There are three components (qualitative, quantitative, and timeframe) that make up the SAP Policy and students must meet the minimum requirements for all components.

1. Qualitative – Maintain required cumulative institutional Grade Point Average (GPA)
   • Undergraduate Students - 2.0 GPA for all coursework completed at TAMUK
   • Graduate Students -  3.0 GPA for all coursework completed at TAMUK
   • Doctoral Students -  3.0 GPA for all coursework completed at TAMUK
2. Quantitative (completion rate) - Successfully complete at least 67% of your cumulative attempted credits at TAMUK. To calculate the percentage, divide your earned credits into your attempted credits (example: 9 earned credits divided by 12 attempted credits = 75%), and
3. Maximum Timeframe – The maximum number of credit hours you can attempt. Attempted hours include: transfer hours, courses dropped after the census date, and repeated courses. Maximum limits outlined below:

Undergraduate	180 attempted hours (including transfer hours)
2nd Bachelor’s Degree	60 attempted hours (from the start of second degree)
Graduate	54 attempted hours (including transfer hours)
Doctoral	108 attempted hours (including transfer hours)

• GOOD –Eligible status. Student is meeting the minimum SAP standards or has no academic history. Student is eligible to apply for financial aid.
• WARN – Eligible status. Student did not meet minimum SAP standards for GPA and/or completion rate in the previous evaluation period. Student is still eligible to apply for financial aid but must reach all minimum standards by the end of their next academic term to maintain eligibility.
• UNSAT – Ineligible status. Student did not meet minimum standards for GPA and/or completion rate in the previous evaluation period after being placed on a warning status. Student is not eligible to apply for or receive financial aid.
• MTF – Ineligible status.  Student has attempted more than the maximum amount of attempted hours allowed. Student is not eligible to apply for or receive financial aid. Students will receive a Reaching Maximum Timeframe Warning email if it appears student will not complete their program of study within the published timeframe.

Dual Credit Courses: All attempted dual credit hours are monitored and evaluated in the same manner as described in this policy.

Non-Passing Grades: Unsuccessful grades of I, Q, QE, QF, QI, U, or X will be used in determining completion rate and maximum timeframe. Letter grade of QF and F is used to calculate GPA, completion rate and maximum timeframe. In the case of I and X grades, students are responsible for notifying the Office of Student Financial Aid if these grades change so SAP can be re-evaluated. In some cases, student may need to file a SAP Appeal for their SAP to be re-evaluated once their grades have been officially updated.

Withdrawals: All institutional withdrawals are factored into the completion rate and maximum timeframe.

When is academic progress determined? A student’s SAP will be evaluated at the end of each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer). Students will not be eligible to receive financial aid during this time if placed into an ineligible SAP status.

New financial aid students with prior academic history: TAMUK students with prior academic history will be evaluated at the time they apply for financial aid.

Transfer students and transfer credit Hours: Students transferring to TAMUK are required to have all prior college transcript evaluated for transfer credits by the Admission’s Office. All credit hours accepted by TAMUK will be used to determine the maximum timeframe.

Repeat courses: Students repeating completed courses can receive aid for the repeated course for the first time only. All repeat courses will be used in determining completion rate and maximum timeframe. Actual letter grades are included in the GPA calculation except when excluded by the Registrar’s Office.

Audited credit hours: Any courses taken on an audit basis will not be counted when determining a student’s SAP status.

Dual credit hours: Any courses taken as dual credit at TAMUK will be used in determining the GPA, completion rate and maximum timeframe. Dual credit courses taken at another institution and accepted by TAMUK will be used in determining maximum timeframe.

Second Degree/Double Majors: Students seeking second degrees and students with double majors are monitored like any other student under this policy. All attempted hours from prior or second degrees are used in determining the GPA, completion rate and maximum timeframe. If the student exceeds the maximum timeframe allowed for their respective programs, the student will be ineligible for financial aid. Student specially pursuing a second Bachelor’s Degree can receive an additional 60 attempted hours from the start of their second degree if meeting all other SAP components.

