What are the SAP Appeal Guidelines?

Transcription

1 P.O. Box 4040 Atlanta GA What are the SAP Appeal Guidelines? This appeal is for students who are enrolled in a Bachelor s Degree program who have lost financial aid eligibility due to not making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward graduation and are petitioning for reinstatement of eligibility. Federal and state regulations require students to comply with standards of academic progress as defined by the Office of Financial Aid. Students that fail to meet at least one of the SAP standards at the annual spring check point will lose their eligibility to receive federal and state financial aid. Additionally, students who are at or have exceeded the allowed maximum hours attempted timeframe will lose their eligibility to receive financial aid. Regulations allow the Office of Financial Aid to extend eligibility if the student can document that there were mitigating circumstances beyond their control that: 1) occurred during the terms where the student did not meet the standards; or 2) prevented the student from graduating within the allowed program maximum timeframe. What is a mitigating circumstance? A mitigating circumstance is an event that occurred during the terms where you cumulatively did not earn at least percent of the courses attempted, did not have the required cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0, or you are at or have exceeded the allowed maximum attempted hours timeframe. Circumstances that may be considered mitigating with supporting documentation Medical emergency or health issues affecting student or family Other significant unexpected and documented circumstances Hospitalization for 14 days or more days beyond the control of the student Death of immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child). Significant trauma in student s life Divorce experienced by you or your parent Supporting Documentation of a mitigating circumstance All mitigating circumstances must have documentation to support statements provided in the appeal. documentation will result in an appeal denial. Please write your panther ID on all documents submitted. Failure to submit or incomplete Emergency Withdrawal or Academic Exclusion If you have been approved for an institutional Emergency Withdrawal or Academic Exclusion appeal and you are not meeting the financial aid SAP standards, you must submit a financial aid appeal to petition for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. If documentation was submitted with your approved Emergency Withdrawal or Academic Exclusion appeal, and the same circumstance exists on this financial aid appeal, then you must submit a copy of that documentation with your financial aid appeal. An approved Hardship Withdrawal or Academic Exclusion appeal does not guarantee approval of a financial aid appeal. Appeals Committee Your appeal will be reviewed by an anonymous committee of financial aid administrators. The appeal decision will be based on your entire academic performance, the mitigating circumstance(s), and the supporting documentation submitted. You will be notified of the committee s decision through: letter mail; student ; and you may check your SAP standing for the status of the appeal by logging into your account on PAWS at Processing Timeframe The processing timeframe is 2 4 weeks from the First Day to Submit an Appeal ; example if you submit a Fall 2017 appeal on April 1, 2017, then the 2 4 week processing timeframe begins June 15, 2017 as the Appeals Committee will not begin reviewing Fall appeals until June 15, If you are currently enrolled and are submitting an appeal for an upcoming term, then your appeal will be reviewed 2 4 weeks after grades are made available for the term you are currently enrolled. If you are/were enrolled Fall 2017 and are appealing for Spring 2018, the processing time after Fall grades are available will be longer due to the institution being closed for Winter Break December 20, 2017 to January 2, TERM First Day to Submit an Appeal Last Day to Submit an Appeal Fall 2017 June 15, 2017 September 15, 2017 Spring 2018 October 10, 2017 February 16, 2018 Summer 2018 February 27, 2018 June 22, 2018 ***An appeal submitted after the Last Day to Submit an Appeal will not be processed for that term, but will be processed for the following term. Submit the Appeal form, Academic Plan, and Supporting Documentation via one of the methods below: Mail: Office of Student Financial Aid, P.O. Box 4040, Atlanta, GA Fax: On Campus: Alpharetta, Atlanta, Clarkston, Decatur, Dunwoody, and Newton SUBMISSION OF AN APPEAL DOES NOT GUARANTEE APPROVAL PLEASE PLAN TO PAY YOUR TUITION & FEES THROUGH OTHER RESOURCES WHILE YOUR APPEAL IS UNDER REVIEW

