Managing Aid
There are certain requirements students must meet to maintain and renew their financial aid each year.
What are my responsibilities to keep my financial aid?
To renew financial aid, you need to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and a minimum of half-time enrollment in addition to attending your registered courses.
Some financial aid awards have other specific requirements as well. Make sure you know the specific requirements of your aid award to renew it each year. Learn how to renew your aid.
Student Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
(Effective Beginning the Summer 2022 Semester)
The Division of Financial Aid is required by federal regulation to monitor and determine whether a student is enrolled in a degree-seeking program and is meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements. The student’s official academic record, maintained by the Office of the Registrar, is reviewed to determine student compliance with this policy. This policy applies to all periods of enrollment whether or not a student receives financial aid. Students receiving federal financial aid, Purdue need-based awards or Purdue scholarships/private scholarships with a SAP requirement must meet Purdue’s institutional policy that is required of students receiving Federal Student Aid.
Students are evaluated annually after the spring semester ends in May. The following SAP components are reviewed:
SAP Standards
- Apply to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who wish to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility,
- Apply to a student’s entire academic record (including transfer hours), whether or not financial aid was received for prior terms of enrollment,
- Include a minimum grade point average, minimum credit completion requirement, and maximum time frame which counts the total number of semester hours earned and/or semesters enrolled.
Grade Point Average Requirements
(reviewed annually in May, winter flex grades reviewed as part of spring term)
- All undergraduate, graduate and professional students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
Note: Purdue University maintains information about academic regulations, grade definitions, and grade point average definitions on the Catalog website.
Credit Completion Requirement
(reviewed annually in May, winter flex courses reviewed as part of spring term)
- Purdue students must complete at least 67% (two-thirds) of the institution’s total cumulative credit hours attempted including any accepted transfer hours.
For example, a student who has attempted a cumulative total of 60 credit hours must have successfully completed at least 40 credit hours to meet the requirement (60 x .67 = 40.20; round decimals to whole numbers).
Note: repeating courses that have already been passed with a grade of D or better will decrease the credit completion rate. A review of the credit completion rate is conducted at the end of the spring semester.
Maximum Time Frame Requirement
(reviewed annually in May, except when approaching maximum time frame, then reviewed each semester. Winter flex courses reviewed as part of spring term)
- Students may not exceed a maximum time frame measured by attempted credit hours, equal to 150% of the length of their primary degree program (See examples in Table A).
- Once the maximum attempted credit hours are reached, or it becomes mathematically impossible for the student to finish the degree objective in the remaining hours, financial aid eligibility is denied for the subsequent credit hours of enrollment.
- Students are notified as they approach the maximum time frame requirement.
TABLE A
Maximum Time Frame Examples
Degree Programs | Maximum Hours |
Associate’s (71-hour program) | 106 |
Bachelor’s (120-hour program) | 180 |
Master’s | 79 |
Doctor of Philosophy | 213 |
Doctor of Pharmacy | 396 |
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | 318 |
All transfer credits, courses attempted toward a minor or second major and courses attempted prior to a change in major, which appears on the Purdue academic record, are counted in the calculation of cumulative attempted hours.
Second Degrees and Double Majors
- Students seeking a second degree at the same level as their first degree must complete the subsequent degree within the maximum time frame for that degree.
- If a prior degree is from Purdue University, the 30 Purdue core credits will be applied to the second-degree program, therefore counting as both attempted and earned credits in the SAP calculation.
- A student seeking multiple majors must complete the primary degree within the maximum time frame.
Courses and Grades Used in Determining Satisfactory Academic Progress
- All coursework attempted, including repeated, reprieved, English as a second language (ESL) courses, remedial courses or withdrawals recorded on the academic record at the time of the progress check, is considered when determining if the student meets satisfactory academic progress standards.
- Transfer, incomplete and withdrawal credits on the student’s academic record are considered for the maximum time frame and credit completion rate.
- Courses that are retaken to improve a grade are counted in attempted hours but only one passing grade is counted toward the credit completion rate.
- Courses that have been “red-lined” in the academic record are counted in attempted hours but not completed hours.
Successful Grades
- Grades of “A+-,” “B+-,” “C+-,” “D+-,” “S,” or “P” are considered successful completion of a course.
Unsuccessful Grades
- Grades of “E,” “F,” “WF,” “IF,” “I,” “PI,” “SI,” “U,” “W,” “WN,” “WU,” “IN,” “IU,” “N”, are not considered successful completion. Courses with a status of “NS” or “AU” are not considered successfully completed.
- Students taking Indiana College Network Distance Education courses receive grades that are considered in determining satisfactory academic progress standing (including “I” grades if coursework is not completed).
Note: Audit courses are not counted in the total hours attempted or as successful completion of a course. Correspondence courses may count toward the successful completion of hours attempted if they are completed and posted to the academic record by the last day of the semester.
Appeal Process
A student denied financial aid based on the satisfactory academic progress policy may submit a written appeal, with an academic plan of study to Purdue’s verification portal. Multiple appeals are accepted. Appeals with all documentation must be submitted a minimum of 4 weeks before the end of the term for which you are appealing.
- The SAP Appeal form is available by contacting the Division of Financial Aid either in person, through email or by calling.
- The letter of appeal should address, in detail, any extenuating circumstances that have affected the student’s academic performance and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to meet the requirements during the next evaluation.
- The student must work with his/her academic advisor to complete an academic plan as part of the appeal process. The approved appeal and the plan of study will be used to determine the successful completion of the student’s program.
Action taken on a financial aid appeal is transmitted to the student in writing, via myPurdue, or via email.
Note: Paying for classes on your own or sitting out for an enrollment period may not re-establish aid eligibility, but you do have the right to an appeal.
A student whose financial aid has been denied for grade point average or credit completion may receive financial aid reinstatement by a successful appeal or by meeting the following criteria at the annual SAP evaluation in May:
- Receive an academic standing code other than DR or SD (dropped from the university) and
- Have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or better and
- Successfully complete 67% of the total cumulative credit hours attempted
Note: To be reinstated for maximum time frame denial you must appeal. There are no automatic criteria for reinstatement.
Note: Winter flex courses/grades will be reviewed as part of the spring course/grade check in May.
Note: A student who enrolls and attends class, whose appeal is subsequently denied, will be responsible for their university charges. A student who withdrawals from the university will be eligible for a refund of charges based solely on the schedule in the “Withdrawal from the University Policy” in the Purdue University General Information Bulletin.
Students who have a SAP appeal approved will be placed on financial aid probation status for the subsequent semester(s). While on financial aid probation status students must follow the submitted academic plan and maintain the specified percentage of semester coursework, graduate as planned, and meet the academic probation criteria or financial aid eligibility will be denied. A review of the student’s record will be conducted at the end of each semester while on financial aid probation.
This policy pertains only to applicants for federal, state of Indiana, and Purdue-controlled aid programs, including most student loan programs. If your questions about the monitoring of satisfactory academic progress are not addressed in the information above, please contact the Division of Financial Aid.
FM704A – SAP Policy
Updated April 5, 2022