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Satisfactory Academic Progress for Graduate Students

In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress, NIU has established a satisfactory academic progress policy for graduate students.

Federal and state financial aid programs covered by this policy are:

• Perkins Loan
• Federal Work Study (FWS)
• Stafford Loan (subsidized and unsubsidized)
• certain alternative loans

The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is in effect for each academic year of a student's enrollment. Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated after the completion of each term of enrollment. Students who have an unsuccessful term or terms will receive written notification of their status.

Requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if they meet all of the following requirements:

• rate of completion requirement - complete at least 67% of credit hours attempted after 2 terms of enrollment and subsequently each academic year
  • earned A, B, C, or S grades are considered completed semester hours of credit
  • withdrawals, incompletes (grades of I or IN), and courses in which grades of D, F, U, P, NR, or G have been received are not considered completed semester hours of credit
  • NIU courses resulting in withdrawals, incompletes or NR or NG grades and courses being repeated will be counted in the caluclation of hours attempted
  • audits are not included in the total number of semester hours attempted
  • undergraduate courses (except audits) count in hours attempted; they may be counted as completed hours only if the courses are required  (for example, as deficiencies) to meet degree requirements
• grade point average requirement - cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher after 2 terms of enrollment and subsequently each academic term
• maximum time frame requirement - Graduate students are expected to complete degree requirements after having attempted not more than 150 percent of the number of hours of course work required for the degree program, including required deficiency courses. Student-at-large hours and credit accepted in transfer courses are part of the hours attempted, as are all terms of enrollment at NIU, whether or not financial aid was received. Example: A master’s degree in political science requires 30 semester hours. Students may receive financial aid for no more than 45 attempted semester hours if they are pursuing this degree.

  Students who exceed this 150 percent credit-hour limit are immediately ineligible for financial aid. Such students may formally appeal their ineligibility for financial aid by following the guidelines under the “Appeals Procedures” section of this policy.

Failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress

Failure to meet the rate of completion requirement or the grade point average requirement will result in the following:

• Students who are not making satisfactory academic progress at the end of the spring semester will be placed on financial aid warning and will be sent a letter notifying them of their financial aid warning status. Students on financial aid warning may continue to receive financial aid for the next term of enrollment.

• If the deficiency is not remedied by the end of the next spring semester, the student becomes ineligible for financial aid; the student’s awards are placed on hold and he or she will receive a second written notification of lack of progress.

• Students may formally appeal their ineligibility for financial aid. If the appeal is approved, the student will then be awarded financial aid for another term of enrollment. If an appeal is required, the student's SAP status will be minitored evey term of enrollment.

Appeal Procedures

Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Student Financial Aid Office and must include a written review from the student’s graduate academic adviser and the Graduate School. Note that federal regulations restrict those circumstances that may enable an appeal to be successful; the university does not have full discretion in this regard. The Student Financial Aid Office considers the student’s written appeal, the written evaluations, and these regulations when making a final determination.