Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of every student who is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid, which includes the Pell Grant, TEACH Grant, SEOG, Direct loan, Parent PLUS loan, and Work Study. 

Federal standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) include a qualitative (GPA) measurement, a quantitative (PACE) measurement, and a maximum time frame measurement. If one of the measures is not being met, the student is not making SAP.  SAP is measured and reviewed at the end of each payment period, specifically end of fall semester, end of spring semester, and end of summer B- combining summer A and summer B courses.

Students will be notified, in writing, by the Nazareth University Financial Aid Office if they have been placed on financial aid warning or financial aid probation. 

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

Undergraduate students (full or part-time) are required to maintain the following cumulative GPA

Quantitative (PACE) Standard:

Undergraduate students must complete a minimum percentage of cumulative attempted credits, or PACE. PACE iscalculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours earned by the cumulative credit hours attempted.  Remedial courses are not counted in this calculation.

Students must maintain a minimum pace of 66.667%.

Maximum Time Frame:

Undergraduate students are limited to a total of 180 attempted credits.  Students will not be eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation once they have reached their maximum time frame. Students who have changed their degree program or are pursuing a second degree may submit an appeal request to the Financial Aid Office to request consideration for a one-time extension of the maximum timeframe.

Students who fail to initially meet either the GPA or PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning; no action is required by the student.  Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal and institutional financial aid. Students who fail to meet GPA or PACE after the warning period will be given the opportunity to appeal the loss of their federal and institutional aid eligibility.  If a student’s satisfactory academic progress appeal is approved they will be placed on financial aid probation, with an academic plan. (See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for federal or institutional aid.

Program Completion:

Once the student completes all the academic requirements for their program, the student is considered to have completed the degree program and is no longer eligible for further federal aid for that program.

Academic Amnesty:

All academic coursework taken by a student in attendance at Nazareth must be included in determining federal SAP. This federal SAP policy is exclusive of any Nazareth academic policies. Federal SAP regulations do not recognize any provision for academic amnesty or renewal.

Transfer Coursework:

Transfer credits accepted (including consortium agreements and Study Abroad courses) are counted in both cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed.  Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.

Incomplete Coursework (I):

Incomplete coursework is equivalent to an (F) grade when calculating satisfactory academic progress for that term. The GPA calculation on your academic transcript would be calculated with an (I) grade with no impact on your GPA. 

In the calculation of your progress toward degree (PACE), the credit hours associated with the course for which you have an (I) grade are counted as attempted credit hours. Because the (I) grade is equivalent to an (F) grade and no credit is earned for (F) grades, these same credit hours do not count as completed credit hours.

A grade change will be considered in your next semester of attendance.

Withdrawn Coursework (W):

Courses that were dropped during Add/Drop period will neither be counted as credits attempted nor earned and will not be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Withdrawn coursework that results in a (W) grade will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned.  (W) Grades are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation. 

A leave of absence taken after the first week of the semester will result in (W) grades. 

Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Audit (AU) Coursework:

Courses with a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade are counted as credits attempted and credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Courses with a Audit (AU) grade are not counted as credits attempted nor credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Repeated Coursework (R):

Undergraduate students are eligible to receive federal financial aid for repeating a class one time. If a student received a grade for the first attempted class, those credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and earned.  The credits for the repeated class will be counted as additional credits attempted only and zero credits earned.  The second grade is calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Financial Aid Warning:

A student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period.  The student will be eligible for federal and institutional aid during the financial aid warning period and no further action is required by the student.

A student that meets SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term is eligible for continued federal and institutional aid.

A student that does not meet SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal and institutional aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met or the student successfully appeals and is placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan.

Financial Aid Appeal Process/ Financial Aid Probation:

If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit a satisfactory academic progress appeal based on extenuating circumstances.  The written appeal must be sent to the Financial Aid Office and it must explain why satisfactory progress was not met and what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met.

The student must meet with the Academic Advisement Center to develop an academic plan of no more than two semesters in length. Once the Financial Aid Office reviews and approves the appeal and the academic plan the student will be placed on financial aid probation. During financial aid probation the student will be eligible for federal and institutional financial aid. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each subsequent payment period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements specified in the academic plan.  If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal and institutional aid as long as the student continues to meet the academic plan requirements.

If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal or institutional financial aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met.

Regaining Eligibility:

Students whose federal and institutional aid has been removed as a result of not meeting SAP requirements will regain federal aid eligibility for future semesters upon meeting SAP standards.

Note that the satisfactory progress guidelines for NYS Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) aid differ from the federal satisfactory academic progress criteria.

