Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress
Policy for Graduate Students
» The University of Nebraska at Kearney is required to establish minimum academic standards that students must meet to be eligible or maintain eligibility for federal financial aid.
» Students who are receiving financial aid or who seek financial aid in the future are required to meet these minimum standards.
» Failure to meet these standards for two consecutive semesters (fall, spring, summer) means the student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid.
Qualitative Requirement
Must maintain a minimum University grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
Quantitative Requirements
The quantitative requirements for graduate students are based upon your enrollment status (full-time, part-time, half-time) at the end of drop and add week at the start of each semester. You must successfully complete the number of hours for which your financial aid was based.
Enrollment status & quantitative progress for graduate students is defined as follows:
- Awarded as 1/2 time (4-5 hours) must complete a minimum of 4 hours
- Awarded as 3/4 time (6-8 hours) must complete a minimum of 6 hours
- Awarded as fulltime (9 or more) must complete a minimum of 9 hours
Successful Completion of Courses
- To be counted as successfully completed or earned hours, the student must receive a grade of A, B, C, D or CR.
- Withdrawals (W), incompletes (I) or failures (F) are counted in the attempted hours but are NOT successfully completed or earned hours.
For example, at the end of drop and add week, a student was registered for 9 credit hours (full time). At the end of the semester, that student had an incomplete in one 3 credit course and withdrew from another 2 credit course. The student successfully completed 4 credit hours. Since the student was awarded for full-time status, he/she did not meet the minimum quantitative standards for progress.
* Maximum Time Frame Requirement
- Graduate students working on their Masters or Specialist degrees are eligible to receive financial aid up to 150% of the required program hours.
- The credit hours attempted include transfer hours. They also include hours in which the student did or did not receive financial aid.
Example: MBA program that requires 30 credit hours for a degree -- 30 credits X 150% = 45 credit hours which will be funded.
Students will be suspended from financial aid eligibility the semester following the semester their attempted hours exceed 150%. There is no warning status semester.
What happens if I fail to meet the minimum standards of progress?
If you failed to meet one or both (qualitative or quantitative) of the minimum standards for one semester you will be placed on financial aid warning status for the following semester. You will maintain financial aid eligibility and continue to receive financial aid during your semester of warning status. You will be notified via your UNK email account or in writing that you have been placed on warning status. That means you have the following semester to meet all of the minimum standards of academic progress.
If you fail to meet one or both of the standards again in the subsequent semester, you will be placed on financial aid suspension. That means you will no longer be eligible for any financial aid.
If you meet the minimum standards the subsequent semester you will be placed back in good standing.
If my financial aid is suspended, how can I regain eligibility?
You can enroll for and attend a new semester without financial aid. During this semester, you must register for the same number of credit hours as the semester which resulted in suspension and meet the minimum standards of academic progress. We will check your academic standing after each semester. However you should notify the Office of Financial Aid in writing if you feel you have met the minimum standards and should be reinstated.
Or
If you feel there were mitigating circumstances that impacted your ability to do well in the classroom, you can appeal the suspension. Mitigating circumstances include an illness or injury. Or they might include a personal struggle or family difficulty. When you are notified of your suspension you will be told about your right to appeal.
You will be given a date by which your appeal must be submitted in writing to the Office of Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Supporting documentation is highly recommended. This might include a letter from a physician or counselor, your academic advisor or a trusted faculty member.
Click here to read guidelines for writing a financial aid appeal letter.
How will I know if my appeal is approved?
You will be notified in writing. The Office of Financial Aid will use the local or permanent address on the University’s computer system. It is critical that you ensure your address is correct with the University if you want to make sure any correspondence goes to the correct address. That is your responsibility. Updates to your address can be made by logging into myBlue.
Can I still borrow a student loan if I’m on financial aid suspension?
No. The Stafford Loan, Subsidized and Unsubsidized, is a federally-guaranteed student loan. Therefore you must meet the minimum standards of progress to maintain eligibility. Additionally, you may be ineligible to borrow some types of Student Alternative Loans at the University of Nebraska at Kearney while you are on suspension.
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