Policy:

Clarkson College has established a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy in accordance with
federal financial aid regulations. These regulations require that students maintain Satisfactory Academic
Progress in their degree program in order to receive federal financial assistance. The purpose of these
regulations is to ensure that limited federal financial assistance is disbursed only to those students who
are meeting the academic standards.

The following standards apply to students in both undergraduate and graduate programs and to
continuing and former students. All students must meet the academic standards before federal
assistance is certified and disbursed to the student. Federal financial aid regulations state that all
periods of enrollment count when assessing progress, regardless of whether or not aid was received.

Procedure:

Timing and Frequency of SAP Calculation

SAP for financial aid recipients will be calculated after each term of attendance once grades have been
verified by the Registrar’s Office.

Standards
As required by federal financial aid regulations, Clarkson College’s SAP policy has three standards by
which a student’s cumulative academic record must be compared. To be considered in compliance, a
student must meet all three standards outlined in this policy showing progression toward graduation.

Standard 1: Pace of Completion (Percentage of attempted credit hours completed successfully)
A student must achieve a minimum pace. Pace is the percentage of total attempted credit hours that are
completed successfully. Pace is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of successfully completed
credits by the cumulative number of attempted credits. Grades of A, B, C, D, and P are considered
successfully completed for purposes of financial aid. Grades of F, W, WP, WF, NP, and I are considered
attempted and not successfully completed for purposes of financial aid.

• Undergraduate and Graduate Standards: minimum pace of 67%
• Calculations of pace will be rounded using standard rounding rules.

Standard 2: Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

A student must achieve a minimum cumulative GPA. Refer to the Grading System section of the
Clakson College Academic Catalog for more information on calculating cumulative GPA.

• Undergraduate Standard: minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0
• Graduate Standard: minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0

Standard 3: Maximum Timeframe

A student may not receive financial assistance once he or she has attempted 150% of the credit
hours required to complete the degree. The total number of credit hours includes courses taken at other
institutions, which are applied to Clarkson College degree requirements. For example, if the degree
requires 100 credit hours for completion, the student may receive financial aid for up to 150 credit
hours.

• Undergraduate and Graduate Standards: a student may attempt up to 150% of the credit
  hours required to complete his or her degree.

SAP Statuses

Good Standing: Students who meet all three SAP standards will be considered to be in Good Standing. To remain in Good Standing, a student must meet all three SAP standards each term. Good Standing is a status that is eligible for financial aid.  

Warning: A student who fails to meet one or more of the SAP standards will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester. At the end of the warning period, the student’s academic progress will be verified. Warning is a status that is eligible for financial aid. 

Suspension: A student who fails to meet SAP standards at the end of the warning period will be placed on suspension. Suspension is a status that is not eligible for federal and non-federal financial aid. 

Probation: A suspended student is placed on probation after a successful appeal. Probation is an eligible status for financial aid. The Appeal Process section in this policy provides more details on the process.   

Appeal Process

Students who are suspended have the right to appeal. Appeals will be considered if the student has experienced circumstances that significantly contributed to his or her failure to meet the minimum standards. Supporting documentation from a physician, counselor, Enrollment and Academic Advisor, or faculty member may be included but is not required. Students must submit the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form sent with the notice of suspension.  

The SAP Committee will review the student’s appeal for reinstatement of financial assistance. The student will be notified by mail of the committee’s decision. The SAP Committee is comprised of the following individuals:   

• Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships 

• Student Accounts Representative 

• Enrollment and Academic Advisor 

• Academic Director 

All students whose appeals are approved must enter into an Academic Plan that outlines terms and conditions that the student must follow during their probation term.  At the end of the next academic term, when SAP is evaluated again. A student on an academic plan who does not regain eligibility and fails to meet the conditions of his or her academic plan would be placed on suspension.  A student in this situation could appeal the suspension.  If the appeal is successful, the student could regain eligibility under a new academic plan.   

An appeal denied by the Financial Aid Committee may be forwarded to the Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at the student’s request for further review. The Director’s decision will be final.   

Treatment of the Following Types of Courses for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Audit Courses 

Audit courses are ineligible for financial aid and do not count toward the number of attempted credits or the number of earned credits.  

Repeated Courses 

Repeating a course will count as attempted credit hours (for each time the course is taken) and if credit is earned (repeats as well) then it will also count as completed/earned credit hours in Pace and Maximum Timeframe calculations. 

Incomplete Grades 

An Incomplete course counts as credit hours attempted but does not count as credit hours completed or earned until a passing grade has been assigned. An incomplete grade can negatively affect a student’s Pace and financial aid eligibility in the same manner as a withdrawn course. Once an Incomplete course has been assigned a final grade, a student’s SAP status will be recalculated. The student will be notified of any changes to his or her SAP status. 

Withdrawn Courses 

A course from which a student withdraws (grades of W, WP, or WF) counts as credit hours attempted but does not count as credit hours successfully completed.  

Transfer Courses 

Credits transferred to Clarkson College from another institution count as attempted and earned credits as well as toward the maximum timeframe but do not affect cumulative GPA. 

Advanced Standing Courses 

Advanced Standing Credit is a method by which students can earn credit without completing a course. Credit is granted after the student earns a satisfactory score on an examination or a satisfactory evaluation of the portfolio on the first attempt. Such credits count as attempted and earned credits as well as toward the maximum timeframe but do not affect cumulative GPA. 

Changing Majors or Earning an Additional Degree 

Change of Major 

Clarkson College does not limit the number of times a student may change his or her major. Credit hours earned for all degrees will be used to calculate SAP standards.  

RN to MSN Program 

In the RN to MSN program, students may have semesters where they enroll in both undergraduate and graduate-level coursework at the same time. Students in this program will be evaluated based on the undergraduate SAP policy standards until they officially graduate with their bachelor’s degree. After that point, students will be evaluated based on the graduate SAP policy standards. 

Notification 

Once SAP is calculated after the end of each semester, students placed on warning or suspension will be notified of their status through a notice sent to the student’s official Clarkson College email and personal email. 

Reinstatement of Good Standing 

A student who has failed to maintain SAP standards may regain financial aid eligibility (Good Standing) by successfully completing sufficient semester hours and/or attaining the required cumulative grade point average. A student remains ineligible for financial assistance until the semester following his or her attainment of the SAP standards.