Students enrolled in a degree seeking program at Newberry College must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards in order to maintain eligibility for federal and state aid. Institutional aid is not subject to SAP; therefore, students who fail to meet SAP may continue to receive institutional aid so long as all other basic eligibility requirements have been met.
The SAP evaluation process involves a review of three specific components: quantitative, qualitative, and maximum timeframe. The following pages outline the minimum standards for each requirement. Please note that many state and institutional scholarships have higher eligibility requirements than those set forth by this SAP policy. It is ultimately the responsibility of students to know and understand their specific eligibility criteria for their federal, state, institutional, and private awards.
Component #1: Quantitative
To meet the minimum requirement for the quantitative SAP component, students must complete at least 67% of the credit hours in which they officially enroll. This percentage (referred to as a “completion rate”) is calculated by dividing the number of credit hours earned (cumulative) by the number of credit hours attempted (cumulative). The completion rate percentage will be rounded in accordance with standard mathematical rounding rules (ex: 66.5% will be rounded up to 67%, whereas 66.49% will be rounded down to 66%).
Attempted hours include those for all completed courses, incomplete courses, withdrawn courses, failed courses, remedial courses, repeated courses, transferred courses, pass/fail courses, and courses that may have previously been forgiven due to academic amnesty. Attempted hours do not include courses that were dropped during an official add/drop period.
Component #2: Qualitative
In order to meet the minimum requirement for the qualitative SAP component, students must maintain a minimum GPA (local, cumulative) in accordance with the following schedule:
| Credit Hours | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 0-29 credit hours (Freshman) | 1.50 |
| 30-59 credit hours (Sophomore) | 1.75 |
| 60+ hours (Junior and Senior) | 2.00 |
The following type of coursework will be excluded from the qualitative calculation for SAP: withdrawn coursework, incomplete coursework, transferred coursework, pass/fail coursework, and other types of coursework that carry no quality point value. Only the highest grade earned for repeat coursework will be counted in the qualitative calculation (please see “Repeat Coursework Disclaimer” below). All other coursework, including remedial coursework and coursework previously forgiven due to academic amnesty, will count in the qualitative calculation. GPA calculations will not be rounded for the purposes of determining qualitative completion status.
Component #3: Maximum Timeframe
In order to meet the minimum requirement for the maximum timeframe component, students must complete—or be able to complete—their declared program of study within 150% of its published length (as measured in credit hours). Students will not be permitted to receive aid after either of the following criteria have been met:
- The student has reached or exceeded the maximum timeframe; or,
- It has been determined that the student will exceed the maximum timeframe prior to completing his/her declared program of study.
All attempted credit hours (except those attempted elsewhere that have not been accepted for transfer) will be factored into the maximum timeframe calculation. Credit hours that may have been previously forgiven due to academic amnesty will still count in the maximum timeframe calculation. Students who have failed the maximum timeframe component because of a change in academic major are encouraged to file an appeal (see “SAP Appeal” section below).
Review of SAP
Academic records are reviewed for SAP at the end of each term (i.e., fall, spring, and summer), and official notifications are sent exclusively via institutional email. The SAP review process is referred to as an evaluation. There are three general SAP statuses—satisfactory, warning, and ineligible—and all statuses are based on the results of a student’s most recent evaluation.
Satisfactory Status: All students initially start their college career at Newberry in a satisfactory status. While in a satisfactory status, students are eligible for aid so long as they continue to meet all other basic eligibility criteria. Students can maintain a satisfactory status by continuing to meet the requirements of all SAP components during each subsequent evaluation.
Warning Status: Students are placed into a warning status when the following two criteria are met: (1) they were in a satisfactory status during their most recent semester of attendance, and (2) their most recent evaluation indicates that they did not meet the requirements for all SAP components. While placed in a warning status, students are allowed one (1) additional semester of aid eligibility (assuming all other eligibility criteria have been met). Students who meet the requirements for all SAP components at time of their next evaluation will be placed back into a satisfactory status. Students who do not meet the requirements for all SAP components at the time of their next evaluation will be placed into an ineligible status.[1]
Ineligible Status: Students are placed into an ineligible status when they have exhausted their warning period and are still not meeting the requirements for all SAP components. Students in an ineligible status are not eligible for federal, state, or, in some cases, private funds (depending on the rules promulgated by their respective provider[s]). Students will remain ineligible until one of the following two situations occur: (1) a subsequent evaluation indicates that the requirements for all SAP components have been met, or (2) an appeal is submitted and approved.
