Financial Aid - Satisfactory Academic Progress


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Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (SAP) Effective May 1, 2006

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Dallas Baptist University has the following standards and practices of Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress for students who receive financial assistance. These standards require that a student make progress toward a certificate or degree program. To be in compliance with federal, state or institutional student aid programs we must apply qualitative and quantitative measurements to academic work. (34CFR 668.16(e)).

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress defined:

Federal Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress is defined as:

Maintaining a 2.0 GPA or better for undergraduate students (3.0 for Academic Competitive Grant (ACG) and National SMART grant) and a 3.0 GPA for graduate students.
Completing the course load (credit hours) for which funds were paid.
Making positive progress toward a program of study within 150 percent of the average published program length.

State Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress is defined as:

Maintaining a 2.5 GPA or better for undergraduate students or 3.0 for graduate/doctoral students.
Completing a minimum of 24 credit hours as an undergraduate student and 18 hours as a graduate/doctoral student for the academic year (Fall and Spring combined.)

Failure to meet ANY of the above standards will result in a student being placed on either financial aid probation or suspension.

There is no probation allowance for the Texas Equalization Grant (TEG), ACG, SMART, or the Texas Grant programs.

PLEASE NOTE: Eligibility to receive financial aid is different from academic probation or suspension.

The Registrar’s Office determines if students are eligible to continue taking classes at DBU, and will notify them accordingly.

