Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Federal regulations require the Office of Financial Aid to monitor the academic progress of all students who apply for and/or receive federal, state and institutional aid. Students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress, at the end of each term (fall/spring/summer) toward degree progress in order to maintain their eligibility for financial aid.
Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress uses the same academic standards that have been established by the University for calculating GPA, student classification, and credits towards program completion.
This policy applies to all semesters of enrollment, not just those in which the student receives financial aid.
Standards of Maintaining
Students must satisfactorily complete at least 67% of their overall credit hours attempted at Colorado Mesa University/CMU Tech.
Attempted credit hours include: all enrolled hours including withdrawn courses; remedial; badge; credit/no credit; satisfactory/unsatisfactory; and repeated courses.
Satisfactory completed credits: include letter grades of A, B, C, D, or P
Unsatisfactory completed credits: include grades of F, I, W, WP, WF, or IP
Completion Rate = Passed Institutional Credits / All Attempted Intuitional Credits
Students must maintain at least the minimum cumulative institutional grade point average (GPA) based on the number of completed credits.
Undergraduate Students:
| Cumulative Credit Hours | Cumulative GPA |
|---|---|
| 0 – 15 | 1.70 |
| 16 - 30 | 1.80 |
| 31 - 45 | 1.90 |
| 46 and above | 2.00 |
Graduate Students: 3.00 GPA
A 2.0 cumulative GPA is required for graduation requirements.
These GPA levels are the same used to determine a student's institutional academic standing.
A student's total attempted credits must not exceed more than 150% of the credits needed to obtain their educational degree. This total includes all transfer credits. All credit hours and all transfer credit hours recorded by the Registrar’s Office will be evaluated. Financial Aid reserves the right to re-evaluate your Satisfactory Academic Progress if additional coursework is received.
Undergraduate Students:
- Certification Degree: 72 Attempted Hours
- Associate's Degree: 90 Attempted Hours
- Bachelor's Degree: 180 Attempted Hours
Graduate Students:
- Graduate students may not exceed 150% of the published length of the educational program.
Repeat Course Work
Any course which is taken more than once for academic credit at Colorado Mesa UniversityCMU Tech is done so only for “grade improvement” wherein academic credit is awarded only once and the best grade received is the one used to compute the student’s cumulative grade point average and to fulfill requirements for the degree.
The lower grade will be excluded from the earned hours for the term taken and will be excluded from the GPA calculations. Repeated courses will not be fundable with financial aid within the same award year.
Financial Aid Eligibility Statuses
Students in, or close to being in, violation of Satisfactory Academic Progress may be in one of the following eligibility statuses for financial aid and will be notified by email to their student email account of the change in status.
The first term in which a student does not complete the minimum Completion Rate (PACE) of their credit hours and/or do not meet the minimum GPA, they will be placed on financial aid warning. While on warning, a student may continue to receive financial aid without filing a Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal.
This is not the same as being on academic probation with the University.
Students cannot be in financial aid warning status for two consecutive terms. At the end of the next term of evaluation, the student will either be placed in an eligible financial aid status (if you meet the required Pace or GPA requirements) or in an ineligible financial aid status.
The first term in which a sstudents reached 100% or more attempted credits toward their degree program will be put on Financial Aid Alert.
While on alert, you may continue to receive financial aid without filing a financial aid ineligibility appeal. This notifies the student that they are getting close to their Max Timeframe. For a most bachelor degree programs, this would leave them with 60 credits before they reach Max Timeframe. Students become ineligible for Financial Aid Funds once they have met 150% attempted credits of their degree program. Students are eligible to receive financial aid while on alert.
Student is not meeting one more of the financial aid eligibility standards and is not eligible for financial aid.
- Failure to meet Completion RATE (PACE) and/or GPA standards for two or more consecutive terms.
- Reaches the Maximum Timeframe for their declared educational program.
Students who have an approved Financial Aid Ineligibly appeal are placed on Financial Aid Probation If your appeal is approved, your aid may be reinstated for one semester on “financial aid probation.”
If you are on financial aid probation, you will be expected to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of your financial aid probation semester or successfully follow the academic plan designed specifically for you (as explained below in the appeal process). Failure to meet either of these expectations will result in becoming financial aid ineligible.
While on financial aid probation, students are expected to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the financial aid probation semester or successfully follow the academic plan designed specifically for the student. Failure to meet either of these expectations will result in becoming financial aid ineligible
This is not the same as being on academic probation with the University.
Financial Aid Appeal Process
If extenuating circumstances exist, such as death of a relative, student illness or injury, or other extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control, prevented the student from meeting the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, they may appeal the ineligibility status.
Students who have met their Maximum Timeframe (who do not have any other extenuating circumstances that occurred beyond their control) will need to complete an academic plan with their Academic Advisor to show progress towards completion within one to two terms of appealing.
Students may appeal a Satisfactory Academic Progress violation by selecting the Financial Aid Ineligibility form in MAVzone and completing the online appeal. The appeal must explain what extenuating circumstances occurred and a plan for corrective action. Students are encouraged to also submit third-party documentation of their extenuating circumstances.
Students can directly attach additional documentation to support their appeal. Documentation may include: Doctors notes, medical records, death notices, letters from instructors, etc.
Students who have met their Maximum Timeframe (who do not have any other extenuating circumstances that occurred beyond their control) will need to complete an academic plan with their Academic Advisor to show progress towards completion
A committee will review the students appeal, along with additional documentation and render a decision. The committee may ask for additional information or an academic plan. The committee’s decision is final.
Decisions are usually made within 1-2 weeks after all documents are received. Students who have an appeal approved will generally have one semester to clear their violation or must meet the requirements set by the academic plan. Students who are denied may provide additional information not previously submitted for reconsideration.
If the appeal is approved, financial aid may be reinstated for one semester and the student will be placed on “financial aid probation.”
Students will be notified regarding their appeal status through their student email.
Re-Establishing Eligibility
If a student did not have extenuating circumstances, or if the appeal was denied, it is still possible to re-establish financial aid eligibility for future terms. To re-establish eligibility, the student must take courses at their own expense in a subsequent term(s) until the standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress are met and then complete a financial aid ineligibility appeal.
If a student does not appeal, or if an appeal is denied, eligibility can be regained:
- Students on a Maximum Timeframe violation may regain eligibility by graduating, or formerly declaring a new program. New credit limits apply and the class level violation will be cleared.
- If a student’s appeal is denied or a student does not have an extenuating circumstance, they may continue to attend CMU and pay for their education at their own expense or they may explore the option of an alternative loan through an outside lender that does not require Satisfactory Academic Progress. Once they meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, students will regain financial aid eligibility.