Satisfactory Academic Progress

Graduate Program Requirements

Completion Rate

A student must pass a minimum of 67 % percent of the total attempted credits. This is measured by comparing the number of attempted credit hours to the earned credit hours.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

The requirement is 3.0 unless specified by the program.

Program-specific GPA requirements that do not require a 3.0 for SAP:

  • PA: 2.0
  • Pharmacy: 2.0
  • D.M.D.: Pass/Fail system, GPA not measured
  • D.O.: Pass/Fail system, GPA not measured

Maximum Time Frame

Maximum Time Frames are calculated according to the standard published length of the individual program. Students cannot attempt more than 150% of the normal credits required for their degree program.

General Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The Â鶹´«Ã½ is required by federal law to regularly monitor a student’s academic progress. The standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) measure a student’s performance in three areas:

  1. Completion Rate (Pace)
  2. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
  3. Maximum Timeframe

The SAP policies apply to all financial aid programs. Students who are not successfully meeting all SAP requirements risk losing financial aid, including VA education benefits. SAP is reviewed at the end of each semester, and students failing to meet requirements will be notified and placed on Financial Aid Probation (Warning) for the following semester. During the probationary semester, students will continue to receive financial aid. At the conclusion of the probationary semester, if students are still not meeting SAP requirements, financial aid will be suspended and VA benefits will no longer be certified until all SAP requirements are successfully met.

Students have the ability to appeal financial aid suspensions if they have experience extenuating circumstances that has affected their ability to meet SAP standards. To submit an appeal, a student must submit a letter explaining the circumstances that prevented meeting SAP criteria along with documentation supporting the appeal. Appeals can be submitted via email from a student’s Â鶹´«Ã½email address to Student Financial Services at sfs@une.edu. Timeframe for appeals are outlined in the email notification sent to students at the conclusion of the semester.

Because failing SAP is due to an insufficient GPA and/or course credit deficiencies, students can work to obtain satisfactory SAP status several ways during the period when they are not receiving financial aid: successful completion of Â鶹´«Ã½courses to raise the GPA; and/or addressing credit deficiencies by taking courses at Â鶹´«Ã½or at other institutions, as long as credits taken are transferrable to UNE.

In the event that grade changes and/or the removal of incomplete courses on the transcript result in meeting SAP measures, a transcript copy should be submitted to Student Financial Services for review.

The following are considered when evaluating a student’s satisfactory academic progress:

  • Withdrawals, incompletes, and failures are considered attempted but not earned hours.
    • If an incomplete grade is later updated to a complete grade students may request a one-time recalculation of SAP by emailing sfs@une.edu.
  • Passing credits received for pass/fail courses are considered attempted and earned credits; failing grades in pass/fail courses are considered attempted but not earned.
  • Repeated courses and courses for which the student has been granted academic amnesty are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours.
  • Audited courses are not considered credits attempted or earned.
  • Remedial courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours.
  • Transfer courses that are transferred into your degree program are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours (pace and maximum timeframe). GPA from transfer credits is not calculated.