Financial Aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress – LR 508.4

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University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Policy Name: Financial Aid and Satisfactory Academic Progress
Policy Number: LR 508.4
Effective Date: August 4, 2014
Revised Dates: August 4, 2014
Most Recent Review Date: April 1, 2010

Policy:

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock) is committed to ensuring students’ academic success. The Higher Education act of 1965, as amended, requires UA Little Rock to establish a policy that will enforce academic progress standards to ensure students receiving financial aid are making timely progress to complete their intended program of study.

Academic records will be reviewed after each period of enrollment (fall, spring, and summer) to confirm that students are making satisfactory academic progress. Law school students will be evaluated only once each academic year, in August. All student records will be reviewed. Federal financial aid recipients will be notified by letter if any of the following three academic progress standards of pace of progression, maximum time frame, and cumulative grade point average are not met:

Pace of Progression (required credit hour completion)

Students must successfully complete 67% of UA Little Rock attempted credit hours (including accepted transfer hours) to stay on pace to complete their degree. The formula used to monitor the pace is:

# of Overall Earned Credit Hours = # of UA Little Rock Overall Attempted Credit Hours x 100 + Transfer Hours Accepted by UA Little Rock

Incomplete grades, withdrawals, no credits, and missing grades count the same as an “F” grade earned in class when evaluating hour completion. Developmental courses will count in attempted and earned credit hours, but will not calculate into the GPA. In accordance with UA Little rock’s repeated course policy for all undergraduates, all attempted credit hours will be considered in calculating the attempted and earned hours (ualr.edu/policy/index.php/repeated-courses). In addition, repeated coursework may not be eligible for federal aid funds (ualr.edu/finaid/SAP_repeat.pdf). Finally, transfer credit hours accepted by UA Little Rock will be included in calculating both cumulative attempted credit hours and cumulative earned credit hours.

Maximum Time Frame

By law, a school must establish a maximum time frame in which a student is expected to finish a program. The number of hours depends on academic level:

Classification Maximum of Credit Hours
Attempted/Earned
Undergraduate 180
Post-Baccalaureate 45
Graduate 45**
Doctoral 135
Law 120

**Students enrolled in a graduate degree program which requires more than 45 credit hours will be evaluated each semester for progress toward the degree.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

Classification Required
Cumulative UALR GPA
Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate 2.00
Graduate and Doctoral 3.00
Law 2.30

Student Academic Progress (SAP) Failures

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Warning

If a student fails to meet SAP standards, an academic warning will be given. Federal financial aid eligibility will continue for one additional semester. The student should plan carefully how to improve academic performance and meet the standards by the end of the next semester.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Cancellation

If a student fails to meet SAP standards after the second consecutive semester, all future federal financial aid will be cancelled.

Exceptions to SAP Warning Status

There is no warning status for students who have exceeded the maximum time frame, regardless of their pace of progression or cumulative GPA. Once the maximum number of credit hours attempted/earned has been reached, all future federal financial aid will be canceled.

Academic progress for law students is evaluated annually in August. Law students who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress standards at the time of evaluation will be ineligible for federal aid for future semesters. No warning status will be given.

Student Academic Progress (SAP) Appeals

The appeal must be typewritten and include appropriate documentation to explain:

  1. Why the student failed to meet SAP standards.
  2. What has changed that will allow standards to be met in the next semester.
  3. How the student will complete academic studies by submitting a copy of the student’s degree plan.

The appeal will be reviewed by the UA Little Rock Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The committee’s decision will be to either approve or deny the appeal. The decision is final and may not be appealed.

If the appeal is approved, it will be approved with either probation or an academic plan:

  1. Probation. The student will be able to meet SAP standards by the end of the next semester.
  2. Academic Plan. The student will be given an academic plan with the requirement to meet SAP standards by a specific point in time.
    1. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will create the academic plan in complement with the student’s degree plan.
    2. The academic plan will be customized for each student. The plan will include performance standards for successful completion of the student’s course of study.
    3. Adherence to the academic plan will be monitored at the end of each semester.

Failure to satisfy probation or academic plan requirements will result in cancellation of financial aid.

Regaining Eligibility for Financial Aid

To regain financial aid eligibility after SAP cancellation, a student must meet all of the following:

  1. Not exceed the maximum time frame.
  2. Complete at least 67% of the attempted cumulative hours, as calculated.
  3. Achieve the required UA Little Rock cumulative GPA.

Source: UA Little Rock Financial Aid Website
Status: Active
Approved By: Dean R. Kahler
Custodian: Office of Financial Aid