Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

It is important to read the instructions on the SAP Appeal Form before you submit documents to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA).

Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid realizes that it will not always be feasible for students to collect medical documentation associated with their Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal.  Effective 3/23/2020, the requirement for students to include any medical documentation for Spring 2020 financial aid eligibility will be waived until further notice.

Appeals must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the end of the semester for which you want to receive financial aid. Incomplete or late appeals may jeopardize the reviewing of your appeal in a time frame that would allow disbursement of financial aid.

To avoid late fees and ensure timely processing of your SAP Appeal, you should submit your appeal a minimum of three weeks before the start of classes. Your SAP Appeal must include an academic plan completed by an academic advisor for the term you would like to receive financial aid. Incomplete appeals or appeals submitted after the final deadline may not be processed and your financial aid may be canceled. 

OSFA monitors students for compliance within the three SAP standards: Qualitative, Pace and Timeframe.

Students are monitored at the end of every term. Failure to meet these standards may result in the loss of financial aid eligibility. For financial aid eligibility, terms are defined as fall, spring, and summer semesters. Law, Medicine, and Pharmacy students are monitored by their respective college.

Note: These standards apply to federal and institutional aid and do not necessarily reflect the cumulative grade point average (GPA) or units required to maintain scholarships or advance grade levels.

You must successfully meet the minimum cumulative GPA as shown below:

After two years of attendance at the University of Arizona (regardless of how many credits the student has accrued), the student must have a 2.0 cumulative GPA or have an academic standing consistent with the requirements for graduation from the program.

The following courses do not count towards the SAP GPA:

• Incomplete*
• Withdrawn
• Transfer credits

The following courses do count towards the SAP GPA:

• Completed courses
• Failed courses
• Developmental/ Remedial courses
• Courses purged through Academic Renewal
• Repeated courses are calculated in the SAP GPA in accordance with the UA's grading policy on repeat coursework

You must meet Pace and progress toward graduation by successfully completing 2/3 of the cumulative units you attempted.

Pace = Cumulative number of hours (credit hours) that you have successfully completed
               Cumulative number of hours (credit hours) that you have attempted

Below are examples of how a student would meet or not meet the Pace SAP standard.

Student A has attempted 100 units throughout their UA career and has successfully completed 67 units. 67/100 units is above 2/3 of the cumulative units they have attempted. Therefore, Student A meets the SAP Pace standard.

Student B has attempted 100 units throughout their UA career and has successfully completed 60 units. 60/100 units is below 2/3 of the cumulative units they have attempted. Therefore, Student B does not meet the SAP Pace standard.

Important Note: Only enroll in the number of units you can complete!

The following courses do not count as attempted or completed units in the SAP calculation:

• Correspondence
• Audit
• Credit by exam

The following courses count as attempted but do not count as completed units in the SAP calculation:

• Incomplete*
• Failed
• Withdrawn
• More than one repeat of any previously passed course 
   

Accepted transfer units count as both attempted and completed units in the SAP Pace calculation.

*Incomplete classes that are later converted into a grade will be counted in the Qualitative and Pace standards in accordance with the Registrar's Incomplete Grade Policy.

You must be making progress toward a degree. To quantify academic progress, the University of Arizona sets a maximum timeframe in which you are expected to finish a program. Accumulation of excess units results in not meeting timeframe standards. Excess units are defined below:

Following is an example of how an undergraduate student does not meet timeframe standards:

Repeat Coursework - Financial aid is available for the first repeat of any previously passed course. Each attempt is factored into pace and the timeframe allowance. The UA course repeat policy can be found on the Registrar website.

Withdrawals*

• Effective July 2014, withdrawals are no longer evaluated as a stand-alone SAP standard; however, withdrawals will continue to impact a student’s Pace and Timeframe. 

Financial Aid Warning Status

The first time you do not meet SAP standards, you will be placed in Financial Aid Warning. This means you are one term away from losing your financial aid eligibility. You are still eligible for financial aid.

Financial Aid Suspension Status

If you are in Financial Aid Warning and do not meet SAP standards, you are immediately placed on Financial Aid Suspension. You will not receive federal or institutional financial aid. You may appeal this status.

Financial Aid Probation Status

If you have successfully appealed a Financial Aid Suspension, you will be placed on Probation for one term. If you meet the SAP standards at the end of the Probation term, your SAP Status will reset back to Meets SAP. If you do not meet the SAP standards at the end of your Probation, you will be placed back into Suspension.

Financial Aid SAP Academic Plan Status

If you have successfully appealed a Financial Aid Suspension and completed page three of the SAP Appeal Form, you may be placed on a SAP Academic Plan. You must successfully follow your SAP Academic Plan while in this status. You will be monitored by OSFA at the end of each term. 

If you meet SAP standards while on Probation or your SAP Academic Plan, you will be placed back into a Meets SAP Status for the next term.

If you do not meet SAP standards and your SAP Academic Plan expires, you will need to submit a new SAP Appeal in order for your aid eligibility to be re-reviewed.

Consortium Agreements

If you are not meeting the SAP Pace standard and you have an approved consortium agreement, you need to submit an official transcript from the institution you attended to the Office of Registration and Transcripts. The transcript must indicate that you successfully completed all approved coursework with a 'C' grade or better. Official transcripts are automatically sent for students who were enrolled at Pima Community College with an approved consortium agreement. These transcripts take time to be evaluated.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

If you lose federal and institutional aid eligibility because you are not meeting the SAP Cumulative GPA or Pace standards, you may regain eligibility in one of the following ways:

1. Submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form with supporting documentation. That form provides a non-exhaustive list of circumstances for which you may appeal. You must advance toward attaining a degree and show progress within your SAP Academic plan for graduation.
2. Complete one semester using your own resources at the UA with at least half-time enrollment (6 graded units undergraduate/5 graded units graduate). Courses taken must be chosen in consultation with an Academic Advisor. You must advance toward attaining a degree and adhere to SAP Standards. You must contact our office after grades have been posted by the Registrar's Office in order for your financial aid to be reviewed for reinstatement. If you are not meeting SAP standards after grades have been posted, you will need to submit a SAP Appeal Form.

If you lose federal and institutional aid eligibility because you are not meeting the SAP Timeframe standard, you must submit a SAP Appeal Form for approval in order to regain eligibility.

Once you regain eligibility, you will be awarded financial aid for the following term subject to your financial aid eligibility and the availability of funds.