• • A student must bring his/her institutional GPA and completion rate up to the minimum standards or have a SAP Appeal approved by the SAP Appeal’s Committee. A student is ineligible to receive financial aid while UNSAT or MTF and cannot be reimbursed during this time.
  • Mitigating or unusual circumstances: If a student has experienced unusual circumstances (illness, family illness, death of close family member or friend, change of major, etc.) during the most recent evaluation period, they may submit an appeal to be reviewed by the SAP Appeal’s Committee to potentially reinstate financial aid eligibility. There is a deadline in which a student can appeal and it will be published each semester and be provided on the appeal form and SAP communication email notice.
  • To appeal, the student must complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Online Form and explain what happened or what caused them to not meet SAP and what has changed to ensure they meet SAP in future semesters. Students will need to upload a degree plan and submit supporting documentation of their unusual circumstances.
    • Examples of documentation can include: doctor’s notes, hospital discharge papers, police/accident reports, death certificates, obituaries, or other relevant, official documentation. Students should also submit proof of how many required credits needed for graduation. 
    • All appeals are reviewed by the SAP Appeal’s Committee and their decision is final. If the request is not granted, the student will remain ineligible for financial aid until they meet all standards.

  The Office of Student Financial Aid reserves the right to review and decide an appeal (rather than send it to committee review) on a case-by-case basis and in cases of Disaster Relief.

• Students will receive a SAP Appeal decision emailed to their TAMUK student email. 

•  

  If the request is granted, the student will be placed on one of the following SAP statuses:

  Probation – The student is eligible to apply for financial aid but must meet the minimum standards by the end of their next semester to avoid being placed back into an UNSAT status. A student cannot be on probation for two consecutive semesters.

  Academic Plan – The student is eligible to apply for financial aid. However, student cannot be expected to improve to minimum standards within one semester. Therefore, the student and TAMUK will agree to an Academic Plan which will map out student’s future terms with reasonable, expected grades. This will allow student time to meet minimum standards within a fixed period of time. The student is eligible to apply for financial aid as long as they are following the plan. Any variations or violations to the plan will cause the student to be placed back into an UNSAT status and become ineligible for financial aid. If a student meets minimum standards anytime while on an academic plan, their financial aid SAP status will be updated to GOOD.

  Timeframe Success Plan – The student is eligible to apply for financial aid. The student and TAMUK have agreed to a timeframe success plan which maps out the student’s remaining semesters. The student is eligible to apply for financial aid as long as they are following the plan. Any variations or violations to the plan will cause the student to be placed back into an MTF status and become permanently ineligible for financial aid.

The SAP Appeal dates have been established to provide students a timeframe of when they can expect their appeal to be reviewed based on when it is submitted. This is our best estimate but due to circumstances beyond our control, some dates could change.

 

Therefore, all dates are tentative and subject to change.

SPRING 2025 Satisfactory Appeal Progress (SAP) Appeal Review Timeframes
Appeal Received by 5pm	Review by committee	Latest Date the Decision is emailed
12/09/2024	12/11/2024	12/13/2024
1/06/2025**	1/08/2025	1/10/2025
1/15/2025	1/17/2025	1/21/2025
1/22/2025	1/24/2025	1/28/2025
1/29/2025	1/31/2025	2/04/2025
2/03/2025 *DEADLINE FOR SPRING*	2/04/2025	2/05/2025

**Must submit appeal by January 6, 2025 to receive a decision prior to the disbursement of spring 2025 financial aid on January 13, 2025.

If the SAP appeal is approved please allow 5-7 business days for an official financial aid offer.

Fall	Census Date (12th Class Day) of the Term
Spring	Census Date (12th Class Day) of the Term
Summer	Census Date (4th Class Day) of the 1st 5 week summer session

 *Refer to the Official Academic Calendar for exact dates per term.