Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

The University of Arizona cares about your academic success and encourages you to complete your degree in the most efficient, successful manner possible.

In order to remain compliant with the Department of Education, we require you to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards in order to continue to receive your financial aid. Federal regulations require Arizona to establish, publish, and apply standards to monitor your progress toward completing your degree program.

There are three SAP standards:

GPA
Pace
Timeframe

According to federal regulations, students who fail to make satisfactory academic progress towards their degree or certificate will lose their ability to receive federal student aid.

The Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid (OSFA) monitors students at the end of every semester on all three SAP standards. If you are unable to meet these standards, you may lose your federal financial aid eligibility. This could also affect other non-federal financial aid. Law, Medicine, and Pharmacy students are monitored by their respective colleges.

You can review your SAP Status by navigating to the Financial Aid Summary page and clicking the Satisfactory Academic Progress link near the bottom of the page. There you will find your current SAP Status, Financial Aid Eligibility, and the most recent term used to calculate your status.

Form

Description	Submission Deadline
Fall 2021 SAP Appeal	December 2, 2021 Students taking courses during the summer will not be able to submit a fall SAP Appeal until their summer grades have posted AND they have received a SAP notification from OSFA.

Appeals must be submitted by the established deadline depending on the semester 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.

HELPFUL TIPS

Helpful information to complete your SAP appeal form:

Submit your completed SAP appeal to OSFA as early as possible. Include:
- Complete SAP appeal form
- An academic plan approved by your academic advisor for the correct term
- A personal statement detailing circumstances that caused you to not meet SAP standards
Submit your appeal by the published deadline
Incomplete or late appeals may not be able to be reviewed in time to have financial aid disbursed by the published deadline above
Students must regain eligibility for financial aid no later than the last day of the semester. SAP appeals submitted after this date cannot be approved.

GPA Standard

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

Minimum Cumulative GPA
Undergraduate	2.0
Graduate	3.0
Law	2.0
Medicine	Must receive passing grade in all courses
Pharmacy	Must pass all courses with a B or higher

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 University of Arizona's grading policy on repeat coursework

Pace Standard

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

Pace = Cumulative completed units with passing grade
Total cumulative attempted units

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

Example	Cumulative Units Completed	Cumulative Units Attempted	Completion Percentage	Meets SAP?
Student A	67	100	67%	Yes
Student B	60	100	60%	No

We encourage you to be mindful of how many units you are attempting throughout your career. Work with your academic advisor to create a plan to complete your courses at a steady, but manageable pace.

The following outcomes count as both attempted and completed in the Pace SAP calculation:

Passing grades (including College of Medicine Honors grades)
Accepted transfer units

The following outcomes count as attempted (but not as completed) in the Pace SAP calculation:

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

The following attempted or completed courses do not count in your Pace SAP calculation:

Correspondence
Audit
Credit by exam

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

Timeframe Standard

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Federal financial aid is meant to enable you to make progress toward the completion of your degree(s). To calculate academic progress, the University of Arizona sets a maximum timeframe in which you are expected to finish a program. Excess units are defined below:

Maximum Timeframe
Undergraduate	150% program length
Graduate	Monitored by Graduate College
Law	Monitored by Law College
Medicine	Monitored by Colllege of Medicine
Pharmacy	Monitored by College of Pharmacy

The following example shows when an undergraduate student does not meet the Timeframe standard:

If the degree requires 120 units to graduate, you cannot exceed 180 units. This student, attempted 190 units, which exceeds the 150 % maximum timeframe.
Degree credit requirements	150%	Cumulative	SAP Status
120	180	190	Not Meeting

Repeat Coursework

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Financial aid is available to cover the cost for the first repeat of any previously passed course. Each repeated attempt of a course is factored into pace and the timeframe calculation. Please see the Financial Aid Policy for Repeat Coursework. The University of Arizona’s academic repeat policy is different from the federal financial aid repeat regulations. Academic policies surrounding repeat coursework can be found through the Office of the Registrar, at the Registrar website.

Withdrawals

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If you withdraw from a course, those units will be factored into the pace and timeframe calculation.

SAP Statuses

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Financial Aid Warning Status

The first semester you do not meet one or more of the three SAAP 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. During this semester you are still eligible for financial aid, however you are one term away from losing your financial aid eligibility.

Financial Aid Suspension Status

If If at the end of your warning semester you do not meet one or more of the three SAP standards, you are then placed on Financial Aid Suspension. You cannot receive federal or institutional financial aid while in the Financial Aid Suspension status. However, you may submit a SAP appeal to regain eligibility.

Financial Aid SAP Academic Plan Status

If your SAP appeal is approved you will be placed on the Academic Plan status for one term. You will be eligible to receive financial aid for this term and 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 at the end of your Academic Plan term, you will be placed back into a Meets SAP Status for the next term and you will be eligible to receive financial aid

If you do not meet SAP standards at the end of your Academic Plan term, you will be placed back on the Financial Aid Suspension status and you will not be eligible for financial aid. You may appeal this status by submitting a new SAP Appeal in order for your aid eligibility to be re-reviewed.

Consortium Agreements

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You may choose to take additional coursework at another institution while also being enrolled at Arizona. If you plan on receiving financial aid to cover courses taken at both institutions, you will need to complete a Consortium Agreement.

The outcomes of these additional courses may impact your SAP status in the following ways:

GPA: Units taken at another institution that are transferred back to Arizona are not counted in your cumulative GPA calculation.
Pace: Units taken at another institution that are transferred back to Arizona will count as attempted and completed in your Pace calculation.
Timeframe: Units taken at another institution that are transferred back to Arizona will count as completed in your Timeframe calculation.

All students participating in a consortium agreement must submit transcripts after the term ends. Please note, due to the timeframe in which transfer units are sent and received, your SAP status may be determined before the consortium units or transfer units are received by Arizona.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

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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:

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.
Complete one or more semesters using your own resources at the University of Arizona with at least half-time enrollment per semester (6 graded units for undergraduate students/5 graded units for graduate students). Courses taken must be chosen in consultation with an Academic Advisor. You must advance toward obtaining 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.

Students not meeting the SAP Timeframe standard 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.