Satisfactory Academic Progress

Please note that these criteria do not replace the University’s set of policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress, but they do apply to students who are enrolled in ACG’s undergraduate and graduate programs and partake in Title IV student aid program.

To be eligible for further funding students must fulfill all SAP Components:

• Grade Point Average (Qualitative)
• Time (Quantitative)

Grade Point Average (GPA) (Qualitative component)

Undergraduate students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of each semester and sessions. An explanation of how ACG calculates GPAs can be found in our Undergraduate Catalog under Academic Policies.

Graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after each trimester and throughout their graduate studies. An explanation of how ACG calculates GPAs can be found in our Graduate Catalog under Academic Regulations.

Maximum Time Frame (Quantitative component)

The maximum time in which an undergraduate student is permitted to complete a degree while maintaining Title IV eligibility is 150 percent of the published program length. An undergraduate student is limited to a total of 182 attempted credits.

Example: If the published program length is 121 credits, the maximum time to complete the program is 150% of 121 credits, or 182 attempted credits total.

Graduate students must complete their program within the timeframe published in the ACG catalog. For more information on program lengths and completion, please consult the Graduate Catalog.

Students should be advised that while US federal eligibility may allow them to continue to apply for aid, individual academic progress rules may impact the student’s ability to continue to receive aid.

Pace of Completion (Quantitative component)

• Pace = Total Credits Completed/Total Credits Attempted
• Undergraduate students must complete at least 67% of the attempted courses each semester.
• Graduate students have a completion rate based on the time limit set for the student’s academic program in ACG’s catalog.

Incompletes, Withdrawals, Transfer credit

If a student receives an incomplete or if they withdrew from a course, the credits will be counted as attempted but not completed. Once an incomplete is completed and a grade is assigned, the course will be counted as completed. Noncredit courses will not be counted as attempted or completed. Transfer credits are counted as attempted and completed; however, the transfer grades are not calculated in the ACG’s cumulative GPA.  

Frequency of SAP Evaluation

Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated at the end of each semester.

SAP Warning

Undergraduate students who do not meet SAP will be placed on federal aid warning for one semester. Students will be notified of this in writing by email.

Students who have been placed on federal aid warning and have successively met the academic standing requirements for the following semester will have the financial aid warning status removed. Students who have been placed on warning and did not meet the academic standing requirements the following semester will have their aid suspended. Students will be notified of the suspension in writing via their ACG email account.

Graduate students who do not meet SAP will be placed on federal aid warning for one trimester. Students will be notified of this in writing by email.

Students who have been placed on federal aid warning and have successively met the academic standing requirements for the following trimester will have the financial aid warning status removed. Students who have been placed on warning and did not meet the academic standing requirements the following trimester will have their aid suspended. Students will be notified of the suspension in writing via their ACG email account.

Students who have had their aid suspended can reapply for federal aid in future semesters/trimesters if they eventually meet the SAP requirements.

Students may appeal their suspension of aid as outlined below.

Appeal of Satisfactory Academic Progress

If after the warning period, a student still does not meet SAP, they can appeal their loss of Title IV eligibility. Students have two weeks from the date the suspension notification email was sent to submit their appeal. The appeals committee will meet and relay the decision to the student within one month after the submission of the appeal. The appeal committee may determine that the student may be placed on Title IV probation for an additional term if they decide the student will be able to meet the school’s satisfactory academic progress requirements by the end of the subsequent term.

Appeals will be considered for unusual or extraordinary situations such as:

• family difficulties
• medical problems
• illness
• death in the family
• interpersonal relationship problems
• financial difficulties

Required documentation must include the following:

• Letter explaining why SAP requirements were not met
• Documentation supporting reasons for not meeting SAP requirements
• Explanation of what has changed that will enable student to meet the SAP requirements
• Official Academic Plan of Recovery developed by student and official school advisor outlining the strategies that will be followed in the upcoming academic year to meet SAP requirements. All required documentation must be emailed to [email protected] with the Subject Line: SAP Appeal Committee
• Students will be notified of the appeal outcome via their ACG email account.

Decisions

Students will be notified of the appeal outcome via their ACG email account.  Successful appeals will result in Financial Probation Status, in which students will be allowed to receive US Direct Loans for the the following semester/trimester, if they are eligible.

Probation – Maintaining Academic Satisfactory Progress While on Probation

• The student’s progress is evaluated at the end of every semester (including summer).
• Students must provide evidence of meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements (qualitative and quantitative) after the first term on probation and before the next disbursement is paid.
• Qualitative: GPA must meet academic standing requirements in order to graduate.
• Quantitative: Students must complete at least 67% of the courses they are registered in their first term on financial probation.
• At the end of the probation period, students who do not meet the SAP requirements of the academic plan will lose their eligibility for US Direct Loans for the next term and academic year and they will be notified in writing to their ACG email account.

SAP Notifications

Students will be notified of not meeting SAP requirements and all other decisions via their ACG email account as indicated throughout this document.

Returning

Students who failed to maintain eligibility after the academic year may regain their Title IV eligibility by meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards.