Nicholls State University
Office of Financial Aid

Introduction

Nicholls State University is required by federal regulations to establish minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP) to determine a student’s eligibility for the following federally funded Title IV financial aid programs: Pell Grant, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant (National SMART Grant), Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant (TEACH), Subsidized Stafford Loan, Unsubsidized Stafford Loan, PLUS Loan, Perkins Loan, and Work-Study. Please study this publication carefully and keep it on file for reference throughout the award year. You must meet these minimum satisfactory academic progress standards in order to initially receive and to maintain eligibility for Title IV funds. You must also be pursuing a degree and taking courses that are required for your degree program. In addition, you must meet all other eligibility requirements.

These satisfactory academic progress standards apply to ALL students, including re-entry students, transfer students, and students who did not previously receive aid.

NOTE: (1) A student must be meeting SAP standards to receive the ACG, National SMART Grant, and TEACH Grant, but these programs have additional GPA and hour requirements for initial and continued eligibility. (2) The TOPS scholarship as well as all University and private scholarships have specific criteria that you must meet in order to maintain your eligibility. These criteria are different from the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for Title IV aid. Refer to your scholarship award letter for specific criteria for maintaining your scholarship.

Minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

To remain eligible for federal grants, loans, and work-study, you must meet the standards indicated below at the end of each award year. The award year is defined as the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters in that order. At the end of each award year (end of the Summer semester), you must earn the minimum number of credit hours AND the minimum academic year GPA for your classification to be eligible to receive financial aid the next award year. If you do not meet the minimum standards, your financial aid will be terminated.

Classification

The classification used to determine your eligibility is your classification at the start of the Fall semester. Your classification is based on the total number of hours you have earned. Refer to the chart below to determine your classification. All semesters attended will be considered in making a satisfactory academic progress determination regardless of if you received aid in a given semester.

Enrollment Status

When you register for classes, your enrollment status will be based on the number of credit hours for which you enroll. For financial aid purposes, enrollment status is based on the following:

You must activate/validate your Schedule/Invoice with the Fee Collection Center for your registration to be complete; however, your enrollment status is NOT official until after the Statistics Day, which is the 14th class day in a regular semester. For all other sessions, the Statistics Day will vary. After the Statistics Day in a given semester/session, your enrollment status is set, and this status is used in determining award amounts and minimum number of hours to complete. If your official enrollment status is lower than your enrollment status at the time your account was activated, a repayment of some or all of your financial aid may be required.

NOTE: Certain degree programs, such as Nursing, consider students to be “full-time” in their specific program when enrolled with less than 12 hours of courses. However, “full-time” for financial aid purposes and “full-time” in your specific degree program have different meanings. According to the federal government, all students, regardless of their degree program, are treated equally for financial aid purposes. Therefore, financial aid is awarded according to the actual number of hours a student is enrolled. This means that, even if 9 hours is considered full-time for your degree program, for financial aid purposes, you are considered a three-quarter-time student.

Mixed Enrollment Statuses

If your enrollment status is mixed for the award year, at the end of the award year, you must earn the total of the minimum semester hours for each enrollment status. For example, if you are a Junior, and you are a full-time student in the Fall and a half-time student in the Spring, you must earn a total of 18 hours (12 + 6) and a minimum 2.0 academic year GPA by the end of the Summer semester.

Hours Attempted

Hours attempted include all hours enrolled in as of the close of business on the Statistics Day for a given semester/session. All developmental hours are included in the annual hours attempted and, if successfully completed, hours earned. Repeated courses are counted in hours attempted and, if successfully completed, hours earned.

Grades, Hours Earned, and Grade Point Average

You will receive a grade for each course at the end of the semester. Passing grades are: A, B, C, D, and S. Grades that are not passing are: F, I, U, X, AU, and W. See the Nicholls State University Bulletin for a more detailed description of the grading system and an explanation of how a grade point average is computed. Hours earned are the total number of credit hours in courses for which you received a passing grade.

NOTE: For financial aid purposes, incomplete (“I”) grades and in progress (“X”) grades equal “F” until removed according to University regulations. Should an “I” or “X” grade be replaced after grade reports are issued, the student must notify the Office of Financial Aid of the change in writing.

