Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of every federal financial aid recipient and certify that the student is making satisfactory academic progress toward earning his/her degree. Federal standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) include a qualitative (GPA) measurement, a quantitative (PACE) measurement, and a maximum time frame measurement. If one of the measures is not being met, the student is not making SAP.

SAP is measured at the end of each payment period, specifically end of fall semester, end of spring semester, and end of summer II- combining Summer I and Summer II courses. All academic coursework taken at anytime a student is in attendance at Nazareth must be included in determining Satisfactory Academic Progress.

(Note: Due to the timing of SAP review, financial aid previously awarded for future terms will be revoked immediately if SAP requirements are not being met.)

Students who fail to meet both the GPA and PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning; no action is required by the student. Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal financial aid. Students who fail to meet the GPA and PACE satisfactory progress after the warning period will lose their federal aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation, with or without an academic plan. (See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for federal aid; they are not eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Students will be notified, in writing, by the Nazareth College Financial Aid Office if they have been placed on financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

(Note: Readmitted students that are allowed to return to Nazareth after a period of non-enrollment may have some of their previous graded coursework removed from their academic records. Satisfactory Academic Progress regulations do not recognize any provision for academic amnesty or renewal.)

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

• Students (full or part-time) are required to maintain the following:

Cumulative GPA will be measured every payment period. Students in the first year of college are evaluated as freshman even if they have advanced class standing due to college-level credits earned in high school.

Quantitative (Pace) Standard:

• Undergraduate students must complete a minimum percentage of cumulative attempted credits, or PACE. Students must maintain a minimum pace of 67%.

• PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours earned by the cumulative credit hours attempted. Remedial courses are not counted in this calculation.

Maximum Time Frame:

• Undergraduate students are limited to a total of 180 attempted credits. Students will not be eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation once they have reached their maximum time frame.

• Following indicates Nazareth College policy on credits attempted, credits earned and GPA calculation. PACE and maximum time frame are directly affected by attempted credits and earned credits.

Transfer Credits:

• Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s current program (including consortium agreements and Study Abroad courses) are counted in both cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed. Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.

Course Withdrawal (W) and Incomplete Coursework (I):

• Courses that were dropped during Add/Drop period will neither be counted as credit attempted nor earned and will not be included in the cumulative GPA.

• Withdrawn coursework that results in a (W) grade will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned. (W) grades are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation.

• An Immediate Leave of Absence or withdrawal from the college taken after the first week of the semester (up through the 10th week of the semester) will result in (W) grades.

• Failure to withdraw from a course(s) officially through the Registrar or to finish the requirements of an Incomplete (I) by the specified date will result in an (F) grade. Courses assigned with a grade of (F) will be counted in cumulative credits attempted with zero credits earned and also be counted in the cumulative GPA.

• Incomplete coursework that is resolved by the specified date on the student’s incomplete petition form will result in a grade and the grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA. The credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and the cumulative credits earned. The (I) grade remains on the transcript but the (I) grade is not counted in the cumulative GPA.

Repeated Coursework:

• Undergraduate students are eligible to receive federal financial aid for repeating a class one time. If a student received a grade for the first attempted class, those credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and earned. The credits for the repeated class will be counted as additional credits attempted only and zero credits earned. The second grade is calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Financial Aid Warning:

• As stated earlier, a student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period. The student will be eligible for federal aid during the financial aid warning period and no further action is required by the student.

• A student that meets SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term is eligible for continued federal aid. A student that does not meet SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal aid in subsequent semesters until they meet SAP standards or successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation.

Financial Aid Appeal Process/ Academic Probation:

• If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances only. Extenuating circumstances would be considered personal illness or injury, a death of a close relative, or other special circumstances. The written appeal must be sent to the Director of Financial Aid and it must explain why satisfactory progress was not met and what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met.

• If the appeal is approved by the financial aid office, the student will be placed on financial aid probation, with or without an academic plan, and will be eligible for federal financial aid during the probationary period.

