Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Academic progress will be determined by the Office of Financial Aid based upon the information contained on the student's academic transcript as of the date of the review. A student must meet both of the following standards in order to continue to receive financial assistance.

Quantitative Measure
A student must have successfully completed at least 75 percent of all the credits he or she has attempted at Southern New Hampshire University during the entire period of enrollment. Total credits earned divided by total credits attempted equals the percentage.

a. For the purposes of financial aid, a student may attempt a maximum number of credit hours based on his or her program of study, inclusive of remedial and non-degree courses, less the total number of credits accepted for transfer from other institutions.

1. Associate degree candidates may attempt a maximum of 90 credits.
2. Bachelor degree candidates may attempt a maximum of 180 credits.
3. Graduate degree candidates may attempt a maximum of eight years of study in a specific graduate degree program.

b. Credits attempted are those for which the student has enrolled as of the end of the add/drop registration period.

c. Successful completion is defined as the assignment of a passing grade to the courses attempted and equates to the number of credits earned. Failure, withdrawal, incomplete or other designations to the courses attempted are not considered successful completion.

d. Courses that are repeated will be counted in the calculation of credits attempted and will be counted as credits earned when the student receives a passing grade.

Qualitative Measure
Students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale. Students enrolled in graduate degree programs must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Review
Individual student records will be reviewed based on annual evaluation periods that correspond with packaging the student for financial aid for the following year, generally in May, June or July.

Enforcement
Failure to meet either the qualitative or quantitative standard will result in the student being placed on financial aid probation or warning until the next evaluation period. The student still will be allowed to receive financial aid during the probation period.

A student whose academic record meets both standards at the end of the probation period will have his or her academic eligibility for future financial aid reinstated. If a student still does not meet both standards, his or her eligibility for financial aid will be suspended.
A student whose aid eligibility has been suspended has 10 days to appeal the suspension in writing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The suspension may be appealed based on undue hardship, such as student illness or injury or the death of a relative. The student must show that the hardship that created the poor academic performance has been resolved and should not impede academic success in the future. In some cases, supporting documentation may also be required.