Students may be eligible to submit an appeal if they believe extenuating circumstances impaired their ability to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. However, these circumstances have since been resolved to allow the student to achieve a satisfactory academic status going forward. The step-by-step instructions below are for students who wish to officially submit an appeal of their Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) suspension status. SAP Appeal Process Before You Begin Submitting a SAP Appeal is the first step of the appeal process. It is not a guarantee of continued enrollment or eligibility for federal financial aid. The appeal form is used for both Academic and Financial Aid reviews (two separate reviews). Therefore, if using financial aid, your appeal is subject to two separate review processes. The SAP appeal form must be completed, typed, and hand-signed/dated before it will be reviewed. Electronic signatures are not accepted on the SAP Appeal form. Documentation to support your appeal is required. The completed SAP Appeal Form and required documentation must be submitted by the due date indicated on the SAP notification that you received. Step 1 SAP Appeal Form To begin the SAP Appeal process, download the SAP Appeal Template Form found on the Satisfactory Academic Progress page on icampus. Follow the instructions below. Page 1 Complete the top portion of the cover sheet/page 1 (Name, ID, and Campus). Check the blue box to indicate Satisfactory Academic Progress as the reason for this submission. Page 2 Complete the top portion of page 2 (Name, ID, and Campus). Students who are NOTreceiving federal financial assistance can proceed to page 4 of the appeal form. 1
Sample of Page 2 and 3 of the SAP Appeal Form Financial Aid Students: Select the appropriate radio buttons on the chart (page 2 & 3) for your special circumtance and documentation. Page 4 Financial Aid and Academic Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal In the designated areas on the form (light blue areas), give a brief, type-written explanation: 1. Explain what happened; and 2. Explain what has changed; and 3. Include documentation to support the circumstances that coincide with the timeframe of your warning/suspension terms. 1. Explain What Happened Provide details that link your circumstances during your warning/suspension terms with your academic performance. Your documentation should support and validate the explanation and dates provided. 2. Explain What Has Changed What is your plan to get back on track? Explain how the circumstances you encountered will no longer be a factor in your ability to achieve a positive academic standing moving forward. What happened and when did it/they occur (Month/Year)? How has it affected your ability to maintain satisfactory academic progress? Attach additional pages if necessary (with physical signature). How has it been or will it be remedied to enable you to achieve satisfactory academic progress moving forward? Please Note: Use additional page(s) only if necessary to complete your statements. If additional pages are used for your statement, each page must also be typed, hand-signed and dated. (See next step below). 2
Bottom of Page 4: Hand-sign and date where indicated on page 4 of the appeal form as well as on any additional pages included. For example, if your appeal begins on page 4 but you continued your statement/explanation on an additional page, two (2) hand-signatures/dates will be required bottom of page 4 on the appeal form and on the additional attachment that continues your statement/explanation. REMINDER: Electronic signatures cannot be used for the student signature. A hand-signed/ or wet signature and date is required on this appeal form. Select your course location preference of either online or on campus. If on campus, list your preferred campus. 3. Required Supporting Documentation Documentation helps to support and validate your circumstances and coincide with the timeframe of your warning/suspension terms. The type of. documentation will vary based upon your specific circumstances. See page 2 and 3 of the appeal form for examples of supporting documentation. Please Note: Appeals without documentation will not be reviewed. Review and Submit Submitting an incomplete appeal will delay the decision process. Double-check your appeal package before submitting. All required sections are complete. Does your explanation and documentation clearly link your circumstances to your warning/suspension timeframe? Quality review - utilize spell-check and grammar-check. Hand-signature/date on page 4 of the appeal as well as on any additional typed pages included for your statements. Check your SAP Notification Email: Submit the completed appeal and supporting documentation by the due date and to the recipient indicated on the SAP status notification that you received. 3
