Satisfactory Academic Progress for US Loans Recipients

Transcription

1 Spring 16 Satisfactry Academic Prgress fr US Lans Recipients Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

2 Table f Cntents 1 SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY FOR US FEDERAL LOAN RECIPIENTS Satisfactry Academic Prgress (SAP) Basic Standard fr Satisfactry Perfrmance Qualitative standard (grades): Quantitative standard (pace): When is SAP Determined? Calculating Yur Cmpletin Rate Undergraduate students (bachelr s students) Calculating Yur Cmpletin Rate Graduate students (master s students) In shrt, what des my SAP Status mean? What if yu d nt meet the requirements? Appeals: Exceptinal circumstances affecting satisfactry academic perfrmance 5 2 Additinal SAP regulatins that might be applicable t US federal lan students recipients Residence permit fr study purpses VUFP Schlarship 6 1

3 1 Satisfactry Academic Prgress Plicy fr US Federal lan recipients 1.1 Satisfactry Academic Prgress (SAP) T be eligible fr US federal student lans, a student must make satisfactry academic prgress. This plicy applies t undergraduate, graduate and pstgraduate students taking federal lans (als knwn as financial aid and Title IV aid ) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam specifically Direct subsidised, unsubsidised, Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS lans. It applies t all federal lan recipients, including graduates, undergraduate, and part-time and full-time students. Students wh receive a US federal lan thrugh Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are required maintain satisfactry academic prgress tward their degree requirements fr each year in which they are enrlled. 1.2 Basic Standard fr Satisfactry Perfrmance Satisfactry Academic Prgress (SAP) is evaluated twice a year 1, at the end f the first and secnd semester. Failure t maintain satisfactry prgress may result in cancellatin f financial aid awards, and financial aid recipients may have t repay funds already received. US Federal regulatins require that the University check the academic prgress f student lan recipients frm the first date f enrlment at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, whether r nt student lans were received at that time. The review is based n qualitative (grade-based) and quantitative standards (pace, time-based). It is als cumulative fr all academic wrk attempted at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and transferred credits Qualitative standard (grades): All students must maintain a cumulative average ttal grade f 6 r abve. Students wh fail t meet the minimum qualitative standards fr the first time in that particular academic year will be placed n Financial Aid Warning. Students will cntinue t receive financial aid during the warning perid. Students wh fail t meet the average grade requirement after the warning perid will be placed n Financial Aid Suspensin and will nt qualify fr financial aid. Dutch Grading system The Dutch grading system is generally based n a mark between 1 (minimum) and 10 (maximum). A grade f 6.0 r mre stands fr pass, a grade f less than 6.0 fr fail. Students in receipt f U.S. financial aid must achieve a cumulative Grade Pint Average (GPA) f 6 r higher at the end f each semester. ECTS % Quality Assessment ECTS grade Dutch grade 10% Excellent/Very gd A % Gd B % Mre than satisfactry C % Satisfactry D % Sufficient E Fail F Quantitative standard (pace): All students must cmplete at least 24 ECTS after the 1st semester t prevent that they are placed n Financial Aid Warning. (Only fr 1 st year Undergraduate (Bachelr) students, the standard requirement fr the 1 st semester is 18 ECTS). After the 2nd semester it is expected that the student has cmpleted 42 ECTS. If students fail t meet this requirement, he/she will 1 In the academic year 2015/2016, fr graduate students, SAP will be checked nly nce a year, at the end f the secnd semester. Students must have btained 42 credits at that pint. This is nt applicable fr undergraduate students 2

4 be placed n Financial Aid Suspensin and will n lnger be eligible t receive financial aid. All students autmatically becme ineligible fr financial aid when he/she fails t cmplete 60 credits in three semesters. This applies als if the student if has never received financial aid fr that academic year. Maximum Time Frame Bachelr students: Bachelr students must cmplete their prgram f study within 150% f the published length f the prgram, measured in credit hurs attempted. Example: if the published length f an academic prgram is 60 credits, the maximum time frame fr cmpletin is 90 attempted credits. Or published length f a prgram is 180 credits; the maximum time frame fr cmpletin is 270 attempted credits. All credits attempted while attending VU Amsterdam and all credits transferred t VU Amsterdam (earned) are cunted tward the 150% maximum time frame regardless f whether financial aid was received. This means that students fllwing a secnd (r mre) degree prgramme remain eligible until they ve reached 150% f the published length f their current prgram. Curses with assigned grades f 5.4 r lwer and repeated curses all cunt as attempted credit hurs. The pace requirement sets an expected prgressin t earn yur degree. Yu must earn 67% f all attempted credit hurs. Pace is determined by dividing the ttal number f credit hurs yu have earned by the ttal number f credit hurs attempted. All credits attempted and earned frm all schls yu have attended are included in determining pace. 1.3 When is SAP Determined? End f Semester Review SAP status is calculated at the end f each semester, after grades are registered in the administrative system. After every semester there will be a check if students have met ur SAP plicy. If nt, students must set up an appintment with a student with a study advisr r student cunselr t set study scheme fr the cming semester in rder t finish the prgramme n time. Readmitted students will have SAP recalculated prir t the start f the semester readmitted, which may result in an ineligible status. 1.4 Calculating Yur Cmpletin Rate Undergraduate students (bachelr s students) 1st year bachelr s students After 1st semester: cmpleted a minimum f 18 ECTS? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning After 2nd semester: cmpleted a minimum f 42 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Suspensin After 1 st semester f 2 nd academic year semester: cmpleted 60 ECTS? N: Financial aid stps 3

