Completion rate is the percentage of credit hours attempted vs credit hours completed.
- 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 as attempted hours but are NOT successfully completed or earned hours
- To calculate the completion rate percentage, use this formula: Cumulative number of hours credit hours the student has successfully completed (including transfer credits) ÷ Cumulative number of credit hours that the student has attempted (including transfer credits)
Example A: (based on cumulative hours)
A sophomore who has attempted 60 credit hours and has successfully completed 48 credit hours would have an 80% completion rate. Therefore, the student is eligible for aid because he exceeded minimum completion rate of 67% (48 divided by 60 = 80%)
Example B: (based on cumulative hours)
A junior who has attempted 100 credit hours and has successfully completed 60 credit hours would have an 60% completion rate. The student would not be meeting SAP has the pace falls below the minimum completion rate of 67% (60 divided by 100 = 60%)
Per federal guidelines, federal financial aid can only be given for a established period of time until a student is no longer eligible. Undergraduate students cannot receive federal financial aid once they attempt more than 180 credit hours towards their degree (attempted credit hours include classes that received a withdrawal, incomplete, or failure). Graduate students or students who are pursuing a second bachelor's degree, additional endorsement, or teaching certificate cannot receive federal financial aid once they attempt enough credit hours that exceed 150% of the published length of their graduate program or academic program. Students who are pursuing a second bachelor's degree, additional endorsement, or teaching certificate will lose federal financial aid eligibility if they fail to meet their academic plan. Students may be placed on suspension, without warning, if it is determined they cannot complete their academic program or plan within the maximum time frame.
If you exceed your maximum time frame and go on SAP Suspension, you can appeal the suspension by filling out the Maximum Time Frame SAP Suspension form by the deadline.
If you have failed to meet one or all(GPA or completion rate) of the minimum standards for one semester you will be placed on financial aid warning status for the following semester. You are still eligible for federal financial aid while on SAP Warning. Notification will be sent to your UNK email account that you have been placed on warning status. You must meet all of the minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress during your SAP Warning semester to continue receiving federal financial aid.
If you fail to meet one or all of the standards again after the semester that you were on SAP warning, you will be placed on financial aid suspension (SAP Suspension). This 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 you fail to meet SAP minimum requirements after you have been on SAP Warning for one semester, you will move to SAP Suspension. You are not eligible for federal financial aid while on SAP Suspension. You cannot borrow any federally-guaranteed student loans if you are on financial aid suspension. This would include Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized and Unsubsidized); as well as a Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students if you are a dependent student.
Once you are on SAP Suspension, there are two ways that you can regain federal financial aid eligibility:
1. You can enroll for classes without federal financial aid and meet all of the minimum SAP standards. We will check your academic standing after each semester. However, you should notify the Office of Financial Aid in writing once you have met the minimum standards.
Or
2. If you feel that there were special circumstances that impacted your ability to do well in the classroom, you can appeal your SAP suspension. Special circumstances may include illness, injury, personal struggle, or family difficulty. When you are notified of your suspension, you will be told about the right to appeal.
Visit the UNK Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Forms page to learn more about the appeal process.
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.
If you attend another college or university and want to use the academic work at the other institution as the basis of your appeal, you will need to write a letter requesting reinstatement and attach a copy of your grade report or unofficial transcript from the prior institution to your appeal letter.
At the end of each semester we will ask for a copy of your transcript from the other institution(s) in which you are enrolled. We will add those hours and GPA into your UNK semester statistics when determining whether you are meeting the minimum standards of progress. You must meet UNK’s minimum standards of progress if you are receiving financial aid as a degree-seeking UNK student.
Federal statute requires the return of a percentage of federal financial aid when an aid recipient withdraws from all classes during a semester. Federal financial aid is called Title IV Financial Aid. Listed below is the Title IV Financial Aid that is affected by this statute.
- Federal Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
- Federal Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal Teach Grant
- Federal Supplemental Equal Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
- This list provides both the types of aid returned, and the order in which it is returned. Note that loans are returned first in order to reduce loan debt and retain more grant assistance.
The federal aid returned by UNK is based on the amount of federal financial aid received, the University charges incurred, and the date of withdrawal. First the amount of financial aid that is earned by the student is calculated. The amount of aid earned is determined on a pro rata basis. That is, if a student completed 30% of the semester, then the student has earned 30% of the financial aid received or scheduled to be received. Once a student has completed more than 60% of the semester, all of the assistance is considered earned and no aid will be returned.
The official date of withdrawal is the date indicated on UNK's official withdrawal form at the Office of Registration and Records. We will use this withdrawal date in the return of aid calculation.
If a student does not officially withdraw, remains enrolled but stops attending classes, and therefore fails to pass any classes, the calculation must be done in accordance with federal statute. Failing to officially withdraw does not result in the waiving of the requirement to return Title IV Financial Aid. In these cases, the withdrawal date will be based on faculty reporting of the last class participation dates that are provided during the grading process for persons not passing courses. A student who fails all of their classes, but attended the majority of the semester, should contact the financial aid office to determine if the need to return aid can be avoided.
If a student's University charges are reduced as a result of withdrawal, and that withdrawal generates a refund, this refund will be used to repay the federal financial aid programs as determined by the calculation. Grant dollars that have to be returned will go back to the individual grant program, while loan funds that are returned will be sent to the student's lender, reducing the student's loan debt. If the refund does not cover the entire amount due back to the aid programs, the student will be billed the difference. If the student must return funding to the Pell or SEOG programs, the student has 45 days to make repayment to the University or be reported to the U.S. Department of Education as a student who owes an overpayment. Owing an overpayment means that student will no longer be eligible for financial aid.
Below is an Example of the Return of Title IV Funds Calculation.
- John is a student who withdraws on 9/24/2021.
- John received $2,668 in Title IV financial aid
- John's bill was $1,276
- Establish the withdrawal date and calculate the percentage of aid the student may retain.
* 9/24/2021 is 29 days into the semester, which is 116 days long. Therefore, he has completed 25% of the semester.
* This means that he may keep 25% of the aid awarded to him, however 75% must go back to the aid programs. (If the percentage of aid a student may retain is at 60% or more, all aid is retained.)
- Calculate the percentage of unearned aid that has to be returned.
*75% of $2,668 in financial aid must be returned: $2,001.
- Calculate the maximum percentage of financial aid applied to cost that the school has to return.
*75% of the cost, $1276, is $957.
* The school must then return the lesser of $957 (percentage of cost) or $2,001 (percent of unearned financial aid) to the aid programs.
*The school returns $957 on John's behalf.
- Aid the student must personally return.
*John's grant aid is returned on his behalf by the school and therefore becomes part of the bill that must be repaid to the school. Failure to pay this would result in reporting to the Department of Education as an overpayment. Reporting is done 45 days after the calculation if the repayment has not been made to the school.
*The balance of John's loan not paid by the school will go into repayment after the 6 month grace period in accordance with the terms of the promissory note.