2 SPETFA SPETSP SPETSU P.O. Box 4040 Atlanta GA NAME AND ADDRESS Student s Last Name First MI Home Phone (area code + number) Cell Phone (area code + number) Street Address Apt/Suite No. City State Zip Code INSTRUCTIONS For an appeal to be considered, you must complete all sections of this form and attach the appropriate documentation. You may submit additional information with this form. Incomplete forms may result in the appeal not being reviewed or a denial decision. PRINT OR TYPE ALL INFORMATION. What term are you appealing for financial aid eligibility reinstatement? Only check one box. FALL 2017 SPRING 2018 SUMMER 2018 SECTION I: Purpose of Appeal Please indicate the mitigating circumstances that have contributed to your inability to maintain SAP by checking the category that applies to you. Event dates must correspond. Follow the instructions for the category. The appeal and documentation must be submitted as a complete package. Incomplete appeals will be denied. Mitigating Circumstance Appeal Required Document(s) Date(s) of Circumstance Serious illness, accident or injury, to student or immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) Hospitalization for 14 or more days Significant trauma in student s life that impaired the student s emotional health Documentation from: a physician, social worker, counselor, police, attorney, hospital bill/discharge with dates, or insurance explanation of benefits with dates, etc. Death of an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) Submit a copy of the obituary and/or death certificate. Divorce experienced by you or your parent Other significant unexpected and documented circumstances beyond the control of the student Additional Hours Appeal Attach an attorney's letter on law firm's letterhead or copy of divorce decree. Attach supporting documentation from a third party; physician, social worker, counselor, police, attorney, etc. I am meeting the financial aid SAP standard(s) with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a pace of completion of percent, but I will reach or have exceeded the 180 attempted hours maximum allowed for financial aid eligibility. I am appealing for additional hours because: I am enrolled in program that requires more than 120 credit hours to graduate. I have earned a degree at Georgia State University, and am pursuing a subsequent degree. I am a transfer student or I changed my major, and all the hours accepted do not apply to my program of study. I am pursuing a dual major. 1 P age

3 SPETFA SPETSP SPETSU P.O. Box 4040 Atlanta GA SECTION II: Explanation of Circumstance(s) 1. Please provide an explanation below of the circumstances that occurred which caused you to fall below the minimum financial aid academic standards? Attach an additional sheet if needed. Please attach supporting documentation of your circumstance. 2. How have you overcome your circumstance(s)? 2 P age

