CHECK YOUR SAP STATUS
If you are not meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress, we will send you a notification to your Millersville email once spring grades are reviewed. You can also see your SAP status in your myVILLE Portal.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a term used to describe the successful completion of coursework toward a degree or certificate. Federal regulation, specifically the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended by Congress, mandates that institutions of higher education establish minimum standards for measuring whether you are making progress toward a degree. Making progress toward a degree is important for your academic success and a key factor in reducing student debt. In order to receive federal aid, you must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the end of each academic year. This policy is cumulative, and applies to all periods of enrollment, regardless of whether or not aid was received in the past. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, you could lose your eligibility.
Disclaimer: SAP information can only be given to the student because it is so closely related to grades, which are protected under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). If the person(s) listed on your financial aid Authorization to Release call on your behalf we will not be able to speak with them.
what types of aid does sap apply to?
SAP applies to all students seeking federal Title IV financial aid such as the Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Parent and Graduate PLUS Loans, and Work-Study.
Some Millersville scholarships, grants, and departmental awards, as well as awards from external sources, may also require a student to be meeting SAP standards to be eligible for or to continue receiving funding.
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IF YOU RECEIVE THE PA STATE GRANT, CLICK HERE. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has a separate SAP policy for PA State Grant recipients. |
APPEAL YOUR SAP STATUS
Did you have extenuating circumstances that led to you not making Satisfactory Academic Progress? You may be able to appeal your SAP status. Click below to learn more about the appeal process.
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HOW IS SAP MEASURED?
SAP has three separate measures and students must meet all three components to be considered as making Satisfactory Academic Progress. - Cumulative Grade Point Average: (Qualitative Measure) This is your overall Grade Point Average (GPA) at Millersville.
- Completion Rate/Pace: (Quantitative Measure) This is calculated by dividing the total number of credits you have earned by the total number of credits that you have attempted.
- Earned credits include any course that you receive a grade of D minus or better.
- Attempted credits include courses that you have passed and those you may have repeated, failed, or withdrawn from. Courses taken at Millersville, and any credits you have transferred to Millersville, count as attempted credits.
- Maximum Timeframe: Students must complete their program of study within 150% of the published program length.
To determine the requirements you must meet for your degree type, refer to the charts below for each of the three SAP components.
Cumulative GPA:
Degree Type Minimum Qualitative Requirements Undergraduate Programs Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher after 4 semesters at MU Graduate Programs Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at MU Example:
- Student A has completed their first year (fall and spring) at MU. After the spring semester, they had a cumulative 1.8 GPA. As long as the student is meeting the other two SAP requirements they would be eligible to receive aid for the upcoming academic year.
- Since the student has only completed 2 semesters, the qualitative requirement for SAP is not taken into account. However, that means this student only has two more semesters to bring their grades up and earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
- Student B has completed four semesters at MU and has a cumulative 1.95 GPA. The student is not meeting the minimum qualitative requirement for SAP and has lost eligibility for the upcoming academic year. The student can regain eligibility by:
- earning new credits that bring up their cumulative GPA to 2.0 or higher.
- appealing their SAP status if extenuating circumstances led to their ability to earn a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
completion rate/pace:
Degree Type Minimum Quantitative Measure Undergraduate Programs Must successfully complete 67% of their total attempted credits at MU (including any accepted transfer credits). Graduate Programs Must successfully complete 67% of their total attempted credits at MU (including any accepted transfer credits). Example:
- Student A has attempted 30 credits and only earned 21 of the credits they attempted. To calculate the percentage: 21 divided by 30 = 70%. Therefore, student A would be meeting this quantitative measure.
- As long as the student is meeting the other two SAP requirements, they would be eligible to receive aid for the upcoming academic year.
- Student B has attempted 30 credits and earned 18 of them. 18 divided by 30 = 60% so Student B is not meeting the minimum quantitative requirement for SAP and has lost eligibility for the upcoming academic year. The student can regain eligibility by:
- earning new credits that bring up their percentage of attempted vs. earned credits above 67%.
- appealing their SAP status if extenuating circumstances led to their ability to earn less than 67% of the credits they attempted.
Maximum timeframe:
Degree Type Required Credit Hours for Degree Maximum Timeframe to Receive Federal Aid Undergraduate Programs (Associate's Degree) 60 credits earned Attempted credit hours must be 90 or less (60 credits x 150% = 90 credits) Undergraduate Programs (Bachelor's Degree) 120 credits earned Attempted credit hours must be 180 or less (120 credits x 150% = 180 credits) Graduate Programs (Master, Doctoral, Certification Degrees) Specified # of credits needed for the specific degree program # of required credits x 150% = __ Example:
- Student A is an undergraduate and needs to earn 120 credits to receive their bachelor's degree. They have attempted 130 credits but only earned (passed) 105. This student still has 15 credits left to take before earning their degree. 130 + 15 = 145 credits attempted; therefore this student will not have attempted 180 credits before completing their program.
