Admissions

Undergraduate SAP

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal regulations require schools to monitor the academic progress of each applicant for federal financial assistance and that the school certify that the applicant is making satisfactory academic progress (SAP).  Students who meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements maintain their eligibility for federally funded programs.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements are established by federal and state statutes and must be uniformly applied to all applicants for federal or state financial aid programs. Effective with the passing of the Program Integrity Rules of July 1, 2011, new regulations to measure satisfactory academic progress have been mandated. These new standards will be applied at the conclusion of each payment period to include all periods of enrollment (Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring quarters).

Basic Academic Requirements

  • Be admitted and enrolled for the purpose of obtaining a degree;
  • Be continually progressing toward your degree;
  • Be in good academic standing
  • Complete degree requirements per the published curriculum layout for their program of enrollment

Undergraduate Financial Aid SAP is based on the following qualitative and quantitative measures:

Qualitative Standards

Student are expected to pass all courses each quarter in order to stay in good standing for federal student aid programs.  All credits attempted are included in the calculation when determining satisfactory academic progress, even if the attempted credit/course was not funded using Title IV Aid.

  • Grade Point Average: The qualitative measure requires undergraduate students working towards a bachelor’s degree or a second bachelor’s degree maintain a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.000. This includes grades attempted and/or transfer coursework accepted by NUNM.
  • Completion Rate: The quantitative measure requires undergraduate students maintain a cumulative completion rate of 67% of the attempted coursework for all attempted credits and/or transfer hours accepted by NUNM. This percentage is determined by dividing the number of hours completed by the total number of hours attempted. Attempted hours are the total number of hours completed plus hours of “W”, “I”, “F” (as well as repeated coursework).

Quantitative Standards

The quantitative component has two parts, (1) Required completion of courses and (2) Maximum timeframe.

Completion of coursework measures the rate of progress toward the degree, based on how many credits were successfully completed out of all credits attempted.   A successful attempt is defined as a course in which a passing grade is earned.  Students must complete their program(s) of enrollment within the published timeframe.  The maximum lengths of study depend on the degree(s) you are pursuing.  All credits attempted are included in the SAP calculation, even if the attempted credit/course was not funded using Title IV Aid.

Timeframe to Complete Academic Program

This measure limits the number of credit hours attempted in the pursuit of an undergraduate degree. The maximum attempted hours are 150% of the credits required to complete the students’ program of study.  For purposes of obtaining a bachelor’s degree at NUNM, the maximum is typically 91 credit hours, including all attempted credits and/or transfer coursework. Students contemplating degree plan changes should consider the ability to complete a new degree program.

SAP Status

Using the qualitative and quantitative measures of progress, a student may be placed in one of the following SAP statuses:

Financial Aid Warning Status

Students who fail to meet the grade point average requirements, the completion rate, or enroll in more than 1.5 times the number of credits required for the degree program will be placed in Financial Aid Warning Status for the following quarter.  NOTE:  (136 credits is equal to 1.5 times the minimum number of credits required for a degree program.  Multiple withdrawals of courses will impact a student’s eligibility to make satisfactory academic progress). Students will be notified via email of their warning status.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students in Financial Aid Warning status who fail to meet SAP requirements for the next quarter will not be eligible to receive financial aid and will be placed in Financial Aid Suspension. These students may complete and submit a Financial Aid Appeal, Academic Plan, and a Personal Statement to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee for review. Should the Financial Aid Appeals Committee approve the Financial Aid SAP Appeal, the student will be placed in Financial Aid Probation.

Students may remain in probation status for subsequent quarters as long as the requirements of the Academic Plan are met. Students desiring a modification to their approved Academic Plan may request a revision by submitting a new Financial Aid Appeal Form for review by the Financial Aid appeals Committee. This request must include an explanation of what occurred to make the change necessary and how the student will make Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress in the future.

Financial Aid SAP Appeal

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will consider Appeals based on the following reasons:

  • Personal illness or serious injury supported by hospital records, insurance explanation of benefits, receipt of doctors’ visits, etc.
  • Serious illness or injury of an immediate family member supported by hospital records, insurance explanation of benefits, receipt of doctors’ visits, etc.
  • Other extenuating circumstances with supporting documentation.
  • Financial Aid Appeal, Academic Plan and Personal Statement form(s) are available by from the NUNM Financial Aid Office.

The completed Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal, Academic Plan, and Personal Statement forms should be submitted to the NUNM Financial Aid Office. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review only complete Appeals and will deny any Appeals submitted without supporting documentation.

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will establish and publish deadline dates each quarter for the submission of Appeals, although the latest an Appeal will be accepted for consideration for the current quarter is the official record date. Appeals received after this date will be reviewed at the discretion of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The decision of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee is final. Students will be notified via email regarding their outcome of their appeal.

Students on Financial Aid Suspension, who are meeting academic standing, may continue their coursework at NUNM; however, payment for those courses must be made by the student without financial aid. Students may reestablish financial aid eligibility by regaining GOOD standing based on the Undergraduate Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards:

  • A minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.000
  • A minimum Completion Rate of 67%
  • On schedule to complete current program of study within the 150% of the maximum number of hours required for graduation.   (136 credits is equal to 1.5 times the minimum number of credits required for a degree program.  Multiple withdrawals of courses will impact a student’s eligibility to make satisfactory academic progress).