Award Letters - Satisfactory Academic Progress

Applicants must maintain satisfactory progress standards as defined in the University catalog. It is the student's responsibility to read and understand these standards.

If a student fails to meet these standards, any and all aid offered on the Award Notification Letter will be automatically withdrawn. Students who do not meet the standards quantitatively (dealing with credit completion requirements) and who desire to appeal suspension of his or her financial aid, must contact the Financial Aid Office within two weeks of the end of the current semester. Appeals are considered only in cases where there are documented special circumstances. On the other hand, students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress standards qualitatively (because of low GPA) will be notified of ineligibility and the correct appeal procedures to follow by the Provost's Office.

The United States Department of Education has mandated that colleges and universities have in place satisfactory progress standards that must be met in order for a student to receive Title IV funds (Federal Pell Grants, Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, Federal PLUS Loans, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Perkins Loans). In addition, the Financial Aid Office uses satisfactory academic progress standards to determine eligibility for FSU grants and Maryland State Scholarship awards. The standards listed below apply to the regular academic year.

Maximum Period of Eligibility

In order to receive financial aid, the maximum number of credit hours that can be attempted is 160. The 160 maximum credits standard includes all classes transferred in from another institution.

Academic Progress Standards

In addition to the minimum GPA Requirements described below, the Financial Aid Office will implement a new policy regarding the completion rate of credits attempted (effective 5/26/01). The policy states, “A student must have successfully completed 67% of his/her cumulative attempted credits at FSU (including attempted hours for summer session and intersession enrollments) in order to maintain financial aid eligibility for the ensuing academic year.” Every credit ever attempted at FSU is used in this calculation. This means that a student who withdraws from the university and returns at a later time, will be evaluated on his or her total academic performance at FSU. Total academic performance includes all credits previously attempted during that student's prior enrollment; for example,

Student "A" is not making satisfactory academic progress.
Student "A" withdraws from FSU.
Student "A" attends another college or university for a given period of time.
Student "A" then decides to return to FSU.

Upon student "A"s return, he or she is still ineligible for financial aid because he or she is still not making satisfactory academic progress at FSU. Student "A"s performance at the college or university that student "A" has been attending are not included in any satisfactory academic progress standards calculation, as these grades and credits were not earned at FSU. In other words, sitting out a semester from FSU does not mean that a student will be eligible for financial aid upon his or her return to the University.

Minimum GPA Requirements

All students must be maintaining a particular GPA to receive financial aid. Undergraduate students are evaluated by the Provost Office and will be notified by that office if a deficiency in their GPA is an issue (see addendum to course catalog for 2006-2007). Those students with a deficiency in GPA and completion rates will be evaluated by the Provost Office and the desicion rendered by that office will be used to determine eligibility for financial aid. Keep in mind; the above listed requirements still exist for students without a GPA deficiency.

All graduate students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in order to receive financial aid. The Financial Aid Office evaluates graduate students on GPA deficiencies and they will be notified by our office.

Exceptions

Transfer credits will not affect the calculation of the student’s GPA, but will be considered in determining the student’s total earned hours. For example, a transfer student who has completed 30 credits at Frostburg State University and 20 credits elsewhere, must have a cumulative GPA of 1.8 in courses taken at Frostburg State University to remain eligible for financial aid.

Additional Information

To receive financial aid, in addition to maintaining satisfactory academic progress as outlined in this policy, students must be eligible to enroll at the University. Suspension or dismissal from the University will result in an automatic cancellation of financial aid.

1. The following grade symbols will be considered as credits passed: A, B, C, D, P
In addition, to those grades listed as credits passed, the following grades will be calculated in hours attempted: W, WF, CS, NC, F, FX, N, I

2. Credit hours in which the student has received an incomplete (I) will not be considered as credits completed.

3. Courses that a student repeats will be included in hours attempted.

4. If you have been ineligible for financial aid during a previous semester and now meet our academic standards, it is your responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office.

5. Students who receive all FX grades during a semester are ineligible to receive financial aid the following semester; however, these students do have the right to appeal.

Appeal Process

All students have the right to appeal when they are notified that they are ineligible to receive financial aid because they are not making satisfactory academic progress. The appeals should be based on mitigating circumstances, such as serious physical or emotional problems. All appeals must be written and clearly state the student’s special circumstances. You must provide supporting documentation. For example, a letter from a physician is required in the case of a physical problem. The appeals should also state the specific means by which a student intends to attain satisfactory academic progress.

Students who fail to meet the satisfactory progress standards based on their cumulative Frostburg State University GPA will be notified by the Office of the Provost. Students wishing to appeal must submit their appeals to the Office of the Provost. Such appeals are reviewed by the Academic Standards Subcommittee.

Students who fail to meet the satisfactory progress standards based on the number of credit hours completed or exceeding the maximum period of eligibility, or who are consortium participants, will be notified by the Financial Aid Office. Students wishing to appeal must submit their appeals to the Financial Aid Office. Such appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.

Deadlines for appeals are stated in the letters notifying students of their ineligibility. Letters of appeal received after the deadline will not be considered. The University makes every effort to notify you by first-class mail to your permanent address at the end of the semester if you fail to meet the academic standards and informs you of the deadline date for appeals; however, it is your responsibility to recognize your ineligibility and actively pursue appeal procedures where mitigating circumstances exist. The deadline for appeals is normally within two weeks of the semester’s ending date.

Note to Consortium Participants

Students participating in consortium agreements are required to provide a transcript of grades from the “host institution” at the end of each consortium semester. It is the responsibility of the student to have the transcript submitted to the Financial Aid Office. Failure to provide the transcript will result in the suspension of aid for any subsequent semester. In addition, it should be understood that grades received from the host institution will be included in determining whether a student meets our defined satisfactory progress standards.