Federal and state regulations require that all students maintain satisfactory academic progress in order to be eligible to receive financial aid. The purpose of this requirement is to encourage all students to progress steadily at a reasonable rate toward graduation. St. Cloud State University (SCSU) students must meet the requirements listed below if they are to receive federal, state, or institutional financial aid.

In addition to complying with the satisfactory academic progress policy for financial aid recipients as explained below, all students must also comply with the institution's academic requirements if they wish to remain enrolled at St. Cloud State University. Detailed information about the institution's academic requirements may be found in the SCSU Student Handbook or the university's undergraduate and graduate bulletins.

The financial aid programs requiring recipients to maintain satisfactory academic progress include:

• Federal Pell Grant and other federally funded grant programs
• Minnesota State Grant and other state funded grant programs
• Federal College Work Study (CWSP)
• Minnesota College Work Study (MN CWSP)
• Federal Perkins Loan
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
• Minority Awards
• Alliss Scholarships
• St. Cloud State University Scholarships
• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loan
• Federal PLUS/GradPLUS Loan
• Minnesota Student Educational Loan Fund (SELF)

In addition, some private loan and scholarship programs may require the student to maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined by the school.

To determine a student's standing according to St. Cloud State University's satisfactory academic progress policy, the student will need to know three things:

1. number of SCSU credits attempted at current admission status,
2. total SCSU credits earned at current admission status,
3. cumulative SCSU grade point average based on all SCSU coursework taken at current admission status.

Transfer students also will need to know how many credits are being transferred to SCSU.

Please keep in mind that you are responsible for understanding this policy and monitoring your progress. No warning letters will be sent. Once you have attempted the maximum time frame (including accepted transfer credits) to complete your academic program, you no longer will be eligible to receive financial aid, whether or not you have completed your program. Therefore, it is extremely important that you understand this policy and closely monitor your own progress.

MINIMUM SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS STANDARDS

I. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
The grade point average (GPA) calculation is based only on SCSU coursework.

Undergraduate: An undergraduate student must have the following minimum cumulative GPA based on SCSU credits attempted and accepted transfer credits:

0 - 30 credits 1.50
31 - 59 credits 1.75
60 or more credits 2.00

Post-baccalaureate: A student pursuing another undergraduate degree, certificate, or licensure must maintain at least a 2.65 cumulative GPA based on all SCSU coursework taken as a post-baccalaureate student to be eligible for financial aid.

Graduate: A graduate student must maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA based on all SCSU coursework taken as a graduate student to be eligible for financial aid.

Doctoral: A doctoral student must maintain at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA based on all SCSU coursework taken as a doctoral student.

II. Percentage of Credits Completed
To measure a student's completion rate, divide SCSU cumulative credits successfully completed by SCSU credits attempted. This standard will include all academic terms of attempted SCSU enrollment at student's current admission status.

Undergraduate: To remain eligible for financial aid, an undergraduate student is required to progress toward the completion of an academic program by successfully completing the following minimum percent of all SCSU credits attempted:

0-30 credits 60%
31 or more credits 67%

EXAMPLE 1: Jason attended SCSU for three terms and attempted a total of 45 credits during that time. After three terms, he has earned 39 credits and has six credits of withdrawal. To determine his percentage of credits completed, Jason would divide the credits he earned (39) by the credits he attempted (45). Jason's completion rate would be 86 percent; therefore, he would be eligible for financial aid because his 86 percent completion rate exceeds the minimum completion rate requirement of 67 percent.

EXAMPLE 2: Ann attended SCSU for two terms and attempted a total of 32 credits during the two terms. After two terms, she has earned 20 credits, has eight credits of F and four credits of withdrawal. To determine her percentage of credits completed, Ann would divide the credits she earned (20) by the credits she attempted (32). Ann's completion rate would be 62 percent; therefore, she would be ineligible for financial aid because her 62 percent completion rate is less than the minimum completion rate of 67 percent.

Post-baccalaureate/Graduate/Doctoral: To remain eligible for financial aid, students pursuing another undergraduate degree, certificate, licensure, masters or doctoral degree, are required to progress toward completion of a program by successfully completing at least 75 percent of all SCSU credits attempted at their current admission status.

III. Maximum Time Frame
Credits attempted at SCSU and credits accepted from other institutions are counted for determining this standard. A student who reaches or exceeds the maximum number of credits allowed will have aid terminated at the end of that term. The maximum allowable time frame for a student to complete an academic program without having financial aid terminated is outlined below:

Undergraduate:
180 attempted semester credits
Post-baccalaureate, certificate, or licensure:
53 attempted semester credits
Graduate:
54 attempted semester credits
Doctoral:
84 attempted semester credits

Financial aid will be awarded through the academic term the student reaches the maximum credits attempted. Federal regulations require the university to measure progress toward the completion of a student's academic program regardless of whether the student received financial aid for the terms and credits measured. Students may change majors, add a minor, participate in an internship or program of travel, etc. to enrich their educational program but must do so within the maximum allowable time frame. After you have reached the maximum attempted credits (including accepted transfer credits), you no longer will be eligible to receive financial aid, whether or not you have completed your degree program.

