Satisfactory Academic Progress

Overview

Arkansas State University-Newport's goal is to support students along their academic journey. One of the ways that we support our students is to ensure that students are making Satisfactory Academic Progress. Maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress ensures that students remain on good Academic and Financial Aid standings. The information provided in the sections below outline the processes ASUN follows to ensure students maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress for Academics and Financial Aid.

If you have questions, please email .

Why monitor Academic Progress?

Federal regulations require all recipients of student financial aid to make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards an eligible degree or certificate program.

Title IV Aid includes the following programs:

Federal Pell Grants
Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
Federal Work-Study (FWS)
Federal Direct Subsidized Loans

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans
Federal PLUS Loans

Satisfactory Academic Progress will be reviewed at the end of Fall, Spring, Summer, and during the application process.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress is based on the following:

How Progress is Measured

Qualitative Progress (GPA)

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0.
- Grades of A, B, C, D, and S are considered as attempted courses that are successfully completed (passing), and grades of F, W, I, and U are considered as attempted courses that are not successfully completed (not passing).

Quantitative Progress (PACE)

Students must successfully complete at least 67% of cumulative hours attempted
- Attempted hours include:
  - Developmental/Remedial Hours
  - Repeat/Incomplete Hours
    - Incomplete coursework will be evaluated as unearned hours until the course has been satisfactorily completed
    - Incomplete coursework must be completed by the designated date agreed upon on the Incomplete Request Form.
  - Transfer Hours/Concurrent (High School) Enrollment
  - All hours regardless of whether a student received Financial Aid
Students must complete their program within 150% of the published timeframe of their current academic degree program
- Example: Degree program requires 60 hours. 60 X 150% = 90 hours maximum

Eligibility

ASUN Student Eligibility

Student eligibility will be reviewed at the end of each semester (including summer terms) as well as during the application process.
A student must be admitted and enrolled in an eligible ASUN academic degree program.
A student must complete at least 67% of cumulative hours attempted and maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
A student may not exceed 150% of the published length of their current ASUN academic degree program.

Transfer and Re-Admitted Student Eligibility

Transfer and Re-admitted student eligibility will be reviewed upon admission to the university.
- A transfer student must submit an official transcript from the last college attended and submit to the Office of Admissions before eligibility can be determined.
- Unofficial transcripts will not be used to determine eligibility.
Eligibility will be based on the hours accepted by ASUN.
A transfer student that earned 0 hours in the last term at enrollment at their previous college will be placed on Financial Aid and Academic Suspension.
A transfer and re-admitted student must meet the following requirements:
- A transfer and re-admitted student must complete at least 67% of cumulative hours attempted and maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
- A transfer and re-admitted student may not exceed 150% of the published length of their current academic degree program.

Failure to Meet SAP Requirements

Students who do not meet cumulative GPA requirements will be placed on Financial Aid Warning and Academic Probation for their next term of enrollment.
Students who do not successfully complete 67% of their cumulative attempted hours will be placed on Financial Aid Warning and Academic Probation for their next term of enrollment.
Students who do not complete their current academic program within 150% of the published timeframe will be placed on Financial Aid and Academic Suspension.
If at any point it is clear that a student will not be able to complete their degree within the allotted timeframe, they will immediately be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and Academic Suspension.
Students receiving all “F’s or W’s” for a semester may be required to return a portion of the Federal Financial Aid funds they received during that term of enrollment.

Academic and Financial Aid Warning

Students who are placed on Academic and Financial Aid Warning will be allowed to receive federal financial aid for the next term of enrollment. No action is required by the student.
Students placed on Academic and Financial Aid Warning are notified by student email and the personal email on file.
Students must have a 2.0 minimum cumulative grade point average and complete at least 67% of their cumulative hours attempted by the end of the semester.
Failure to meet these requirements by the end of the warning semester will be placed on Academic and Financial Aid Suspension.

Academic and Financial Aid Suspension

Students placed on Academic and Financial Aid Suspension are not eligible for most types of financial aid until they meet cumulative grade point requirements or are approved through the appeals process.
There are two ways to regain financial aid eligibility:

If there were no extenuating circumstances, the student must submit an Academic Only Appeal to register for classes. If the Academic Only Appeal is approved, the student will only be able to enroll in courses and will not be eligible for financial aid.

NOTE: In order to regain financial aid eligibility, the student completes coursework until they have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average and complete 67% of the cumulative hours attempted. It is the student's responsibility to request a review of their transcript when they are meeting the requirements of SAP by emailing .

If there were extenuating circumstances that affected their academic performance, students must submit an Academic and Financial Aid Appeal to attempt to have eligibility restored.

Financial Aid and Academic Probation

Students who have an approved Academic and Financial Aid Appeal will be placed on Academic and Financial Aid Probation and will be allowed to enroll in classes and receive financial aid for one semester.
Students on probation, must complete an Academic Plan with their advisor.
At the end of the student’s semester of probation, the student must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements or the requirements of the Academic Plan. Students who fail to meet SAP requirements or the requirements of the Academic Plan will be placed on Academic and Financial Aid Suspension.

