EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY UNDERGRADUATES DEFINITIONS

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1 EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY UNDERGRADUATES Federal regulations require that you maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive financial aid, regardless of whether you have previously received financial assistance. Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated before the beginning of each quarter. Although you may receive an award letter indicating your eligibility for financial aid, your aid is subject to suspension if you do not meet the satisfactory academic progress conditions outlined below. It is your responsibility to know whether you have met the requirements, since you may not receive notice of suspension before the quarter begins. DEFINITIONS Financial Aid: All aid for which you applied using the FAFSA, including Federal Stafford and Federal Parent Loans. FAO: Financial Aid Office All of the following statuses are considered to be undergraduate for purposes of this policy: Undergraduate: A student who has not earned a baccalaureate degree. Teacher Certification: A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree and is working on teaching certification. Post-baccalaureate: A student who has earned a baccalaureate degree and is working on an additional undergraduate degree. Provisional Graduate: A student who is working on undergraduate prerequisites for admittance to a graduate program. Financial aid eligibility is limited to one consecutive 12 month period. REQUIREMENTS You must meet all four requirements listed below to remain eligible for aid. I) MINIMUM GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA) Students beyond the freshman year are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0. Students placed on academic probation do not lose eligibility for financial aid; however, students placed on academic dismissal lose eligibility and are notified in writing. Additional information on the University s academic requirements and reinstatement procedures can be found in the Graduate and Undergraduate Studies catalog. II) MINIMUM QUARTERLY CREDIT REQUIREMENT You must be enrolled for the required minimum number of credits listed in the chart below to receive your aid. The last day to add classes is the 10th class day. Wait-listed courses do NOT count toward enrolled credits. Enrollment at other institutions may be counted toward EWU enrolled and completed credits if there is a signed consortium agreement between the schools.

2 Your enrollment at the end of the 10 th class day determines your official enrollment status for the quarter and is used to measure your satisfactory academic progress standing at the end of the quarter (exception: if you withdraw during the first 10 days and receive prorated aid for the time you were here, you will be on financial aid suspension for your next quarter of attendance). Your financial aid will also be adjusted, if applicable, based on your enrollment at the end of the 10 th class day. Your adjusted 10 th day financial aid award is final for the duration of the term. For Satisfactory Academic Progress, you must complete the required minimum number of credits listed below to remain in good standing. Otherwise, you will be placed in a probationary status. Two consecutive quarters of probation will result in suspension of your aid. If your aid is suspended based on two consecutive probationary quarters, you may appeal as noted below. Grades of 0.0 ( F ), NC (no credit), W (withdrew), and X (incomplete) do not count toward credits completed. Any incompletes and grade changes you wish to have considered should be posted by the 10th day of the following quarter. If the incompletes and grade change(s) are not posted by the 10th day, your aid will be canceled. You then have until the end of the seventh week of that quarter to obtain your grade change(s) or finish your incomplete(s) for purposes of financial aid reinstatement. Reinstatement of aid after cancellation is based on available funds. Enrollment Status Credits at the End of 10 th Day Good Standing Probation Suspension Full-time or more ¾ Time ¾ Time ¾ Time ½ Time ½ Time ½ Time Less than ½ Time Less than ½ Time Less than ½ Time Less than ½ Time Less than ½ Time 1 1 na 0 III) MAXIMUM TIME FRAME REQUIREMENT Financial aid eligibility is subject to the maximum time frame limits noted below. If you are unable to complete your degree within the specified timeframe, you are responsible for any additional educational costs at your own expense (some alternative loans may still be available) First Bachelor s degree: 180 Attempted Credits: A first warning letter is sent at 180 attempted credits (including transfer credits). If you have not already applied for graduation and determined a degree checkout date, it is highly recommended that you meet with your advisor and develop a plan for degree completion. Keep a copy of that plan, as it may help your appeal, should one become necessary. 225 Attempted Credits: A second warning letter is sent at 225 attempted credits (including transfer credits). State Need Grant and EWU Grant are suspended and cannot be appealed. 250 Attempted Credits: All aid is suspended when you reach 250 attempted credits. From 250 to 255 attempted credits (including all transfer credits), you may appeal for up to two additional

