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Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

The primary purpose of financial aid programs consists of helping students to successfully complete their degree or certificate programs. Students are required to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements while earning their degree or certificate programs to receive aid. Financial aid programs include grants, tuition and fee waivers, work study employment, need-based and non-need-based loans, and scholarship programs. Specialized academic progress requirements associated with specific scholarship programs may exceed the general policy requirements outlined below. Questions about the academic progress requirements of individual scholarship programs should be directed to the Scholarship Center.

The academic progress of all financial aid recipients is measured on a quarterly basis. Students failing to meet academic progress requirements for aid programs will be among the first to receive word that their academic goals are at risk. The Financial Aid Department staff will inform students who find themselves in this situation of a number of specific, on-campus resources to help them meet satisfactory academic progress requirements.

Failure to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements will result in financial aid probation or suspension. Although aid-suspended students may petition for financial aid reinstatement, reinstatement is not guaranteed. Please read on for further details.

General Policy Requirements

  1. Maintain the required grade point average (GPA)
  2. Complete the minimum number of credits associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received.
  3. Complete your degree or certificate within the maximum allowable timeframe

Grade Point Average Requirements

Students must meet the scholastic standards of the University, which expects an undergraduate student to maintain a 2.00 cumulative GPA. Academic standards allow for a probationary period during which an undergraduate student's cumulative GPA may fall below 2.00. Students on academic probation are eligible for financial aid, with the expectation that they bring their GPAs to acceptable levels within University timeframes. Scholastic standards for undergraduate and graduate students are fully described in the University catalog.

Minimum Credit Requirements

Academic progress is reviewed for financial aid purposes at the end of each quarter for aid recipients and non-aid recipients alike. To maintain financial aid eligibility, aid recipients are expected to successfully complete the minimum number of credits associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received. The following grades do not indicate successful completion of academic credit: F, Z, U, NP, K, W, I, X and audited classes or absence of a grade.

Non aid recipients must successfully complete the minimum number of credits associated with their enrollment status to establish financial aid eligibility in a subsequent quarter. Enrollment status for financial aid purposes is determined as of the quarterly enrollment status lock date (generally the second Friday of the quarter).

If a review of a student's coursework indicates a failure to meet minimum credit completion requirements, the student will be placed on financial aid probation or financial aid suspension, depending upon the extent of the credit deficiency.

Students who request that the Financial Aid Department re-examine their academic progress upon satisfactory completion of a K grade must first confirm that the Registrar has made the grade change, and then notify the Financial Aid Department of the change in writing. In order for satisfactorily completed correspondence course credits to apply toward minimum credit requirements, the correspondence course must be completed within the term for which it was registered. Credits earned for repeated coursework may count toward current quarter academic progress requirements. However, justification for repeating specific courses may be requested by the Financial Aid Department at any time and a determination made as to the reasonableness of counting credits derived from repeated coursework toward academic progress requirements for aid purposes. Aid recipients wishing to repeat coursework while receiving aid are strongly advised to provide justification and obtain approval from the Financial Aid Department prior to receiving aid for such coursework.

Undergraduate and graduate credit completion requirements are provided below.

Credit Completion Requirements

Enrollment Status

Undergraduate Students

Graduate Students

Full-time

12

8

3/4-time

9

6

1/2-time

6

4

Less than 1/2-time

All credits attempted

N/A

Students who fail to meet satisfactory academic progress criteria for a given quarter will be placed on financial aid probation or suspension.

Maximum Timeframe Requirements

For purposes of receiving financial aid, students are allowed to attempt a specified number of credits in order to complete their degree or certificate program. Students who reach or exceed the maximum allowable attempted credit limits are ineligible for financial aid. Western determines whether students have reached or exceeded their maximum timeframes by adding the number of credits they have attempted. Attempted credits are defined as all credits which appear on the transcript. These credits include repeated, failed, incomplete and transcripted transfer credits.

Undergraduate Students:
May attempt up to 125% of the minimum credit requirements for their baccalaureate program of study, as defined in the University catalog. No additional allowance is granted for concurrent completion of a double major.

Graduate Students:
May attempt up to 125% of the number of credits required by their program. Graduate students are advised to limit their enrollment to the courses appearing on their Plan of Study. Taking additional coursework may jeopardize continued financial aid eligibility under the Maximum Timeframe policy.

