Satisfactory Academic Progress
The petition is a form required of students who want to continue receiving financial aid but did not meet the minimum requirement for GPA or hours completed.
The United States Department of Education requires students to progress through their academic program in a timely manner in order to maintain eligibility for Title IV aid. To be eligible to receive federal, state, and/or institution aid at Pacific Union College, you must maintain satisfactory academic progress, which is defined as follows:
Institutional Policy
At the end of Spring quarter the Student Financial Services Office reviews the academic progress of each student. Students are evaluated on the basis of grade point average (GPA), credit hour completion, and maximum time frame limitation. If while receiving financial aid a student is found to be in violation of the GPA requirement, credit hour completion, or maximum time frame limitation, financial aid will be immediately suspended.
- Grade Point Average – Students whose cumulative or PUC GPA falls below 2.0 will be disqualified from receiving Title IV and PUC financial aid. Students may have their financial aid reinstated when their cumulative PUC GPA is 2.0 or higher. In calculating the GPA and evaluating progress toward completion of a degree:
- “I” (Incomplete) and “IP” (in progress) carry no grade points and are not computed in the GPA.
- “NR” (No grade reported) carries no grade points and is not computed in the GPA.
- “W” (Withdrawal) is not computed in the GPA, nor is the course considered to be completed satisfactorily.
- A course repeated at Pacific Union College to improve the GPA is counted only once toward the total credit hours required for graduation. Only the better grade is included in the GPA.
- Credit Hour Completion – Students must complete 70% of credits attempted for the year to continue receiving Title IV, state, and PUC financial aid. All units attempted will be calculated for all grades, including the number of corresponding units for grades of W, I, F (fail) and S (satisfactory). Grades recorded as IP will be counted as satisfactorily completed units. Students may have their financial aid reinstated when they have successfully completed 70% of credits attempted, as long as this does not exceed the 150% credit limit.
- Maximum Time Frame Limitation – Students should carefully adhere to the requirements of their major or other program to ensure completion on time. Title IV regulations and Pacific Union College policy allows students to receive financial aid up to 150% of the credits required to complete their program. Pacific Union College awards financial aid for a maximum of 288 attempted credits to students working on a four-year degree; a maximum of 135 attempted credits to students working on a two-year degree and a maximum of 173 attempted credits to students working on an A.S. in Nursing. Transfer credits that count toward a student’s current program are counted in the maximum time frame limitation.
Special Considerations
- Changing Majors – Students who change majors will not have credits and grades that do not count toward the new major included in the 150% maximum time frame limitation. For Satisfactory Academic Progress purposes, a student may only change majors once.
- A student who has reached the maximum time frame for aid eligibility and needs additional time to complete a degree may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Committee. The appeal should explain why the degree could not be completed within the allowable time-frame. An academic plan, signed by the student’s advisor and a TLC representative, should accompany the appeal and explain which credits are needed to finish the degree.
- Transfer students – Transfer students are eligible for financial aid during their first quarter at Pacific Union College and are subject to the same satisfactory academic-progress policies as other Pacific Union College students. Before registering as a transfer student, students must consult the Records Office to determine whether or not their transfer credits will be accepted by Pacific Union College. Accepted transfer credits a student earns will count toward both attempted and completed credits. The GPA from transfer credits will not be considered toward satisfactory academic progress.
- High-School Students With PUC Credits – Any quarters the student was enrolled in PUC courses prior to high-school graduation do not count toward the total number of credits for which the student may receive financial aid. Additionally, the GPA on credits taken at PUC prior to high- school graduation will not be considered toward satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
Notification – If a student is disqualified for financial aid they will be notified by the Student Financial Services Department via a letter or via the student’s PUC email account. The letter will include information on the appeal process and if eligible, an appeal form.
Appeal Procedures – An appeal procedure is available to students if they are ever deemed not to be making satisfactory academic progress. Students must submit a Financial Aid Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Committee at the Student Financial Services Office. The appeal form must:
- Describe the reasons for not making satisfactory progress,
- Outline a program for correcting the problem,
- List an approved, attainable class schedule, signed by your academic advisor and a representative from the Teaching and Learning Center. If the cumulative GPA is below 2.0 a signature from Records will be required as well.
The Financial Aid Committee will review all appeals on a case-by case basis. An appeal may be denied, approved for one quarter only, approved on probation for one or more quarters, or approved for the remainder of the academic year. If the appeal is approved, the committee may have additional requirements the student must fulfill in order to receive financial aid. Additional requirements may include, but are not limited to, having the student meet with the Teaching and Learning Center for tutoring. Appeals approved will be re-evaluated at the end of each quarter. Failure to meet SAP policy/procedure guidelines during any term may result in loss of financial aid. Students will not be eligible for consecutive probation periods. Disqualified students and students whose appeals are denied will be ineligible for all federal and state aid, and most institutional financial aid.
The Financial Aid Committee will notify the student of the committee’s decision via a letter or via the student’s PUC email account. All decisions by the committee are final.
NOTE: Reinstatement of Financial Aid awards is based on available funding. Therefore, students may not receive their original Financial Aid awards.