All students receiving Federal Title IV financial aid, state aid, or Saint Leo institutional aid must adhere to the University’s published policy on satisfactory academic progress. The Higher Education Act as amended by Congress mandates that higher education institutions establish minimum standards of “satisfactory academic progress” for students receiving financial aid. The standards used to judge academic progress include all periods of enrollment, even periods in which the student did not receive federal student aid funds.
Saint Leo University’s classes are offered in semester and module formats. “Semester” refers to a sixteen-week academic period or a set of two eight-week modules that are linked together. (This is also referred to as “linked-terms” or “linked-mods.”) Often, the word “term” is used interchangeably with the word “module.” Saint Leo’s academic year consists of a traditional calendar with 2 semesters or 4 terms, or an alternative calendar with 4 terms. Semester classes typically have one disbursement, term classes also have one disbursement, with 2 disbursements over the span of the semester.
Satisfactory academic progress standards are evaluated at the end of each semester. Students receive a warning when not meeting all or part of the standard and are given one additional semester to meet the standard. Those that do not meet the standard after the warning period are not eligible for financial aid. Ineligible students may be able to appeal the decision.
Requirements to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards include:
Undergraduate Students:
Total Number of Credits Attempted | Minimum Cumulative GPA |
1-30 | 1.50 |
31-59 | 1.70 |
60 or more | 2.0 |
Graduate and Postgraduate Students: A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA is required at all times.
Doctoral Students: A minimum 3.25 cumulative GPA is required at all times.
Treatment of courses:
Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated at the end of each payment period (semester). The following financial aid eligibility statuses are assigned after the review:
How to Re-establish Eligibility
There are two ways a student can re-establish their eligibility for financial aid:
Special Circumstance Appeals
If a student has experienced special circumstances (e.g. illness, job related issues, family illness) during the most recent evaluation period that s/he did not meet standards of academic progress, an appeal to request reinstatement of financial aid eligibility can be submitted.
If you have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you should submit your SAP appeal through Financial Aid Forms. You can access Financial Aid Forms thru Saint Leo University's Okta Portal and clicking on the Financial Aid Forms tile. You will need to create an account to view items needed, if you haven't already done so. You can then request a SAP Appeal by clicking the Request button. Your SAP appeal review will move forward once all items are completed and submitted.
If you do not have a FAFSA on file, you will not be able to submit your SAP appeal through Financial Aid Forms. Instead, you can access SAP forms through eForm. You can access eForm by logging into eLion and clicking on "eForm" under the Online Services section. Once the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Academic Plan Form, and supporting documentation are submitted, your SAP appeal review can move forward.
A completed appeal form, personal statement, and supporting documentation is required before the appeal will be reviewed. The personal statement should explain what extenuating circumstances beyond your control prevented you from meeting the SAP requirements; and the steps you have taken to resolve your circumstances. In some situations, an academic plan may be required. If the appeal request is granted, the student will be placed on financial aid probation for a minimum of one semester.
The following financial aid eligibility statuses are assigned if probation is approved:
If the appeal request is not granted, the student will remain ineligible for financial aid until they meet all minimum standards.
Students may not submit an appeal for two consecutive review periods (this includes probationary periods). Undergraduate students in a four-year program may submit a maximum of two appeals for the duration of their program; undergraduates in a two-year program and graduate or doctoral students may submit a maximum of one.
Deadlines
Appeal must be submitted by week 5 of the semester when the student became ineligible in order to be applicable to the current semester.
Notifications are sent via email to the student’s Saint Leo email address within 30 days of the University receiving a complete appeal.