(Revised 03/2017)
In accordance with federal regulations the following policies and procedures governing standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) are in effect for all students receiving federal financial aid while attending Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies. Students who fail to meet both the qualitative and maximum timeframe requirements of SAP standards will be considered ineligible for federal financial aid.
SAP is measured by:
- Grade Point Average (GPA) – Qualitative measurement
- Maximum timeframe – Pace requirement – Progress to ensure completion within the maximum time frame
Students enrolled in a Master's program who receive federal financial aid must :
- maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 at the end of each semester
- complete a minimum of 50% cumulative credits they attempt
- stay on pace to complete the program within 84 months
Incompletes, withdrawals, repeated courses, and transfer credits
- A grade of "I", incomplete, is assigned as a temporary mark for pending course completion and counts against the completion rate
- Withdrawals do not impact the student’s GPA
- A student may receive federal financial aid for the same course a maximum of 2 times
- Transfer credits will count as both attempted and completed in the calculation for maximum timeframe. Grades associated with transfer credits will not be used in calculating cumulative GPA.
Students not on pace to complete the program within the maximum timeframe allowed will be ineligible to receive federal financial aid.
SAP Evaluation and Warning Status
At the end of each semester the GPA will be calculated for each student. Satisfactory Academic Progress will be evaluated for each student at this time to determine if the SAP requirements of GPA and timeframe have been met. Students who receive federal financial aid and have not achieved the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning for the upcoming semester. The student will continue to receive aid during the warning period. If at the end of the warning period semester the student fails to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, both GPA and timeframe, the student will be ineligible for federal financial aid the following semester unless criteria for an appeal are met. See Appeal Process. A student can be on SAP warning for only one semester.
SAP Notification
The Financial Aid office will notify students in writing, via their Hazelden Betty Ford e-mail account, if they have failed to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress and are put on warning status for the upcoming semester. If the student was already on SAP warning and did not meet the SAP requirements at the end of the SAP warning semester the student becomes ineligible for future federal financial aid disbursements. The Financial Aid office will notify the student via their Hazelden Betty Ford email account that they are no longer eligible for federal financial aid. Included in that e-mail notification will be information on what is required to again become eligible for federal financial aid.
Re-establishing eligibility to receive federal financial aid
Once the student's cumulative GPA is at a minimum of 3.0 and the student is progressing at a pace to complete the program within the maximum timeframe, the student will again become eligible to receive federal financial aid. Neither paying for your own classes nor sitting out for a period of time is acceptable to reinstate federal financial aid eligibility.
Appeal Process
If at the end of the warning semester the student has not met the SAP requirement the student has the right to appeal his/her eligibility based on the following circumstances: the death of a relative, student’s injury or illness, or other special circumstance. A written appeal must be submitted to the financial aid administrator for review by the Appeal’s Committee. The student’s appeal must include:
- an explanation of the circumstance that affected the student’s progress from meeting SAP requirements
- appropriate supporting documents
- specific explanation of what has changed with the student's situation that will allow them to reach satisfactory academic progress at the end of the next semester
The student will receive a written decision in response to their appeal in approximately 15 business days. If the appeal is approved the student will be placed on financial aid SAP probation and federal financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for one semester.
If the appeal is denied and the student feels there are factors that were not considered, a second appeal including any additional supporting documentation must be submitted to the provost to be reviewed by the provost with the Appeals committee. A response will be sent to the student by the provost in approximately 20 business days.
If at the end of the probation period the student has not yet met the SAP requirements he/she will become ineligible for federal financial aid. However if there are new circumstances since the prior appeal the student can again present an appeal following the same requirements as the first appeal with one addition. The student must also include, with the assistance of his/her advisor, a plan that ensures that the student is able to meet the school's SAP policy by a specific timeframe. This plan will clearly indicate specific course grades in the upcoming term that are required to raise the accumulative GPA to 3.0 or above, as well as the potential outcomes (e.g. inability to graduate, suspension, dismissal) if those grades are not obtained. The financial aid administrator will be given a copy of the student's signed plan. If the appeal is not approved the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. The same process for notification to the student will be followed as for the initial appeal.
Questions? Contact our financial aid office for more information or assistance.
Greg Anklan, Financial Aid Administrator
GAnklan@HazeldenBettyFord.org
1-651-213-4676
Connie Kastens, Assistant Financial Aid Administrator
CKastens@HazeldenBettyFord.org
1-651-213-4001