- As long as the student is meeting the other two SAP requirements they would be eligible to receive federal aid for the upcoming academic year.
- Student B is an undergraduate and needs to earn 120 credits to receive their bachelor's degree. They have attempted 170 credits but only earned (passed) 90. This student still has 30 credits left to take before earning their degree. 170 + 30 = 200 credits attempted; therefore this student will have reached 180 credits before completing their program.
- As long as the student is meeting the other two SAP requirements they would be eligible to receive aid for the remaining 10 credit hours of eligibility, but after those 10 credit hours, they will have exhausted all of their federal Title IV aid eligibility.
Disclaimer:
- Any student who changes majors is responsible for completing the degree requirements within the timeframe specified above. Any additional courses taken due to a change in major will count toward the SAP calculation.
- Second-degree students must also complete their program within the maximum timeframe specified for their program.
- There is no appeal process for the Maximum Timeframe component of SAP.
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When is SAP evaluated?
Each student is measured for SAP annually in May after spring grades are processed. This evaluation determines if the student has made sufficient progress in their program and whether or not they are eligible for future financial aid.
Students who have not met the minimum SAP requirements will be sent an email to their Millersville University email address if they are not eligible. A notification is also displayed under the Finances tab of their myVILLE Student Portal (Requires login).
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HOW DO MY GRADES, REPEAT COURSES, and REMEDIAL COURSES AFFECT SAP?
RECEIVING STANDARD GRADES:
A (+/-) Passing Grade: Credit earned and GPA is affected. B (+/-) Passing Grade: Credit earned and GPA is affected. C (+/-) Passing Grade: Credit earned and GPA is affected. D (+/-) Passing Grade: Credit earned and GPA is affected. F (+/-) Failing Grade: Credit NOT earned and GPA is affected. RECEIVING SPECIAL GRADES:
I Incomplete: No credit earned but is counted as an attempted credit. P Passing Grade: Credit earned but GPA is not affected. Z No grade given: No credit earned but is counted as an attempted credit. W Withdrawal: No credit earned but is counted as an attempted credit. AU Audit Course: No credit earned and is not counted as an attempted credit.
REPEATING COURSES:
Repeating courses may help you to bring up your GPA, but it could negatively affect your Completion Rate.
Cumulative GPA (Qualitative SAP Component) - The last grade earned is always used in calculating the GPA. If a student receives a C- on their first attempt and a D- minus on their second attempt, the D- will be used in calculating the cumulative GPA.
67% Completion Rate (Quantitative SAP Component) - If the student failed the course the first time but passes it the second time, the appropriate number of credits will be received after the second attempt.
- If the student passed the course the first time and repeats it in an attempt to improve the GPA but receives a failing grade, the appropriate number of credits will be deducted from the cumulative credits earned total.
You can only receive federal aid for a repeated course up to a certain number of times. Your federal aid eligibility for the repeat course will depend on how many times you have already taken it. Please click here for more information on repeating courses and how it may affect your financial aid.
TAKING REMEDIAL COURSES:
Remedial courses (MATH 090, COMM 010, ENGL 010) are included in the SAP calculations.
- Please be aware that these courses do not count toward the total credits needed to graduate and will count toward the Maximum Time Frame component of SAP.
- Students should meet with their academic advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate with the necessary credits for their program.
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I AM NOT MAKING SAP, HOW CAN I REGAIN MY ELIGIBILITY?
MAXIMUM TIMEFRAME
If you have met the maximum timeframe component for your program, you cannot regain eligibility. However, we encourage you to contact our office to discuss your options.
GPA AND COMPLETION RATE
If you are not meeting the GPA or Completion Rate components, you will regain eligibility once you have met the minimum GPA requirement and/or have increased your completion rate to 67% or higher. Keep in mind:
- Financial aid eligibility will always begin with the academic semester after which the student re-establishes progress.
- It is the student’s responsibility to contact the MU Office of Financial Aid after completing coursework so that their SAP status can be re-reviewed.
Check out the different ways that you can work to regain your eligibility for aid.
Earning New Credits at Millersville: Taking and earning new credits at Millersville may help to increase both your completion rate and GPA.
- If you are not making SAP at the beginning of the academic year, you have the opportunity to regain eligibility in a future semester by taking new credits to increase your GPA and/or Completion Rate.
