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Policies & Procedures - Satisfactory Academic Progress |
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Satisfactory Academic Policy (SAP) is the measure of progress toward the completion of a course of study according to the standards of Northeastern University and required Federal regulations. The Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress apply to all financial assistance programs including Federal Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Supplemental Educational Assistance Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Family Education Loans (Stafford and PLUS), as well as assistance from the state and the institution. SAP standards apply to all students: full-time, part-time, degree and certificate candidates. |
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Undergraduate Day Students |
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The satisfactory academic progress of an undergraduate day student will be reviewed based on the following standards.
Qualitative Standard
For qualitative purposes, satisfactory academic progress for middlers through seniors requires a cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) of 2.0 or better by the end of the spring semester in order to receive financial aid for the next academic year. Transfer students must reach a cumulative QPA of 2.0 or better at the beginning of their middler year and will be reviewed every spring semester thereafter to evaluate eligibility for federal, state, and institutional grants, scholarships, loans and work programs.
Quantitative Standard
Students must also meet certain quantitative requirements to retain their eligibility for financial aid. Student Financial Services measures a student’s quantitative standards by reviewing completed credits as a percentage of their attempted credits after each academic year. Transfer credits earned by students from other institutions and accepted by Northeastern University are included in the determination of a student’s percentage of completed classes. The following is a breakdown of percentages as outlined by the Department of Education:
Freshman 65%
Sophomore 70%
Middler 75%
Junior 80%
Senior 85%
Maximum Time Frame Standard
In order to receive financial aid, students must complete their program of study at Northeastern University within 150% of the published completion time. For the majority of programs at Northeastern, this means that students must complete their degree in a maximum of 7.5 years. Students that go beyond 7.5 years will not be eligible to receive financial aid. |
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Undergraduate Students In The School Of Professional And Continuing Studies |
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The satisfactory academic progress of an undergradaute student in the School of Professional and Continuing Studies will be reviewed based on the following standards.
Qualitative Standard
For qualitative purposes, satisfactory academic progress requires a cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) of 2.0 or better at the end of a student's second academic year of attendance at an institution. After the second year of study, all students will be checked at the beginning of each academic year to assure that they are meeting the cumulative 2.0 QPA requirement. Students who fail to meet this standard will not be awarded federal aid until the cumulative 2.0 QPA is achieved.
Quantitative Standard
Each semester, a student's academic progress will be measured by comparing the number of attempted credit hours with the actual number of credit hours earned (i.e., received a grade of A, B, C, or D). Students must meet the following percentages in order to maintain SAP:
# of Credits % of Attempted Courses That Must be Completed
36 65%
37-72 70%
73-108 75%
109-144 80%
145-181 85%
Maximum Time Frame Standard
You will not be eligible to receive financial aid once you have attempted more than 150% of the normal credits required for your degree or certificate program. At Northeastern, this means that students in programs requiring 76 credits for graduation will be eligible for financial aid during the first 114 attempted credits. For programs requiring 181 credits for graduation, students will be eligible for financial aid during the first 271 attempted credits. All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, whether or not financial aid was received or the course work was successfully completed. For students in majors with significantly greater credit hour requirements, the maximum time frame will be adjusted accordingly.
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Graduate Students (Day And SPCS) |
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A graduate student’s satisfactory academic progress will be reviewed based on the following standards.
Quantitative Standard
After the Spring semester each year, a student's academic progress will be measured by comparing the number of attempted credit hours with the actual number of credit hours earned (i.e., received a grade of A, B, C, or D). Students must earn passing grades in at least 50% of their courses during the academic year in order to maintain SAP.
Please note that the following are considered when evaluating a student's satisfactory academic progress:
• Withdrawals, incompletes, not enrolled and failures (W, I, NE, *, Fs) are considered attempted but not earned hours.
• Passing credits received for pass/fail courses are considered attempted and earned credits; failing grades in pass/fail courses are considered attempted but not earned.
• A grade of “IP” (“In Progress”) is considered to be a successful grade for students enrolled in dissertation continuation courses.
• Repeated courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours. A student is allowed to repeat a course only twice.
• Transfer credits, including those received during consortium study, are included in the completion rate calculation.
Qualitative Standard
For qualitative purposes, satisfactory academic progress requires a cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) of 3.0 or better. At the end of the Spring semester of each academic year, the qualitative standard will be checked for all students. If, at the end of the Spring term, a student does not have a 3.0 or better QPA, he/she will not be eligible for federal aid in the upcoming academic year. Students that fail to meet this standard will not be eligible for federal aid until the cumulative 3.0 QPA is achieved.
Maximum Time Frame Standard
Students will not be eligible to receive financial aid once they have attempted more than 200% of the normal credits required for their degree or certificate program. All attempted hours are counted, including transfer hours, whether or not financial aid was received or the course work was successfully completed. In addition, students must complete their program of study within the maximum number of years permitted by their College (please refer to the University’s Graduate Student Handbook).
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Important Considerations |
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The following are considered when evaluating a student's satisfactory academic progress:
• Withdrawals, incompletes, not enrolled and failures (W, I, NE, *, Fs) are considered attempted but not earned hours.
• Passing credits received for pass/fail courses are considered attempted and earned credits; failing grades in pass/fail courses are considered attempted but not earned.
• Repeated courses are included in the calculation of both attempted and earned hours. A student is allowed to repeat a course only twice.
• Transfer credits, including those received during consortium study, are included in the completion rate calculation. |
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Appeals |
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Students who appeal their ineligibility due to not making satisfactory academic progress have the right to have their situation reviewed by Student Financial Services. Approval of a student’s financial aid appeal will be based on extenuating circumstances outside the normal school activities that have an impact on the student’s ability to achieve the minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress. Cases to consider may fall into the following categories:
• Student becomes seriously ill
• Student is severely injured
• Student’s relative dies
Other cases may be considered if they are determined to have caused physical or psychological stress on a student. Each situation is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. These requirements, stating time-frame and consequences must be submitted in writing by the student and documented in their file. A student’s eligibility for all aid will be lost in the next semester if the student does not meet the requirements in the period stated. |
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Regaining Eligibility |
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Students may regain eligibility for aid during the academic year if they reach the minimum standards of satisfactory progress within the same period of enrollment. Students may continue to attend courses at Northeastern University without the assistance of federal, state or institutional funding. In addition, students may be able to attend classes elsewhere in order to demonstrate eligibility for reconsideration of aid. Students are determined to be eligible for funds based on the timing in which they reach the minimum standards. The Department Of Education’s standards outline different eligibility criteria for students who meet satisfactory progress standards within the current period of enrollment versus those who regain eligibility in a later period. Student Financial Services will award appropriate aid as specified by the Department of Education. |
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