[1] Please note that students who fail to meet the maximum timeframe component will not be placed in a warning status but will instead move directly to an ineligible status.
SAP Status Summary
| Status Name | Description | Eligible for Aid |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfactory | Student has met all SAP requirements. | Yes |
| Warning | A student, who was most recently in a satisfactory status, fails to meet one or more SAP requirements. | Yes; Time Limited |
| Ineligible | A student, who was most recently in a warning status, fails to meet one or more SAP requirements. | No |
SAP Appeals
Students with unusual circumstances (e.g. death in the family, illness, injury, or other circumstance beyond their control) may request the reinstatement of their financial aid by submitting an appeal form and supporting documentation to the financial aid office. If a student’s appeal is granted, they will be placed in either a probationary status for one semester or, at the discretion of the financial aid office, a financial aid recovery status. If a student’s appeal is denied, they will remain in an ineligible status until such time as their next evaluation indicates that the requirements for all SAP components have been met.
- Students who are placed in a probationary status will be allowed to receive their financial aid for one (1) additional semester (hereby referred to as a probationary period). If—at the end of the probationary period—a student has met the requirements for all SAP components, they will be placed back into a satisfactory status. If—on the other hand—a student has not met the requirements for all SAP components by the end of their probationary period, they will be placed back into an ineligible status.
- Students who are placed in a financial aid recovery status[1] will be allowed to receive their financial aid for a limited duration that potentially exceeds one (1) semester. While placed in a financial aid recovery status, students will be required to meet a series of pre-defined academic goals (hereby referred to as a financial aid recovery plan). Financial aid recovery plans are reviewed during each subsequent evaluation, and students who fail to meet the terms and conditions of their financial aid recovery plan will be placed back into an ineligible status. A financial aid recovery status remains valid until any of the following situations occur: (1) a student has met the requirements for all SAP components and no longer needs to be placed in a financial aid recovery status, (2) a student fails to meet the terms and conditions of their financial aid recovery plan, (3) a student fails to maintain continuous enrollment, or (4) a student’s financial aid recovery status otherwise expires.
In accordance with federal regulations, only one appeal may be submitted per unusual circumstance occurrence. All claims made in the appeal must be substantiated with supporting documentation. If a student is unable to provide documentation that substantiates their reason for requesting an appeal, the appeal will not be approved. If students have questions about the type of supporting documentation that should be submitted with their appeal, they should contact the financial aid office via email (finaid@newberry.edu). Students who wish to appeal must do so by 3PM the day before the published end of add/drop for that respective semester.
A committee consisting of three financial aid staff members—one of whom must be the director or associate director of financial aid—will review each SAP appeal. While the committee actively encourages input from other departments when necessary, only the committee members expressly listed in this policy will have the authority to vote on appeal decisions. The SAP appeal decision will be determined by majority vote of the committee. Based on the appeal’s individual merits, the committee maintains sole right to decide whether a student qualifies for a probationary status or a financial aid recovery status; and this decision cannot be appealed. The director of financial aid reserves the right to overrule—with cause—any decision of the committee.
Repeat Coursework Disclaimer
Only traditional and online students who receive a grade of D+, D, or F in a course at Newberry may request to repeat the course to have the GPA reflect the higher grade (this can only be done once). Students who make a C or better may not repeat a course to improve their grade. Exception: Students in the pre-Nursing program who earn a C or C+ in a pre-Nursing course may repeat a single course, one time only. The request for an adjusted GPA must be made (to the registrar’s office) during the registration period for the course that is to be repeated; and the course must be repeated at Newberry College. Any repeat coursework attempted outside of this policy will be included in the GPA calculations for the qualitative component of SAP.
Grade Change Disclaimer
In accordance with federal regulations, grade changes (including those for incomplete coursework) will not be applied retroactively to evaluations. Should a student receive an official grade change, that change will not be factored into SAP calculations until the official evaluation immediately following the change.
[1] Referred to as an academic plan in federal regulations.