Reestablishing Academic and Financial Aid Eligibility

Students may submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal to have their eligibility restored if there are extenuating circumstances that affected their academic performance.
- Extenuating circumstances may be defined as situations beyond the student’s control that do not allow them to maintain SAP requirements.
  - Examples include prolonged illness, accidents that require hospitalizations of the student or immediate family member, death of an immediate family member, or divorce of the student or the student’s parents, etc.
Students must appeal to have their eligibility restored once they have brought their academic record back in line with the cumulative SAP Policy.
- Sitting out for a semester or an extended period of time does not restore eligibility to a student who failed to make Satisfactory Academic Progress or had their appeal denied.
- If hours were completed at another institution, the student must submit official transcripts to the Office of the Registrar for evaluation.
SAP Appeals must include:
- Request links to submit an appeal by emailing and complete the appeal using your ASU-Newport student email address
- A statement explaining the circumstances that affected the student’s academic performance, as well as an explanation as to what has changed that will allow the student to make Satisfactory Academic Progress.
- Supporting documentation that validates the student’s situation must be submitted with the appeal. Neither letters of reference nor letters from family or friends will be acceptable documentation.
  - Documentation may include medical records, police reports, court records, professional letters on letterhead, etc.
- The submission of an appeal does not guarantee that financial aid and academic eligibility will be restored.
- If you need assistance in formatting the SAP Appeal, you can utilize the resources from Swift Student.

Academic Plans

All students that have an approved Academic and Financial Aid Appeal, must complete an Academic Plan. Academic Plans are designed to determine benchmarks that the student must meet within a certain number of terms.

Progress is measured at the end of each term and evaluated based on the terms of the Academic Plan.
Students who fail to meet the requirements of the plan will again be placed on Academic and Financial Aid Suspension for the next semester and will be ineligible to register for classes or receive financial aid.
- Students placed on Academic and Financial Aid Suspension for violating the terms of an Academic Plan are not eligible to appeal unless there are different (new) reasons than the original appeal.
Students who meet the SAP requirements while on the Academic Plan will then be in good standing for the next semester of enrollment.
Students who are not meeting the overall SAP requirements but who are meeting the requirements of the academic plan will remain on probation and will complete a new academic plan.

Academic Only Appeal Process

This process is for students who have been placed on suspension at the end of an evaluation period (i.e. Fall, Spring, or Summer) and wish to re-enroll in the next semester..

How to submit an Academic Only Appeal

1. Complete the Academic Only Appeal by emailing and requesting a link to the appeal form.

2. Wait on an outcome of the SAP Appeal Process. This process can take up to two weeks.

There are two outcomes of the Academic Only Appeal Process. Please see the list below.
Outcome: Academic Only Appeal Approved
- Academic and Financial Aid Standing: Academic Probation - Not eligible for Financial Aid
- Explanation: Student who is a returning ASUN or transfer student who submits an Academic Only Appeal for a previous semester’s suspension status and want to enroll at ASUN in the upcoming term. The SAP Appeals committee determined they had a viable reason in their appeal, but it was not enough to regain financial aid eligibility.
- Eligibility: The student is eligible to enroll in courses and but will NOT eligible for financial aid (i.e. pell, direct loans, and other financial aid). The student will self-pay. Once the student is back in good standing, the student needs to email and request to have their SAP status re-evaluated.
Outcome: Academic Only Appeal Denied
- Academic and Financial Aid Standing: Academic and Financial Aid Suspension
- Explanation: The student’s appeal was denied because their sap appeal did not show an extenuating circumstance.
- Eligibility: They are not eligible to re-enroll this next term nor are they eligible for financial aid.

Eligibility

Students that have an Academic Only Appeal approved are eligible to enroll in courses but will NOT be eligible for financial aid.

Things to Know

Academic Only Appeals will only be considered until the Monday prior to the beginning of each term of enrollment (or as needed due to extenuating circumstances).
When a decision has been made regarding your Academic Only Appeal, you will be notified by ASUN email.

Questions? Email .

Conditional Admission Process

This process is for students who meet one of the qualifications listed below.

Conditions related to pre-college experience:

a high school diploma is from a school that is not
accredited by a state
no high school diploma or GED

Conditions related to past college performance:

transfer applicant whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.00 at the last college attended before ASUN

How to Apply for Conditional Admission

1. Complete the Conditional Admission form. Click here to access the form.

When a decision has been made regarding your conditional admission appeal, you will be notified by ASUN email.

2. Wait on an outcome of the Conditional Admission process. On average, the review process takes one to two weeks.

There are two outcomes of the Conditional Admission process. Please see the list below.
- Outcome: Conditional Admission Approved (Conditionally Admitted)
  - Academic and Financial Aid Standing: Academic and Financial Aid Warning
  - Explanation: The student has been separated from a post-secondary institution for 1 calendar year and/or meets one or more of the conditional admission categories listed below.
- Outcome: Conditional Admission Denied
  - Academic and Financial Aid Standing: Academic and Financial Aid Suspension
  - Explanation: The student’s appeal was denied because their conditional admission appeal and/or documentation did not show an extenuating circumstance.
  - Eligibility: They are not eligible to re-enroll this next term nor are they eligible for financial aid

Eligibility

Students with an approved Conditional Admission appeal will be eligible to enroll in courses and receive financial aid.

Things to Know

Conditional Admission Appeals will only be considered until the Monday prior to the beginning of each term of enrollment (or as needed due to extenuating circumstances).
When a decision has been made regarding your Conditional Admission Appeal, you will be notified by ASUN email.