• If it is determined that the student should be able achieve the SAP requirements by the end of the probation semester, the student will be placed on financial aid probation without an academic plan. The student will be eligible for federal aid for the probation semester. If at the end of the probation semester, SAP standards are still not being met, the student cannot appeal again nor will he be eligible for federal aid until SAP requirements are achieved.

• If it is determined the student will require more than one payment period to achieve SAP standards, the student will be placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan. The academic plan will be developed by the Academic Advisement Center in collaboration with the Financial Aid Office. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each subsequent payment period by both offices to determine if the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal aid as long as the student continues to meet the requirements and is reviewed according to the requirements specified in the plan.

Note that the satisfactory progress guidelines for the NYS aid differ from the federal satisfactory academic progress criteria.

New York State Aid - Academic Progress Guidelines:

State requirements demand that students must meet the "standards of program pursuit", defined by the state regulations as receiving a passing or failing grade in a certain percentage of a full-time course load:

Non-HEOP Students
(Receiving 1st TAP Award in 2010-2011 and thereafter)

HEOP Students
(Receiving 1st TAP Award in 2006-2007 and thereafter)

*Only students enrolled in the HEOP program are eligible for ten TAP payments. The maximum number of payments for all other students is eight.

*Incompletes cannot be included unless they are resolved to a passing or failing grade by the end of the following term. Failing grades are included in the number of courses completed per semester. Only passing grades are included in the number of courses earned.

**Note: "W" grades will not satisfy this requirement. Grades for repeated courses, for which students have already received credit (D- , D, D+, C-) are excluded when calculating the semester hours required for TAP eligibility. Full time students repeating a course for which they have already received credit must carry 12 additional credit hours to be eligible for certification for TAP and other New York State programs. All students who have applied and been found financially eligible for TAP will be certified by the College if they are registered full time as of the TAP Certification Date. (See Academic Calendar for the Fall and Spring semester TAP certification dates.)

Note: Students placed on probation or part-time status by the Academic Standards Committee who do not meet the minimum guidelines above will be subject to lost or reduced financial aid eligibility.

Loss of Good Academic Standing: Students who lose good academic standing in a term when they receive a state grant or scholarship are not eligible for an award for the next term.

Reinstatement of Good Academic Standing: Students who have lost good academic standing may restore this standing in one of the following ways:

1. Make up past academic deficiencies by completing one or more terms of study without receiving any state grants or scholarships;
2. Be readmitted to school after an absence of at least one calendar year; or
3. Transfer to another institution; or
4. Be granted a waiver.

One-time Waiver: NYS permits students to receive a one-time waiver of the good academic standing requirement as an undergraduate and a one-time waiver as a graduate student. Note: Students are required to maintain a C-Average (2.0 cumulative GPA) after receiving the equivalent of two or more full years of NYS aid. Waivers of the C-Average requirement are separate from the one-time waiver and may be granted more than once if circumstances warrant.

Students may be eligible to receive a waiver for state aid if one of the following extenuating circumstances has resulted in failure to meet the stated requirements:

1. Death of a relative
2. Personal injury/illness
3. Other extenuating circumstance if it directly resulted in your failure to meet the NYS requirements.

To be considered for a waiver, you must submit a written appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. The Academic Standards Committee reviews all appeal requests and makes the final decision. If the waiver is granted, your NYS awards will be reinstated for the semester; however, your academic progress must improve to meet the minimum requirements prior to the start of the following semester.

All scholarships and grants require full-time attendance. Nazareth merit scholarships are determined at the time of acceptance. Merit scholarship renewal eligibility is reviewed annually based on Nazareth cumulative GPA. If the minimum requirement is not met, one semester of probation is granted. After the probationary period, if the cumulative GPA remains below the requirement, the scholarship will be reduced by 20% of the value. If, after subsequent semesters, the cumulative GPA requirement is met, full reinstatement of the award may be requested for future semesters. Waivers of this policy are not granted. Need based grant renewal is reviewed annually based on demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application For Federal Student Aid(FAFSA). Nazareth need based grant annual renewal also requires a minimum Nazareth cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Note: Students placed on probation or part-time status by the Academic Standards Committee who do not meet the minimum guidelines above may be subject to lost or reduced financial aid eligibility.

Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of every federal financial aid recipient and certify that the student is making satisfactory academic progress toward earning his/her degree. Standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) include a qualitative (GPA) measurement, a quantitative (PACE) measurement, and a maximum time frame measurement. If one of the measures is not being met, the student is not making SAP.

SAP is measured at the end of each payment period, specifically end of fall semester, end of spring semester, and end of summer II- combining summer I and Summer II courses. ( Note: Due to the timing of SAP review, financial aid previously awarded for future terms will be revoked immediately if SAP requirements are not being met.)

Students who fail to meet both the GPA and PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning; no action is required by the student. Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal financial aid. Students who fail to meet the GPA and PACE satisfactory progress after the warning period will lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation, with or without an academic plan. ( See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for federal aid; they are not eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Students will be notified, in writing, by the Nazareth College Financial Aid Office if they have been placed on financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

• Graduate students (full or part-time) are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
• In addition to cumulative GPA requirements, graduate students in selected programs (e.g., Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-Language Pathology) will not meet SAP requirements if they do not meet specific departmental standards related to “C” grades earned and/or clinical performance. At the end of each payment period (as identified above) Graduate Student Services will notify Financial Aid of any student in this circumstance.

Quantitative (Pace) Standard:

• Graduate students must complete a minimum percentage of attempted credits, or PACE. Students must maintain a minimum pace of 67%.

• PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours earned by the cumulative credit hours attempted. Remedial courses are not counted in this calculation.

Maximum Time Frame:

• Graduate students must complete their degree requirements in five calendar years from the date of matriculation. Students will not be eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation if they have reached their maximum time frame.

Incomplete Coursework (I):

• Incomplete coursework that is resolved by the specified date on the student’s incomplete petition form will result in a grade and the grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA. The credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and the cumulative credits earned. The (I) grade remains on the transcript but the (I) grade is not counted in the cumulative GPA.
• Incomplete coursework that is not resolved by the specified date on the student’s incomplete petition form will result in an (F) grade. The credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned. The ( F) grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Withdrawn Coursework (W):

• Withdrawn coursework that results in a (W) grade will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned. (W) grades are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation.
• An Immediate Leave of Absence ( up through the 10th week of the semester) during the semester will result in( W) grades.
• Courses that were dropped during Add/Drop period will neither be counted as credits attempted nor earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.
• Courses with (S) and (U),and (AU) are not counted in the GPA calculation.

Repeat Coursework (R):

• Graduate students are eligible to receive federal financial aid for a repeating a class one time. If a student received a grade for the first attempted class, those credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and earned. The credits for the repeated class will be counted as additional credits attempted only and zero credits earned. The second grade is calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Transfer Credits:

• Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s current program are counted as both attempted and completed credit hours. Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.

Financial Aid Warning:

• As stated earlier, a student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period. The student will be eligible for federal aid during the financial aid warning period and no further action is required by the student.
• A student not meeting SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal aid unless they are now meeting SAP standards or if their financial aid appeal has been approved.

Financial Aid Appeal Process/ Academic Probation:

• If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances only. Extenuating circumstances would be considered personal illness or injury, a death of a close relative, or other special circumstances. The written appeal must be sent to the Director of Financial Aid and it must explain why satisfactory progress was not met and what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met at the next evaluation.
• If the appeal is approved by the financial aid office, the student will be placed on academic probation, with or without an academic plan, and will be eligible for federal financial aid during the probationary period.
• If the student is able to achieve the SAP requirements at the end of the subsequent payment period, the student will be placed on financial aid probation without an academic plan. The student will be eligible for federal aid for one more semester. At the end of that semester, if SAP standards are still not being met, the student cannot appeal again nor will he be eligible for federal aid until SAP requirements are achieved.
• If it is determined the student will not be able to achieve SAP standards at the end of the subsequent term, the student will be placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan. The academic plan will be monitored by Graduate Student Services. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of one payment period to determine the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal aid as long as the student continues to meet the requirements and is reviewed according to the requirements specified in the plan.
• If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid until he is meeting satisfactory academic progress standards.