Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal regulations require that Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences establish policies to monitor the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive federal financial aid. To remain eligible for financial aid, recipients are required to show satisfactory progress toward a degree according to the guidelines listed below.

All financial aid recipients must progress at a reasonable rate (“make satisfactory academic progress”) toward achieving a certificate or degree. Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences applies this rule to ALL students applying for federal aid.

The federal government requires that Aultman College monitor the academic progress of non-recipients, also. It is important to note that academic progress during any term in which students do not have financial aid will be a factor in determining eligibility for aid in subsequent terms. Progress will be monitored and students will be notified if the minimum standards have not been met. Satisfactory Academic Progress Rules apply for all semesters of enrollment, even when financial aid is not received.

Progress is measured by:

·        The student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA)

·        The number of credits earned in relation to those attempted

·        The maximum time frame allowable to complete the academic program.  Satisfactory Academic Progress is limited to accumulated attempted hours totaling no more than 150% of the credit hours required to receive a first undergraduate degree (i.e., 73 hours required x 1.5 = 110 maximum allowable hours attempted for financial aid eligibility).

Students must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in order to be eligible for Federal Student Financial Aid. The financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is to ensure that any student who receives or applies for financial aid is making progress toward a degree. In order to maintain eligibility for aid for the following academic year, a student must meet the quantitative and qualitative requirements listed below. Failure to meet these requirements will result in the loss of aid until action is taken to regain eligibility.

The aid programs affected by these requirements are:

·        Federal Pell Grant

·        Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG)

·        Family Federal Education Loan Program (Stafford Subsidized and Unsubsidized)

·        Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Student (PLUS)

The Ohio Instructional Grant, the Ohio College Opportunity Grant and the Nurse Education Assistance Loan Program (NEALP) are not affected by this policy.

Probation / Suspension

Probation:

A student will be placed on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation if he/she:

1.      Fails to maintain a Cumulative GPA of: 2.0 or greater

2.      Has a Cumulative Completion Rate of less than 67%.

Students maintain their financial aid eligibility while on probation but must bring their Cumulative GPA and Cumulative Completion Rate above the stated standards to avoid Suspension in subsequent terms.

Suspension:

A student will be placed on Satisfactory Academic Progress Suspension if:

After a probationary term the Cumulative GPA is below 2.0 for completed hours.

After a probationary term the Cumulative Completion Rate is below 67%.

Student has attempted more than 150% of the required number of credits for a degree or certificate.

While on suspension students lose their eligibility for financial aid. No aid will disburse to student accounts for terms that a student is on suspension. 

Quantitative and Qualitative Requirements

Quantitative:

Meet or exceed a cumulative earned 67% of cumulative attempted credit hours

The total number of credit hours the student begins with on the eighth calendar day of all semesters (summer, fall, and/or spring) is multiplied by 67%. This number represents the minimum number of credit hours the student must complete. A course is considered “attempted” if the student is enrolled in the course at the end of the drop/add period and does not withdraw prior to the sixth day of class. For example, if a student begins each of two semesters with 17 credit hours, the student must satisfactorily complete 23 hours by the end of the academic year.

Example:

17 hours x 2 semesters = 34 hours x .67 (67%) = 23 hours.

NOTE:

Nursing Courses:

Only grades of A, B, or C count as successfully completed

General Education Courses (taken at Walsh University):

Only grades of A, B, or C count as successfully completed for BIO 206, BIO 209, BIO 210, CHEM 109, MATH 103, MATH 100, CHEM 110

Only grades of A, B, C, or D count as successfully completed for PSYCH 110, PSYCH 210, ECON 205, ENG 100, ENG 101, ENG 102, SOC 204, PHIL 304

Complete your degree within the specific time

Degree Completion: Students must complete an associate degree in no more than 150% of the stated number of credit hours for an academic program.

Associate Degree of Nursing Program  . . . . . . . . Maximum of 110 (73 x 1.5) attempted semester hours

Incompletes (I)

Do not count until changed to one of the grades listed above. Once an “I” has been changed to an A, B, or C it is the student's responsibility to notify our office. Those credit hours can then be counted into the number of credit hours completed for the academic year during which the class was originally taken.

Audit

Audit hours do not count in determining financial aid eligibility.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals from courses after the drop/add will be counted as hours attempted but not completed.

Repeated Courses

Financial aid may be awarded to cover the cost of courses previously taken to improve a grade of D or F; however, initial and repeated enrollment in the same course counts as hours attempted each time the course is taken.

Course failures

Course failures are counted as hours attempted but not completed.

Transfer Students

Students who transfer into the College will initially be eligible for aid. Transfer credits are calculated into the number of credits attempted but are not factored into the cumulative GPA when a student first transfers to Aultman College of Nursing and Health Sciences. At the end of Spring Semester, the files will be reviewed to determine the status of the student for receipt of future aid.

Change of Program Major within the College

Students who change their major will initially be eligible for aid. For this policy, the College will not include in the student’s SAP standing credits attempted and grades earned that do not count toward the student’s new major. At the end of Spring Semester, the files will be reviewed to determine the status of the student for receipt of future aid.

Qualitative:

Maintain grade point average

The student's cumulative grade point average will be reviewed to ensure the following minimums are met:

2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale

Institutional Academic Standards – The financial aid Academic Progress Policy is separate and apart from the institutional academic standards listed in the College catalog and Student Handbook.

To Regain Eligibility

Complete the number of credit hours you are lacking and/or achieve the minimum cumulative grade point required at your own expense. When these hours are completed, notify the Financial Aid Office so your eligibility for financial aid can be reinstated.

NOTE: If your violation is for failure to complete your degree within the specified time, you must complete your degree at your own expense.

or …

If special circumstances exist (illness, family death) you have the right to appeal any decision of ineligibility to continue to receive financial assistance. The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form (available online at www.aultmancollege.org or in the Office of Financial Aid) must be filed within 30 days of your notification of loss of aid and must be made in writing to the Financial Aid Administrator. Please return the form along with the appropriate third-party professional documentation to the Financial Aid Office. The appeal will be reviewed by members of the Academic Progress Ad Hoc Appeal Committee. If the appeal is granted, you will be considered to be making satisfactory progress and your eligibility for aid can be reinstated.

Additional Information

Monitoring Procedures 

Satisfactory Academic Progress will be monitored annually. A student's progress for summer, fall and/or spring will normally be reviewed at the completion of spring semester to determine if the “Progression Requirements” have been met. On release of spring grades, if these requirements have not been met, the student will be placed on financial aid probation. The first time the student fails to meet the satisfactory progress standards, he/she receives a notice from the College and is put on academic probation for one payment period (semester). The student may continue to receive aid for one (1) semester if not meeting SAP. After this period, the student will be ineligible to receive aid if the minimum “standards requirements” are not met. If minimum standards are not met, the student will be placed on financial aid dismissal. A letter will be sent stating the student's status and the steps necessary to have financial aid eligibility reinstated. 

It is highly recommended that students on financial aid probation meet with an Aultman College faculty advisor and the Learning Resource Center Coordinator to discuss educational plans/requirements and overall institutional academic progress.