Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Students attending Bethune-Cookman University who wish to be considered for Federal Title IV and State financial aid, in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria, must maintain satisfactory academic progress in the course of study being pursued. The University is required to establish satisfactory academic progress standards in accordance with U.S. Department of Education regulations.
At the end of the academic year, a review will be made to ensure compliance with the academic standing requirements. The semester hour’s completion requirements will also be reviewed at the end of each academic year.
Whether a student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress depends on the cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA), the successful completion of courses (credit hours), and the maximum time limit to complete his or her course of study. Students must meet all the requirements listed below.
GRADE POINT AVERAGE REQUIREMENT:
Students requesting consideration for financial aid must maintain good academic standing which is defined according to the cumulative GPA as follows:
Semester Hours Earned Cumulative GPA Required
0 to 27 hours Freshman Standing 1.85 or above
28 to 57 hours Sophomore Standing 2.00 or above
58 to 91 hours Junior Standing 2.00 or above
92 or more hours Senior Standing 2.00 or above
SEMESTER HOURS COMPLETION REQUIREMENT
Students requesting consideration for financial aid must demonstrate a positive forward movement toward their degrees.
Each student must successfully pass a minimum of 70% of the credit hours attempted during the preceding fall and spring semesters. This includes courses in which the student remained enrolled past the Last Day for Registration/Program Change.
SATISFACTORY COURSE COMPLETION
The following grades are considered to demonstrate satisfactory course completion: A, B, C, D, and S (Satisfactory).
Drops, withdrawals, incompletes, repeated and non-credit remedial coursework will be counted towards the hours attempted.
The following grades will be counted towards the hours attempted, but do not demonstrate satisfactory course completion: F, I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), DR (Drop), Needs Repeating (NR), and No Grade (NG).
Repeated course and remedial coursework are included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours. Transfer credits do not count in the calculation of the GPA, but they are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours.
If a student changes majors, the hours from the previous major that count towards the student’s new degree requirements are included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours.
MAXIMUM TIME FRAME
Federal financial aid will be provided for a maximum of 180 credit hours, including institutionally accepted transfer credits from other schools attended. Students working on a 2nd Bachelor’s degree will be provided aid for up to 90 credit hours beyond the 1st Bachelor’s degree.
FINANCIAL AID PROBATION
Students failing to maintain the required standards may be placed on Financial Aid Probation. Students placed on Financial Aid Probation will be given one additional year in which to comply with the standards. During the probationary period, the student must achieve good academic standing – 1.85 GPA for freshmen or 2.00 GPA for upperclassmen – and successfully pass 35% of the hours attempted during this period.
FINANCIAL AID SUSPENSION – NOT MAKING SATISFACTORY PROGRESS (NMSP)
Failure to reestablish eligibility by the end of the probation period will result in the loss of further aid consideration. Awards cannot be paid retroactively for the term(s) during which eligibility was lost.
APPEALS
Students whose aid has been terminated due to their not meeting the satisfactory academic progress requirements may appeal the decision. A written appeal request, signed and dated from the student explaining in detail the reason for not meeting satisfactory academic progress standards and what steps are being taken to meet these standards in the future will be required.
A student may appeal due to an emergency condition (such as, family, illness, catastrophe, etc.). Documentation verifying the situation may be requested.
Appeal requests should be directed to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students appealing will be notified in writing of the appeal decision.
REINSTATEMENT OF AID
Reinstatement of aid shall occur only upon the successful achievement of the satisfactory academic progress requirements as set forth in this policy. Students whose aid has been terminated due to their not meeting the satisfactory academic progress requirements may appeal the decision. A written appeal request from the student explaining in detail the reason for not meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards and what steps are being taken to meet these standards in the future will be required. Appeal request should be direct to the Office of Student Financial Aid. Students appealing will be notified in writing of the appeal decision.
A WORD OF ADVICE
To bring up your GPA, students may want to consider RETAKING courses in which they have received a grad of “D” or “F”. This should bring up their average much faster than if they were enrolled in all new courses. Of course the students will want to retake courses in which they expect to do extremely well.
If the students have already retaken courses, they may want to check with the Registrar’s Office to be sure that the penalty for the lower grade of “D” or “F” has been replaced by credit for the higher grade in the retaken course.
