Westminster College
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy
 
Students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress towards earning a degree as stipulated in the chart below to receive financial aid at Westminster College from all Federal, State and institutional programs.  Academic scholarships funded by Westminster College are renewed based on the renewal criteria outlined on the back of the scholarship letter received at the time of the initial award notification.

Total hours completed and recognized by Westminster College for degree completion	0-29	30-59	60+
Minimum Cumulative GPA	1.65	1.85	2.00
Minimum % of total hours completed (Measured as hours earned ÷ hours attempted)	67%	67%	67%
Maximum total hours attempted allowed to complete degree requirements for current primary program of study	150% of the specific degree programs published length of 122 hours completed, which is 183.

SAP Evaluation

1. SAP is calculated annually after the spring semester following the student’s first term of enrollment as a regular degree-seeking student.
2. Quantitative (hours attempted and earned) and qualitative (cumulative GPA) SAP progress is measured.
3. Changes in major may alter your SAP status, which is based upon the current degree level pursued; therefore, if you change majors, you may be permitted to go beyond the 183 attempted hours.
4. Students meeting the standards listed above when calculated will be in SAP Good Standing.
5. SAP Probation will be required for students who do not meet the requirements shown above.  Students on SAP Probation will have to meet the standards outlined in their SAP Probation letter to avoid SAP Suspension.  Students are eligible for financial aid while they are on SAP Probation.  (See Appeals).
6. Rules are applied uniformly to all students for all periods of enrollment whether or not aid has been received previously.
7. Students who are on academic dismissal will be on SAP Suspension.  (See Appeals).
8. Eligibility is reestablished after the student improves their academic record to meet the minimum standards or an appeal due to unusual and/or mitigating circumstances is approved.
9. Students are held responsible for knowing SAP eligibility criteria and their status at the end of each academic year.  Please contact the Office of Financial Aid if questions arise.

Grades

1. All courses taken at Westminster College and those courses transferred to Westminster College are counted as hours attempted regardless of grade assigned.  This includes courses which end as incompletes, failed, dropped, repetitions or withdrawn after the 3rd week of class each semester.
2. Only courses for which final grades issued are recognized by the Westminster College Registrar’s Office as acceptable for progressing toward degree completion will be counted as earned.
3. Courses shown as failed, incomplete, withdrawn, dropped or concluded with no grade submitted count as hours attempted and not earned.  Additional courses with non-passing results are counted similarly.
4. All courses designated as repeated for grade improvement count as hours attempted, but only count once if passed as hours earned.
5. Courses attempted repetitively for credit count as both hours attempted and if passed as hours earned.
6. Audit and Non-credit classes are ineligible for financial aid and do not count in SAP calculations.
7. The official institutional GPA determined by the Westminster College Registrar’s Office is used for all qualitative measures.

Additional Earned Credits

1. Credit hours earned by testing or other non-standard means are counted in the SAP calculations as both hours attempted and earned.  This includes hours earned from Credit by Exam, CLEP and CEEB Tests, AP and IB Courses, and Foreign Language Placement.
2. All credit hours applicable to the current degree pursuit attempted through study abroad programs, off-campus programs, and through Consortium Agreements with other institutional count in both attempted and earned calculations.

Transfer Students

1. Transfer students with no grade history at Westminster College will enter on SAP Good Standing.
2. Complete academic transcripts for work attempted at other institutions are expected to be submitted to the Office of Enrollment Services before the beginning of their first semester at Westminster College.  A standard SAP calculation including this work and Westminster College hours will be run by the next scheduled increment. 
3. Students failing SAP will be placed on SAP Probation.  Students on SAP Probation will have to meet the standards outlined in their SAP Probation letter to avoid SAP Suspension.  (See Appeals)

Re-admit Students

1. Former Westminster College students who were not enrolled at Westminster College for the most recent semester will re-enter at the SAP status earned at the end of their last Westminster College enrollment.

Appeals and Reinstatement

1. SAP Suspension may be appealed if unusual and/or mitigating circumstances affected academic progress.  Such circumstances may include a severe illness or injury to the student or an immediate family member, the death of a student’s relative, student activation into military service or other circumstances as deemed appropriate for consideration by the SAP Appeals Committee.
2. To appeal the student must submit a letter to the Office of Financial Aid no later than 15 business days before the beginning of the semester for which reinstatement is desired.  This should explain in detail why they failed to meet the minimum academic standards, what unusual and/or mitigating circumstances caused the failure and how their situation has improved.
3. The SAP Appeals Committee decision result will be sent to the student by mail or electronic means.
4. Appeal approvals will give the conditions and timeframe for maintaining aid eligibility.
5. SAP Appeals Committee decisions cannot be appealed to another source.
6. Students who raise their cumulative standards to equal or exceed the minimum requirements should contact the Director of Financial Aid to see if they may be reinstated to SAP Good Standing from that point forward.
7. The SAP Appeals Committee members are the Dean of Student Life, Associate Dean of Faculty, Registrar and the Director of Financial Aid.