Satisfactory Academic Progress

In an effort to comply with federal regulations, Manhattanville University has developed the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy for students to maintain or reestablish eligibility to receive Title IV funds. This policy applies to all students receiving financial aid at Manhattanville University.

According to the United States Department of Education regulations and Office of Higher Education New York State policy, all students applying for federal and/or state financial assistance (as well as some private, credit-based loans) must meet and maintain satisfactory academic progress in a degree program to receive funding. Students who are not making satisfactory academic progress when they initially apply for aid will not be eligible for financial aid at Manhattanville University until satisfactory academic progress is met or the student submits an appeal for financial aid and the University approves the appeal.

SAP Standards:

The Financial Aid Office will review the satisfactory academic progress of enrolled financial aid recipients following each semester; students will be reviewed up to three times annually. Each such review includes the Qualitative (GPA), Quantitative (Pace of Completion), and Maximum Timeframe (150%) measurements discussed below

Qualitative Measure (GPA)

The quality of a student's progress is measured by grade point average (cumulative GPA). The minimum cumulative GPA for financial aid recipients is: 

Quantitative Measure (Pace)

The quantity of a student’s progress is measured by the Cumulative Completion Rate (credit hours earned divided by credit hours attempted). Students are required to complete 2/3 (66.67%) of attempted credit hours.  GPA and Progression in your field of study (pace) are evaluated for all students after the end of each semester. Students are notified by email if they become SAP ineligible after each semester.

Students should check their SAP status on the student portal following the completion of each semester.

Maximum Timeframe Measure

Financial aid recipients must complete an educational program within a timeframe no longer than 150% of the published length of the educational program. Students for whom it is not mathematically possible to complete their educational programs within 150% of the published length will no longer be eligible for federal financial aid.

Students may not receive financial assistance beyond the following:

• For example, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree requiring 120 credit hours may attempt up to 180 hours before financial aid eligibility is suspended (120 x 150% = 180). However, if that student fails the first 61 attempted hours, it is no longer mathematically possible for the student to complete the 120-hour program within 180 attempted hours (61 + 120 = 181), and the student’s financial aid eligibility will be suspended at the 61-hour mark.
• All attempted course credits that apply to a student’s program count toward this Maximum Timeframe limit. This includes courses designated as incomplete, withdrawn, repeated, failed, pass/fail, transferred and/or remedial/enrichment/ESL. It also includes courses taken while attending an institution part-time and courses for which a student did not receive financial aid.

Credit hours are cumulative; thus, students working towards obtaining more than one degree in the same degree type (e.g. undergraduate) may reach this maximum timeframe before completing their course of study and may need to appeal eligibility.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is defined as the successful completion of coursework toward an eligible certificate or degree. The student is meeting or exceeding the required Quantitative and Qualitative expectations as described above.

Financial Aid Warning 

Failure to meet the minimum satisfactory progress requirements will result in a status of federal financial aid warning. If a student is in a satisfactory status and fails to meet the minimum (quantitative, qualitative, or maximum timeframe) requirement, they will be automatically placed on financial aid warning status for one semester. Notification will be sent to the student via Service Hub that they are not meeting satisfactory academic progress. All federal and state aid will remain for future semesters while in a warning status. These students will be reviewed at the end of the following enrolled semester to determine if they meet the minimum requirements (quantitative, qualitative, or maximum timeframe) and will either be placed in a suspended status or reinstated to satisfactory.

Financial Aid Unsatisfactory Academic Progress

Students in a warning status who fail to meet the minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on federal financial aid unsatisfactory academic progress, and will be ineligible to receive federal financial aid.

Students will be notified of financial aid unsatisfactory academic progress by email to the Manhattanville student email address and the SAP status will be posted via Service Hub. If a student is placed on financial aid unsatisfactory academic progress, all federal and state aid will be withdrawn for future semesters. Students on financial aid unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal to reinstate their financial aid.

Courses and grades considered in determining Satisfactory Academic Progress 

All courses attempted and on the academic record (all enrolled courses past the add/drop date) at the time of progress check are considered when determining the Cumulative Completion Rate. 

