Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory academic progress for need-based financial aid recipients in the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of the South is measured by the following criteria:
Required GPA
- At the end of each term the student must achieve the minimum cumulative GPA. It is important to note some scholarships and awards may carry a separate and normally higher GPA requirement for retention.
| Semester Completed | Minimum Cumulative GPA Required |
Minimum Completed Credits Expected |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.85 | 12 |
| 2 | 1.85 | 24 |
| 3 | 2.00 | 36 |
| 4 | 2.00 | 52 |
| 5 | 2.00 | 64 |
| 6 | 2.00 | 80 |
| 7 | 2.00 | 92 |
| 8 | 2.00 | 108 |
Required Completion Rate
- To meet the number of credit hours necessary for graduation the normal expectation is a student will complete 16 credit hours per semester for eight semesters.
Maximum Timeframe
- Continued eligibility for federal Title IV aid requires degree completion within 133% of the published credit hour requirements for one’s program. The maximum attempted credit hours is capped at 170, 133% of the 128 required for degree completion. It is important to note that all institutional funding is generally only available for 8 semesters.
Satisfactory academic progress will be monitored at the end of each semester for all students receiving any form of funding for which monitoring is required (i.e., all University-administered need-based scholarships, loans, and work programs; all Federal grant, loan, and work programs; tuition remissions; and Tuition Exchange programs).
Satisfactory academic progress for our Benedict and Vice Chancellor's Awards require a 3.1 at the end of the first academic year and a 3.2 thereafter. The Tennessee Hope Scholarship funds have a separate retention requirement. Specifically, students must have a minimum 2.75 GPA after 24 and 48 attempted hours. At 72, 96 and 120 attempted hours, students must maintain at least a 3.00 cumulative GPA. Hope scholarships also require continuous enrollment, that is standard fall to spring full-time enrollment.
Financial Aid Warning, Probation and Suspension
Students who fail to meet the required standards are considered to be making unsatisfactory academic progress and will be place on “Financial Aid Warning”. A student on Financial Aid warning will be allowed to continue to receive aid for one semester. If the student fails to meet the progress requirements by the end of the warning term then the student is placed on “Financial Aid Suspension.” A student who fails to achieve SAP and who has successfully appealed will be placed on “Financial Aid Probation.”
Any student placed on academic suspension by the College of Arts and Sciences will automatically be placed on financial aid suspension.
Please note: Academic progress standards are not the same as the standards required to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid.
Appeals and Reinstatement of Aid
Students on suspension status who have been unable to adhere to all SAP requirements may submit an appeal letter to the Office of Financial Aid. All appeals are reviewed and decided on by the College Standards Committee. Students will be considered in good standing with regard to financial aid eligibility when they again meet the minimum satisfactory academic progress standards, or upon approval of their appeal by the College Standards Committee. A student who fails to achieve SAP and who has successfully appealed will be placed on “Financial Aid Probation.” The Committee may impose conditions for the student’s continued eligibility for aid. At the end of a financial aid probationary period, the student must be achieving SAP or must be successfully following an academic plan approved by the College Standards Committee. If the College Standards Committee denies a student’s academic progress appeal, aid may be reinstated if the student enrolls as a regular student at the University without benefit of financial aid and again meets the minimum satisfactory academic progress standards as previously described.