4 SPETFA SPETSP SPETSU P.O. Box 4040 Atlanta GA SECTION III: SAP Policy Standards Federal regulations require that students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in their program of study to continue receiving Federal Title IV aid (federal student financial aid). Failure to maintain SAP results in the loss of federal student financial aid. Federal student financial aid includes: Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG); Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized); PLUS loan; Federal Work Study Program; and HOPE Program (HOPE is not federal aid, but is affected). Satisfactory Academic Progress standards are measured based on the student s entire academic history at Georgia State University and accepted transfer courses. Students must meet each of the measures to continue receiving financial aid at Georgia State University. Students enrolled in a Bachelor s degree program are checked for Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each spring semester; this check is not contingent on when a student initially matriculates at Georgia State University. Listed below is the financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for Bachelor s Degree Programs. As a condition of this appeal, you are required to read the policy below and you must initial in the spaces provided affirming that you have read and understand each standard of the policy. INITIAL POLICY STANDARD CUMULATIVE GPA A student must maintain a 2.00 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) at Georgia State University for Bachelor s Degree Programs to continue to remain eligible for financial aid. CGPA calculation includes all undergraduate hours attempted at Georgia State University; both Associate and Bachelor programs. Exclude all hours of remedial and English as a Second Language (ENSL) coursework when determining total attempted hours for CGPA. Exclude all transfer grades of: F, WF, or U. Grade Forgiveness: Federal regulations require that grades that are forgiven by the institution remain in the GPA calculation for financial aid academic progress; this includes Repeat and Replace and Academic Renewal grades that have been excluded from the institution GPA. MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME The maximum amount of hours a student may receive financial aid is 150 percent of the total hours published in his/her program of study. Georgia State University offers four year degree programs that generally require 120 collegiate credit hours to graduate and earn a Bachelor s Degree. 150 percent of 120 collegiate credit hours = 180 maximum attempted hours Collegiate level courses: The 180 maximum attempted hours is the amount of hours that a student may receive financial aid on collegiate level courses. Effective Spring 2017 checkpoint, all hours of remedial and ENSL are excluded from the 180 maximum attempted hours. Remedial Courses: The maximum attempted hours that financial aid will pay for remedial coursework is up to 30 hours. Remedial coursework includes Learning Support (LS), College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC), and Regent s courses that have been attempted at GSU and accepted transfer hours. Financial aid will not pay for attempted remedial courses above 30 hours. All attempted hours of remedial courses are excluded from the 180 maximum attempted hours. English as a Second Language (ENSL): There is no limit on the amount of hours that financial aid may be paid on ENSL coursework. All attempted hours of ENSL are excluded from the 180 maximum attempted hours. Additional Hours: Certain programs of study require hours beyond the standard Bachelor s Degree program of study hours. If a student is in a program that exceeds the standard 120 hours, then the student may appeal for the additional hours. Multiple GSU Degrees: A student may appeal for additional undergraduate degree hours on a maximum of two Associate Degrees and two Bachelor Degrees earned at Georgia State University. If a student is approved for additional hours, then a student that meets the conditions of the appeal may continue to receive aid until he/she graduates from the program. A student must follow the developed academic plan and earn a grade of C or better in all courses attempted; failure to do so will result in the loss of aid and cannot be appealed. 3 P age

5 SPETFA SPETSP SPETSU P.O. Box 4040 Atlanta GA INITIAL POLICY STANDARD Maximum Timeframe Term Checkpoint: If it is determined that a student will not earn a degree prior to or at the maximum timeframe allowed, at the time of determination (term checkpoint), the student will lose eligibility for financial aid. Students that have attempted at least 150 hours after Spring term will be pre reviewed to determine if the student will lose eligibility at the term checkpoint. The pre review involves: 1) an unofficial graduation audit by the University Advisement Center; and 2) a maximum attempted hours review by the Office of Student Financial Aid. Notification will be sent to students that will lose eligibility at the term checkpoint; students will have the ability to appeal for reinstatement of financial aid. PACE OF COMPLETION Students must earn percent of the total hours attempted. These hours include collegiate institutional and transfer hours as well as English as a Second Language (ENSL), and remedial courses. Courses earned include grades of: A, B, C, or D. Depending on your program of study, a grade of D may not be considered as earned. Courses attempted include any course with grades of: A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, I, S, U, K, or IP. A student that is no longer required to enroll in Remedial or ENSL coursework will have those hours excluded from the pace of completion calculation. For example, if 12 credit hours were attempted and 4 credit hours were learning support, then only 9 credit hours would be used in the pace of completion calculation. REPEAT Federal regulations for Satisfactory Academic Progress only allow eligibility for financial aid on two attempts on a passed collegiate level course. For example, if a grade of D was earned for Math 1111, and the course is repeated resulting in an earned grade of C, and the student wants to attempt Math 1111 one more time to earn a higher grade, then the third attempt would not be eligible for financial aid. Courses that are repeated due to a withdrawal or failure are not subject to the above repeat rule. REINSTATEMENT For appeals that are approved, financial aid will be reinstated for one term or term by term; notification will be sent on the type of approval and conditions. If a student fails to meet the standards of academic progress and does not have mitigating circumstances, or the student fails to meet the conditions of an appeal, the student must pay for courses from his/her own resources until all SAP standards are met to regain financial aid eligibility. ACADEMIC PLAN Students are required to develop an academic plan with an Academic Advisor. The academic plan must only contain coursework for the assigned program of study. An approved appeal requires that a student follow each semester s plan to retain eligibility. At the end of each semester the academic plan will be compared to actual course enrollment and performance. If it is determined that coursework is not part of the program of study, aid may not be applied or may be removed. A student that follows the academic plan and passes all courses attempted, will maintain financial aid eligibility for the next semester of the academic plan. If a student has followed all the semesters on the academic plan and is still not making academic progress, the student must complete and submit an updated academic plan developed with an Academic Advisor. If the plan is not followed, the student may lose financial aid eligibility for the following semester. Students must be prepared to pay for their next semester of enrollment. The student may submit a new appeal with an updated academic plan if a new mitigating circumstance occurred that impacted his/her performance. The Academic Plan must contain the term being appealed and the following term. If the appeal is approved and the academic plan does not match the actual course schedule the student is required to submit an updated academic plan. By signing this form, I certify that all the information reported is complete and correct. I certify that documents submitted with the form have not been altered. I certify that I have read the SAP Policy and the conditions of the appeal process and understand if approved I must adhere to the developed academic plan. Student Signature Date 4 P age

