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To maintain eligibility to be considered for financial aid, students must meet the standards set forth in East Carolina University Financial Aid Policy on Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Three components of your academic record determine whether you are maintaining satisfactory academic progress:

• course completion
• grade point average (GPA)
• maximum eligibility

The requirements in each area vary according to your status as an undergraduate, graduate or professional student, your school/college of enrollment, and your status (full-time, half-time, or less than half-time).

The University’s SAP policy is a federal requirement that includes, but is not limited to, the following aid programs:

Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant, Federal Family Educational Loan Programs (Subsidized and Unsubsidized), Federal Smart Grant, Federal Academic Competitive Grant, Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), Federal Perkins Loan, State Grants, Institutional ECU Grants, and Private Loans


SAP Criteria

Minimum Credits Earned
Each student’s enrollment status is reviewed at the end of the academic year* to verify the required minimum number of credits earned. Students must successfully complete 80% of the credits attempted. See example below:

Attempt Each Academic Year	Earn Each Academic Year
23 to 32 credits	18 to 26 credits
17 to 22 credits	14 to 18 credits
12 to 16 credits	10 to 13 credits
6 to 11 credits	5 to 9 credits

*Academic year = fall, spring, and summer



Minimum Cumulative GPA

As an undergraduate student, your cumulative grade point average (GPA) will be reviewed at the end of each academic year of attendance. After your second academic year (fourth semester of attendance), you must have achieved AN ACADEMIC STANDING CONSISTENT WITH ECU’S REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION, which is a cumulative GPA of 2.0, or you will be placed on financial aid probation. Graduate and professional students are required to maintain the GPA as required by their chosen programs of study.

Financial Aid Probation

Students who fail to earn the required GPA and/or the minimum number of credits hours needed for a particular attendance status, will be placed on financial aid probation for the next semester of attendance. Students may still receive financial aid while on financial aid probation. To be removed from financial aid probation, students must achieve the required GPA and/or complete a minimum number of credits (See Table).

Financial Aid Suspension

Failure to earn the required credits hours or achieve the required GPA while on financial aid probation will result in financial aid suspension. Students are no longer eligible to receive aid from any of the financial aid programs while on financial aid suspension. To resume eligibility to receive aid from any financial aid program, students must complete-at their **own expense– a regular academic year at ECU with an enrollment of at least half-time, attain the minimum credits hours required and/or achieve the required cumulative GPA (See Table).

This means you will not receive federal, state financial aid or institutional assistance

Maximum Time Frame

Undergraduate and graduate students will be considered for financial aid eligibility for 150% of their program time. At the end of each academic year, each student’s credits earned are reviewed to ensure that satisfactory academic progress is occurring at the required rate. Students will be notified when they are within two semesters of reaching the expiration of the allowable timeframe. Once the timeframe has expired, students must use their personal funds to continue their matriculation. No exceptions can be made.


(UNDERGRADUATES WHO PLAN TO GRADUATE WITHIN FOUR YEARS MUST EARN 15 TO 17 CREDITS HOURS PER SEMESTER DEPENDING ON YOUR PROGRAM OF STUDY)

Because of the special nature and delivery format of the professional education programs, professional students will maintain financial aid eligibility for a period not to exceed the following:

Medicine	6 academic years (or 12 semesters)
Doctorate without graduate degree	7 academic years (or 14 semesters)
Doctorate with graduate degree	5 academic years (or 10 semesters)

De-matriculation/Suspension

Students who have been academically suspended from the University are not eligible for financial aid. Once re-matriculated (re-admitted) by the University, students must complete the financial aid SAP appeal process. Students must submit an SAP appeal form. Financial aid eligibility will be determined based on the University’s SAP standards through a review of the student’s academic transcript.

The following types of grades cannot be used for financial aid probation, suspension, or re-matriculation requirements: credit hours by audit or special examination; grades earned from Advanced Placement or CLEP exams for which prior approval was not obtained; withdrawal or incomplete grades; and grades earned in zero credit courses.

ADDITIONAL SAP REQUIREMENTS

• Students who are not receiving financial aid will be evaluated for financial aid eligibility on the same basis as a student who receives federal, state, or institutional aid. Should such students apply for financial aid, eligibility will be based on their past performance as measured by the SAP standards for financial aid. Students who are enrolled in a dual degree program may request in writing an extension of the maximum timeframe provision of the SAP policy. Such request will be evaluated on an individual basis. Students who are pursuing a second degree will be given the equivalent of six (6) fulltime semesters to complete the second degree program, including prerequisite courses.

• Transfer students will be placed within the policy’s maximum timeframe level based on the number of transfer credits hours accepted by East Carolina University.

• Credits hours earned at foreign institutions are included in the financial aid SAP evaluation if the University accepts the credits hours.

• Courses in which a grade of ‘I’ was received will count to meet the academic year attempted minimum and influence the GPA in the semester the course was taken. All attempted and earned credits hours are counted in timeframe determination (this includes courses that were excluded in ECU’s forgiveness policy).

• Credits hours earned for remedial and ESL courses will count toward determination of enrollment status, minimum credits hours, and maximum timeframe.

• Courses that are repeated will count toward enrollment status and maximum timeframe. For purposes of financial aid satisfactory academic progress, only courses adding to the cumulative credits hours earned will be acceptable toward the required minimum number of credits hours earned each year. Repeat courses for which a student previously received a passing grade will not count.

• Summer Session Courses (two summer sessions = 1 semester)
• All hours attempted and completed in the summer sessions are treated as any other semester credit hours in determining SAP.

THE FINANCIAL AID APPEALS COMMITTEE WILL REVIEW THE REQUEST AND MAKE A DECISION WITHIN TEN BUSINESS DAYS OF THE RECEIPT OF YOUR APPEAL. WRITTEN NOTIFICATION OF THE DECISION WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE STUDENT. THE DECISION OF THE COMMITTEE IS FINAL.