As a person receiving financial aid, you must remain in good academic standing with the University and make satisfactory progress toward your intended degree objective.

Satisfactory Progress

To remain eligible for financial aid, you are expected to meet qualitative (how well you are doing in school) and quantitative (how many credits you are completing) academic requirements.

• Qualitative requirements: You must maintain a minimum GPA for all financial aid and SPU scholarships.
• Quantitative requirements: You must complete a minimum number of credits each academic year and complete your degree within a certain period of time.

Satisfactory progress is reviewed annually at the end of Spring Quarter. It applies to all students (current, past, or first-time financial aid applicants).

Minimum Grade Point Average

Undergraduate Students: A financial aid recipient must be in good academic standing at the University. At the completion of their second year (sophomore standing), the student must have a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Students who do not achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA will be ineligible for future financial aid until the required GPA is achieved. (Note: A higher minimum GPA may be required for scholarship recipients. Refer to the Grant and Scholarship Limitations and Renewal page for specific renewal criteria.)

Graduate and Doctoral Students: A financial aid recipient must be in good academic standing at the University. Graduate and doctoral students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 SPU GPA or higher. Students who do not achieve a minimum 3.0 cumulative SPU GPA will be ineligible for further financial aid until the required cumulative GPA is achieved.

Minimum Credit Requirement

Students must complete at least 80 percent of all attempted credits to be eligible for financial aid. Each accepted transfer credit will be considered as both an attempted and a completed credit. The calculated percentage will be rounded up to the nearest full-credit hour. Completed credits are defined as classes that have received a grade of A, B, C, D, or P at the end of the academic term. Grades of E, W, G, I, or N do not receive any credit; therefore they do not count as completed credits each quarter.

Maximum Time Frame

Financial aid will be awarded to students enrolled in undergraduate programs for a maximum of 270 credits. Graduate and doctoral students have a maximum of six years.

Notification

Students are responsible for being aware of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy as stated above. SFS will notify students who become ineligible for financial aid due to lack of satisfactory progress; however, it is the student's responsibility to monitor progress.

Consequences of Unsatisfactory Progress

A student who does not maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (minimum GPA, completed credit requirements, and completed degree within the maximum time frame) will be ineligible for financial aid.

Appeals for Reinstatement Of Eligibility

Students have the right to appeal their eligibility for financial aid. Written appeals due to special circumstances (death of a relative, illness or injury of the student, or other special circumstances) should be submitted to the student’s financial services counselor. Please note that some financial aid programs may have different requirements than those listed above. 

Results of Appeals (Probation)

Appeals will be approved only if the student will be able to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress after the next quarter or SFS has approved an academic plan with the student that. The academic plan, if followed, will ensure the student is able to make Satisfactory Academic Progress by a certain point in time. Students with an approved appeal will be on financial aid probation. Students on probation may receive aid for one probationary quarter. After the probationary quarter, students must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards or the requirements of their academic plan. Failure to do so will mean a loss of eligibility for financial aid.