New York State's "standards of program pursuit" require you to earn specified numbers of credits toward your degree or certificate and minimum cumulative specified grade point averages in each semester.

Non-HEOP Students
(Receiving 1st TAP Award in 2010-2011 and thereafter)

HEOP Students
(Receiving 1st TAP Award in 2006-2007 and thereafter)

*Only students enrolled in the HEOP program are eligible for ten TAP payments. The maximum number of payments for all other students is eight.

*Incompletes cannot be included unless they are resolved to a passing or failing grade by the end of the following term. Failing grades are included in the number of courses completed per semester. Only passing grades are included in the number of courses earned.

**Note: "W" grades will not satisfy this requirement. Grades for repeated courses, for which students have already received credit (D- , D, D+, C-) are excluded when calculating the semester hours required for TAP eligibility. Full-time students repeating a course for which they have already received credit must carry 12 additional credit hours to be eligible for certification for TAP and other New York State programs. All students who have applied and been found financially eligible for TAP will be certified by the College if they are registered full time as of the TAP Certification Date. (See Academic Calendar for the Fall and Spring semester TAP certification dates.)

Note: Students placed on probation or part-time status by the Academic Standards Committee who do not meet the minimum guidelines above will be subject to lost or reduced financial aid eligibility.

Loss of Good Academic Standing: Students who lose good academic standing in a term when they receive a state grant or scholarship are not eligible for an award for the next term.

Reinstatement of Good Academic Standing: Students who have lost good academic standing may restore this standing in one of the following ways:

1. Make up past academic deficiencies by completing one or more terms of study without receiving any state grants or scholarships;
2. Transfer to another institution; or
3. Be granted a waiver.

One-time Waiver: NYS permits students to receive a one-time waiver of the good academic standing requirement as an undergraduate and a one-time waiver as a graduate student. Note: Students are required to maintain a C-Average (2.0 cumulative GPA) after receiving the equivalent of two or more full years of NYS aid. Waivers of the C-Average requirement are separate from the one-time waiver and may be granted more than once if circumstances warrant.

Students may be eligible to receive a waiver for state aid if one of the following extenuating circumstances has resulted in failure to meet the stated requirements:

1. Death of a relative
2. Personal injury/illness
3. Other extenuating circumstance if it directly resulted in your failure to meet the NYS requirements.

To be considered for a waiver, you must submit a written appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. The Academic Standards Committee reviews all appeal requests and makes the final decision. If the waiver is granted, your NYS awards will be reinstated for the semester; however, your academic progress must improve to meet the minimum requirements prior to the start of the following semester.

All scholarships and grants require full-time attendance. Full-time attendance is defined as 12 or more credits for both undergraduate and graduate students who receive Nazareth merit or grant funding. Nazareth merit scholarships are determined at the time of acceptance. Merit scholarship renewal eligibility is reviewed annually based on Nazareth cumulative GPA. Need-based grant renewal is reviewed annually based on demonstrated financial need as determined by the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

You must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all Nazareth University scholarships/grants for undergraduate students and 3.0 for graduate students. In addition, program-based awards require continued enrollment in the academic programs for which the award was granted.

Note: Students placed on probation or part-time status by the Academic Standards Committee who do not meet the minimum guidelines above may be subject to lost or reduced financial aid eligibility.

Graduate Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP)

Federal regulations require that schools monitor the academic progress of every student who is eligible for federal Title IV financial aid, which include TEACH Grants, Direct Stafford loans, Graduate PLUS loans, and Work Study. Federal standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) include a qualitative (GPA) measurement, a quantitative (PACE) measurement, and a maximum time-frame measurement. If one of the measures is not being met, the student is not making SAP.

SAP is measured and reviewed at the end of each payment period, specifically end of fall semester, end of spring semester, and end of summer II- combining summer I and summer II courses.

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

• Graduate students (full or part-time) are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.

Exception: Doctorate of Physical Therapy students, specifically DPT.PT students in the fifth year of enrollment, will be considered as meeting Standards of Academic Progress if they receive an (S) - Satisfactory grade in each of the two clinical classes during the summer term. (These two clinical classes are only graded as (S) or (U) and therefore will not compute a GPA for this first summer of graduate work for DPT.PT students.)

Quantitative (Pace) Standard:

Graduate students must complete a minimum percentage of cumulative attempted credits, or PACE. PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours earned by the cumulative credit hours attempted.  Remedial courses are not counted in this calculation.

Students must maintain a minimum pace of 66.667%.

