1. Cumulative Grade Point Average
2. Hours Earned
3. Maximum Time Limit

It is the student’s responsibility to stay informed of the university’s SAP standards and to monitor their progress. For SAP purposes, student’s academic records are reviewed by the Scholarships and Student Aid Office each academic year at the end of the spring semester. Students who are not meeting one or more of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards are not eligible for financial aid for the next academic year. Eligibility may be regained by resolving all deficiencies (except the Maximum Length of Study).

Federal regulations require the university to establish Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress, involving both qualitative (cumulative grade point average) and quantitative (hours earned compared to hours attempted), and a maximum length of study. This requirement applies to all applicants for any federal assistance, including Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program, which includes the Federal Stafford and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans for students, and Federal PLUS Loans for parents of undergraduate students. The same standards may apply to all assistance from the State of North Carolina and all other aid that is determined by the Scholarships and Student Aid Office. To be eligible for financial aid at NCCU, whether or not aid was received in the past, students must be in compliance with all three of the following areas: cumulative GPA, hours earned, and maximum length of study.

Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

Students must maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average indicated in Column 2 (Suspension) for satisfactory progress toward graduation requirements. These standards are consistent with academic standards required for graduation.

Plus Accepted Hours Transferred from Other Institutionss	Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
0 29	1.3
30 59	1.5
60 95	1.7
96 or Above	2.0

Hours Earned (Compared to Hours Attempted)
We recommend that undergraduate students attempt to earn at least 31 hours per academic year in order to graduate in four years for programs that require 124 credit hours. To remain eligible for financial aid, students must earn 67% of total attempted hours for the previous enrollment periods as indicated in the chart below:


Note: To remain eligible for financial aid, undergraduate students must earn 67% of total attempted hours for all previous periods of enrollment.

• Full-time enrollment: 12 or more course credit hours
• Half-time enrollment: 6 course credit hours

For financial aid purposes, the following definitions and conditions apply:
To earn hours at NCCU, one must receive a grade of A, B, C, or D (including "+" or "-"). All other grades, including F, I, W, WC, WF, AU, NU or NP, do not earn hours. Classes from which a student withdraws after the drop/add period count as attempted but not earned hours. Therefore, withdrawing from classes after the drop/add period will negatively affect students' ability to satisfy the hours earned standard.

Audited courses count as attempted but not earned hours. Therefore, auditing classes will negatively affect students' ability to satisfy the hours earned standard.  When a student repeats a course, the total attempted hours will increase with each repeat, but the student may only earn hours for a successfully completed course once. Therefore, repeating courses may negatively affect students' ability to satisfy the hours earned standard. Accepted transfer credit will count as both attempted and earned hours.

Maximum Length of Study
To remain eligible for financial aid, undergraduate students must complete their degree requirements within 150 percent of the published length of their academic program. At NCCU, this means that students in programs requiring 124 hours for graduation will be eligible for financial aid during the first 186 attempted hours as an undergraduate. All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, whether or not financial aid was received, or the course work was successfully completed. The maximum length of study will be reviewed every semester. No financial aid will be disbursed for the student during subsequent semesters unless the student has an approved Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal.

Annual Satisfactory Academic Progress Reviews
At the end of the Spring semester, a year-end review is completed, and students who are out of compliance with one or more of the satisfactory academic progress standards become ineligible for further financial aid until all deficiencies are remedied.The Scholarships and Student Aid Office sends written notification of ineligibility to students at their permanent addresses as listed in official university records in the Registrar's Office. Satisfactory Academic Progress and eligibility for financial aid are determined each academic year after the summer school grades are available.

Regaining Eligibility for Financial Aid
Students who are meeting the standards are eligible for financial assistance for the next enrollment period. To regain eligibility for financial aid, a student may consult with a financial aid counselor to determine the appropriate alternatives. The following may be considered for regaining eligibility for financial aid:

• Taking courses during the summer session(s)
• Repeating failed courses
• Removing incomplete grades
• Reviewing repeat courses to ensure that highest grade has been computed

Cumulative GPA's can only be improved by course work at NCCU. Hours earned deficiencies may be made up by attendance at NCCU or another institution. However, if enrolling elsewhere, the student must complete the appropriate transfer study forms and have the course work pre-approved by the Dean of the College or School for the program of study at NCCU prior to enrolling at the other institution. Following completion of course work elsewhere, the student must request that an academic transcript be sent to the NCCU Registrar's Office. Once deficiencies have been remedied, the student must notify the Scholarships and Student Aid Office and request reinstatement of eligibility. This process begins when all grades and credit hours are officially recorded in the Registrar’s Office at NCCU. Once the maximum length of study standard has been exceeded, financial aid eligibility ends, even if the student is in compliance with the other two standards.

Summer School
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Summer School will be based on the student’s eligibility for the previous academic year. A student who meets the requirements for fall and spring will also qualify for financial aid for the summer sessions. However, if you are deemed ineligible during the spring semester, you will not qualify for financial aid for the upcoming fall semester and any future terms until you are meeting the satisfactory academic progress policy.

Appeals
Federal regulations allow for certain cases in which the school may waive the standards. Specifically, if a student's failure to be in compliance with one or more areas of satisfactory academic progress is due to events beyond the student's control, such as a student's extended illness, serious illness or death in the immediate family, or other significant trauma, and if such mitigating circumstances can be appropriately documented for the specific term(s) in which the deficiency occurred, the student may appeal to the Scholarships and Student Aid Office. Eligibility may be regained by appeal.Contact the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid Office to obtain an Appeal for Reinstatement of Eligibility form, or click here.

This SAP policy was approved April, 2007 and SAP will be measured by this policy at the end of Spring 2007 and replaces all previous SAP policies.

For further information regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student should contact the Scholarships and Student Aid Office at North Carolina Central University