Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory academic progress is a federal regulation and institutional policy that requires you to maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and pass 70% of your classes to keep moving toward your degree within an acceptable time period. If you fail to meet these requirements, you become ineligible for federal and institutional financial aid.

The Financial Aid Office reviews satisfactory academic progress at the end of each academic year, after all grades have been recorded for the spring semester, to determine if you are meeting all requirements. After the review process, if you did not meet all requirements, you will receive an email in your Westminster account stating that your academic progress has not qualified you for financial aid.

If you fail, withdraw, or don’t receive credit for a course, it will be counted as an attempted, but not completed course. If you have a grade change that affects satisfactory academic progress after it has been reviewed, you must notify the Financial Aid Office, which will re-review your progress. Grade changes, including incomplete grades, must be on file with the Registrar’s Office prior to the first date of classes in the next semester you are attending in order for your progress to be reviewed again.

Transfer credits taken prior to coming to Westminster University are counted as completed hours. As a transfer student, your GPA is based only on courses completed at Westminster University.

Appeals

If you are ineligible for financial aid, you have the right to appeal and be placed on satisfactory academic progress probation. To do so, you must submit the appeal form with an explanation of why you failed to meet the requirements and what has changed in your situation that will allow you to meet the requirements again in the future.

Circumstances that may be considered include but are not limited to: Injury/illness, death of a relative, or other significant life changes. Other situations may be considered as well. The appeal must explain the failure to meet the satisfactory academic standard and what changes in their current situation that will enable them to make satisfactory academic progress moving forward.

Granted Appeal

If your appeal is granted, you will meet with an academic advisor to develop an academic plan. Once your academic plan has been submitted to the Financial Aid Office, you must complete 100% of the coursework outlined in the plan.

If you meet the conditions of your academic plan, you will continue to meet with an academic advisor to develop an academic plan for each semester until satisfactory academic progress requirements are met.

If you fail to meet the conditions of your academic plan, you will lose all financial aid eligibility (with the exception of private loans) until you meet satisfactory academic progress requirements.

Denied Appeal

If your appeal is denied, you will lose all financial aid eligibility (with the exception of private loans) until you meet satisfactory financial aid requirements.