SAP

Quantitative and Qualitative Requirements

Quantitative

The quantitative requirement has two parts:

• A maximum time frame
• A required completion ratio

Undergraduate Students

A student (full-time or part-time) must complete the total credit hours of the stated program objective within 150% of the minimum total hours required for a program. (Example: BHU’s published length for an undergraduate four year degree is 129 credit hours, so the maximum time frame established by the university must not exceed 194 attempted credit hours (that is 129 x 1.5). You must earn your degree before reaching 194 attempted credit hours, which includes transfer credits attempted at any school prior to and while enrolled at Beulah Heights University (BHU). Once you reach the maximum attempted credit hours, you are no longer eligible for financial aid as an undergraduate student.

Completion Ratio

You must complete and pass at least 67% of all credit hours you attempted. Courses earned include grades of A, B, C, or D. Courses attempted include any course in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, WP, or I are given.

Graduate Students

Maximum time frame – A student (full-time or part-time) must complete the total credit hours of the state program objective with 150% of the minimum total hours required for a program. (Example: BHU’S published length for a Master degree is 42 credit ours, so the maximum time frame established by the school must not exceed 63 attempted credit hours (this is 42 x 1.5) and Master of Divinity degree is 90 credit hours, so the maximum time frame established by the university must not exceed 135 attempted credit hours (that is 90 x 1.5). Repeated classes will count in the calculating a student‘s Satisfactory Academic Progress. This includes credits attempted at any school prior to and while enrolled at Beulah Heights University (BHU).

Completion Ratio

You must complete and pass at least 67% of all credit hours you attempted. Courses earned include grades of A, B, C, or D. Courses attempted include any course in which grades of A, B, C, D, F, W, WF, WP, or I are given.

Qualitative

Qualitative Requirement

The qualitative requirements sets a minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average for all students. Each student must maintain the GPA as stated below for each program and remain in good academic standing at BHU.

Undergraduate Students

The cumulative GPA requirement is 2.00 for each semester.

Graduate Students

The cumulative GPA requirement is 2.25 each semester.

*MBA & Doctoral Students

The cumulative GPA requirement is 3.00 for each semester.

SAP Policy FAQ

When Is SAP Determined?

You are considered to be meeting SAP during your first semester at BHU. Your SAP status is calculated at the end of each semester, after grades are posted to your academic history by the Registrar’s Office.

What happens when you do not meet the requirements?

You are no longer eligible for financial aid – including work study, loans, grants or scholarships. If on a Warning Status – eligibility may continue.

• Warning Status – The first time you fall short of meeting the required completion ratio, your status is Warning. You remain eligible to receive financial aid while in warning status.
• Failure Status – After attending one semester on Warning status, if you do not meet the required completion ratio, your status becomes Failure Status. You are no longer eligible to receive financial aid until the required standards are met. You must successfully appeal to regain eligibility.
• Probation Status – After being placed on a Failure Status, a student has successfully appealed and financial aid has been reinstated, the student is eligible to receive financial aid. This status is only for one semester and quite often will carry conditions and/or stipulations for continued eligibility.

If you lose eligibility for financial aid, you must pay your tuition and fees by the payment deadline or your registration will be cancelled by the Business Office.

How do you regain eligibility?

SAP Appeal – If extenuating circumstances during a specific semester of enrollment prevented you from meeting the requirements, you may file a SAP Appeal. You must also complete the SAP Appeal Form. Appeal Requirements:

1. A typewritten explanation of extenuating circumstances associated with Failure Status. Indicate how these circumstances have changed so that you can comply with regulations in the future. Attach supporting documents to corroborate extenuating circumstances mentioned in the letter.
2. Include a “student plan of action” for academic improvement. This requires that you meet with your Academic Advisor and receive a plan for getting back in good academic standing.
3. Attach at least one letter of support from someone that can substantiate the extenuating circumstances. This individual should not be a family member. Examples would include a medical doctor, clergy, professional, etc.
4. Attach the SAP Appeal form and the SAP Evaluation Form.
5. The appeals forms must be provided to the Financial Aid Office within the prescribed dates as noted on the SAP Appeal Form. Failure to provide these within the prescribed dates will result in a delayed determination.
6. An objective committee, composed of selected individuals outside the Financial Aid Office, determines whether the appeal is approved. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and cannot be appealed further.

• Appeal Denials or Non-appeals – If you are denied an appeal or you decide not to appeal, you must complete the necessary hours and earn the appropriate grades. Once you have reached the prescribed standards you become eligible to receive financial aid.
• You change from undergraduate to graduate – If you reach Failure Status as an undergraduate, and then are admitted to a graduate degree program, you will be eligible to receive financial aid as a graduate student. You must be in a degree-seeking status and fully accepted into the graduate program.

Academic Circumstance – Affect Financial Aid Status

• Incomplete grades, missing grades, failing grades, course withdrawals – all reduce your completion ratio, because they are counted as attempted, but not earned credits. They also count against your maximum attempted hours.
• Repeated courses – count as attempted credit hours each time you register for them. They also count against the allowed maximum. This can also reduce your completion ratio because repeated credits count as earned credits only once. NOTE: The U. S. Dept. of Education allows only one retake for Title IV credit.
• Transfer credits - count toward your maximum attempted credits and your completion ratio. NOTE: Credits count as attempted, but not earned, until your official transcript is reviewed and processed by the BHU Registrar’s Office. This could cause you to be in a Failure Status.
• Remedial courses – do not count as either attempted or earned credits.
• Late posted grades or grade changes - will require that you submit a written request to have your SAP recalculated after you have confirmed with the Registrar’s Office that the grade change has been posted to your academic record.
• Dismissal and Return – students who are suspended academically or choose not to attend because of SAP Failure will not be automatically eligible for financial aid upon their return. Student must meet both qualitative and quantitative standards of SAP. If below standards, a student must appeal or use means other than financial aid for educational expenses. Absence does not restore eligibility for financial aid. It remains the responsibility of the student to be knowledgeable of their SAP standard when returning to school after dismissal or choosing not to return because of SAP Failure.
• Summer Term Courses – all hours attempted and completed in the summer terms are treated as any other semester hours in determining SAP status. SAP will be checked following the summer term as well.
• Audit Courses – students are not eligible to receive financial aid for audit courses. Audited courses are not included in hours attempted or earned for SAP determination.

No Progress

Students receiving all W’s, WFs, Fs (or a combination of both) will be placed on SAP Warning beginning the following semester regardless of the students' cumulative GPA, and their continued financial aid eligibility will be checked consistent with policy.