Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress toward earning a degree as stipulated in the chart below to receive financial aid at IWU from all federal and state student aid grants, Work-Study and loan programs. Some additional aid programs may also use part or all of the SAP standards as minimum criteria for funding eligibility.

*Effective July 2011.
¹ The RNBSN Program requires a 2.75 minimum cumulative GPA

SAP Evaluation

1. All degree-seeking financial aid applicants’ SAP will be calculated after the end of each payment period. Some additional calculations may be made for students in programs which take less than an academic year to complete. SAP may be calculated for non-degree students as well due to aid funding rules.
2. Quantitative (hours attempted and earned or years of degree pursuit) and qualitative (cumulative GPA) SAP is measured.
3. Changes in academic program may alter the SAP status, which is based upon the declared program of study shown by the Registrar’s Office when SAP is calculated.
4. Students meeting the standards listed above when calculated will be in SAP GOOD STANDING.
5. SAP WARNING will be required for students who were previously in SAP GOOD STANDING, but who do not meet the GPA and/or minimum pass rate percentage measures shown above at the time of a SAP calculation. Students retain eligibility for aid during their SAP WARNING payment period.
6. Students who meet SAP requirements, but are on academic probation at the end of their payment period, will be placed on SAP WARNING. Such students retain their eligibility for aid during their SAP WARNING payment period.
7. SAP WARNING students must meet all SAP measurements by the end of their next payment period in order to return to SAP GOOD STANDING and retain aid eligibility.
8. SAP SUSPENSION will be required for students on SAP WARNING who do not meet all SAP measurement requirements by the end of their next payment period.
9. SAP SUSPENSION will also be required for students who exceed the maximum total credit hours or time of degree pursuit allowed for their first academic program and/or if at the point their SAP is calculated it is obvious they mathematically cannot complete their program by the cumulative limit. The time allowed to complete a graduate degree is measured from the student’s first attendance in that program or dissertation course.
10. SAP SUSPENSION causes students to be ineligible for the aid programs listed above.
11. Students who are on academic suspension or dismissal will also be placed on SAP SUSPENSION.
12. Eligibility is reestablished after the student improves his or her academic record to meet the minimum standards or a justifiable SAP Appeal is approved. (See Appeals)
13. Required SAP components from all periods of enrollment are included in SAP calculations whether or not financial aid was received previously.
14. Students are held responsible for knowing SAP eligibility criteria and their SAP status. Students should contact the CAPS Financial Aid Office if they have any questions about their SAP status.

Grades

1. All courses attempted at IWU and those taken elsewhere, which are recognized by the IWU Registrar’s Office as related to the current degree level, are counted as hours attempted regardless of grade assigned. This includes enrollments which end as incompletes, failed or withdrawn grades.
2. Only courses for which final grades issued are recognized by the IWU Registrar’s Office as passing will be counted as earned. (Example: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, S, CR, etc.)
3. Courses shown as failed, incomplete, withdrawn or concluded with no grade submitted count as hours attempted and not earned. Additional courses with non-passing results are counted similarly.
4. All courses designated as repeated for grade improvement count as hours attempted, but only count once, if passed, as hours earned.
5. Courses attempted repetitively for credit count as both hours attempted and, if passed, as hours earned.
6. Audit and non-credit classes are ineligible for financial aid and are not counted in SAP calculations.
7. The official institutional GPA determined by the IWU Registrar’s Office is used for all qualitative measures.

Additional Earned Credits

1. Credit hours earned by testing or other non-standard means are counted in the SAP calculations as both hours attempted and earned. This includes hours earned from credit by exam, AP Courses, CLEP, PEP, DANTES, military credits and assessed credits.
2. All credit hours applicable to the current degree level attempted through International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), International Baccalaureate, Study Abroad, and through Consortium or Contractual Agreements with other institutions count in both attempted and earned calculations.
3. Should remedial or English as a Second Language (ESL) classes be offered, such courses will count in both attempted and earned hours calculations even though credits may not apply toward completion of degree requirements. They may also impact GPA calculations.

Transfer Students

1. Transfer students with no grade history at IWU will enter on SAP GOOD STANDING or the appropriate SAP status for their academic admission status.
2. For programs that require complete academic transcripts for work attempted at other institutions, transcripts are expected to be submitted to the Admissions Office or the Office of Student Services at the point of being accepted to the university. A SAP evaluation including the transfer hours applicable to the current degree level and IWU hours earned will be run at the next scheduled calculation.

Former IWU Students Returning to Complete Their Degree Pursuit and Academic Renewal

1. Former students who return to the same payment period will re-enter at the SAP status earned at the end of their last IWU enrollment or the appropriate SAP status as calculated at the point of processing their aid. Those who return after a 180 consecutive day absence from school will have a new SAP status calculated.
2. If complete academic transcripts are required for work attempted at other institutions since their last IWU enrollment, they are expected to be submitted to IWU upon readmission. A SAP calculation including the transfer work applicable to the current degree level will be run at the next scheduled calculation point.
3. IWU does not offer an Academic Renewal option for prior course forgiveness. All courses taken at IWU relevant to the student’s current degree level are included in the SAP calculation.

Appeals and Reinstatement

1. SAP SUSPENSION may be appealed if unusual and/or mitigating circumstances affected academic progress. Such circumstances may include a severe illness or injury to the student or an immediate family member, the death of a student’s relative, student activation into military service or other circumstances as deemed appropriate for consideration by the SAP Appeals Committee. If approved, aid eligibility will be temporarily reinstated.
2. To appeal the student must submit a legible letter, a completed SAP Appeal Form and supporting documentation to the CAPS Financial Aid Office. These must explain in detail why the student failed to meet the minimum academic standards, what unusual and/or mitigating circumstances contributed to the failure and how their situation has changed to allow them to meet SAP measures by the next calculation.
3. Appeals must be received by the CAPS Financial Aid Office no later than 15 business days before the end of the academic year for which reinstatement is desired. Early appeal submission is strongly encouraged.
4. The SAP Appeals Committee decision result will be sent to the student by mail or electronic means.
5. Appeal approvals place the student onto SAP Probation status and temporarily restore aid eligibility. The SAP Appeals Committee will assign the student an Academic Plan for improvement. The student will remain eligible for aid provided they meet the expectations of the Academic Plan each payment period.
6. Appeal approvals are not applied retroactively after the end of a semester or payment period for federal grants, Federal Perkins Loans and most state grants. However, Federal Direct or PLUS Loan eligibility may be re-established for the entire period of enrollment within an academic year.
7. SAP Appeals Committee decisions cannot be appealed to another source.
8. Students who raise their cumulative standards to meet or exceed the minimum requirements should contact the CAPS Financial Aid Office to see if they may be reinstated to SAP GOOD STANDING from that point forward.