Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students pursuing their first undergraduate degree are eligible to receive financial aid for up to 180 attempted credits. For reference, a UWO student must successfully complete 120 credits in order to earn a bachelor’s degree. Freshmen are considered to be meeting SAP standards when they have been admitted into a degree program.

The maximum credit limit includes all credits attempted at UW Oshkosh as well as credits transferred from any other postsecondary institution(s) attended, regardless of whether the student received financial aid for those credits.

Students pursuing an associates degree are eligible to receive financial aid for up to 60 attempted credits.

Students who surpass these credit limits will be ineligible for federal and state financial aid, including grants, student loans, Parent (PLUS) loan and work-study, unless they have an approved financial aid appeal.

Students obtaining a second or subsequent bachelor’s degree must do so within 225 cumulative attempted credits. Non-degree students are generally ineligible for federal financial aid.

Students must complete their graduate program within 150% of minimum required credits for a master’s degree. For example, if a student is pursuing their first graduate degree program that consists of 30 total credits, they may be eligible to receive financial aid for up to 45 attempted credits.

The maximum credit limit includes all credits attempted at UW Oshkosh as well as credits that have successfully transferred from another postsecondary institution, regardless of whether the student received financial aid for those credits. Students approaching their maximum credit limit for financial aid eligibility will be notified via email.  They will not be placed on Financial Aid Warning status unless they also do not meet the GPA and/or completion-rate requirement.

Students who surpass the 150% credit limit will be ineligible for federal and state financial aid, including grants, loans and work-study, unless they have an approved SAP appeal.

Classes graded “F,” “incomplete” or “not pass” are considered attempted but not successfully completed. These classes impact the measurements of completion rate and maximum timeframe. Students who do not complete the coursework in the time allowed by the Incomplete Policy, the Incomplete grade will lapse to an “F”.  The “F” grade then affects both the completion percentage and the GPA of satisfactory academic progress.

Once a grade is changed from an “incomplete” to a letter grade, the student can re-appeal due to a change in their circumstances.  At this point, the appeal is reviewed and a new calculation can be reviewed to see the updated status. A new decision can be rendered as a result of this change.

Repeated courses will be treated as additional attempted credits and will impact your SAP status. For example, if you repeat a course successfully, the new course grade will replace the previous grade which will raise or lower your cumulative GPA. However, repeated courses also count toward your attempted credit limit. Both the initial attempt and the repeated attempt will factor into your overall credit completion percentage.

It’s best to discuss the cost/benefit of repeating a course with an academic advisor. Advisers will provide the best advice based on your college or major.  

According to federal legislation, repeated classes may only count toward financial aid eligibility if:

• the course was previously failed 
• OR the course was previously passed only once.

This means a student who fails a class may repeat the class and have it count as credit toward their enrollment status for financial aid purposes, but a student who has already passed a class may only repeat it once more (e.g. to receive a better grade) and have these credits count toward financial aid eligibility.

The Financial Aid Office does not determine if you may repeat a class, only whether you may be eligible for Financial Aid for a repeat class. You may learn more about the University’s repeat policy on the Registrar’s website.

75 FR 6689 (2010-10-29)

In some cases students may decide to change majors or pursue multiple majors. Students changing majors will  be monitored for maximum timeframe limitations in the same manner as all students. Depending on the timing of the change and/or the difference between the majors, length of time may be a problem for students and a loss of aid eligibility may result. Carefully review your situation to prevent loss of eligibility before the completion of any degree requirements. It is important to note as well that, per regulation, once it has been determined a student has met the graduation requirements in a degree program, their aid eligibility will cease.

Remedial courses taken as well as courses taken for Pass/No Credit (P/NC) will count as part of a student’s enrollment and toward the attempted credit maximum (maximum timeframe). Courses taken as P/NC do not have a grade “value” associated with them and therefore have no impact on GPA.

Summer classes are offered by UWO in multiple sessions but evaluated by financial aid as one semester. All hours attempted in summer are evaluated for Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the combined summer period even if no financial aid is received in the summer.

Students who fail to meet the minimum SAP requirements by the end of their warning-status semester will be ineligible for future financial aid until SAP requirements are met once again. Undergraduate students who do not meet minimum SAP standards but feel they have unique, extenuating circumstances* or are close to graduating may attempt to regain financial aid eligibility by filing a SAP Appeal through the following procedure:

1. If your SAP status is “not meet” you must file an appeal no later than the date listed on your notification email.
2. Complete the Undergraduate Student SAP Appeal form and include appropriate documentation that supports your reasoning for not meeting SAP requirements. Your appeal must address:
   a. WHAT caused you to not meet SAP requirements
   b. WHAT has changed that will allow you to meet SAP moving forward?
3. Submit the appeal form by one of the following:
   • DocuSign
   • Mail to:
     UWO Financial Aid Office
     800 Algoma Blvd.
     Oshkosh, WI 54901
   • In-Person: Dempsey Hall, Room 104
   • Fax: (920) 424-0284
4. Students are encouraged to submit their appeals as early as possible. Late appeals will be considered on a case by case basis. Students will be notified of the appeal decision via email. If your appeal is denied, you are responsible for all tuition charges.

It is HIGHLY recommended that students attach any and all supporting documentation at the time they submit their appeal to ensure a speedy evaluation process. Incomplete appeals and/or insufficient supporting documentation can result in delays or denial of an SAP appeal. Please allow up to 7 days after submitting your appeal to receive initial email communication from the Financial Aid Appeals Committee (fao@uwosh.edu).

Denied Appeals

If a student’s appeal is denied, you have the right to meet with the Financial Aid Director and/or submit additional documentation to support your original appeal. Students not meeting SAP for GPA and/or rate of completion are encouraged to meet with an academic adviser to discuss available resources. In the case that a student’s SAP appeal is denied, the Financial Aid Office will continue to monitor the student’s academic progress in case they meet SAP standards and regain financial aid eligibility. To have your financial aid reinstated, you must meet all SAP criteria listed on our website and have a current FAFSA on file.

* Examples of extenuating circumstances include medical conditions, death in family, natural disaster, accident, change in employment, hospitalization, etc.

If a student’s SAP appeal is approved, they’ll be placed on a semester-long financial aid probation but will still be able to receive aid. Students placed on financial aid probation may be required to meet an individually prescribed set of criteria, referred to as an academic plan, in order to continue receiving financial aid. If, after grades have been posted for that semester, the student meets minimum SAP requirements, they will no longer be considered on probation. If the student does not meet minimum SAP requirements during the probationary semester, they will be ineligible for financial aid.

• If a student is unable to receive financial aid, they may make payments according to the University’s Partial Payment Plan to spread out the total cost of tuition.
• Students and/or parents may also request private loans that do not require SAP. 
• Although financial aid may have been awarded to you, an SAP appeal denial will take precedence over any previous award notification which you may have received from Financial Aid.

References: 34 CFR 668.16(e) 34 CFR 688.32(f) 34 CFR 688.34 75 FR 66879 (2010-10-29)