Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Standards

Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

To be eligible for Title IV federal financial aid funds, a student must make Satisfactory Academic Progress. To meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, a student must meet both the qualitative and quantitative standards explained below.

To evaluate Satisfactory Academic Progress and to determine eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid funds as outlined in the federal regulations, Post University has established minimum qualitative and quantitative academic standards for measuring students’ Satisfactory Academic Progress.

A review of Satisfactory Academic Progress is conducted for degree-seeking and certificate students after each payment period. A payment period consists of one semester (Main Campus and SIMPath modality nursing courses) or two consecutive terms (Accelerated Degree Programs including non-SIMPath modality nursing courses)). Students who fall below the required minimum qualitative and quantitative minimum academic standards shall be placed on Warning for the next eligible payment period. Students on Warning are required to retake two failed courses during the Warning period and meet Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the payment period. For undergraduate-level students, this includes courses with a grade of F or UF. For graduate-level students, this includes courses with a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or UF. If the minimum standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress are not achieved by the end of the Warning period, the students’ eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid will be suspended, and they will be dismissed from Post University.

Students who receive a “UF” grade or an “F” grade in any course during the 8-week term may not be permitted to attend courses in the subsequent 8-week term. In the event a student is not permitted to attend courses in a term due to receiving a “UF” grade or an “F” grade, the student must contact their advisor to discuss re-enrollment for the next term or a subsequent term.

Students who do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress student may not attend courses for one 8-week term subsequent to the determination that they have not met Satisfactory Academic Progress. Students must contact their advisor to discuss their return and upon approval to return will be placed on the appropriate sap status

Qualitative Standards

Qualitative standards measure students’ cumulative grade point averages (GPA).

Post University uses the following escalating scale that undergraduate students must satisfy in both the Main Campus and Accelerated Degree Program programs to meet the minimum academic standards:

Post University uses the following requirement that graduate students must satisfy in both the Main Campus and Accelerated Degree Program programs to meet the minimum academic standards:  

graduate students must maintain the required 3.00 cumulative grade point average to register for programs’ capstone courses. If they fall below the minimum requirement, they will need to repeat course(s) in the program(s) in which they earned lower grades to increase their cumulative grade point averages. Refer to Repeating a Course policy for further information.

The required cumulative grade point average will vary depending on whether the certificate being pursued is undergraduate or graduate:

Course incompletes, withdrawals, and transfers of credit from other institutions are not used as part of the qualitative calculation. Once course incompletes have been converted into earned grades, they will retroactively be used as part of the calculation.

Pace of Completion Standards

Pace of completion measures students’ progress towards completing their programs of study. Pace of completion is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credit hours the students have successfully completed by the cumulative number of credit hours the students have attempted. The calculation is performed for both the coursework attempted at Post University as well as overall attempted coursework, including course incompletes, withdrawals, repetitions, and transfers of credit from other institutions.  Transfer of credits count as credits attempted and completed in the quantitative calculation.   In making this calculation, the institution does not offer remedial courses and does not transfer credits for remedial courses.  

Post University uses the following escalating scale that undergraduate students must satisfy in both the Main Campus and Accelerated Degree Program programs to meet the minimum academic standards:

Graduate students in both the Main Campus and Accelerated Degree Program programs are required to meet the following minimum academic standards:  

The required pace of completion for all certificate programs is 67%:

150% Maximum Timeframe

Students must complete their respective degree and certificate requirements within the maximum timeframe specified by Post University, which is set at no more than 150% of the published length of time of the programs as measured in credit hours.

For example:

Certificate in Paralegal Studies = 45-49.5 credits (30-33 x 1.5)
Associate of Science in Accounting = 90 credits (60 x 1.5)
Bachelor of Science degree = 180 credits (120 x 1.5)
Graduate Certificate in Project Management = 18 credits (12 x 1.5)
Master of Business Administration = 78 credits (52 x 1.5

Warning

Students who do not meet the minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress as outlined above are placed on Warning for a payment period. Students on Warning are required to retake two failed courses during the Warning period. For undergraduate-level students, this includes courses with a grade of F or UF. For graduate-level students, this includes courses with a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or UF. Students on Warning are eligible to receive Title IV federal financial aid for the next eligible payment period in which they are enrolled.