Example:
- Student A is not making SAP due to the Completion Rate component and needs to complete three new credits to increase their rate above 67%. The student decides to take a 3 credit course in the summer and passes the course with a B+. The student is now making SAP after the summer and will regain eligibility for federal aid beginning in the fall semester.
- Student B has a GPA of 1.99 and is not making SAP due to the GPA component. The student takes four courses (12 credits) in the fall semester and receives an A+ in all of their courses. Once fall grades are processed, it is determined the student is now making SAP and has regained eligibility for federal aid beginning in the spring semester.
Transferring Credits from Another Institution: Transferring credits from another institution may help you increase your Completion Rate, but they won’t increase your GPA.
- If you are not making SAP due to your GPA, taking credits at another institution will not help you regain eligibility.
If you are taking coursework at another institution to increase your Completion Rate:
- Ensure your credits will transfer to Millersville. Complete the Authorization to Transfer Credits Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office must accept the transfer credits to have them applied to the SAP calculation.
- If you are taking transfer credits in the summer, we recommended that you take them as early as possible to allow time for the credit(s) to be transferred, reviewed, and updated by the Registrar's Office. An Official Transcript must be sent to their office to begin this process.
- It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid once grades have been transferred from another institution and appear on their Millersville transcript.
Repeating a Course (Credits) Repeating credits may help you increase your GPA, but they won't increase your Completion Rate and could actually have a negative impact.
- If you are not making SAP due to your GPA, repeating a course you did not previously receive credit for (i.e. you received an F, W, or Z grade) you could choose to repeat the course to bring up your GPA.
- However, be careful as every time you retake a course it counts as an attempted credit and may hurt your Completion Rate.
Example 1:
Grade Received
Does it count as attempted credit(s)?
Does it count as earned credit(s)?
Will it affect the student’s Completion Rate?
Will it affect the student’s GPA?
1st attempt taking course (credits)
F: Failed Course
YES
NO
YES (negative impact)
YES (negative impact)
2nd attempt taking course (credits)
B: Passed Course
YES
YES
YES (positive impact)
YES (positive impact)
Example 2:
Grade Received
Does it count as attempted credit(s)?
Does it count as earned credit(s)?
Will it affect the student’s Completion Rate?
Will it affect the student’s GPA?
1st attempt taking course (credits)
W: Withdrew from Course
YES
NO
YES (negative impact)
NO
2nd attempt taking course (credits)
B: Passed Course
YES
NO
YES (positive impact)
YES (positive impact)
Example 3:
Grade Received
Does it count as attempted credit(s)?
Does it count as earned credit(s)?
Will it affect the student’s Completion Rate?
Will it affect the student’s GPA?
1st attempt taking course (credits)
W: Withdrew from Course
YES
NO
YES (negative impact)
NO
2nd attempt taking course (credits)
F: Failed Course
YES
NO
YES (negative impact)
YES (negative impact)
Disclaimer: You can only receive federal aid for a repeated course up to a certain number of times. Your federal aid eligibility for the repeat course will depend on how many times you have already taken it. Please click here for more information on repeating courses and how it may affect your financial aid.
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HOW MANY CREDITS AND/OR WHAT GRADES DO I NEED TO MAKE SAP?
67% Completion Rate (Quantitative SAP Component) - If you need assistance determining how many new credits you need to earn in order to increase your Completion Rate above 67%, contact the Office of Financial Aid.
Cumulative GPA (Qualitative SAP Component) - For assistance estimating the grades needed to increase your GPA contact your Academic Advisor or utilize the GPA calculator in your Degree Audit.
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CAN I APPEAL LOSING MY FEDERAL AID?
A student whose financial aid eligibility has been suspended due to not meeting the SAP standards may choose to appeal their status if they have experienced extenuating circumstances that affected their ability to meet the academic progress standards.
- In general, extenuating circumstances can include but are not limited to illness, injury, the death of relative or friend, difficulties with accommodations for students with disabilities, and adversity due to unforeseen events.
If you experienced extenuating circumstances such as those listed above, click the link below to learn more about the appeal process and access the appeal form.
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PA STATE GRANT academic progress POLICY
Academic progress requirements for state grant programs differ from the federal academic progress policy. Generally, a full-time student must earn at least 12 new credits per semester and a part-time student must earn at least 6 new credits per semester. A student may receive the equivalent of 8 full-time PA State Grant payments.
Academic progress requirements for the Pennsylvania State Grant are communicated directly to recipients with their state grant notification by PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency); questions about appeals for Pennsylvania State Grant eligibility must be directed to PHEAA at 1-800-692-7392 or www.pheaa.org.
For more information on the PA State Grant and the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, click the link below.
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resources to help you be academically successful
Check out the different resources available to students at Millersville that can help them be academically successful and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.