What is SAP?
What if I fail to meet SAP?
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the term used to describe a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a certificate or degree. Ineligible programs, such as certification programs, are not eligible for aid. Financial Aid & Scholarships must monitor the academic progress of each student in order to meet federal and state guidelines. There are three components to SAP. If you do not comply with any component, you may lose aid eligibility. Evaluations occur after each Fall, Spring, and Summer term.
Three Evaluation Components
Minimum GPA
At the end of every semester, you must have earned a minimum SHSU GPA in order to remain eligible for financial aid. The GPA requirements are indicated in the below table.
| Minimum GPA Requirements | |
| Degree | Minimum GPA |
| 1st Bachelor's | 2.0 |
| 2nd Bachelor's | 2.0 |
| Graduate/Doctoral | 3.0 |
Minimum Completion Rate
To receive financial aid, you must complete 67% of your attempted coursework for your degree or certificate. Attempted coursework includes transfer hours and courses for which you received no financial aid. To calculate your completion rate, take the total of your overall passed hours and divide that figure by your overall attempted hours. Your overall hours are viewable in your Unofficial Transcript. Attempted hours include all registered hours whether or not you earned a grade or received credit (including any courses you attempted that are covered under Academic Fresh Start).
Effective April 1, 2024: SHSU will round up a Completion Rate of 66.5% or higher to 67%. For example, a 66.89% Completion Rate will round up to 67%.
Before April 1, 2024: SHSU does not round up your Completion Rate. For example, a 66.89% Completion Rate does not round up to 67%.
Hours that count as attempted but not completed are:
| Degree | Letter Grade |
| 1st Bachelor's | Grades of W, F, I, U, NC, IP, Q, X, WQ and repeat courses for which credit is not earned are not considered successfully completed. |
| 2nd Bachelor's | Requirements are the same as 1st Bachelor's; however, only coursework attempted for the 2nd Bachelors degree will be reviewed. |
| Graduate/Doctoral | Requirements are the same as 1st Bachelor's; however, only coursework attempted for the graduate/doctoral program will be reviewed. |
| Graduate Certificate | Requirements are the same as 1st Bachelor's; however, only coursework attempted for the graduate program will be reviewed. |
Completion Rate Calculator:
Maximum Credit Hours
The number of credit hours you attempt may not exceed the maximum hours limit as indicated in the below table. Attempted hours include any hours you attempted at any institution, regardless of whether you received financial aid for those hours. Under federal regulations, any courses that you attempted and which are covered under Academic Fresh Start are also considered toward your maximum credit hours limit. To remain eligible for financial aid, you must not exceed the maximum hours limit as indicated in the below table.
| Maximum Credit Hours | |
| Degree | Maximum Credit Hours |
| 1st Bachelor's | 180 |
| 2nd Bachelor's | 180* |
| Graduate/Doctoral | See below** |
*Any hours from the 1st Bachelor's that count toward earning the 2nd Bachelor's are counted toward this maximum credit limit. Not to exceed 60 hours once admitted to 2nd Bachelor's.
**The minimum hours required to receive a Graduate/Doctoral degree range from 30 credits to 36 credits, depending upon the type of degree plan.
Failing SAP
Warning Semester
Undergraduate students seeking a 1st Bachelor’s Degree who are not in compliance with SHSU GPA and cumulative Minimum Completion Rate requirements will be given a warning semester. At the end of the warning semester, students who fail to regain compliance with the SAP policy are not eligible for financial aid. First-time transfer students are automatically denied if SAP is not met prior to entry semester, however, an appeal may be considered with mitigating circumstances and supporting documentation. Graduate students are not eligible for any warning semester.
Loss of Financial Aid Eligibility
If you do not meet the SAP requirements by the end of your warning semester, you will be placed on financial aid suspension. Once you are on financial aid suspension, you will not receive financial aid until you meet the requirements or have an approved SAP appeal.
Notification of Financial Aid Suspension Status
You will be notified via your SHSU email in the event you are placed on financial aid suspension.
Reinstatement
If you are on financial aid suspension, you may have your aid reinstated by...
- Filing a SAP appeal demonstrating mitigating circumstances (with supporting documentation) to be approved for an academic plan until you are meeting the minimum SAP requirements.
- Meeting the minimum SAP requirements at the end of any semester.
Still need help?
Schedule a virtual appointment or email your financial aid counselor.
Appeals
Students who fail to maintain SAP due to a mitigating circumstance (e.g. medical reasons, death in the family, etc.) may submit a written appeal with supportive documentation after they have received official notification of denial. Appeals will be evaluated as soon as possible. Any student submitting an appeal will receive a written response within ten (10) working days of the documentation arrival. If an additional appeal is desired, the student may request an appeal hearing to provide additional documentation to support their appeal. Any student who has been denied financial aid due to deficient SAP must be prepared to pay registration costs regardless of any pending appeal status. The Financial Aid and Scholarships Office will not recommend any extension of payment deadlines for these students.
Deficient Completion Rate and/or Deficient SHSU GPA
Financial Aid and Scholarships will consider the following scenarios:
- Death of an immediate family member (Immediate family member is a parent, child, brother or sister);
- Illness or Injury which caused an inability to attend or prepare for class for an extended period;
- Extenuating circumstances beyond your control other than one of the above situations.
Important: Students who do not meet one of the above categories are not eligible for an appeal.
Note:
- Appeals based solely on financial and/or emotional needs without sufficient explanation or documentation will not be accepted.
- Work is not considered a hardship since financial aid is viewed as a supplement to the student’s income in order to help reduce the number of hours the average student would have to work in any given week.
- It is the responsibility of the student to successfully complete all classes enrolled. Please remember that dropping a class, failing a class, withdrawing from a class or repeating a class for which credit was previously earned is a personal decision made by the student.
Max Time Frame
Degree plan changes may be considered. Degree Works must accurately reflect your plan toward graduation.
How to Appeal
Complete a Financial Aid Appeal Form
Download a blank Financial Aid Appeal Form and fill it out. If you need assistance we have an example form.
Note: Signatures cannot be typed.
Write a Personal Statement
Deficient Completion Rate and/or Deficient SHSU GPA Appeal
Write a detailed explanation of your extenuating circumstance(s), either typed or legibly written, for all semesters that contributed to your inability to maintain SAP. This includes semesters attended at another university/college.
- Explain every semester you made a deficient letter grade
- Explain what has changed in your situation that will allow you to meet SAP requirements now
Max Time Frame Appeal
Write a statement explaining the following:
- Your change of major with previous and current degree sought
- The estimated number of credits remaining to complete your degree
- Your anticipated graduation date
An appeal for Maximum Time Frame will only be accepted once.
Supporting documentation is not required, skip to Step 4.
Provide Supporting Documentation
Provide supporting documentation of the cause and of any changes that will solve the issues for the term of appeal. Documents can be death certificates, birth certificates, statements from doctor or counselors, police reports and any other pertinent documents. The documents provided must support the timeframe being reviewed.
Send Appeal to Financial Aid
Correctly submit your documents to Financial Aid.
If an appeal is successful, an academic plan may be formulated and agreed upon. The plan will be designed for meeting minimum SAP requirements within a specified timeframe. Students who do not meet the requirements of the academic plan will not be eligible for financial aid and all remaining aid will be cancelled. Subsequent appeals of the same nature are not permitted. The only way to regain eligibility for financial aid is to meet the SAP minimum requirements.