EVALUATION PERIOD

The measures of satisfactory academic progress are determined after grades are recorded for each term. All prior terms of attempted enrollment, including summer, are considered in determining satisfactory academic progress regardless of whether aid was awarded for the term.

NOTIFICATION

If you are ineligible for financial aid because of unsatisfactory academic progress, you will be sent a letter stating that you will not be eligible for financial aid until you can demonstrate your compliance with the minimum academic standards required by the policy.

APPEALS

If you have been denied financial assistance because you have not maintained satisfactory academic progress, you have the right to appeal based on unusual or extenuating circumstances. A written appeal should be submitted to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for review.

The appeal must include: 1) an explanation of the circumstances that affected your progress, and 2) appropriate supporting documentation. Your appeal will be reviewed by the director responsible for administering the satisfactory academic progress policy.

You will receive a written response to your appeal within ten working days. If you wish to appeal the first decision, you are required to put your request in writing and submit it to the director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid along with any additional supporting documentation. Your second appeal will be reviewed by a committee and you will receive a written response within 15 days.

If you wish to appeal the decision of the committee, you may submit your appeal to the Vice President for Administrative Affairs.

Examples of situations that may be appealed include:

• A student who previously attended SCSU and maintained a satisfactory grade point average is now considered ineligible because due to credits transferred to SCSU, the student's number of credits require a higher grade point average.
• A student who fell below the minimum GPA requirement during previous attendance at SCSU, but is in compliance with the credit completion requirement, and the student is returning to school after an absence of two or more years.
• A student who transferred credits earned through military service to SCSU which are not applicable to any specific course or degree requirements at SCSU.
• A student who earned CLEP credits (credit by examination) which are treated as transfer credits at SCSU.
• A student enrolled in a master's degree program requiring more than 54 semester credits.
• A student in the first year at SCSU who encountered a one-time major medical or significant personal problem which resulted in an extended absence from classes.  This example will not generally apply to students who have attended SCSU for more than two semesters since this policy evaluates your performance over your entire educational career at SCSU.

REGAINING ELIGIBILITY

In order to regain eligibility a student must meet the requirements of the satisfactory academic progress policy. Neither paying for your own classes nor sitting out a period of time is sufficient in and of itself to re-establish your financial aid eligibility. Students who previously have not maintained satisfactory progress, and who believe they now are in compliance with the policy, should notify the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid in writing in order to continue the processing of their financial aid application. You may regain your eligibility for the current term or a future term but not for a term once it has ended.

GENERAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

I, IP, N, W, F, FN, U, X, and Z Grades: Courses for which you receive a letter grade of  I (incomplete), IP (in-progress), N (no grade reported),  W (withdrawal), F (failure), FN (failure for non-attendance), U (unsatisfactory), X (in-progress) and Z (no grade reported) will be treated as credits attempted but not successfully completed.  

Academic Forgiveness: Credits for which students have been granted academic forgiveness will be included when determining your cumulative GPA, percentage of credits completed, and maximum time frame calculations.

Audits: Classes taken for audit purposes only will not count as credits attempted or credits earned.

Consortium Agreements: If you are an SCSU student and enroll in credits at another college or university through a consortium agreement, these credits will be treated as SCSU credits when determining your cumulative GPA, percentage of credits completed, and maximum time frame calculation.

Remedial/Developmental Courses: Classes in these categories will be included when determining both your cumulative GPA and your percentage of credits completed.  Up to 30 remedial/developmental credits shall be excluded from the maximum time-frame calculation. 

Repeats: Repeated credits will be treated as credits attempted but no additional credit will be allowed. The SCSU Academic Policy may limit the number of times you may repeat a course. When an undergraduate course is repeated, the highest grade earned will be the official grade used to calculate GPA. When a graduate course is repeated, both grades are used in determining the cumulative grade point average.  

Transfer Credits:  Transfer credits accepted by SCSU will not count as credits attempted for calculation of your cumulative completion percentage and grades associated with these credits will not be used to calculate your cumulative GPA. However, transfer credits accepted by SCSU will be used to determine the credit range for the minimum cumulative GPA requirement and will apply toward the maximum time frame calculation.  A transfer student initially will be eligible to receive financial assistance at SCSU whether or not the student was maintaining satisfactory academic progress at their previous institution as long as the student has not exceeded the maximum time frame for receiving aid as an undergraduate student.  If you are transferring to SCSU with a significant number of credits, you should determine how many credits of remaining eligibility you have. Then plan your coursework accordingly to ensure graduation within the maximum time frame, including accepted transfer credits and attempted SCSU credits.

Common Market: Common Market credits taken at another state university will be treated as SCSU credits.

Credit by Examination: Courses which appear on a student's SCSU transcript as credit-by-examination will not count as credits attempted but will count as credits earned.

For further information, please contact Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

Previous Page

Forms - Entrance Loan Counseling - Frequently Asked Questions - Contact Us