Intersession Courses

Although financial aid is not awarded for intersession courses taken, you must still maintain satisfactory academic progress in all courses for which you enroll. Since intersession courses are included in the semester they precede for registration purposes, the Office of Financial Aid will include these hours in the total number of hours that make up your enrollment status for the purpose of maintaining financial aid eligibility.

“Not for Degree Credit” Courses

You are not eligible for aid for courses that do not count towards your degree. Examples of courses that are “not for degree credit” are courses that are being audited.

Developmental Hours

You can only receive financial aid for 30 hours of developmental courses. If you take developmental courses in excess of 30 hours, you are not eligible to receive financial aid for those courses. Once the limit is reached, your financial aid eligibility is determined based on the number of 100-level or above courses for which you are enrolled. The 100-level or above courses taken must be leading to a degree or certification program. It is important to note that all developmental hours are included in the annual hours attempted and, if successfully completed, hours earned.

Notification of Eligibility

The minimum progress standards will be checked once per year at the end of the award year (the end of the Summer semester). We will review the standards at the end of the Spring semester, and you will receive a progress report before the start of the Summer semester. If you do not meet the minimum academic year requirements AND you do not attend the Summer semester, refer to the “Appeals/Reestablishing” section. If you do not meet the minimum academic year requirements AND you do attend the Summer semester, the standards will be checked at the end of the Summer semester. At this time, if you still do not meet the minimum requirements, refer to the “Appeals/Reestablishing” section. If you meet the requirements at the end of the Spring semester AND you attend Summer school, satisfactory academic progress will be checked at the end of the summer semester. If, with the summer courses, you do not earn the minimum requirements for the year, refer to the “Appeals/Reestablishing” section.

Appeals/Reestablishing

The Office of Financial Aid may waive satisfactory academic progress standards due to hardship based on the death of a parent or guardian, personal injury, illness, or other extenuating circumstances such as hurricanes and natural disasters. The basis for the waiver must be documented with supporting papers and submitted to the Office of Financial Aid by the deadline date given. All supporting documents will be retained in the student’s financial aid file. Financial aid appeals are NOT the same as academic appeals. Students are ineligible for financial aid while academically suspended from the University.

If you do not appeal or your appeal is denied, to regain eligibility, you must enroll with a minimum of six (6) credit hours and meet the minimum standards as shown in the Minimum Progress Standards Table. If you enroll with more than six (6) hours, you must meet the minimum standards for those hours attempted at your classification. You have to personally pay for this semester.

Timeframe for Eligibility

In order to maintain satisfactory academic progress, you must complete your degree programs within a certain time period. The maximum lengths of study are:

Associate Degree……6 semesters*
Bachelor Degree…….12 semesters*
Graduate Program……….Total hours required for your program as determined by your Academic College

*where enrolled 12 or more hours=one full semester
Eleven (11) = .92, Ten (10) = .84, Nine (9) = .75, Eight (8) = .67, Seven (7) = .58, Six (6) = .50, Five (5) = .42, Four (4) = .33, Three (3) = .25, Two (2) = .17,
One (1) = .09

Semesters (or hours) are counted starting with the semester you entered school, even those semesters in which you did not receive aid. Students who have reached their maximum timeframe and have mitigating circumstances may appeal to the Office of Financial Aid for a brief extension of their aid.

NOTE: The appeal must be made in writing and received by the deadline date given. A student is allowed to appeal for only one extension for each specified degree. Under no circumstances will a student be granted more than one extension.

Academic Renewal

Federal regulations prohibit the Office of Financial Aid from eliminating hours when determining satisfactory academic progress calculations. This means that if you are granted academic renewal, all attempted hours will be included in determining your remaining financial aid eligibility. However, coursework included in academic renewal will NOT count toward earned hours.

Transfer Students

Transfer students are required to be in good academic standing at the school from which they are transferring and meet the Nicholls Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards during the last period of enrollment. All previous hours pursued are considered in establishing total remaining
eligibility.

Financial Aid Class Attendance Policy

As a recipient of federal funds, you must attend all courses if you want to keep your financial assistance. Failure to attend class could result in a reduction or cancellation of your aid. You could be required to repay some or all of your financial aid, and you could lose your eligibility for future financial assistance.

Questions Regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress

Specific questions regarding satisfactory academic progress must be submitted in writing to the Office of Financial Aid. This will allow us to review your records and answer your question with full knowledge of your status. A copy of the response will be retained in your financial aid file.