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Admissions

Satisfactory Academic Progress - Undergraduate

About

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, mandates that institutions of higher education monitor the academic progress of students who receive federal financial aid. East Texas Baptist University has established the following minimum standards to be eligible for and continue to receive federal financial aid. This policy reflects the changes to federal regulations that are effective as of July 1, 2011.

Please note that state and some institutional aid may have higher academic requirements for renewal eligibility. The financial aid award year is fall, spring and summer semester. The May and summer terms are considered one “semester” for financial aid awarding.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) will be reviewed at the end of each payment period (fall, spring and summer semester) and will be based on the student achieving both a qualitative and quantitative standard as defined below.

Minimum Grade Point Average (Qualitative)

First year - minimum 1.75 cumulative GPA as a regular admitted student (does not count dual enrollment)

Second year and beyond - minimum 2.00 GPA  (transfer students are considered to be beyond their first year upon enrollment at ETBU)

Minimum Hour Completion – Pace of Progression (Quantitative)

Must successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all cumulative hours attempted as a regular student, including transferable hours. (does not count dual enrollment)

Maximum Time Frame

Undergraduate students may receive financial aid, if they otherwise qualify, if they have not yet attempted 150% of the hours required for their degree (usually 180 hours). ETBU scholarships are eligible for 4 years, or 120 attempted hours, whichever comes first.

Time Frame

Warning Period

Students who fail to meet one or more of the SAP requirements will be placed on financial aid “warning.” While on warning, students will be eligible to receive financial aid but must complete the subsequent term by meeting all of the minimum requirements at the close of that term. The student who fails to meet SAP during the semester of attendance while on warning will be placed on financial aid suspension.

Probation Period

If a student is placed on financial aid suspension, the student has the option of appealing this suspension through the SAP appeal process. If the appeal is granted, the student will be placed on financial aid “probation” for the next semester, and must bring their SAP eligibility to satisfactory during that semester or be placed on financial aid suspension. While on probation, the student may continue to receive federal, state, and institutional aid if they are otherwise eligible.

Suspension Period

Students who were previously under a warning or probation SAP status and fails to meet SAP eligibility requirements during the next semester, will be moved to a financial aid “suspension” status and will not be able to receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid until SAP requirements are met or an appeal has been granted. Students who are placed on financial aid suspension may appeal this decision by completing the SAP Appeal Process.

Appeal Information

Appeal

If the student does not meet SAP requirements, an appeal process is available for those students who had a personal injury or illness, death of a relative, or believe they had other special circumstances that affected their ability for SAP.

Appeal Process

Students who choose to follow the SAP appeal process must submit the online appeal. The appeal must state why SAP requirements were not met, and what has changed so that SAP requirements will be met in the future.

The Financial Aid Office will review the appeal and notify the student of the decision. Approved appeals will include the approval, the terms of reinstatement of financial aid eligibility, and the consequences for not meeting the terms of approval. Terms of reinstatement may include expectations for the next payment period or an academic plan over an extended period of time. An approved appeal will result in financial aid being awarded for one payment period.

Denied appeals will include the reasons for the denial, and what the student must do to meet SAP in order to regain financial aid eligibility. Denied appeals will not be awarded financial aid until SAP is met.

Transfer Credits

Incoming transfer students are assumed to be making SAP upon acceptance to ETBU. All transferable attempted credit hours will be included in the SAP calculation for the 180 maximum number of hours limit.

Remedial Coursework

ETBU does not accept remedial transfer credit hours and does not include remedial coursework in credit hours.

Incomplete Grades

Incomplete grades are counted as an “F” and will affect both the cumulative GPA and the minimum hour completion components for that semester.

Repeating Classes

Failed courses may be retaken as necessary, and are included in the SAP review.

State Financial Aid

Texas Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) – meet institutional SAP requirements at the end of the first year; second year and beyond, earn at least 24 semester hours and at least 75% of the semester credit hours attempted with a minimum 2.50 cumulative GPA each academic year. A student may not receive TEG for more than 5 years.

ETBU Scholarships

Students must meet the pace of progression requirement each semester with a minimum 2.00 GPA or the minimum required by that scholarship.