Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

In accordance with federal regulations and in order to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, undergraduate students must:

• Satisfactorily complete 75 percent of all attempted credits;
• Maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA after the end of their fourth semester of enrollment;
• Obtain a first bachelor’s degree within 176 attempted credits.

Programs Covered by This Policy

All federal, state and institutional grant, loan and work-study programs are covered by this policy. Institutional scholarships and awards are covered by this policy and also are monitored by the criteria defined for the specific scholarship/award.

Eligibility

Students must have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive financial aid. Students enrolled in nondegree or early-admission programs are not eligible to receive financial aid. Students must be U.S. citizens or eligible non-citizens to be admitted and to qualify for aid.

Monitoring Progress

A student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each semester. The assessment will be based on the student’s entire academic record, including all transfer credit hours accepted. Admission to the University of St. Thomas or academic standing as defined by the Registrar’s Office does not necessarily constitute maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid.

Maximum Time Frame

Undergraduate students are eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 176 attempted credits. Attempted credits include all "F" and "R" grades and all "W’s" and "I’s". Courses that are repeated are counted each time they are attempted. All transfer credits accepted by the institution are counted as attempted. Audit credits are not counted.

Completion Rate

Students must satisfactorily complete 75 percent of all credits attempted. Satisfactory grades are "A", "B", "C", "D" and "S". Unsatisfactory grades are "F", "R", "I" and "W". Failure to maintain a 75 percent completion rate will result in a warning for the next semester. Failure to bring the overall completion rate up to 75 percent during the "warning semester" will result in the student being ineligible to receive financial aid until the overall completion rate is at 75 percent.

Minimum Cumulative Grade-Point Average

Federal regulations require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher after the end of the second academic year. Undergraduate students who have attempted four semesters and do not have the minimum required GPA are ineligible to receive financial aid until their cumulative GPA is above 2.0. Cumulative GPA is calculated on all courses attempted at St. Thomas and all transfer credits accepted by St. Thomas.

Unsatisfactory Status

A student whose status is determined to be unsatisfactory is not eligible to receive financial aid until he or she meets one of the following conditions:

• Continues to attend St. Thomas at his or her own expense and returns to full compliance with all parts of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy;
• Demonstrates special circumstances to justify appeal consideration.

Right to Appeal

Students who have had their financial aid suspended due to unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal to the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office. The appeal must be in writing, must be submitted within 30 days of notification of unsatisfactory status and must be accompanied by all relevant documentation. Students may appeal due to a special circumstance such as illness or injury of the student, death of a relative of the student or other circumstances that result in undue hardship to the student as documented by a third-party professional such as a healthcare provider, counselor, cleric, lawyer, etc.