Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations mandate all students are required to maintain SAP toward a degree in order to receive financial assistance through Title IV Federal Financial Aid. A student must meet the academic standards as outlined in the SAP policy. These standards are for financial aid purposes only and neither replace nor overrides academic policies outlined by Tarleton State University. A current academic year FAFSA must be on file in order for SAP to be evaluated. Therefore, before an appeal is submitted, please ensure your FAFSA is complete. A student can complete a FAFSA.

The SAP policy applies to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

These programs include:

  • Federal
    • Federal Pell Grant (Pell)
    • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
    • Federal Work-Study (FWS)
    • Federal Direct Stafford Loan (FDSL) both subsidized and unsubsidized
    • Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
    • Federal Graduate PLUS
  • State of Texas
    • Toward Excellence, Access and Success Grant (TEXAS)
    • Texas Public Education Grant (TPEG)

State of Texas, Tarleton State University, and privately sponsored scholarship programs have specific retention requirements. In addition, Athletic Grants-In-Aid are subject to departmental and NCAA retention standards.

Policy Components for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

There are three components of SAP consisting of quantitative and qualitative measurements. Quantitative measurements evaluate the pace and progress by which you are working toward the completion of your program. The qualitative measurement evaluates the quality (GPA and academic standing) of your academic work. The third component is maximum time frame.

Pace (Completion Rate)

Undergraduate and graduate students must be on target to complete their academic program within a set time frame. To determine if you are meeting this standard, total cumulative earned hours are compared to total cumulative attempted hours. After the start of the semester, courses that are dropped or withdrawn from are considered as attempted hours regardless of the time of drop/withdrawal or the grade received. The pace is calculated by dividing the passed hours by the attempted hours. You must complete 67% of your coursework each term.

GPA and Academic Standing

Undergraduate Students

You must maintain at least a cumulative 2.0 official GPA and not be dismissed nor suspended from your academic program, as determined by the academic units’ policies.

Graduate Students

You must maintain at least a cumulative 3.0 official GPA and not be dismissed nor suspended from your academic program, as determined by your academic units’ policies.

Maximum Time Frame

A student is to be expected to finish a program within a maximum time frame of 150% of the degree program. All attempted credit hours are considered toward the maximum time allowance, regardless of whether you received financial aid.

Undergraduate Students

Your total cumulative attempted undergraduate hours may not exceed 180 hours.

Graduate Students

We expect you to graduate by the time you’ve attempted 54 hours.

Unless academically dismissed, if you are denied federal aid and state need-based aid, you may continue attending using other aid sources or by funding your education yourself.

Failure to Meet a SAP Condition

If you fail to meet one or more of the SAP conditions at the end of the semester you will be notified. Notification be classified as one of the following:

  • Good Standing
  • Probation

Probation

A student will be notified of the SAP condition(s) not met at the end of the semester. If a student fails to meet one or more of the SAP requirements he/she will be placed on financial aid probation and will be given a semester to get back into good Satisfactory Academic standing for financial aid purposes.

If you are placed on probation, you will not lose your financial aid for that semester. Probation is to give you a semester to regain good Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Suspension

The student will be notified of the SAP condition(s) not met at the end of the semester. If you don’t meet SAP status after your semester of probation, you will be placed on financial aid suspension and will have to appeal to receive financial aid.

Appeals

A student in a suspension status may submit a financial aid appeal. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

Appeal Status Level

Approved

Financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for a probationary semester. Written notification will include the standards the student is expected to meet in order to retain financial aid eligibility at the end of the approved term (referred to as a contract).

Denied

If your appeal has been denied after being reviewed by the committee, you will be notified. You can re-appeal in writing with a statement containing new or additional evidence to support your claim.

Semesters that Follow an Appeal

If at the end of a probationary semester, a student is meeting Tarleton’s probationary term requirements but has not met Tarleton’s cumulative standards, he/she will retain financial aid eligibility under a continued probation status, and another contract is executed. If a student on continued probation status fails to meet Tarleton’s cumulative standard(s) or the standards required to continue for another probationary semester, a student is again suspended from financial aid eligibility. He/she can appeal once more. If the appeal is denied, written notification is sent which states the reason(s) for the denial.

Re-establishing Eligibility Post Financial Aid Suspension

Students whose financial aid eligibility has been suspended may regain eligibility only through Tarleton’s appeal process or once they meet the institution’s satisfactory academic progress quantitative and qualitative standards. If Incomplete (I) hours are a factor in the failure to maintain satisfactory progress, subsequent successful completion of these hours may be used to re-establish eligibility for aid.

This policy relates specifically to financial aid eligibility requirements. It should not be confused with the Tarleton academic warning, probation, and suspension rules as reflected in the Tarleton Catalog.