Financial Aid Policies
Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy For Financial Aid (Revised December 19, 2019)
Federal regulations require the Financial Aid Office to monitor the progress of all students toward the completion of degree. This monitoring process is called the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). The Department of Education requires that a school monitor SAP both quantitatively and qualitatively. Satisfactory academic process is essential to remain eligible to receive funds from any Federal Title IV, state, or university aid programs.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is assessed by the Financial Aid Office (FAO) for any student who applies for financial aid. A student must be eligible by this policy whether or not a recipient of aid during the evaluated period of attendance.
These rules must apply to all students whether or not they were recipients of any financial aid at the University of Guam or any other college. In addition, this policy provides for the consistent application of standards to all students within categories of students, i.e., full-time, part-time, undergraduate, and graduate students, and University educational programs.
This policy is effective immediately and supersedes the previous policies.
Federal regulations state that the rules must include the following elements:
At the end of each semester, the Financial Aid Office will monitor each undergraduate and graduate student’s academic progress to determine financial aid eligibility.
To maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) the following minimum requirements must be met:
In addition to listed on the minimum requirements, the following also apply to Qualitative (Pace) Standards:
BREAKDOWN OF REQUIRED NUMBER OF CREDITS
Undergraduate:
Credit Hour Attempted* |
Enrollment Status |
Minimum Credits to complete each semester |
20-21 |
Full-time |
14 Credits |
19 |
Full-time |
13 Credits |
17-18 |
Full-time |
12 Credits |
16 |
Full-time |
11 Credits |
14 -15 |
Full-time |
10 Credits |
13 |
Full-time |
9 Credits |
12 |
Full-time |
8 Credits |
11 |
¾ - time |
8 Credits |
10 |
¾ - time |
7 Credits |
9 |
¾ - time |
6 Credits |
6 – 8 |
½ - time |
6 Credits |
Below 6 credits |
Less than ½ time |
MUST PASS ALL Credits |
*Credit Hours Attempted – number of credit hours enrolled after the ADD/DROP period of each semester. Fall and Spring semesters ADD/DROP period ends the Tuesday AFTER the first day of classes; Summer ADD/DROP period end on the first day of each session.
Graduates:
Credit Hour Attempted* |
Enrollment Status |
Minimum Credits to complete each semester |
12 |
Full-time |
8 Credits |
9 |
Full-time |
6 Credits |
6 – 8 |
½ - time |
6 Credits |
Below 6 credits |
Less than ½ time |
MUST PASS ALL Credits |
*Credit Hours Attempted – number of credit hours enrolled after the ADD/DROP period of each semester. Fall and Spring semesters ADD/DROP period ends the Tuesday AFTER the first day of classes; Summer ADD/DROP period end on the first day of each session.
»To determine the amount of credits required (67% completed with a passing grade), multiply the number of credits you are enrolled in after the ADD/DROP period by .67.
Warning
Undergraduate students who fail to complete a minimum of 67% of credit hours attempted from the previous semester and/or maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA will be placed on SAP warning for the following semester enrolled. Students will continue to receive their financial aid funds while on warning status.
Graduate students who fail to complete a minimum of 67% of credit hours attempted from the previous semester will be placed on SAP warning for the following semester enrolled. They will continue to receive their financial aid funds while on credit hour warning. If a graduate student does not meet the cumulative GPA of a 3.00 at the end of the previous semester or placed on academic probation by the Graduate School, they will no longer be eligible to receive financial aid funds, until they are off academic probation from the Graduate School.
Suspension of Aid
A student’s financial aid will be suspended for any of the following reasons:
How to Re-Establish Eligibility
If you are on suspension you may submit an appeal. If your appeal is approved, you will receive one probationary semester with contractual performance requirements. Approval is not guaranteed, and you will be held responsible for any debts incurred if you enroll while on financial aid suspension. Aid eligibility may be reinstated for the semester during which your petition is approved, but not for prior semester(s) that you may have attended while on financial aid suspension.
Appeal Process:
You must submit a written petition to appeal any financial aid suspension if you believe your failure to make satisfactory progress (SAP) was due to special circumstances. The petition should be one legible page and address the following:
A student should submit a petition at least 30 calendar days before the start of the term and no later than 30 calendar days before the end of the semester that the financial aid is desired. Failure to adhere to this timeline will result in the student losing their right to appeal their suspension.
Appeals with mitigating circumstances must be approved by the Director of Financial Aid Office. Financial Aid advisors must prepare a briefing for the Director with recommendations for the student’s appeal.
All appeals should be reviewed and forwarded for approval to the Director within 30 working days of the student’s submission of their appeal. A response on the status of the appeal to the student will be given within 45 working days after submission of the appeal.
QUESTIONS
Students who have questions about the SAP policy should contact the Financial Aid Office
Students who have questions about their grades or credits earned should contact the Admissions and Records Office.