6 Name ACPLAN An academic plan must be developed with your Academic Advisor. It is your responsibility to schedule an appointment to meet with your Academic Advisor to develop an academic plan of your courses for the academic year and create a program designed to assist you in meeting your academic expectations. The purpose of the academic plan is to assist you in meeting your educational goals to attain academic success. ALL SECTIONS OF THIS FORM MUST BE COMPLETED WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF YOUR ACADEMIC ADVISOR. CURRENT ACADEMIC STANDING When meeting with your Academic Advisor, please review your current academic standing and complete each of the items in this section. The program of study on this plan must reflect the program that is listed on the student s official academic record. If the student is pursuing a different degree than the major listed on his/her official academic record, then the financial aid appeal may not be processed or assigned a denial decision due to the inaccurate academic record. If there is a pending change of major request, please attach a copy of the complete-signed request. Cumulative GPA Program of Study / Major Anticipated Graduation Date Total hours remaining to earn degree Is the student completing a dual degree? Did the student have a change in major? Yes No Yes No COURSE PLAN When meeting with your Academic Advisor, develop a course plan designed to meet and maintain student success. The courses listed must only be courses that are required to complete your current program of study. If it is determined that coursework is not part of your program of study, aid will not be applied or will be removed for the coursework outside of the program. Please indicate the term and year in the course plan below. Term Year Term Year CRN Course Title Credit Hours CRN Course Title Credit Hours Total Credit Hours Total Credit Hours Grade Point Average Deficiency Only (For students below the required 2.0 (undergraduate), 3.0 (graduate,) or the program GPA; whichever is higher) Check One Semester if the cumulative GPA can be achieved in one semester or select Multiple Semester if it requires more than on semester. Please answer only one. One semester Multiple semester What semester GPA is needed to achieve the required GPA in one semester? How many semesters will it take to achieve the required GPA? What average semester GPA is needed to achieve the required GPC? Academic Plan Page 1 of 2 Revised 05/2017

7 Name ACPLAN You must follow the academic plan you developed with your Academic Advisor and complete all courses that you attempt with grades C for undergraduate or B for graduate or better as discussed with your Academic Advisor. What do you plan to do to ensure that you will be able to meet the minimum academic standards and/or your academic plan in the future? I certify that I have met with my Academic Advisor and together, we developed an academic plan for courses that are required for my current program of study. I have approved the academic plan developed and the Academic Advisor has listed any additional commentary in the Academic Advisor section of this form. I understand that if the financial aid appeal is approved, that I am required to earn a grade of C for undergraduate, B for graduate, or better in all courses attempted and that failing to do so, may result in the loss of financial aid eligibility. Student Signature Date ACADEMIC ADVISOR USE ONLY COMMENTS: Printed Name Signature Date Campus Location Phone ALP ATL CLA DEC DUN NEW ONL Academic Plan Page 2 of 2 Revised 05/2017