.

Example: credits needed to fulfill degree requirements = 120

120 x 150% = 180

Maximum credit hours attempted for satisfactory progress = 180

Students may continue to receive financial aid if their total attempted credit hours do not exceed 150 percent of the credits needed to complete their program of study. In the example provided above, the program of study requires 120 credits for completion; a student may attempt 180 credits.

Students who are aware of learning or other disabilities should immediately contact the Office of Accessibility Services so that appropriate accommodations can be made. Students with documented disabilities and functional limitations are still held to the same academic expectations as other students. If the student has self-identified with the Office of Accessibility Services and is receiving appropriate accommodations, the student should be able to maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes.

Treatment of Specific Courses

Developmental and supplemental university instruction courses are used to establish eligibility for financial aid based on full-time or part-time enrollment only. Credits are assigned to developmental and supplemental courses, but these credits do not count toward degree requirements or Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 30 semester hours of developmental and supplemental courses as long as the courses are required as a result of placement testing, the student is in an eligible program of study and SAP requirements continue to be met.

When counting developmental credits for SAP, if a student received a “U” (unsatisfactory) grade, the credits count as attempted but not earned. However, in the Registrar’s system the “U” grade is not counted as attempted or earned.

English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are not counted toward a student's qualitative (GPA) and pace progression standards for SAP. ESL credits are unlimited in number as long as they are taken as part of an eligible program, and SAP requirements continue to be met.

Incomplete courses will count toward the calculation of credit hours attempted. Once incomplete courses are completed and a passing grade is received, the credits will then be applied to the student’s completion rate.

Pass/Fail courses will count toward the calculation of credit hours attempted. However, they are not counted toward a student's qualitative (GPA) calculation.

Repeated courses are taken to improve a student’s grade point average, and the course counts only once toward degree requirements. Consequently, when a student repeats a course(s), this will count toward time enrolled without a corresponding incremental increase in credit accumulation. SAP counts repeat credits as attempted but not earned; however, the Registrar’s system does not count repeated grades as attempted or earned.

Transfer credits are counted as attempted credits and are used to determine credits earned in the program of study.

Withdrawal grades (W) are counted as attempted credit(s), but not earned, in determining SAP.

Procedures

Each aid recipient’s record will be evaluated annually at the end of the Spring semester to determine if the student is meeting the standards described above. If the student has reached the maximum number of credits without earning a degree, the student must be excluded from further participation in federal financial aid programs. In addition, if an undergraduate student has reached or exceeded 150 percent in total attempted credit hours for his or her degree program without earning a degree, the student must be excluded from further participation in federal financial aid programs. Graduate student calculations do not utilize 150%; rather, they are calculated by each individual academic program requirements.

Federal regulations require that these standards apply to all students, even to first-time aid applicants who have previously enrolled at Kean, or to those who have not been formally placed on probation.

Students deemed not to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress will be notified by Kean email and may file an appeal with the Office of Financial Aid. A standing University committee will review the appeal and make a decision. The decision is final. Students will be notified by Kean email as to the outcome of their SAP appeal. Students who have questions about Satisfactory Academic Progress may send an email to sapquest@kean.edu.

Appeal Process

Students have the right to appeal a decision of ineligibility to continue to receive financial assistance. Appeals must be filed prior to the published deadline in order to be considered. The form that must be used to file an appeal can be found here, unless the deadline has already passed. The appeal may NOT be based upon need for the assistance OR lack of knowledge that the assistance was in jeopardy. An appeal must be based upon some extenuating circumstance that prevented a student from passing most of his or her courses, or which necessitated withdrawing from classes. The situation/condition must have taken place within the semester(s) the student did not meet satisfactory academic progress. Examples of possible situations include documented serious illness, severe injury or death of a family member.

Exceeding Maximum Program Credits and Maximum Time Frame Appeals Process

Appeals for exceeding maximum program credits and/or the maximum time frame requirement must be submitted in writing using the Exceeding Maximum Program Credits Appeal Form, based on the conditions stated above. This appeal must include the following:

A typed statement from the student explaining his or her program circumstances (i.e., program of studies he or she has pursued/completed, change in major, prerequisite courses or pursuing second degree) as well as include the courses needed to complete the program

Degree Audit/Program evaluation — indicating courses remaining by semester needed to complete the program

NOTE: Undergraduate students can obtain a “degree audit/program evaluation” via Kean Wise. Graduate students can obtain a degree audit/program evaluation from the Office of Graduate Student Services.

The Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the appeal decision. Students whose appeals are approved will remain eligible for financial aid; however, some restrictions may apply.

Status Definitions

Appeal (Approved) with "Academic Plan" Conditions

Appeals can be approved if the SAP Committee determines that the student has agreed to an academic plan that, if followed, will ensure that the student can meet the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.

If an appeal is approved with an academic plan, the student will receive aid on a conditional basis on a per-semester basis. The student will be required to agree to the terms of the Academic Plan for every semester enrolled until reaching a satisfactory status. Students

who fail to meet the conditions outlined in their individual academic plan(s) during their conditional semester(s) will not be able to submit a subsequent appeal and will be ineligible for additional federal and state aid. Students are encouraged to utilize academic support services available on campus (Student Success & Retention Center information) as a valuable resource to assist in maintaining satisfactory academic progress.

Appeal "Denied"

The denied decision is usually rendered when the SAP Committee has deemed that it is mathematically impossible for the student to meet the quantitative/qualitative component(s) in a reasonable amount of time, the student failed to follow his or her academic plan, or the student's appeal is undocumented. The student is ineligible to receive federal and state funding in subsequent semesters and the student must seek alternative means to pay his or her bill.

Regaining Eligibility

A student who has lost eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs for reasons of academic progress can regain that eligibility by enrolling at Kean using alternative means of payment and demonstrating that he or she is capable of completing a semester without any failures, incompletes or withdrawals and showing the ability to complete degree requirements in a timely fashion. The mere passage of time will not ordinarily restore eligibility to a student who has lost eligibility for failure to make satisfactory academic progress.

Students who have been academically dismissed from the University but who are subsequently given permission to re-enroll are not automatically eligible to continue to participate in federal and state aid programs. Admissions/academic decisions are independent of funding decisions.