Maximum Time Frame:
Graduate students must complete their degree requirements in five calendar years from the date of matriculation. Students will not be eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation if they have reached their maximum time frame. Appeals to the maximum time frame may be requested. Graduate students who matriculate into a different graduate program begin a new five-year academic year time frame only if the new program is in a different school (i.e., students moves from a graduate program within the Nazareth University School of Education into a graduate program within the Nazareth University School of Health and Human Services).

Students who fail to initially meet either the GPA or PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning; no action is required by the student.  Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period only, during which the student may continue to receive federal and institutional financial aid. Students who fail to meet GPA or PACE after the warning period will be given the opportunity to appeal the loss of their federal and institutional aid eligibility.  If a student’s satisfactory academic progress appeal is approved they will be placed on financial aid probation, with an academic plan. (See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for federal or institutional aid.

Academic Amnesty:

All academic coursework taken by a student in attendance at Nazareth must be included in determining federal SAP. This federal SAP policy is exclusive of any Nazareth academic policies. Federal SAP regulations do not recognize any provision for academic amnesty or renewal.

Transfer Coursework:

Transfer credits accepted (including consortium agreements and Study Abroad courses) are counted in both cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed.  Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.

Incomplete Coursework (I):

Incomplete coursework is equivalent to an (F) grade when calculating satisfactory academic progress for that term. The GPA calculation on your academic transcript would be calculated with an (I) grade with no impact on your GPA. 

In the calculation of your progress toward degree (PACE), the credit hours associated with the course for which you have an (I) grade are counted as attempted credit hours. Because the (I) grade is equivalent to an (F) grade and no credit is earned for (F) grades, these same credit hours do not count as completed credit hours.

 A grade change will be considered in your next semester of attendance.

 Withdrawn Coursework (W):

Courses that were dropped during Add/Drop period will neither be counted as credits attempted nor earned and will not be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Withdrawn coursework that results in a (W) grade will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted but zero credits earned.  (W) Grades are not included in the cumulative GPA calculation. 

A leave of absence taken after the first week of the semester will result in (W) grades. 

Satisfactory (S), Unsatisfactory (U), Audit (AU) Coursework:

Courses with a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade are counted as credits attempted and credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Courses with a Audit (AU) grade are not counted as credits attempted nor credits earned; no grade will be counted in the cumulative GPA.

Repeated Coursework (R):

Undergraduate students are eligible to receive federal financial aid for repeating a class one time. If a student received a grade for the first attempted class, those credits will be counted in the cumulative credits attempted and earned.  The credits for the repeated class will be counted as additional credits attempted only and zero credits earned.  The second grade is calculated in the cumulative GPA.

Financial Aid Warning:

A student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period.  The student will be eligible for federal and institutional aid during the financial aid warning period and no further action is required by the student.

A student that meets SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term is eligible for continued federal and institutional aid.

A student that does not meet SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal and institutional aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met or the student successfully appeals and is placed on financial aid probation with an academic plan.

Financial Aid Appeal Process/ Financial Aid Probation:

If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit a satisfactory academic progress appeal based on extenuating circumstances.  The written appeal must be sent to the Financial Aid Office and it must explain why satisfactory progress was not met and what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met.

The student must meet with the Academic Advisement Center to develop an academic plan of no more than two semesters in length. Once the Financial Aid Office reviews and approves the appeal and the academic plan the student will be placed on financial aid probation. During financial aid probation the student will be eligible for federal and institutional financial aid. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each subsequent payment period to determine if the student is meeting the requirements specified in the academic plan.  If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal and institutional aid as long as the student continues to meet the academic plan requirements.

If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal or institutional financial aid in subsequent semesters until SAP standards are met.

Regaining Eligibility:

Students whose federal and institutional aid has been removed as a result of not meeting SAP requirements will regain federal aid eligibility for future semesters upon meeting SAP standards.

Any student enrolled in a Student Access and Achievement Program (HEOP, Excel, Young Scholars), who fails to meet institutional, federal, and/or state satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements toward degree completion and/or is limited to part-time enrollment and who loses institutional, federal and/or state funding (e.g. Pell, SEOG, Perkins, Direct Loans, NYS TAP, etc.) will not receive increased funding by the institution.

Students have the right to submit an appeal for federal and New York State funding based on extenuating circumstances. Their appeal will be reviewed by the appropriate appeals committee. Any student who is not granted an appeal by the committee will lose federal, and/or NY State aid and Nazareth University will not be responsible for providing institutional aid to supplement the costs of attendance.

All Nazareth University scholarships/grants require full-time enrollment.  Waivers and appeals of this policy are not granted.

For complete institutional/federal/state renewal requirements please refer to Financial Aid Renewal Requirements