Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Life University’s
SAP Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Effective 6/2/2018 (supersedes all former policies)

The United States Department of Education and most agencies providing financial assistance require students to maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) in their course of study to continue receiving funding. Failure to maintain SAP will result in the loss of Federal Title IV financial aid as well as State and Institutional aid. The student’s entire academic history is evaluated to determine whether or not he/she is maintaining SAP. This evaluation is not affected by whether or not aid was previously received or whether a student has changed programs. The Federal Student Aid program regulations make no provision for the concept of academic amnesty or grade forgiveness.

Doctor of Chiropractic and Undergraduate Program
Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) and Undergraduate (UG) students will be evaluated annually at the end of each spring quarter. Students in the DC and UG programs are expected to complete at least 67% of all attempted hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0. When students are evaluated and are not meeting SAP requirements they will become ineligible for Federal, State, and Institutional financial aid. Students may regain federal eligibility by enrolling using their own resources or alternative funding sources until they have met a cumulative 2.0 GPA and completed 67% of their courses.

Master’s Program
Master’s students (GR) will be evaluated at the end of each quarter. Students in the GR program are expected to complete at least 67% of all attempted hours with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. GR students will be evaluated after their first (and each subsequent) quarter in the program because of the short duration of the program length. Students not meeting SAP will be placed on financial aid warning for one quarter. If at the end of their warning quarter the students are not meeting SAP they will become ineligible for Federal, State, and Institutional aid. Students may regain aid eligibility by enrolling using their own resources or alternative funding sources until they have met a cumulative 3.0 GPA and completed 67% of their courses.

SAP is measured in three ways:

1. Qualitative Standard (Grade Point Average – GPA):

• The cumulative GPA is determined by the Financial Aid Department using the student’s entire academic history
• The GPA includes all courses in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, WF, and I are given.
• DC and UG students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher.
• GR students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.

2. Quantitative Standard:

• All students (UG, GR, D.C.) are expected to complete at least 67% of all courses attempted.
• Attempted courses are defined as those for which one has registered and been charged, in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WP, WF, I, NG, P, SP, NP, WNP or IP are given.
• Completed courses are defined as those in which grades of A, B, C, D, NG, SP, or P are given.

Example of meeting the SAP requirements:

• At the end of Spring quarter 2018, Kevin Smith, UG student, has attempted 45 credit hours.
• He has earned grades of “C” in all 45 hours. He has met the qualitative standard because his cumulative GPA is 2.00.
• He has successfully completed all the courses he attempted. He has met the quantitative standard because his completion rate is 100% (Completed hours of 45 divided by Attempted hours of 45 X 100).

Example of not meeting the SAP requirements:

• At the end of Spring quarter 2018, Susan Moore, D.C. student, has attempted 95 credit hours and completed 70 of those 95 credits.
• Her cumulative GPA is a 1.90. She did not meet the qualitative standard since her GPA is below a 2.00.
• She met the quantitative standard because her completion rate is 73% Completed hours of 70 divided by Attempted hours of 95 X 100).

3. Quantitative Standard: Maximum Time Frame

• All students (UG, GR, and DC) are expected to finish their degrees after having attempted coursework not to exceed 150% of their program requirements (measured in credit hours attempted). When it becomes mathematically impossible for a student to complete a degree within 150% of its length, he/she becomes ineligible for aid.
• All program length requirements are found by degree program in the academic catalog.

Appeals

If there are extenuating circumstances beyond their control, students have the right to appeal their SAP determination. The appeal must be directly relatable to the academic period for which the student is being evaluated and cannot have been previously submitted for review. Appeals must be submitted in writing using the SAP Appeal Form obtained by speaking with a Financial Aid Counselor and MUST include supporting third party documentation. Appeals without supporting documentation will not be accepted. Students are required to submit a statement regarding why they failed to meet the SAP requirement(s) and what has changed in their situation that would allow them to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation.

Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval and if the appeal is denied the student will be responsible for paying Life University any balance owed without Federal, State and Institutional funds. The Financial Aid Appeals Committee (FAAC) will consider each appeal on its own merits and the decision of the FAAC committee is final.

During the FAAC review it will be determined if the student can or cannot meet SAP requirement(s) after the next quarter of enrollment. This will be done by looking at the student’s current transcript of completed classes and GPA for all quarters attended at Life University in the appropriate program. Any student who has his/her SAP decision successfully appealed and cannot meet SAP after the next quarter of enrollment will receive an Academic Plan and placed on financial aid probation. The Academic Plan will be individualized and specific to each student in order to put him/her on track to successful academic progress in no more than 4 quarters. If at any time during an Academic Plan the student does not meet the terms of his/her plan, he/she will lose Federal, State, and Institutional aid and will not be eligible to appeal. If, when presented with the Academic Plan, the student chooses not to accept it, he/she will need to pay using other resources until meeting the minimum requirements for SAP.

Students who choose not to appeal, or have their appeal denied, may regain their eligibility for financial aid by enrolling using their own resources or alternative non-Federal, non-State, and non-Institutional funding and bringing their academic performance into compliance with this policy.

Students who separate from Life University when not meeting SAP will not be automatically eligible for financial aid upon their return. Absence does not restore eligibility. If a student returns and is not meeting SAP, he/she will be responsible for using his/her own resources or alternative funding. Once the student is meeting SAP, he/she must self-identify to the Financial Aid Department and request to be re-evaluated for Federal, State, and Institutional aid by submitting a Financial Aid Adjustment Form.

Financial Aid Probation: A status assigned to a student who has successfully appealed and has had eligibility for aid reinstated. Probation can only be granted if the FAAC determines the student should be able to meet Life University’s SAP standards by the end of the subsequent quarter. A student on financial aid probation may receive Federal, State, and Institutional funds for one quarter.

Financial Aid Warning: A status assigned to a student who fails to meet SAP requirement(s) and has his/her academic progress evaluated at the end of each payment period. This status allows students who fail SAP standards to continue to receive aid for one quarter. At Life University, this status only applies to GR students.

Obtaining a Second Degree at LIFE: For SAP purposes, students who have earned one degree and wish to work toward a second degree will start over again, just as if they were new students.

Remedial Courses: For SAP purposes, remedial courses will be counted in both the quantitative and qualitative standards

Transfer Courses: For SAP purposes, transfer courses accepted as credit toward a Life University degree will be counted in the quantitative standard, but not the qualitative standard.

Repeat Courses: For SAP purposes, repeated courses will be counted in both the quantitative and qualitative standards.

Changing Majors: All courses, regardless of the major, in the same degree program at Life University are counted in the SAP determination for both quantitative and qualitative standards.

Students are responsible to self-identify if changes occur in their academic information (i.e., grade change) that may deem them eligible for SAP. Students must submit a Financial Aid Adjustment Form requesting a SAP re-evaluation to the Financial Aid Department.