Academic Progress

In order to receive any Title IV federal aid, such as Pell, SEOG, William D. Ford Direct Loan or PLUS, or state aid, such as the Iowa Tuition Grant (ITG), State of Iowa Scholarship, etc., or be eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics, a student must be making satisfactory academic progress. Please note that satisfactory academic progress may be different from good standing, academic probation, or academic dismissal.

The Graceland University satisfactory academic progress standards for financial aid apply to all students who want to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility. The standards apply to a student’s entire academic record whether or not the student received financial aid for previous terms of enrollment.

*Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students is defined differently. (See Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students) Athletic eligibility is also subject to NAIA regulations. (See Athletic Eligibility)

To qualify for full-time financial aid and be eligible for intercollegiate sports, students must progress according to the following schedule and be enrolled in 12 s.h. at the time financial aid is disbursed. Students deficient in hours and/or GPA, will be denied aid until the deficiency is corrected. Students are not eligible for federal student aid beyond 12 semesters or 192 credit hours, whichever comes first.

The above schedule will be prorated for students who have had part-time semesters.

These standards are the minimum standards that must be completed. Specific aid programs may require more than these minimum standards. Additionally, a department may require the student to earn more credit hours or maintain a higher grade point average (GPA) than required by these minimum standards. Some types of aid may not be available to the student for the entire duration of the satisfactory academic progress standards, e.g. the Iowa Tuition Grant is only available for eight full-time semesters or their equivalent.

The standards require that students (1) complete a specified number of credit hours by the end of each academic semester and (2) maintain the minimum required cumulative GPA defined by this standard. The academic progress of financial aid recipients will be monitored at the end of each semester in the academic year. Financial aid eligibility will be evaluated at least once each academic year, usually after the spring semester. If a student is academically dismissed at the end of the fall semester, the student's eligibility for financial aid for the following spring semester will be re-evaluated.

A student must meet the minimum credit hours and cumulative GPA requirements to be maintaining satisfactory academic progress. The Financial Aid Committee will evaluate extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family, serious illness or injury to the student or close family member, that result in the student not meeting one or more of the requirements. The committee typically grants financial aid probation for one semester only during a student's academic enrollment at Graceland University. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Director of Financial Aid Services. The written appeal must contain the following information:

1. A statement by the student that outlines the circumstances that the student believes contributed to his/her lack of academic progress.
2. The steps that the student plans to take to remedy his/her current academic situation.
3. A list of the classes that the student is planning to take during the next semester.
4. A copy of the student's unofficial transcript.
5. For juniors and seniors, a semester by semester plan of the classes the student will take in order to graduate within the guidelines of satisfactory academic progress.

Purpose: To define the satisfactory academic progress required of graduate students to maintain eligibility for federal financial aid.

Policy

1. Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average to be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP). Schools/Programs may have additional requirements which determine academic progression.
2. SAP is evaluated following grade entry at the end of each session of enrollment.

Procedure

1. Following grade entry, Registrar’s Office personnel initiate the process that evaluates SAP and updates SAP codes, as necessary.
2. Action required as a result of the student’s failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress is defined and executed by those offices, i.e., Financial Aid Services, etc., requiring satisfactory academic progress.