Postbaccalaureate Students Pursuing a Second Undergraduate Degree or a Certificate Program:
May attempt up to 125% of the credits required for the completion of the degree or certificate program.

Students are ineligible for financial aid upon reaching the maximum timeframe limits. Students may petition for aid reinstatement if unusual circumstances prevented the completion of the degree within the maximum timeframe limit; however, reinstatement is not guaranteed. Petitions must: a) explain why the student was unable to complete the degree within the allowable timeframe; b) provide the number of remaining credits needed to complete the degree or certificate; c) specify the quarter and year that the student plans to graduate; and d) include a graduation evaluation performed by the Registrar's Office.

Financial Aid Probation

  • Financial aid probation results from failure to satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credits associated with the enrollment status for which aid has been received. Although aid will be disbursed for a probationary quarter, failure to meet minimum credit requirements associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received during the probationary quarter will result in financial aid suspension.
  • Undergraduate students who have satisfactorily completed at least 6 credits but have not completed the minimum quarterly credit requirements associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received will be placed on financial aid probation. Scheduled aid will continue to be disbursed for the following quarter, but failure to meet minimum quarterly credit requirements during the probationary quarter will result in financial aid suspension.
  • Graduate students who have satisfactorily completed at least 4 credits but have not completed the minimum quarterly credit requirements associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received will be placed on financial aid probation. Scheduled aid will continue to be disbursed for the following quarter, but failure to meet minimum quarterly credit requirements during the probationary quarter will result in financial aid suspension.

Financial Aid Suspension

  • Financial aid suspension is an aid-ineligible status, whereby aid for future quarters is canceled and processing to calculate future aid eligibility is put on hold until eligibility is regained.
  • Undergraduate students successfully completing fewer than 6 credits will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.
  • Graduate students successfully completing fewer than 4 credits will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.
  • Undergraduate or graduate students who fail to satisfactorily complete the minimum number of credits associated with the enrollment status for which aid was received during a probationary quarter will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.

Reinstatement of Aid Eligibility

  • Students placed on financial aid suspension may petition for financial aid reinstatement if unusual circumstances beyond their control prevented them from meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.
  • If a student's petition for financial aid reinstatement is denied, the student may re-petition for aid reinstatement after having successfully completed a full-time quarter without the benefit of financial aid funding. The full-time credit load is 12 credits for undergraduate students and 8 credits for graduate students.
  • Part-time students may contract with the Financial Aid Department for the required number of credits necessary for financial aid reinstatement.
  • Students unable to reinstate themselves using the above options and who have been unable to attend Western for a full academic year may re-petition for aid reinstatement. Petitions for reinstatement must explain why the student has been unable to reinstate using the above options and how continued ineligibility would constitute an undue hardship.
  • If eligibility for financial aid is reinstated, the amount of financial aid the student receives is subject to the availability of funds. It is possible that some funds will not be available for the reinstated award.

Withdrawals

Aid recipients withdrawing from all coursework will lose their aid eligibility and may be required to repay financial aid they have received. Students are considered as having unofficially withdrawn from the University if they have received a combination of the following grades for a given quarter: F, Z, U, NP, W, X. Aid recipients having unofficially withdrawn may be required to repay all, or a portion of their tuition and fees and financial aid for the applicable quarter.

Specific Requirements for Alaska Loan Recipients

Satisfactory academic progress requirements for continued receipt of Alaska Student and Alaska Family Education loans differ from those associated with Federal and Washington State Programs.

  • Students must be enrolled full-time to qualify for the Alaska loan programs
  • The full-time minimum credit load for graduate students is 9 credits, rather than the 8-credit minimum for Federal and Washington State student aid programs
  • Students must be in good academic standing (cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or above) to maintain Alaska loan eligibility.
  • Undergraduate students are expected to complete a minimum of 12 credits per quarter; graduate students are expected to complete a minimum of 9 credits per quarter.
  • If you have not earned the minimum credit requirements and are either a graduate or undergraduate student who has completed at least 6 credits, you will receive your Alaska loan proceeds the next quarter. However, such proceeds will be disbursed to you the next quarter on a probationary basis. You will be required to complete full-time enrollment (12 credits as an undergraduate student, 9 credits as a graduate student) for the probationary quarter or face Alaska loan suspension.

You may petition for Alaska Student and/or Alaska Family Education loan reinstatement for a credit deficiency. Reinstatement is not guaranteed.

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WWU Financial Aid Department 2008