• Grades - Successful completion of coursework is defined as courses finished with grades of A, B, C, D, P or S (satisfactory in a pass/fail course). Grades of F, W, U, NR, UK and X are not acceptable. Any student who fails to complete at least 67% of attempted credit hours because of incomplete grades, will be placed on a one-time SAP “probation” or have their financial aid eligibility suspended if they have previously received their one-time SAP probation.
  
  
• Audit Hours - Course hours taken under the UW audit policy do not count as hours attempted or as hours earned when calculating SAP.
  
  
• Transfer Hours - Hours transferred to and accepted by the UW Admissions Office and Registrar’s Office count as hours attempted as well as hours earned thus limiting the remaining number of hours the student can attempt and still maintain eligibility.
  
  
• Repeated Courses - Course repeats count as hours attempted. Each time a student enrolls in a given course, the credit hours count as hours attempted. Credit for completion of the course is given only once.
  
  
• Remedial Courses - Remedial courses do not count as hours attempted or as hours earned.
  
  

• Pursuit of Multiple Degrees - Students concurrently pursuing more than one degree are likely to reach their maximum time frames. The maximum time frames may be adjusted upon receipt of an appeal from a student with supporting documentation of a degree audit that indicates their expected date of graduation. For most students, the maximum time frame is adjusted to 220 hours attempted credits.

  
  

• Additional Degrees – Students returning to UW to pursue an additional degree(s) are likely to reach their maximum time frames. The maximum time frames may be adjusted upon receipt of an appeal by the student with supporting documentation of a degree audit that indicates their expected date of graduation. For most students, the maximum time frame is adjusted to 220 hours attempted credits.

  
  

• Teacher Certification Enrollees – Although not degree candidates, federal regulations permit student loan eligibility for students pursuing teacher certification. Students returning to UW to pursue a teacher certification are likely to reach their maximum undergraduate time frames. The maximum time frames may be adjusted upon receipt of an appeal from a student with supporting documentation of a degree audit that indicates their expected date of receipt of the certificate.

  
  

• Clean Record/Academic Renewal Policy Impact – UW allows an academic amnesty policy as part of its institutional academic policy. For purposes of calculating a student’s SAP, per federal regulation, earned grades from previous enrollments cannot be ignored and, therefore, must be used to calculate eligibility.

  
  

• Extension Courses – Courses completed for regular academic credit through the Outreach School count as hours attempted and as hours earned.

  
  

• Flexible Enrollment (Correspondence Study) Courses – Courses completed through Flexible Enrollment count as hours attempted and as hours earned.

  
  

• Incomplete Grades – Courses in which a student receives an “incomplete” or “X” grade count as hours attempted, but not as hours earned until the incomplete course is completed and a grade is received.

  
  

• Changing Programs of Study or Majors – Students changing their majors or programs of study are likely to reach their maximum time frames. The maximum time frame is generally not adjusted due to these changes unless there are mitigating circumstances that can be documented upon appeal.

  
  

• Advanced Placement Credits – Credits posted to a UW transcript earned through successful completion of advance placement examinations count as hours attempted and as hours earned.

  
  

• Experiential Learning Credits – Credits posted to a UW transcript earned through credit for experiential learning count as hours attempted and as hours earned.

  
  

• Summer Credits – Credits earned during the Summer Session either at UW or transferred back to UW may be used toward restoring aid eligibility for the succeeding academic period and count as hours attempted and hours earned.

  
  

• Credits Earned Through Study Abroad, an Exchange Program, and/or Consortium or Joint Agreements – Credits earned through Study Abroad, an Exchange Program, and/or under a consortium agreement, or a joint agreement with another eligible college or university are treated as UW credit hours when they are posted to the UW transcript and are counted in the UW academic year which most closely approximates the actual time period in which the credits were earned.

  
  

• Students returning after a lengthy leave from UW who are out of SAP compliance and who have demonstrated through course work at another institution may, at the Director's discretion, be re-placed on the SAP scale for eligibility.  The maximum time frame is generally not adjusted unless there are mitigating circumstances that can be documented.