Evaluation & Academic Decision: Complete appeals will be forwarded to a Dean of Advising for evaluation to determine if the appeal is eligible for an academic approval. Each submitted appeal must be thoroughly evaluated. Please allow 2 business days for the academic review to take place. If approved, Step 2 below is followed. If the academic appeal is denied, enrollment cannot be permitted. A student may re-appeal the suspension after one (1) year. What Does an Academic Appeal Approval Mean? An approved academic appeal allows you to continue enrollment upon receipt of a signed/completed ARP as indicated in Step 2 below. It does not approve your eligibility for federal financial aid. This means that once you return your signed ARP, you will be academically approved to attend classes using other non-financial aid methods of payment. If utilizing federal financial aid, see the Additional Requirement for Students Utilizing Federal Financial Aid section after completion of Step 2 below. If you do not sign and return the Academic Recovery Plan (ARP) by the deadline indicated in the SAP notification email, you will be dropped from your courses and will have to wait until the next quarter to be enrolled. Step 2 Academic Recovery Plan (ARP) If academically approved, a Dean of Advising will develop a personalized Academic Recovery Plan (ARP). This plan will indicate the required courses for enrollment and illustrate a path to a satisfactory academic standing. Students are responsible to enroll in the required courses as indicated on the terms of the ARP. Upon review, the ARP will require the signature/date of the Dean of Advising and the student. The Academic Recovery Plan can be hand-signed or signed through DocuSign. Before Signing the ARP: Please review the Academic Recovery Plan carefully before signing. By signing the Academic Recovery Plan, you are agreeing to be enrolled in the courses listed. If you do not take the courses listed on the Academic Recovery Plan, you risk not being recoverable. Please confirm that the modality (online or on-campus) of each course works for you. If you need to change only the modality, please reach out to your Dean of Advising. If you have concerns about the courses listed, you will need to contact the Dean of Advising who created your Academic Recovery Plan as they are the only employee that can change the classes on the plan. Establish a Method of Payment: A valid method of payment must be established with Student Financial Services (SFS) to finalize the registration of the required courses indicated on the Academic Recovery Plan. Eligibility to use financial aid as your method of payment requires a separate FA SAP approval process through SFS after the completion of Step 2 above. See Additional Requirement for Students Utilizing Federal Financial Aid section on page 5 below. 4
Additional Requirement for Students Utilizing Federal Financial Aid The Dean of Advising will forward the completed ARP to SFS for the separate Financial Aid (FA) SAP Appeal review process. A representative from SFS will review an initial FA SAP Appeal submission if received on or before the due date. Additional information and documentation may be needed and will result in additional required submissions. The final FA SAP submission due date for additional documentation is generally the day before the last day to drop without academic penalty. Financial Aid SAP Deferral Contract and Appeal Review Timeline: Until the appeal is approved, expected financial aid cannot be a valid method of payment. All registered continuing and reinstate students submitting a Financial Aid SAP appeal must execute a Financial Aid SAP Deferral Contract as a method of payment. An SFS representative will review the terms and requirements of the contract with you. The approximate time it takes to review an FA SAP appeal is up to 14 days (per submission). The final SAP submission due date is generally the day before the last day to drop without academic penalty which is usually aligned with the Financial Aid SAP Deferral Contract due date. If additional requirements are submitted for review on or before the final submission due date, the deferral contract will not be cancelled on the due date. As outlined in the FA SAP Deferral Contract, if the review of the final submission results in an appeal denial, the deferral will be cancelled and another method of payment will be required to continue enrollment. Account charges may be adjusted when an appeal is denied and enrollment is not continued. SFS will notify you of a decision regarding your financial aid eligibility. Your Financial Aid Status in icampus on page 6 below. Please also see Viewing Step 3 Regaining SAP Status Utilize all of the resources available to you to help you reach academic success. See the How Can We Help section on page 6 below. If the courses and grades as outlined on the ARP are completed and a Satisfactory Academic Progress status is achieved, your student status will update accordingly. Continue the Journey to Earn Your Degree! 5
Viewing Your Financial Aid Status in icampus To access the student portal on the Financial Aid page, log in to icampus and navigate to Financial Aid & Support. Select Financial Aid from the drop-down listing. Next, select either Box 3 - Click here to view your award status and upload additional documentation needed or select the red View Financial Aid option. Either of these options will direct you to the student portal where you can check for needed/incomplete documentation, your documentation status or send messages to the Financial Aid team. How Can We Help? Students are encouraged to reach out to their campus, Professor, Academic Advisor and Student Success Coach to obtain all available resources to support the journey back to satisfactory academic progress. Various resources can also be found on icampus. To access Resources, log in to icampus and locate Resources on the left side of the page (above Degree Progress). Research what is available under each category. For example, select Tutoring to explore all of the options available to you to help with a class, an assignment or a term paper. You will also find the link to SOAR Student Assistance on the Tutoring page. Check out the variety of services available to Strayer University students. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions SAP Appeals document on the Satisfactory Academic Progress page on icampus for answers to common SAP Appeal questions. 6