USU Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

To receive federal financial aid, federal law requires you to be making "satisfactory academic progress" toward a degree. These standards apply to all periods of attendance even periods you did not receive financial aid. Academic progress standards must be met by all students, including those with disabilities. If you have a disability, contact the Disability Resource Center about possible accommodations.

  • GPA: All students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average: 2.0 for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduate students. We only count USU courses for this standard.
  • Pace: Undergraduates must earn passing grades in 67% of the courses they attempt (classes listed on their transcript). Incompletes, repeated courses, audits, Rs, Fs, Ws, and WFs do not count as passing grades. We must count all credits, including transfer credits for this standard.
  • Maximum Credits: All students must be able to complete their program before attempting 150% of the required credits.  Attempted credits include all graded courses, transfer courses, testing credits, Pass/Fails, repeats, as well as Fs, Incompletes, Rs, Ws, and WFs. We must count all credits, including transfer credits for this standard.

    - Associate Degree:  You must generally be able to complete your degree before attempting 90 credits.
    - First Bachelors Degree: You must generally be able to complete your degree before attempting180 credits (this is monitored at 165 credits)
    - Additional Bachelors Degree: 60 credits
    - Masters Degree: 60 credits
    - Ph.D.: 60 credits

    You may appeal for an extension to finish your degree.

    Please visit with your financial aid counselorto pick up the Total Hours Appeal. You should not appeal for an extension until you have been suspended from financial aid.

    Please note that these standards are not the same as Utah State University's academic requirements. You may be eligible to attend USU but not eligible to receive financial aid.

Additional requirement:

  • 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 (generally the end of third week). If you need to drop some 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 a W on your transcript.

Withdrawing or Failing Classes

Students must begin attendance in every class. If students withdraw from or fail a class and the professor cannot document class participation, assignments, tests, etc., they may be required to repay the aid they received for that class.

All F Grades

Students who earn all F grades during a term may immediately lose eligibility for further federal financial aid. Students in this situation may appeal for circumstances beyond their control. In most circumstances, students are required to immediately repay all or a portion of their financial aid for the semester.

Complete Withdrawal

Dropping or withdrawing from all of your classes after the last day to add will affect your academic progress, and you will receive either a W on your transcript.

If you completely withdraw from the University during the course of a semester, you will be required to return a percentage of your Federal Student Financial Aid. All types of Federal Financial Aid are included in the repayment, including: Pell Grants, Supplemental Grants, Perkins Loans, and Direct Loans. Students who withdraw, or cease attending, after completing 60% of the semester are not required to return aid. (However, they may still face probation or suspension from financial aid for failing to maintain their pace. See full policy.

Financial Aid Warning

If your pace or your cumulative GPA drops too low, you will be placed on financial aid warning. You will be required to submit a plan to improve your performance.  You may receive aid for one semester in this status.  If your performance doesn’t lift your cumulative GPA and pace to the minimum standard, you will be ineligible for further aid. For example, if you are placed on warning at the end of fall semester, you will receive aid spring semester once you have submitted your plan for improvement. If your cumulative GPA and pace at the end of spring semester are below the required standard, you will lose eligibility for aid (“suspended”).

Financial Aid Suspension

Students suspended for failing to make satisfactory progress are ineligible to receive further federal aid including grants, work-study, and federal student loans.

Note: Financial aid suspension does not prevent students from attending 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. Students whose appeals are granted may continue to receive aid on financial aid probation.  Appeals cannot be granted twice for the same circumstances.

Returning Students May Appeal for Probation

If your appeal for aid is granted, you may receive aid as long as you meet the requirements of the improvement plan set by the Appeals Committee.  For an undergraduate, the minimum requirements for an improvement plan are to earn a GPA of 2.5 for and pass 70% of credits each semester.

Undergraduate example:  If your appeal is granted, and you are placed on probation after fall semester, you will be eligible to receive aid spring semester. If you pass 70% of the credits you attempt spring and earn a 2.5 GPA for the term, you may continue to receive aid on probation the following semester.

Please note that graduate students are excluded from the pace requirement but must still earn a minimum 3.0 GPA each term they are on probation.

2-Year Absence: Returning Students May Appeal for Probation

Suspended students who have been out of school for at least two years may appeal to be reinstated on probation. The appeal needs to document to the satisfaction of the Appeals Committee that circumstances which prevented students from making satisfactory progress have now been resolved. Such appeals will only be considered once in a student's career.

Never Received Aid?  Appealing to Start on Probation

If you have completed prior semesters at USU without receiving financial aid, and your GPA and/or pace are below the required level, you may appeal to be placed on financial aid probation the first term you receive aid.