FAILURE TO MEET SAP STANDARDS FINANCIAL AID PROBATION

Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed in May at the end of each academic year. Students not meeting the GPA and/or the completion percentage requirements at that time will be automatically placed on “initial financial aid probation”. [Students exceeding the 150% credit limit criteria for their first Bachelor’s degree, are not eligible for “initial financial aid probation.”]

Financial aid probation provides an opportunity for students to correct deficiencies and to re-establish compliance with the SAP standards. Students have until the end of the succeeding academic year to correct their SAP problem. Therefore, a student on financial aid probation at the end of the academic year in May has the ensuing summer, fall and spring semesters to correct their SAP deficiency. Students remain eligible for federal financial aid while on “initial financial aid probation”. Students are only eligible for the initial financial aid probation provision once in their academic career at the University of Wyoming.


Students are only eligible for the initial financial aid probation provision once.

Important: Students placed on financial aid probation will receive written notification of this action. However, it is the responsibility of the student to know whether his/her grade report, when compared to the SAP criteria, will cause placement on financial aid probation, or the immediate loss of eligibility. It is not the responsibility of the Office of Student Financial Aid to notify a student of his/her failure to meet the standards and his/her loss of eligibility to participate. The SAP policy is listed in the General Bulletin, the Class Schedule, and on the reverse side of the Financial Aid Award Notice.

At the end of the probationary period, the student will:

• Be removed from probationary status because all three components of the SAP policy are now met; or
• Be suspended from receiving assistance from federal sources and will receive a Financial Aid Suspension Letter.

Suspended students are no longer eligible for federal financial aid.  They may take classes, using their own funding, to raise their cumulative GPA or completion rate to meet the SAP standards. Suspended students are encouraged to speak with a financial aid counselor about alternative loan opportunities available to them if they must supplement their own and/or their family’s resources.

Students not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements may appeal their financial aid suspension. To do so a student must submit their appeal no later than the end of the “Drop/Add” period for each semester they wish to appeal.  Appeal submission requires they provide the Office of Student Financial Aid with a signed SAP Appeal Form explaining why he/she should not be suspended. The SAP Appeal Form is available on-line at the Office of Student Financial Aid’s web-site for downloading and printing, or directly from the Office. A student may appeal due to mitigating or extenuating circumstances that could not be influenced, planned for, or prevented by the student (e.g., hospitalization, prolonged illness, death in the immediate family, etc.). Documentation verifying the situation is required and must accompany the appeal.

Examples of Required Documentation for SAP Appeals:

1.      Students appealing suspension of their federal financial aid must provide a personal statement outlining the circumstances that prevented them from making reasonable academic progress toward their degree. If their transcript shows that they had difficulty for more than one semester, an explanation of the circumstances pertaining to each of those terms is required. They must also tell how they have resolved those difficulties.

2.      They must document their situation. For instance, if they had an illness that prevented them from attending classes, they must prove they had the illness by submitting a statement from their doctor or by providing photocopies of medical bills or statements containing a description of the illness and the date(s) that indicate when they suffered from that illness.

3.      They must consult with an academic advisor or a designated college representative and provide an academic plan on the appeal form.

4.      If they have reached their limit for attempted credit hours and wish to appeal to extend their aid eligibility, they must provide a copy of their degree audit (for an undergraduate) or a copy of their Program of Study (if they are a graduate or professional student). In addition, an academic advisor or a designated college representative must complete and sign their appeal form.

5.      Their appeal must have adequate documentation sufficient to pass review by federal examiners in the opinion of the appeal reviewer within the OSFA.

The appeal will be reviewed and a decision rendered and conveyed in writing by the Director of Student Financial Aid or her/his delegate to the student within two weeks of the receipt of student’s appeal. Decisions regarding appeals are final and, consequently, not subject to further review. The outcome of a student’s appeal depends upon the nature of the circumstances causing the violation, documentation provided, and how well the student has demonstrated that they are now making good progress toward earning their degree.