Advising and Financial Aid
Students frequently have concerns regarding their financial aid. The following information, prepared by Peter D'Annibale, Director of Financial Aid, provides some basic guidelines for advisors. The Financial Aid office is located in OM 101 (#1131).
Federal regulations require the university to establish Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) in the following areas:
- Cumulative GPA
- Hours earned
- Maximum time frame
Current financial aid recipients must maintain satisfactory academic progress in all three areas, whether or not aid was received in the past.
The SAP for undergraduate students is as follows:
Full-time students must:
- 1. Complete 24 new credits per year.
- Know that repeated courses count as new credits only if the student originally received an "F" in the course.
- Know that courses with a previous grade of "D" do not count as new credits unless the course catalogue specifically states that a higher grade is required for a prerequisite or major.
- 2. Maintain a 1.7 cumulative GPA as a first-year student.
- 3. Maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA as a sophomore, junior, or senior.
Part-time students must:
- Meet identical minimum GPA requirements.
- Complete 75% of all attempted credits each academic year.
Maximum time limit:
Students must complete their degree requirements within 150% of the published length of their academic program.
- Shippensburg University sets the maximum time limit for federal aid at 12 full-time semesters.
- All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, whether or not financial aid was received.
Annual review and notification:
- A year-end review is completed at the end of each spring semester.
- Students who are out of compliance for one or more SAP are ineligible for further financial aid until all deficiencies are remedied.
- Written notification of ineligibility is mailed to students at their permanent address.
- A warning letter is sent to "at risk" students over the winter break.
Regaining eligibility for financial aid:
- Students may resolve GPA and/or credit hour deficiencies by taking courses on their own (no federal aid).
- Cumulative GPA may be improved by taking courses at Shippensburg University.
- Hours earned deficiencies may be made up with credits earned at Shippensburg University or at another "approved" university.
Appeals:
- Federal regulations allow for standards to be waived based on a special circumstance appeal.
- Appeal information is provided along with student notification of Satisfactory Academic Progress deficiencies.
- An appeal is considered if a student's failure to comply with one or more areas of Satisfactory Academic Progress is due to events beyond the student's control.
- Students must provide written documentation of the special circumstance(s).