3 quarters of eligibility. From attempted credits (including all transfer credits), you may appeal for one additional quarter. If you change the academic plan on which your appeal is approved, you must re-appeal. 270 Attempted Credits: All federal, state, and institutional aid is suspended at 270 attempted credits, with no further appeal. You may continue to attend at your own expense or apply for a credit-based alternative loan through the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. Students who obtain alternative loans beyond the maximum time frame or who pay for quarters on their own prior to requesting an alternative loan must still meet the quarterly SAP requirements and must appeal if placed on quarterly suspension. The appeal requires the completion of debt management materials and a degree completion grid. Additional undergraduate degree(s) or certificate(s): Eligibility for aid at the post-baccalaureate level is limited to 125 attempted credits beyond your first undergraduate degree (including all transfer credits accepted by EWU during the post-baccalaureate period). This is a one-time limit that includes all credits taken for teacher certification, second (and subsequent) undergraduate degrees, and pre-requisites for graduate school. It does not restart when you change programs. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS Repeats Repeated credits are counted as both attempted and earned credits each time you take them. However, if you repeat too many courses, you will be in danger of being suspended under the maximum timeframe criteria before you obtain your degree. Pass/Fail Passing pass/fail credits are considered attempted and earned. Failed pass/fail credits are considered attempted but not earned. Withdrawals Withdrawals are counted as attempted but not earned. Incompletes Incompletes are counted as attempted but not earned. In Progress Grades ( Y grades) In progress grades do not affect your satisfactory academic progress standing. Study abroad Y grades are an exception. A study abroad transcript must be received within six months after you have completed your study abroad program Remedial Courses Remedial courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned credits. Transfer Courses Transfer credits accepted by EWU are counted in the cumulative credit limits regardless of whether they count toward your degree. They also count toward your quarterly requirement if taken under a signed consortium agreement. Audited Courses Audited courses are not counted in either attempted or earned credits. Changes of Major/Dual Degrees/Minors- Students who change majors, pursue dual degrees, and/or minors must still meet the cumulative credit limits specified above. If you change your major too many times, you may be suspended under the Maximum Time Frame criteria before you have received your degree. Academic Forgiveness Courses for which you receive academic forgiveness are counted as both attempted and earned credits for financial aid purposes. RE-ESTABLISHING ELIGIBILITY FOR AID I) FAILURE TO MEET MINIMUM GRADE POINT AVERAGE Students who have not declared a major may petition to the Undergraduate Academic Advising Office for reinstatement. Students with declared majors must petition to the Dean of their college. II) FAILURE TO COMPLETE MINIMUM QUARTERLY CREDIT REQUIREMENT You may re-establish eligibility by successfully completing a full quarter at Eastern or at another school (at least 12 credits with a 2.0 GPA in each class) without financial aid. No appeal is needed. If you complete

4 the 12 credits over one or more quarters or at another school with financial aid, reinstatement is not automatic, but you can re-appeal based on the successful completion of those credits. These requirements apply regardless of type of funding received, but are prorated for quarters where you are funded for less than full time. III) EXCEEDING THE MAXIMUM TIME FRAME REQUIREMENT If your cumulative attempted credits (including transfer credits) are from 250 to 255, you may appeal for up to two additional quarters of eligibility. If your cumulative attempted credits (including transfer credits) are from 256 to 269, you may appeal from one additional quarter. If you have 270 or more attempted credits, no further appeals will be accepted. However, you may continue to attend at your own expense or apply for a credit-based alternative loan through the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. If you are under the 125 credit limit for post-baccalaureate work, you may appeal for one to two additional quarters beyond the 125 limit, if necessary to complete your degree. APPEALS PROCESS You may appeal the suspension of your aid by submitting a written appeal to the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. Appeal forms are available from the office or on our web site at and may be submitted in person, by mail, or by fax. Please include appropriate documentation (letters from physicians or instructors, etc.) to support the statements in your appeal. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee reviews appeals weekly. If you fail to meet the standards as noted above, your aid is subject to cancellation. If your appeal is successful, reinstatement of the cancelled aid is dependent on available funds. You may lose some of your grant and/or work study funding. Financial aid cannot be reinstated for a prior quarter. Appeals must be submitted at least three weeks prior to the end of the quarter for which you are on suspension to be considered for reinstatement for that quarter. Probationary Recommendations If you are placed on probation, you will be sent a letter along with a set of recommended actions which include meeting with your academic advisor, an Ethnic Programs advisor, or a counselor, and/or contacting the Academic Support Center. Should you be suspended, the Appeals Committee will look for evidence that you followed through on one or more of the suggested actions. Grade Changes Grade changes must be made by the tenth day of the next quarter. Contact the Financial Aid Office (FAO) when your grade change is posted on the system. If your grade change does not occur before the tenth day, submit a written request to the Financial Aid Office to hold your aid, otherwise it will be cancelled. Reinstatement of Aid If your grade change is posted after your aid is canceled, you must contact the FAO to request that your aid be re-awarded. Reinstatement of aid depends on the availability of funds and you may not receive the same aid that you were awarded prior to your suspension. All grade changes must be submitted three weeks prior to the end of the quarter for which you are on suspension for your aid to be reinstated for that quarter.

5 COMMITTEE DECISIONS The decision of the Financial Aid Appeals Committee is final and cannot be re-appealed at a higher level. You may re-appeal to the committee only if you are providing new information that was not considered in your original appeal. The Appeals Committee is unable to address any questions or requests for information regarding their decisions. However, some of the factors they consider are: 1. Validity of the reasons for failing to meet the standards. 2. Resolution of the problems leading up to your failure to meet the standards. 3. Prior academic history (credits earned vs. credits attempted, GPA, number of repeats, etc.). 4. Meetings with your academic advisor, along with their notes and recommendations. 5. Number of previous suspensions and reinstatements. 6. Your demonstrated motivation to succeed. 7. Likelihood of future success. 8. Number of additional quarters requested. 9. Quality of appeal. 10. Quality and thoroughness of supporting documentation.