5 2nd/3rd year bachelr s students After 1st semester: cmpleted a minimum f 24 ECTS? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning After 2nd semester cmpleted a minimum f 42 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Suspensin After extra (3rd) semester: cmpleted 60 ECTS? N: Financial aid stps 1.4 Calculating Yur Cmpletin Rate Graduate students (master s students) 1st year Master s students: After 1st semester: cmpleted a minimum f 24 ECTS? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning After 2nd semester: cmpleted a minimum f 42 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Prbatin 2nd year / 3th year Master s students: After 3rd semester: cmpleted a minimum f 66 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Prbatin After 4th semester: cmpleted a minimum f 84 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Prbatin After 5th semester: cmpleted a minimum f 108 ECTS in ttal? N: Placed n Financial Aid Warning 4

6 N and already received Financial Aid Warning: Financial Aid Prbatin After 6th semester: cmpleted 120 ECTS? N: Financial aid stps 1.5 In shrt, what des my SAP Status mean? Eligible status: Yu meet all SAP requirements and are eligible t receive financial aid. Warning status: Yu are eligible t receive financial aid fr ne semester in warning status. This status is granted nce after yur status changes frm eligible t ineligible fr GPA and/r Pace nly. There is n warning status fr maximum time. Ineligible status / Denied status: Yu are nt eligible fr financial aid r fr a tuitin deferment when yur status is ineligible. Prbatin status: A status the University assigns t a student wh is failing t make SAP and wh successfully appeals. Eligibility fr US student lans may be reinstated fr a limited perid. Appeal: A prcess by which a student wh is nt meeting SAP standards petitins the University fr recnsideratin f their eligibility fr US student lans. 1.6 What if yu d nt meet the requirements? Student lans fr the next perid f enrlment will be held until specific requirements have been met. N financial aid will be disbursed fr the student during subsequent semesters/terms unless the student has made an appeal f the Student Lan Denied and the appeal is granted. Students wh have cmpleted their degree requirements, but wh are still attending curses, are nt eligible t cntinue t receive aid even if they are belw the maximum time frame. (Maximum time frame nly applies t undergraduate students) 1.7 Appeals: Exceptinal circumstances affecting satisfactry academic perfrmance A student wh has received written advice that their financial aid will be suspended may appeal (within 10 days f receiving written ntificatin) if they cnsider that exceptinal circumstances surrunding their prgress can be demnstrated, e.g. n the basis f persnal circumstances like injury, illness, death f a relative, r ther special circumstances. The appeal must explain why the student failed t make SAP and what has changed in their situatin that will allw them t make SAP at the next evaluatin pint. Within 10 days after receiving the Ineligibility status, students must send a letter describing the special circumstances tgether with a study plan fr the cming semester by t uslans@vu.nl. A study advisr f the faculty must sign the study plan. Students will als be required t supply dcumentary evidence in supprt f their appeal. This may include: medical ntes r death certificates etc. The Financial Aid Office will review the case with a Student s General Cunsellrs department. The circumstances f the appeal will be cnsidered further and a decisin f the appeal will be 5

7 cmmunicated t the student in writing within 14 days f submissin, if all necessary supprting evidence is cmplete. Disbursement f lan funding will nt be made while an appeal is being prcessed. The decisin f the student general cunsellr department is final. Where an appeal is upheld, the student will have their financial aid reinstated, but will be placed under financial aid Prbatin status. Prbatin status can be determined fr 1 semester r fr 1 year. Prbatin status fr 1 semester: The student s prgress will be reviewed at the end f the next payment perid, as prbatin status is fr ne payment perid nly. If the student is nt meeting the SAP standards at this pint, then they will nt be eligible fr further financial aid. Prbatin status fr 1 year: If the Appeal Panel determines that the student will require mre than ne payment perid in rder t meet the SAP standards, the student will be placed n prbatin and an academic plan will be drawn up, in cllabratin with the student s supervisr, tutr and/r department. The student s prgress will be reviewed at the end f the payment perid t determine if the student is meeting the requirements f the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements f the academic plan, the student is eligible t receive US student lans as lng as they cntinue t meet thse requirements. If a student needs t change their academic plan, then they must submit anther appeal, explaining what has happened t make the change necessary and hw they will be able t make academic prgress. If the student fails t meet the requirements f their academic plan r their appeal t change their academic plan is unsuccessful, then they will nt be eligible fr further disbursements f US student lans. 2 Additinal SAP regulatins that might be applicable t US federal lan students recipients 2.1 Residence permit fr study purpses Students must btain at least 30 credits t maintain the residence permit fr the next academic year. Fr mre infrmatin, see: VUFP Schlarship Students fllwing a tw-year prgramme must btain at least 80% ( ) r 100% ( ) f the credits t get a VUFP schlarship fr the secnd year. If yu require an additinal semester t cmplete the requirements fr the degree, this is nt cvered by the schlarship. Fr mre infrmatin, see: 6