Federal and College Financial Aid

Recipients of assistance under the Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Stafford Loan, Federal Parent Loan, and Paul Smith's College financial aid programs must also meet minimum qualitative and quantitative academic progress standards. Academic progress is determined by two criteria: the quality of academic achievement as indicated by the cumulative grade point average and progress toward the degree. With the exception of suspended students, continuing eligibility for federal and PSC need-based assistance is reviewed once per academic year, at the end of each spring semester. By definition, suspended students do not meet minimum qualitative academic progress standards.

To make satisfactory academic progress, a Paul Smith's College undergraduate student must earn at least the number of credits and the cumulative GPA indicated in the table below. The credits and average must be earned by the beginning of the term in which the financial aid is to be disbursed.

Qualitative Standards

Quantitative Standards

Required Minimum Successful Completion Rate - Please note that financial assistance attempted hours are the same as attempted hours used in determining the student's official enrollment status. Exceptions to the official enrollment status are made for students who add credit hours after the official enrollment (census) date. Such additional hours will be included in the number of financial assistance attempted hours for the term. Students whose overall successful completion rate falls below the required percentage will be placed on academic probation. Students placed on probation have one semester in which to establish satisfactory SAP. Failure to establish satisfactory SAP by the end of the probationary term will result in academic suspension and the loss of financial aid eligibility. Suspended students wishing to return to the College must appeal their academic suspension to the Academic Standards Committee and the loss of their financial aid eligibility to the SAP Appeals Committee.

Courses in which a passing grade is earned are considered successfully completed. Courses in which a failing grade, no pass grade, incomplete grade, withdraw passing, withdraw failing or withdrawal is assigned are not successfully completed.

Students may make up a deficiency in successfully completed credits at their own expense and submit a written request for review of eligibility to the Director of Financial Aid. Such credit hours must count toward the completion of the student's degree/certificate. Please remember all courses taken at another college must be approved in advance by the Registrar's Office.

Maximum Timeframe for Completion of Degree or Certificate Requirements - Federal grant, loan, and work study programs are limited to six years or 12 semesters of full-time enrollment, the equivalent part-time enrollment, or any equivalent combination of part-time and full-time enrollment for students pursuing the first baccalaureate degree. Students enrolled in associate degree and certificate programs are limited to three years or six semesters of full time enrollment All prior enrollment periods are considered including those in which students did not receive federal or state financial assistance. To ensure compliance with the above limitations, students enrolled in their first baccalaureate program are limited to 180 attempted credits. Associate degree students are limited to 90 attempted credits.

Transfer Credits - Credits accepted by PSC from other institutions will be used in determining total credit hours attempted and successfully completed. The cumulative GPA will be determined by the Registrar using only credits attempted at PSC. Transfer coursework accepted into the students' PSC programs will be used to make up completion rate deficits and will raise a student's cum GPA.

Incompletes – Students who convert an incomplete to a passing grade for the course prior to the start of the next regular semester (fall or spring) may submit a written request for review of eligibity to the Director of Financial Aid.

Course Repeats – Students who earn a failing grade in a course may repeat the course until it is passed. Courses in which a grade of D was earned that are repeated more than once can no longer be used for determining completion rate for financial aid neither can the credits be used in determining official enrollment status.

SAP Appeals Process

Student financial aid recipients failing to maintain the qualitative and/or quantitative Satisfactory Academic Progress due to an extenuating circumstance such as serious injury, illness, death or mental health condition involving the student or immediate family member can appeal in writing explaining their circumstance to the Director of Financial Aid. Students must submit documentation with the appeal which confirms this circumstance. All appeals must include why the student failed to make SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to make SAP at the next evaluation. The total number of appeals a student is allowed is three.

When a SAP appeal is denied by Director of Financial Aid, students may appeal to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee which is composed of the Registrar, Director of Student Accounts and the Director of Academic Success Center. Students whose appeals are approved will continue to have their records reviewed at the end of each SAP interval.

Policy will go into affect Fall 2011