FINANCIAL AID SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS REQUIREMENTS

The federal government requires the measurement of student academic progress for the purpose of determining a student’s financial aid eligibility for all sources of financial aid, including merit-based scholarships. The following requirements are to be used in conjunction with and are in addition to the Academic Review Board (ARB) policies of Hiram College. In order to continue to receive federal, state and institutional financial aid, each student must maintain certain cumulative grade point (qualitative) and earned credit hour (quantitative) requirements within an approved degree or teacher certification program. Below is an explanation of these requirements:

In the verification process, we compare the information that was submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to the information you provide.  If changes are necessary, we will make those corrections electronically for you.

Qualitative requirements: The student must, at the end of the second academic year (4 semesters) or once reaching junior status, have at least a cumulative grade point average of “C” (2.00 on a 4.00 scale) which is a standard consistent with graduation requirements. Failure to maintain this standard will result in the loss of all financial aid eligibility. Students identified as juniors or seniors by the Hiram College Registrar must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher to receive any financial aid.

Quantitative requirement/maximum time frame to complete a degree program: The maximum time frame to complete a degree program at Hiram College equals 150% of the published length of the educational program (for a full-time student) which is no greater than 6 years. The maximum time frame of 6 years is divided into equal increments of academic years for the purpose of periodically measuring satisfactory academic progress.

Quantitative Requirements/pace of progress toward degree completion: The student must maintain a minimum pace of progress toward the completion of the academic degree to maintain financial aid eligibility. To demonstrate progress toward completion, students are required to complete a percentage of credit hours attempted each year. Progress is measured at the end of each semester. Official enrollment status, for financial aid purposes, is measured at the end of the drop/add period during each semester. Students must cumulatively earn 67% of the credits that they attempt. Students with less than 67% attempted/earned ratio will be placed on warning for 1 semester, and will become ineligible for aid after two consecutive semesters.

Additional Information

Monitoring of academic progress: The satisfactory academic progress levels in reference to cumulative grade point average and credit hour progress are reviewed after grades are finalized each semester to determine if the student is eligible to receive financial aid for subsequent enrollment periods.

Academic Progress and the Academic Review Board (ARB): While the decisions of ARB are made independently from the student’s financial aid eligibility, if a student is suspended by ARB due to a GPA deficiency, they become ineligible for financial aid. Should the student appeal to ARB for reinstatement, their financial aid eligibility will also be reinstated, provided they are still meeting the other criteria outlined above.

Transfer students: Transfer students are considered differently in relation to financial aid academic progress monitoring. Recipients are awarded aid as first-year students without regard to probation status at the prior post-secondary institution The Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements would then be used to measure their continued status. Transfer credits must be evaluated and a grade level established before any educational loans are processed. The progress standards of the appropriate grade level, including quantitative requirements, after the credit evaluation is officially complete, would then apply for continued aid eligibility in subsequent enrollment periods.

Coursework/Enrollment: A. Incomplete courses cannot be calculated into financial aid satisfactory progress requirements until they are complete. This is because no Grade Point Average is yet part of the student’s overall cumulative grade point average and the semester hours are not yet earned. A student identified as making insufficient progress because of an incomplete course will remain so until the course is completed or the equivalent in progress is documented. B. Dismissal/Withdrawal-please refer to the “Academic Procedures” section of the Hiram College catalog to identify when an individual course dismissal/withdrawal is factored into a student’s grades. A student’s official grades, as identified by the Registrar, are used for financial aid satisfactory progress requirement measurements. C. Non-credit remedial coursework is not currently available at Hiram. D. Repeated courses for which a full-time student receives credit more than once may be counted only twice toward the student’s enrollment status when awarding aid (unless the student receives an F) and measuring quantitative satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes. See note on page 20 for additional information on how repeating courses can impact your federal financial aid eligibility. E. Credits earned under consortium agreements are integrated into the student’s records upon completion of the course. NOTE: All courses must be approved by the Hiram College Registrar.

Student notification: Students will be sent notices if the appropriate cumulative grade point averages or hours earned has not been satisfied for financial aid purposes. As a courtesy, students may receive an early warning notice. This notification will be in addition to any notification sent by the ARB.

Right to Appeal: Students who become ineligible for financial aid have the right to appeal the decision if unusual circumstance contributed to their inability to make academic progress (i.e. illness, death of a relative, etc. during the semester in which the student did not make academic progress). The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form is available online at http://hiram.verifymyfafsa.com/ under the “General Documents” section and should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office with the supporting documentation.

Reinstatement of financial aid eligibility: Financial aid eligibility may be reinstated when the student has reestablished satisfactory academic standing. Satisfactory academic standing can only occur if the student has corrected the identified deficiency (i.e. low cumulative grade point average or low credit hours earned). Readmission to Hiram College by the ARB does not reinstate student financial aid eligibility. Credit hour deficiencies can be corrected by the student attending additional coursework. For example, the student could earn credits toward the degree program through summer school or a local community college. This course work must be approved by the Hiram College Registrar as appropriate to the degree program of the student. Cumulative grade point average deficiencies can only be corrected through attendance at Hiram College (at the student’s cost) as grade point averages from other institutions cannot be integrated with a Hiram College cumulative grade point average. The student is required to request a reevaluation of satisfactory academic progress when it is believed the deficiencies have been corrected. After the student has requested a reevaluation, the Financial Aid Office will reevaluate academic progress and notify the student, in writing, of the outcome. Reinstatement of aid eligibility is not retroactive. Reinstatement of aid eligibility will only affect future enrollment periods.