Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Withdrawals, Incompletes, and Repeats
Termination of Financial Aid Eligibility
Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility
Appeal of Eligibility Termination
Appeal Procedures
Financial Aid Appeals Committee
Shaw University Office of Financial Aid 2004-2005 Appeal Form

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

The Higher Education Act of the U. S. Department of Education requires Shaw University to develop and apply a consistent standard of academic progress. To qualify for federal and state aid, a student must be maintaining satisfactory academic progress in the course of study the student is pursuing. Shaw University has developed its Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy to comply with the statutory requirements that a student must be making satisfactory academic progress to be eligible for federal aid (Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant-FSEOG, Federal College Work Study, Direct Stafford Loans-subsidized and unsubsidized, Direct Plus Loan and the Federal Perkins Loan), state aid (North Carolina Legislative and Tuition Grant-NCLTG, North Carolina Student Incentive Grant-NCSIG, State Contractual Fund-SCF), scholarships and institutional grants. Students who fail to maintain satisfactory progress may not receive financial aid unless an appeal has been approved. The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is as follows:

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Shaw University, as required by federal regulations, must define and enforce minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress.
Students receiving financial assistance at Shaw University must enroll in courses leading toward a degree. Standards by which a student will be evaluated include progress in increments of hours completed (quantitative) and cumulative grade point average earned (qualitative). This policy is established to encourage students to complete successfully courses for which financial aid is received. Students who are not successfully completing appropriate courses will not be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress.
Full-time (12-hours) undergraduates pursuing a four-year course of study are allowed up to 180 attempted semester hours in order to receive financial aid. Once a student attempts 180 semester hours, the eligibility for financial aid will be exhausted. This includes transfer hours.

* The Office of Student Financial Aid monitors the GPA measure at junior level and above.

Withdrawals, Incompletes, and Repeats
Withdrawals, incompletes, and repeats will not be exempt from the calculation of semesters in attendance. Students will be required to complete the number of credits as outlined in the above chart.

Termination of Financial Aid Eligibility
A student is regarded as making satisfactory academic progress and thereby eligible for financial aid as long as the student maintains a cumulative grade point average of 1.5 (on a 4.0) scale by the end of the second semester of enrollment; a 1.8 cumulative grade point average by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment; and a 2.0 cumulative grade point average thereafter. 
PLEASE REFER TO THE FINANCIAL AID RETENTION TABLE ABOVE FOR ALL PERIODS OF ENROLLMENT.

However, a student with a grade point average less than a 1.4 at the end of the first semester or a 1.4 but less than 12 credit hours will be placed on academic warning. A student with a cumulative grade point average less than a 1.5 by the end of the second semester or a 1.5 but less than 18 credit hours will be placed on academic suspension with the option to appeal for academic and financial aid reinstatement. A student with less than a 1.6 cumulative grade point average by the end of the third semester or a 1.6 but less than 24 credit hours will be placed on academic warning. However, a student who has a cumulative grade point average less than a 1.8 by the end of the fourth semester or a 1.8 but less than 30 credit hours will be dismissed from the university. The Office of Records and Registration will list the warning status on the student’s academic transcript, and a letter will be sent from the Office of Financial Aid. The status of academic warning will not disqualify a student from receiving financial aid. At the fifth semester and beyond, the student must demonstrate satisfactory academic progress by having earned a 2.00 cumulative grade point average. In addition, the student must have earned the requisite number of course credit hours that correspond with the semesters of enrollment indicated in the financial aid retention table. A student with a cumulative grade point average less than a 2.00 by the end of the fifth (5th) semester and thereafter will be placed on Academic Dismissal and Financial Aid Suspension. A dismissal and financial aid suspension letter will be sent to the student.


An academic dismissal from Shaw University requires a student to leave the university for one semester before continuing a degree program. It also requires an automatic denial of federal financial assistance. After one semester, a student may appeal to the chief academic officer of the university to be readmitted to a degree program. If readmitted to a degree program, a student with a grade point average less than 2.00 or a 2.00 but less than the requisite number of course credit hours will remain ineligible to receive federal financial assistance. To qualify for federal financial assistance upon being readmitted to a degree program, a student must be able to transfer sufficient course credits to Shaw University or elevate his/her cumulative grade point average to a 2.00 or higher by attending summer school at Shaw University as a cash paying student. For such a student, eligibility for federal financial assistance will be automatic.

Part-Time Undergraduate Students
Part-time students are expected to progress at proportionally the same rate as full-time undergraduate students and will be limited to a maximum of 180 attempted hours at the university. Part-time students are expected to pass all hours attempted each semester and not be suspended in order to maintain eligibility.



Graduate/First Professional Students
Graduate/first professional students are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if he/she is eligible to continue during the regular academic year. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average by the end of each spring term. A first professional student must maintain a 2.0 grade point average by the end of each spring term. To remain eligible for financial aid, graduate and first professional students must complete their degree requirements within one hundred fifty percent (150) of the published length of their academic program. This means that programs requiring thirty-nine (39) hours for graduation will be eligible for financial aid during the first fifty-nine (59) attempted hours. Programs requiring ninety (90) hours will be eligible for financial aid during the first one hundred thirty-five (135) attempted hours, and programs requiring sixty-six (66) hours will be eligible for financial aid during the first ninety-nine (99) attempted hours.



Summer School
If a student receives an academic warning notice at the end of the spring semester and plans to attend summer school to correct his/her deficiency, the student must file an appeal to request reconsideration of the decision based on summer only. The warning will not automatically change because the student is attending summer school.



Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility
Financial aid applicants whose financial aid has been suspended may regain eligibility once they meet the minimum requirements or receive a financial appeal approval.

Appeal of Eligibility Termination
Undergraduate, Graduate, and First Professional Students whose financial aid has been suspended because of failure to meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress may complete an appeal form, which is located in the Office of Financial Aid. The student must request an appeal of that decision to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee within ten (10) days of the suspension/dismissal. Circumstances which may be considered in this appeal include the following: death in the student’s immediate family, loss of employment, medical emergencies, accidents, personal tragedy, or other documented circumstances beyond the student’s control which prevented him/her from meeting the minimum standards.

Appeals of eligibility termination are not permitted from students who have exceeded the maximum number of attempted hours, including transfer hours.

Appeal Procedures
To appeal the termination of financial aid eligibility, a student must follow the procedures outlined below:

1. A request must be submitted by the student, in writing, to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee within ten (10) working days of receipt of denial/cancellation of financial aid on the basis of unsatisfactory academic progress.

Click here to print the SHAW UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF FINANCIAL AID 2004-2005 APPEAL FORM.

2. The circumstances, which prevented satisfactory academic progress, must be clearly stated and documented.

3. The request must include documentation to support the extenuating circumstances.
Examples of acceptable documentation include, but are not limited to: death
certificates, statements from physician(s), clergy, or other verifiable information.

4. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal and determine if a financial aid award is justified. The student will receive a letter indicating approval or denial of the appeal.

5. Students can utilize the appeal process only twice.

Financial Aid Appeals Committee
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee consists of six (6) members who meet once per semester to hear appeals.

Members include the following individuals:
Director of Financial Aid-Chair
Special Assistant to the President for Enrollment Management
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Faculty
Counseling Staff
Director of Admissions

Please note that the university has adopted one policy for Satisfactory Academic Progress governing both academic and financial aid standards.


Shaw University Office of Financial Aid 2004-2005 Appeal Form