Please note the following:

• Incomplete courses (I) will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, will not be considered completed courses, and will not be included in the GPA calculation.
• Withdrawals (W), including excused withdrawals, will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, will not be considered completed courses, and will be included in the GPA calculation.
• Failing (F) grades will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, will not be considered completed courses, and will be included in the GPA calculation.
• Repeated courses will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate (but only one passing grade will be considered as a completed course). The newest grade will be included in the GPA calculation and the older grade will be excluded. Federal student aid is available for only one retake.
• Pass/Fail courses will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, if passed, cumulative completed credit hours, but will not count in the GPA calculation.
• Transfer credits accepted by the University (including those received during consortium) will count toward the Cumulative Completion Rate, completed credit hours, but will not count in the GPA calculation.
• Change in Majors - Only courses counting toward a student's program (major) will count toward maximum timeframe. There is not a limit to the number of times a student can change majors.
• Undergraduate and Graduate Courses - All undergraduate courses count in the calculation of the Cumulative Completion Rate for undergraduate students. All graduate courses count in the calculation of Cumulative Completion Rate for graduate students.
• Remedial and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses will count toward total hours attempted for the Cumulative Completion Rate, completed credit hours, and will count in the GPA calculation.

Appeal Procedures

Students who are suspended from federal financial aid may make a written appeal for reinstatement of eligibility if extenuating circumstances have contributed to their inability to meet the requirements for satisfactory academic progress, and the students’ circumstances have changed such that they are likely to be able to meet those requirements at the next evaluation or through an appropriate academic plan. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• Death of an immediate family member
• Severe injury or illness of the student or an immediate family member
• Emergency situations such as fire or flood
• Legal separation from spouse or divorce
• Military reassignment or required job transfers or shift changes

Students who have extenuating circumstances may appeal using the following procedures:

1. Submit a completed Appeal Form, Academic Plan, and any supporting documentation. A link to the form is provided on the Financial Aid "Forms Page" on the institutional website. All supporting documentation that a student wishes to have reviewed by the appeal board should be submitted by the student.
2. The appeal packet is presented to the Financial Aid Appeal Review Committee for review.
3. The student is notified via Service Hub of the Committee's decision and recommendations. The Committee's decision is final.

Financial Aid Probation

Financial aid probation is a status assigned to students whose written appeal has been reviewed by the Appeal Committee and the decision was made to reinstate aid for one semester. Students will be required to meet minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements for the semester and their individual academic plan while in probation status. 

Minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements for the semester are defined as a term GPA of 2.0 and a 66.67% term pace of completion rate for an undergraduate student. Graduate students must meet a 66.67% term pace of completion rate and a term GPA of 3.0.  The individual academic plan will consist of the academic requirements that the student needs to obtain in order to graduate from Manhattanville University before reaching the federal aid maximum time frame.

At the end of the probation semester, a student's cumulative GPA and Cumulative Completion Rate will be reviewed to determine if the student met minimum satisfactory academic progress for the term and the student’s academic plan requirements.

A student may regain or lose federal eligibility following the probation semester. In order to remain in probation status, a student must meet minimum satisfactory academic progress requirements for the term as well as their academic plan requirements. The student will continue to have an individual academic plan for satisfactory academic progress.

If a student does not meet either the required pace of completion, GPA for the semester, or the requirements of their academic plan the student's status will return to unsatisfactory academic progress and federal aid will be cancelled for future semesters.

If a student meets the overall GPA and Cumulative Completion Rate, while meeting maximum timeframe conditions for satisfactory academic progress, aid will be reinstated.

Regaining Eligibility

Students who have submitted an appeal that has been denied, can attend courses without the use of federal financial aid. Students can re-appeal after one semester without federal aid.A student can appeal the unsatisfactory academic progress if they have experienced an extenuating circumstance that impacted their academic progress. This means that they experienced something that was out of their control and was not common to the entire student population. Extenuating circumstances may include but are not limited to:

• The death of an immediate family member or close relative
• A serious injury or illness (physical or mental) that required medical intervention
• Significant, unanticipated family obligations due to medical issue or illness
• A catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, or natural disaster that affects the student’s academic attendance or performance
• An involuntary call to active military duty
• An unsafe or abusive environment
• Any undue hardship that prohibits the successful completion of coursework

Circumstances for which appeals will not be accepted:

• Lack of knowledge/understanding of the SAP Policy
• Medical appeals for illness/injury/hospitalization that do not coincide with the semester(s) of sub-standard academic progress
• Work/scheduling conflicts (including voluntary overtime)
• Acclimation issues in regard to being in a university setting
• If a SAP appeal was previously submitted for the same extenuating circumstance(s)

Completing a financial aid appeal for unsatisfactory academic progress is not the same as submitting an academic appeal. Even if an academic appeal is approved, it does not automatically remove the financial aid unsatisfactory academic progress.

SAP Appeal Deadlines

An appeal must be filed by the stated deadline in order to be considered. Students will be notified at the end of each semester if they are not meeting SAP requirements.