Satisfactory Academic Progress: Impact on Financial Aid

Students who fail to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress may forfeit their eligibility for both institutional and federal Title IV financial aid. The Office of Student Affairs will notify the Office of Financial Aid after the end of each payment period (by no later than February 5 and August 5 each year) of any students who are currently “not in good academic standing” according to the Academic & Professional Advancement Policy and therefore not making satisfactory academic progress.

Upon the first notification of “not in good academic standing,” the Director of Financial Aid will notify the student via email of their Financial Aid Warning status, and will inform the student that a repeated “not in good academic standing” status will result in Financial Aid Probation and the loss of aid eligibility.

Upon the second consecutive determination of “not in good academic standing,” the Director of Financial Aid will notify the student via email of the Financial Aid Probation status, the resulting ineligibility for financial aid, and the appeals process.

Merit Scholarships from the Admissions Committee are awarded with the expectation of laudable academic performance. Merit Scholarship recipients are allowed to fail one course, but a second course failure will result in loss of Merit Scholarship aid. Failure to remediate a single course failure on the student’s first attempt at remediation will result in loss of Merit Scholarship aid. Loss of a Merit Scholarship is permanent. Student Affairs will notify the Director of Financial Aid when a student no longer qualifies for merit scholarship renewal.

• A student has the right to appeal probation in order to continue to receive financial aid for the Financial Aid Probation period. If the Director of Financial Aid issues a Probation, the notification to the student will provide the option of an appeal and a description of the appeals process.
• Students must complete the form for consideration by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee and submit it within 30 days from receipt of notification or lose the right to appeal.
• Appeals may be considered on the basis of special circumstances such as the death of a relative, a student’s injury or illness, or other unusual or extenuating circumstances.
• The four-person ad hoc Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee (SAPAC) is made up of a Financial Aid counselor not assigned to the student, a College Dean other than the student’s assigned College Dean, and two other members drawn from a pool of 10 faculty members named by the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. The student selects one member and the Senior Associate Dean for Education selects one member (who chairs the ad hoc SAPAC).
• The appeal must include:
  • Personal Statement indicating why he/she was not able to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards AND what has changed that will allow the student to meet the SAP standards by the next SAP measurement time point and an expected graduation date.
  • A letter from the student’s College Dean indicating the progress he/she is making towards earning the degree, the number of specific courses needed to complete the degree, and the expected graduation date.
  • Documentation to support all extenuating and/or unusual circumstances detailed in the letter.
  • An academic plan created by the student in conjunction with his or her College Dean outlining the steps the student will take to reach the minimum SAP standards by a specific point in time.
• The SAPAC is to conduct a hearing as soon as possible (ordinarily within 14 days) and will uphold, modify or reverse the student’s loss of financial aid.
• The SAPAC will send its decision, along with a written record of its proceedings, to the Dean of the School of Medicine.
• The decision of the SAPAC will be final, and no exceptions can be made for requests in violation of the Federal and State regulations, which govern financial aid.
• If the appeal is successful, students must adhere to their academic plan. The Office of Student Affairs will monitor the academic plan with progress reported to the Financial Aid Office. The approved academic plan will be listed in the appeal approval notification.
• A student may continue to be eligible for financial aid if, based on the appeal, the SAP Appeals Committee determines that the student should be able to meet the Standards for Good Academic Standing by the end of the Financial Aid Probation period (the payment period).Alternatively, a student may continue to be eligible for financial aid if the student develops an academic plan that, if followed, will ensure that the student is able to meet the Standards for Good Academic Standing by a specific point in time specified by the academic plan.
• A student is not eligible to receive financial aid for the payment period following the Financial Aid Probation period unless the student is making SAP and/or the SAP Appeals Committee determines that the student is meeting the requirements specified in the academic plan.
• Only one appeal is allowed per Financial Aid Probation determination.

The Office of Financial Aid has oversight for this policy.

UME Management Team approves changes to this policy.

• Academic and Professional Advancement

• Next scheduled review June 2025
• Reaffirmed by UME Management Team, January 2022