Financial Aid

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).

“Satisfactory Academic Progress” is defined as:

  • Meeting and maintaining the minimum grade point average requirements (2.00); and
  • Having a completion rate of 67% of courses attempted per term; and
  • Having less than the maximum of 1.5 times the number of credits required to graduate, i.e., students cannot enroll in more than a cumulative of 136 attempted credits; and
    • Multiple withdrawals from courses will impact a student’s eligibility to make satisfactory academic progress.
  • Degree completion within the maximum length of study (defined as 1.5 times the length of the longest undergraduate program); and
  • Taking a minimum of 12 credits each term (excluding summer, unless applicable), unless on an approved deviated track.

Students are considered not making satisfactory academic progress who: 

  • Earn a term GPA of less than 2.00 and have a cumulative GPA below 2.00, or 
  • Earn a term GPA of less than 1.50 

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.

Undergraduate Academic Standing

Academic standing and credit completion are monitored for all students at the end of each term (including summer) by the Registrar’s Office, which will notify the student and the Center for Academic Success when the student is not making SAP. Students who do not meet the minimum standards will find their financial aid eligibility in jeopardy.

The Registrar’s Office monitors student GPAs (both term and cumulative) for academic standing and credit completion at the end of each term (including summer) to determine sufficient progress toward degree completion. The Financial Aid Office will notify the student when the student is not making satisfactory academic progress. Using the qualitative and quantitative measures of progress, a student may be placed in one of the following SAP statuses:

Financial Aid Warning Status

Academic warning status occurs when a student earns a letter grade of “D” or less in an individual course. A student may still be considered to be in good academic standing if their cumulative GPA is at or above a 2.00. A letter grade of “D” is identified as a concern of potential academic problems. While on a warning status, a student is expected to meet with an academic advisor to develop a plan to address the concern. 

Financial Aid Probation

Students are placed on academic probation when they: 

  • Earn a term GPA of below 2.00 and have a cumulative GPA below 2.00; or
  • Earns a Term GPA of less than 1.50 and has a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or greater 

When placed on academic probation, a student must meet with an academic advisor in the Center for Academic Success to sign an academic contract within one week of notification. The academic contract will identify needed resources, including but not limited to remedial work, additional coursework, tutoring, or repeating course(s); and requires that the student improve their GPA and not fail any other courses during the probationary period.

Students who fail to complete an academic contract will be withdrawn from any courses in which they are currently enrolled. Students are advised to meet with their university advisor(s) to discuss strategies for successful completion of their program. 

Students are removed from academic probation once they have earned a minimum term GPA of 2.25 and have a cumulative GPA of 2.00; and the terms of the academic contract are met. 

Students may not register or receive financial aid until a current academic contract is on file in the Registrar’s Office. See the Criteria for Continued Student Eligibility for Financial Aid SAP policies in the catalog. Students who fail to complete an academic contract within one week may be withdrawn from any courses in which they are currently enrolled and/or placed on registration hold. 

A student who does not meet the criteria to be removed from the current level of standing, and who does not escalate to the next level of standing, will continue on in the current standing and be subject to the same requirements. 

While on academic probation, if a student receives an additional term GPA of less than 2.00 they will be placed on ‘Suspension’ status.

Financial Aid Suspension

Students are placed on academic suspension when they:

  • Earn a term GPA below 1.50 and cumulative GPA below 1.75; or
  • Earn two or more failing grades “F”

Academic suspension occurs when a student is ineligible to enroll at the university for a specified period of time. Suspended status is noted on the student’s official transcript. 

A student has the right to appeal an academic suspension to the Academic Review and Appeals Committee, as outlined in the student handbook. 

Students who fail to meet the grade point average requirements or the completion rate, or enroll in more than 1.5 times the number of credits required for a degree program, will be placed in Warning, Probation or Suspension status for the following quarter. Students will be notified via email of their status.

Incompletes

Incompletes do not count in the number of courses completed until the course is graded.

Incomplete grades must be converted to a passing grade by the end of week two of the following term, after which time they are automatically converted to failing grades.

Course Repeats

Students may repeat courses, however, there is a limit to the number of times financial aid will pay for repeat courses. Students may receive Title IV aid for any repeat course as long as the student has never passed the course. Once a student has passed a course, the student may receive Title IV aid for only one retaking of that course. A student may not receive Title IV aid for any second or subsequent repeat of a passed course, and a second or subsequent repeat of a passed course may not be counted toward the student’s enrollment status for Title IV purposes.

Repeat courses will be calculated in attempted term and completed credits. Once a student earns a passing grade in a course the repeated course grade replaces the prior grade.

Withdrawals

A student may withdraw from courses. A student that withdraws after the add/drop period will receive a W grade on their transcript for the dropped course(s) and withdrawn courses will count toward attempted credits. Withdrawals do not count towards the term or cumulative GPA.

Transfer Credits

NUNM accepts transfer credits from other institutions. Transfer credits that are accepted by the other institution count towards both attempted and cumulative earned credits. Transfer credits do not count towards term attempted credits.

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).