Policies and Procedures
For the purposes of these policies, academic year is defined as Fall, Spring, and Summer terms.
1. Review and Notification
In order to determine continued aid eligibility, the Online Financial Aid Department will review the academic progress at the end of each academic semester for all online graduate students receiving federal aid, including the Federal Direct PLUS Loan. Students who fail to meet SAP will be notified in writing by email.
2. Treatment of Punitive and Non-punitive Grades and Courses
All courses with a grade of F, I, IP, NG, U, W, and repeated courses will be considered in the calculation of credit hours attempted and will be subject to satisfactory academic progress. Audited courses are not considered in awarding financial aid; therefore, they will not be counted in the determination of satisfactory academic progress. Incomplete (I) grades will be calculated as failing grades in regard to credit hour completion until the course has been satisfactorily completed.
3. SAP Appeal
A student may appeal a SAP determination that results in loss of aid by completing and submitting to the Online Financial Aid Department a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form. Appeals may be granted only if the student failed to meet academic progress requirements as a result of an emergency and/or illness, and these circumstances must have occurred within the semester/academic year during which SAP requirements were not met. All appeals should be submitted no later than 30 calendar days from notice of ineligibility. All decisions made by the committee are final.
4. Reinstatement of Aid
Reinstatement of aid may be obtained by earning additional University approved credits, achieving the cumulative GPA and 67% percent completion standard, or successfully appealing.
A student notified of SAP Appeal approval will receive a Financial Aid Academic Plan of Action. The student will be presented with the terms of continued eligibility while on probation. Once the Plan of Action is signed and returned, the student will receive financial aid eligibility on a probationary status for the term in which the appeal is approved.
A student who fails to meet the terms of the Financial Aid Academic Plan of action will have financial aid eligibility suspended.
5. Duration of Eligibility
Time to completion starts when a student begins any program in the Graduate School. All work must be completed within three (3) years of the start date to the graduate program, for those studying for the various master’s degrees. Individual programs may set a shorter time period.
Exceptions may be granted by the Dean of the Graduate School at the request of the Graduate Program Director. Course availability may vary by program and term; therefore students who may need to withdraw or take a break from their program should work directly with their Academic Advisor to ensure timely completion within the three (3) year window. Students in the UOnline Applied Learning Sciences (Master’s & Doctoral) have six (6) years to complete their requirements for graduation.
A student is ineligible for financial aid when it becomes mathematically impossible for him/her to complete the program within 150% of the length of the program. The length of the program is the amount of time necessary for a student to complete all requirements for a degree or certificate.
Each online degree program has a minimum time within which a student may complete the degree if the student takes the courses on a continually enrolled basis. Online degrees are flexible, and the actual time to completion, within the three-year limit, can vary by student. However, if a student is not continuously enrolled for a period greater than one year, he or she must reapply to the program and will lose any tuition discounts previously applied to their account. A student may be eligible for any tuition discounts available to new students at the time of the student's re-admission, and should contact the Online Enrollment Office to see if they qualify.