Evaluation of Academic Progress	End of the academic year – normally a student’s satisfactory academic progress for Fall and Spring semesters will be evaluated at the end of the academic year (spring semester). End of each semester evaluation to continue to receive ACG and SMART grants. End of summer semesters – students who receive financial assistance for one or more summer sessions will have their summer satisfactory academic progress evaluated at the end of the last summer session. Summer I and Summer II will be treated as one semester. Interim enrollment – students who enroll in various terms or semesters that do not receive financial aid will also be evaluated for making satisfactory progress for future or continuing eligibility of financial aid.
GPA Requirements	Undergraduates must maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA on all transfer and DBU credits. (ACG/SMART UG students a 3.0 GPA.) Graduate students must maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA on all transfer and DBU credits. TEG and Texas Grant recipients must maintain a cumulative 2.5 GPA as an undergraduate student and a 3.0 as a graduate/doctoral student.
Course Completion Requirements	Federal financial aid recipients must be making progress toward completing their program of enrollment by completing two-thirds (66.67%) of the credit hours attempted during the academic year. Examples: (all hours are rounded to the next whole number) If a student attempted 12 hours in the Fall and 12 hours in the Spring, the student would be expected to successfully complete at least 16 hours to be making progress. (12 hours Fall + 12 hours Spring = 24 attempted hours, therefore 24 hours attempted x 66.67% = 16 hours) If a student attempted 14 hours in the Fall and 6 hours in the Spring, the student would be expected to successfully complete at least 14 hours to be making progress. (14 hours Fall + 6 hours Spring = 20 attempted hours, therefore 20 hours attempted x 66.67% = 13.34 rounded to 14 hours) TEG and Texas Grant recipients must complete 24 hours within the academic year for undergraduate students and 18 hours for graduate/doctoral students to be making progress. Students may use the May Mini Semester and Summer courses to remove or satisfy a deficiency from the prior Fall/Spring term. Example: If a student attempted 12 hours in the Fall and earned twelve hours, the student would be expected to successfully complete at least 12 hours in the Spring to be making progress. (12 hours Fall + 12 hours / Spring= 24 hours earned) If a student attempted 12 hours in the Fall and only earned 9 hours, the student would be expected to successfully complete at least 15 hours in the spring to be making progress. (9 hrs Fal + 15 hrs Spring = 24 hrs earned)
Time Allowed for Program Completion	Normally students cannot receive federal financial assistance for periods of enrollments beyond 150% of the average published program length for the program for which they are enrolled. An undergraduate student seeking a Bachelor’s Degree which requires 126 hours would then be allowed to have 189 attempted hours and receive financial assistance (126 x 150% = 189). Attempted hours are all hours transferred from another institution and all courses enrolled for as of the census date for each term whether completed or not. (Includes Ws, NCs, CRs, Repeats, Is, and Fs)
Dual Enrollment	A student may not receive federal aid from two (or more) institutions at the same time. A student transferring to DBU from another institution must cancel their aid at the former institution if they desire to receive aid from DBU. Proof may be requested.
Repeat Courses	Courses in which a grade of “D,” or higher, is received cannot be repeated for financial aid funding unless the repeat is required to meet minimum degree requirements. Funding for remedial courses (i.e. MATH 1101) can only be repeated once.
Incompletes	Courses in which a grade of "I" are received are treated the same as a grade of "F" until a final grade for the course has been posted to the transcript. Once the "I" grade has been updated the student may request an evaluation to re-assess their Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress status.
Second Bachelor's Degree	Not all financial aid programs are available to students seeking a second bachelor's degree. Students should see their financial aid counselor for more information. This includes both accredited and non-accredited degrees received.
Notices	Failure to meet any of the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will result in one of the following notices being issued: Probation: The first time a student fails to maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA for undergraduate students or a cumulative 3.0 GPA for graduate/doctoral students or fails to complete 66.67% of the coursework in which they are enrolled, the student will be issued a probation notice. A student placed on probation status may continue to receive financial assistance. A probation notice cannot be appealed since students are still eligible to receive financial assistance. There is no probation allowance for ACG, SMART, TEG and Texas Grant recipients who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements. Suspension: The suspension notice is issued the second time a student fails to meet any one of the financial aid satisfactory academic progress guidelines. A student placed on a suspension status may not receive further financial assistance until the status has been cleared. Automatic Suspension: At the end of each semester, any student who completely withdraws, receives grades of all F, I, CR, or NC will be automatically placed on suspension without being given a probation period.
How to Re-establish Eligibility	Federal Aid recipients on suspension for not maintaining a 2.0 GPA or better for undergraduate students (3.0 for Academic Competitive Grant (ACG) and National SMART grant) and a 3.0 GPA for graduate studentsmust complete courses at DBU to raise their cumulative GPA to the above levels at their own expense. Federal Aid recipients on suspension for insufficient completion of required hours must complete the hours necessary to make up the deficiency at DBU at their own expense. Example: Student enrolled for 12 hours in Fall and 12 hours in Spring semesters. Student must complete 66.67% or 16 hours (24 X 66.67% = 16 hours). However, student earns only 10 hours. The student must therefore complete a minimum of 6 hours to remove deficiency (16 hours required – 10 hours earned = 6 hours deficient). After the student has completed the hours to remove their suspension status, the student must request that an evaluation of progress be completed to re-establish eligibility for receiving assistance. Evaluations will be completed after grades are posted for the following financial aid enrollment periods: Fall (includes August Mini terms, Fall Term, Fall Break Mini-term and Thanksgiving Mini-terms) Spring (includes Winter Mini-terms, Spring Term and Spring Break Mini-terms) Summer (includes Summer I, Summer II and May Mini-terms) TEG and Texas Grant recipients who have failed to complete 24 hours or maintain a 2.5 GPA as an undergraduate student or 18 hours and maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA as a graduate/doctoral student may: Attend the following summer and make up the deficiency of GPA or hours completed or, during the next academic year of enrollment, make up the deficiency of GPA or hours.
Appeals	A student with unusual or mitigating circumstances may request a suspension status to be waived by submitting and following the guidelines of the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Suspension Evaluation or Appeal Request form. An appeal request will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid and, if needed, will be reviewed by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeals Committee for an approval or denial. All Committee decisions are final. Students will be notified in writing as to the decision regarding their financial aid status. Individuals granted a waiver are placed on a one-semester probation status. For state assistance, examples of hardship may include: 1) severe illness or other debilitating condition, 2) an indication that the student is responsible for the care of a sick, injured or needy person, 3) one semester hours completed hardship, or 4) freshman hardship.
Support Services	Support services are available to help ensure a student’s academic success. DBU Counseling services are available free of charge to DBU students by contacting 214-333-5288. The DBU Writing Lab is available to assist students in the writing and construction of papers. They can be reached at 214-333-5474. The DBU library is available to help students with research. Contact them at 214-333-5213. Tutoring services are available by calling 214-333-6843. Students with disabilities can contact the Office of Student Affairs at 214-333-5134 to make accommodations for their disability.