USU Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
To receive federal financial aid, federal law requires you to be making "satisfactory academic progress" toward a degree. At USU, this means you have to meet the following three standards:
- All students must maintain a minimum grade point average: 2.0 for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduate students. We only count USU courses for this standard.
- Undergraduates must earn passing grades in 70% of the courses listed on their transcript. Incompletes, repeated courses, audits, Rs, Fs, Ws, and WFs do not count as passing grades. We only count USU courses for this standard.
- All students must complete their degree before attempting the maximum credits allowed (listed below). Attempted credits include all graded courses, transfer courses, testing credits, Pass/Fails, repeats, as well as Fs, Incompletes, Rs, Ws, and WFs.
- First Bachelors Degree: 165 credits
- Additional Bachelors Degree: 60 credits
- Masters Degree: 60 credits
- Ph.D.: 60 credits
Two additional requirements:
- If you withdraw from or fail all of your classes for a semester, you may be required to repay the financial aid you received.
- If you receive federal student loans and federal Work-Study, you must maintain at least 6 credits each semester you receive this aid.
Dropping Classes:
Attempted credits do not include classes you drop before the last day to add classes. If you need to drop some or all of your classes before the last day to add, it will not count against your academic progress. However you may be required to repay some or all of your financial aid. Dropping or withdrawing from classes after the last day to add will affect your academic progress, and you will receive either a W (early in the semester) or WF (later in the semster) on your transcript
Financial Aid Probation
If you don't earn sufficient credits or if your cumulative GPA drops too low, you will be placed on financial aid probation. You may still receive aid on probation as long as you meet GPA and earned credit requirements each semester. For example, if you are placed on probation at the end of fall semester, you may receive aid spring semester. If you earn 70% of the credits you attempt spring and earn the minimum GPA, you may continue to receive aid on probation the following semester.
Financial Aid Suspension
If you don't earn sufficient credits or if your semester GPA falls below the minimum while on probation, you will be suspended and ineligible to receive further federal aid including grants, work-study, and federal student loans.
Note: Financial aid suspension does not suspend students from the university. In some cases, students may be able to continue at their own expense so they can improve their performance and regain aid eligibility.
Appeals
In extraordinary circumstances beyond your control, such as accidents, extreme illness, or death of an immediate family member, you may appeal your suspension to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Check with your financial aid counselor for specific appeal requirements.
Returning Students May Appeal for Probation
Suspended students who have been out of school for at least one year may appeal to be reinstated on probation. The appeal needs to document to our satisfaction that circumstances that prevented students from making satisfactory progress have now been resolved. Such appeals will only be considered once in a student's career.
Starting on Probation
If you have completed prior semesters at USU without receiving financial aid, and your GPA and/or earned credits are below the required level, you will be placed on financial aid probation during the first term you receive aid.
All F Grades
Students who earn all F grades during a term may be immediately suspended from further federal financial aid. Students in this situation may appeal for circumstances beyond their control. In most circumstances, students are required to immediately repay a portion of their financial aid.
Exceptions to this policy are made by professional judgement.