To review the Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy use the link below:
To view instructions for locating your SAP Status with screenshots, click the link below:
What does my SAP status mean?
Eligible means you are meeting SAP standards and are eligible to apply for Federal aid. To apply for Federal aid, complete the “Checklist” on the “Financial Aid” Home page of your Patriot Portal.
Minimum Standards for All Students
1. Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement (Qualitative Standard): Students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative
GPA during their enrollment at FMU.
2. SAP Pace Completion (Quantitative Standard): SAP Pace Completion percentage is calculated as total hours
earned divided by total hours attempted. The total hours earned or attempted do not include hours attained
through AP, IB, CLEP, unaccepted transfer credits, audit, or non-credit courses. However, dual enrollment classes
are included and earned and attempted hours. All students must maintain at least 67% SAP Pace Completion.
NOTE:
A few examples of courses that will be included in the attempted hours, but excluded from the hours earned, are:
a. Classes that were withdrawn from after the Drop/Add period.
b. Classes that were marked as incomplete by professors.
c. Classes in which the student receives a failing grade.
d. Classes that the student repeated.
3. SAP Timeframe Requirement: Students are allotted 150% of the minimum program credit hours required to
complete their degree. For example, FMU requires a minimum of 120 hours for most undergraduate degrees;
therefore, the SAP policy requires the undergraduate degree to be completed within the maximum time frame of
180 attempted hours (including hours attempted at all institutions). For graduate students, each program has
varying minimum program credit hours, and maximum timeframes will therefore vary.
If the student attempts 150% or more of their allotted timeframe for their active program, their financial aid
eligibility will be terminated. If a student believes there are extenuating circumstances, they may submit a petition
explaining those circumstances. Previous degrees and programs will then be reviewed to determine whether
certain credit hours can be excluded from the 150% standard.
Ineligible means you are below the 67% completion rate of attempted hours, minimum GPA during sophomore year, or maximum timeframe required for SAP. You are ineligible for Federal and State aid. You may review the SAP Policy for more details on these requirements.
If your SAP is ineligible:
Eligibility for financial assistance may be reinstated in one of three ways:
1. If the student is ineligible due to a SAP Pace Completion of less than 67%: Improve your SAP
Pace Completion percentage to at least 67% by enrolling in and completing courses at FMU with
personal funds or an alternative loan. This can also be improved by taking coursework at another
institution that will transfer to FMU.
2. If the student is ineligible due to a cumulative GPA below 2.0: Improve their GPA by enrolling in
and completing new or repeated courses at FMU with personal funds or an alternative loan. If a
student repeats a course to improve their GPA, they must end the course with a higher grade than
before.
NOTE: Transfer credits will not have any impact on a student’s GPA.
3. If the student had unforeseen circumstances: Submit a Financial Assistance petition form with a
letter explaining the circumstances and documentation to support the letter. This petition can be found
on the FMU website under Financial Assistance or by contacting the Financial Assistance office