The Satisfactory Academic Policy applies to funds received through Federal Pell Grant,
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work Study, Federal
Subsidized Direct Loan, Federal Unsubsidized Direct Loan, and the Federal Direct PLUS
loan programs.
This policy will be applied automatically without favor or prejudice. All federal
aid recipients’ progress will be reviewed annually at the end of each spring semester
and upon receiving each new financial aid application. Progress will also be reviewed
after a semester with grades of all F, academic suspension, and full withdrawal. Aid
recipients in certificate or clock hour programs are reviewed at the end of each semester,
upon full withdrawal, and after receiving each new financial aid application.
Both graduate and undergraduate students must pass 67% of all attempted hours; this is pace. Pace is calculated as follows: Hours passed ÷ hours attempted = 67% or greater. Standard rounding rules are used when calculating pace. NOTE: Accepted transfer hours are counted as both attempted and passed and are considered in this calculation.
Incomplete, repeat, withdrawn, non-credit, and audit classes are counted as hours attempted but do not increase hours passed. For repeated courses, only the grade from the best attempt is calculated into a student’s cumulative grade point, while all grades and all attempts are recorded on the student’s academic record. Students may not repeat a course in which the highest grade possible has already been earned. For Pass/Fail (No Credit) hours, only passed hours are counted as both attempted and passed. Classes for which a student receives no credit can cause a student to violate the pace section of the policy.
Federal financial aid will pay for only one repeat of a class where a grade of D or better has been earned.
If a passing letter grade does not replace an incomplete grade by the end of the next regular semester, it will become a grade of F. It will be considered in the next regular determination of policy progress.
Hours taken during high school (concurrent classes) will be counted based on attempted
hours and cumulative GPA.
All students* must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 at the end of their fourth and all subsequent undergraduate semesters or “equivalent transfer semesters.” (Transfer students will be assigned “equivalent transfer semesters” based on the number of hours accepted by the Registrar’s Office.) Adjustments to a student's official cumulative grade point are not made for courses transferred from other colleges or universities.
*Certificate and clock hour students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of their second and all subsequent semesters.
Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Any student who fails to meet the required 2.0 GPA will be reinstated once the required GPA is met. However, financial aid will not be paid retroactively for any aid lost because of this requirement.
It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when they have
increased their GPA.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA.
No appeal will be granted for anyone violating the required cumulative GPA.
A student must receive a bachelors degree by the end of 180 attempted credit hours, an associate degree by the end of 90 attempted credit hours, and a certificate by the end of 45 attempted credit hours. Allowances will be made for programs involving required remedial coursework and those requiring additional hours. Clock hour students must complete their program by the end of 150% of the published length of the program.
A graduate degree must be completed by the end of 54 attempted hours. Students seeking only a graduate certificate must earn the certificate within 23 attempted hours.
All semesters attended will be counted, whether a student received financial aid during the semester or not.
Any subsequent associate degree must be completed by the end of 45 additional attempted
hours. Any subsequent bachelors degree must be completed by the end of 70 additional
attempted hours. Graduate students must have any subsequent graduate degrees completed
within 54 additional attempted hours.
Any student whose name appears on the institutional suspension list will not be eligible to receive aid for their next enrollment period, even if they re-enroll with the approval of the appropriate college dean.
It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office when they are
no longer on the suspension list.
Students granted academic clemency will have all semesters attended counted based on attempted hours and will have a “financial aid GPA” based on all
hours completed. Students will not receive aid until their financial aid GPA reaches
at least 2.0.
When a student changes majors, they are required to continue meeting all sections of this policy. If the major change causes the student to exceed the maximum number of hours attempted, they may appeal. The cumulative grade point average will still be considered as the student’s grade point.
Federal regulations require a calculation to determine how much aid, if any, must be returned to the federal programs when a student withdraws or receives grades of all F. Academic progress will also be calculated on any student who receives grades of all F for any term.
The Financial Aid Office will notify students who must repay funds of the amount within
forty-five days of grade posting.
Any appeal of this policy must follow the instructions on the appeal form and be submitted to the Financial Aid Office as directed on the form. If applicable, attach any relevant documentation to the appeal. The appeal must be submitted before the deadlines listed below to be processed before the beginning of the term.
A maximum of two (2) appeals may be submitted. A student must attend without financial aid for a period of one academic year to be eligible to appeal for the third time.
The appeal decision is final and will be communicated via your official ATU e-mail address.
Students granted a successful appeal will be placed on an academic plan which will be monitored each semester throughout the course of the plan. Individual students will be reviewed within the semester if the Financial Aid Office receives a notification of a grade change.
Financial aid will not be paid retroactively for any semester’s lost eligibility.
2022