Suspension/Academic Dismissal

For students who are placed on Warning, the University will conduct an evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the Warning period. Students who do not meet the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards by the end of the Warning period will have their eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid suspended, be removed from any current and future courses, and be dismissed from Post University. Students may appeal this decision by following the Appeal process outlined below.

Appeal Process

Students whose eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid is suspended, are dismissed, and wish to appeal must submit their appeals in writing to their respective Dean. The Dean will review the appeal, which includes a letter of explanation of the mitigating circumstances that caused the decline in academic performance, supporting documentation of those circumstances, and a plan for improvement. Mitigating circumstances include a student’s injury or illness, the death of a relative, or other special circumstance. The appeal must also explain why the student failed to make Satisfactory Academic Progress and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to make Satisfactory Academic Progress at the next evaluation.

Main Campus students may begin submitting appeal letters one week before the end of the payment period when they expect to have their eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid suspended and be dismissed from Post University. Students must submit their appeal letters one week before the start of a payment period to be considered for return that payment period.  ADP students must submit an appeal form and provide supporting documents no later than 5 pm EST on Wednesday of the first week of classes for the term they want to return. 

Probation

Students whose eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid is suspended and are dismissed from the University and wish to appeal must submit their appeals in writing to their respective Dean. Students whose appeals are approved will be placed on Probation. Students on Probation have one payment period to improve their cumulative grade point averages and/or pace of completion to meet the minimum standards outlined by the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. Students who are placed on an Academic Plan will have additional time to improve their cumulative grade point averages and/or pace of completion according to the requirements of the Academic Plan. All students placed on Probation are evaluated at the end of the payment period. Students who fail to meet the conditions of their Probation period and, if applicable, their Academic Plan, will have their eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid suspended, will be dismissed from Post University, and must wait two payment periods before submitting subsequent appeals. There is no provision for amnesty and, therefore, the student must submit an appeal with a description of what mitigating circumstances caused the student not to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards ‘ and what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to make Satisfactory Academic Progress and supporting documentation cannot be the same as previously approved appeals.

Repeating Coursework

Students are permitted to repeat courses for which they have already attempted, and the highest grade is calculated into the students’ cumulative grade point average. When calculating pace of completion, attempted credits will include all courses even though prior grades are excluded when calculating the cumulative grade point average. Students may only repeat failed courses taken at Post University a total of two times. Students who wish to retake courses a third time must obtain permission from their respective Dean.

With respect to Title IV federal financial aid, the following conditions must be observed:

1. Undergraduate students may receive Title IV federal financial aid for one repetition of a previously passed course in which they have earned grades of D- or above, or for any failed course until it is passed.
2. Graduate students may receive Title IV federal financial aid for one repetition of a previously passed course in which they have earned grades C- or above, or for any failed course until it is passed.

Evaluation

Post University will review Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of each payment period. At the time of the evaluation, if the Satisfactory Academic Progress criteria are not met, students are notified of their status for the following payment period. Post University notifies students by forwarding information to the e-mail addresses maintained in the students’ files. All periods of students’ enrollments are counted in the cumulative grade point average, pace of completion calculations, and the maximum time frame, except as noted above for students who change their programs of study.  If a student changes programs, the credits applied to the new program will count as credits attempted and completed and the grades from such credits will be calculated into the cumulative GPA of the new major.

Students are provided one payment period, hereafter referred to as the Financial Warning period, to meet the required minimum academic standards. If students are not able to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress by the end of the Warning period, their eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid will be suspended, and they will be dismissed from Post University. Students who fail to enroll for their Warning period will remain on Warning status should they resume their l enrollment in their next eligible payment period.

Reestablish Aid Eligibility

Students may reestablish their eligibility for Title IV federal financial aid by meeting the applicable minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. Students who regain eligibility may receive their Title IV federal financial aid funds for the payment period in which they become eligible.