Federal and State Progress Requirements

Federal and State Progress Requirements

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, requires that students receiving federal student aid maintain a level of academic advancement, which would enable them to complete their educational goals within a given period.  Students must remain in good academic standing to receive funding under federal, state, and institutional financial aid programs. In compliance with Federal Regulations, Molloy University adheres to policies regarding Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for the purposes of awarding Federal Financial Aid. Molloy University Financial Aid Office will evaluate the academic progress of all students once per year, after the spring semester has concluded.  As per Federal regulation, a student who fails to meet one or more of the satisfactory academic progress requirements will lose their eligibility to receive financial aid. A student who has lost eligibility for financial aid due to failure to meet the academic progress requirements will regain eligibility when it has been determined that they are again meeting the standards. Students who meet the following qualitative and quantitative requirements outlined on the Academic Eligibility Charts below will be deemed eligible for Federal Financial Aid:

Credits Attempted: Credits are considered to be attempted when a student enrolls and attends the class even if the student subsequently withdraws.

Credits Completed (Pace of Completion): Credits are considered to be completed when a grade is entered on the student's transcript. Successful completion for graduate students is considered to be a grade of A, B, C, or P. At all academic levels, unsuccessful completion is considered to be a grade of F, W, WF, I, or NA.  Pace of Completion must be at least 67% of credits attempted (calculated by dividing the cumulative hours the student has successfully completed by the cumulative hours the student has attempted). Minimum Cumulative GPA:  A graduate student must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 ("B" average) or higher (based on a 4.0 scale) throughout the entirety of their program of study.

Minimum Cumulative GPA: An undergraduate student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 ("C" average) or higher (based on a 4.0 scale) by the beginning of the second year of attendance (at 30 cumulative credits) and must maintain a minimum of 2.0 through the final year.

Credits Attempted: Credits are considered to be attempted when a student enrolls and attends the class even if the student subsequently withdraws.

Transfer Credits/Withdrawal Leave for One Semester Off/Incompletes/Repeating Courses/Changing Majors

Transfer Credits: All transfer credits from other institutions will be included in the pace of completion calculation.

Withdrawal Leave for One Semester Off (WL): Students who take an approved Withdrawal Leave for One Semester (WL) and do not attend another post-secondary institution will incur no penalty in the calculation of SAP, either qualitatively or quantitatively. Students who attend another institution while on Withdrawal Leave for One Semester and have such credits transferred to Molloy University, will have those credits counted as both credits attempted and credits completed, but the grades earned will not be calculated as part of the cumulative GPA at Molloy University.

Incompletes: Incomplete grades, "I" will be included in the calculation of credits attempted. If the Incomplete(s) is changed to A, B, C, D, or P within the same academic year, then the Office of Financial Aid will re-evaluate the student's eligibility for Federal Financial Aid (upon notification by the student of the grade change). Students seeking reinstatement of eligibility for Federal Financial Aid must do so before the end of the student's current period of enrollment. Incompletes will automatically change to F if the coursework is not completed within two immediately subsequent academic semesters.

Repeating Courses:

• For failed course(s): Satisfactory Academic Policy allows a student to receive Federal Financial Aid for retaking courses failed.
• For course(s) previously passed: A student who passed a course but did not receive a satisfactory grade, may repeat and receive federal aid for that course only once. (Any grade higher than F is considered a passing grade for federal financial aid purposes, regardless if a school's program policy requires a certain qualitative grade higher than a D). The retaken class may be counted toward a student's enrollment status, and the student may be awarded Federal Financial Aid for the enrollment status based on inclusion of the class.

Changes in Major: Students who have changed majors may exceed the 150% time frame for program completion. This condition would be grounds for an appeal (see Federal Aid Appeal section below).

Loss of Federal Financial Aid and Regaining Eligibility

When a student's academic record is reviewed and it is determined that they are not meeting the qualitative or the quantitative standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student will lose all funding from federal financial aid for the academic year and will not regain eligibility until the student begins meeting both the qualitative and quantitative requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress.  Students will be notified by mail along with the option to Appeal. 

If a student begins meeting both the qualitative and quantitative requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student's Federal Financial Aid will be re-instated and the student will be notified by mail.

Financial Aid Appeals

A student who loses their eligibility may appeal this determination if there are serious circumstances which affected the student's performance such as (but not limited to) a serious illness/injury or a death in the family. A student who wishes to apply for an appeal must submit a letter detailing the special circumstance along with substantiating documentation (doctor's notes, death certificate, notarized letters/statements, etc.) to the Financial Aid Office.  The student will make an appointment with financial aid counselor for an appeal meeting.  The counselor will review transcripts and supporting documentation to determine if student has grounds for an appeal.  The counselor will also determine if an academic plan is necessary for the student.

• Appeal without an academic plan: The student will meet with a financial aid counselor to review the stipulations of the appeal and the student must sign the Federal Appeal form agreeing to the necessary requirements in order to receive Federal Financial Aid. The student will receive Federal Financial Aid for one semester.  The student's academic record will be re-evaluated at the end of the semester to ascertain if the student is now meeting the requirements for satisfactory academic progress.  If the requirements are met, the student's financial aid will be re-instated for the following semester.  If the student still has not met the requirement, the student will not be eligible for Federal Financial Aid and will not receive until the student meets the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Appeal with an academic plan: The student will meet with a financial aid counselor and receive a Financial Aid Degree Progress Completion Plan form to complete with his/her academic advisor.  Student will meet with academic advisor to determine the best course of action (such as reduced course load or specific classes) and advisor will sign form.  The student must return the signed form to the financial aid counselor previously met with. The financial aid counselor will then review with student all necessary requirements for the appeal with academic plan. The student will receive Federal Financial Aid for one semester.  The student's academic record will then be re-evaluated at the end of the semester to ascertain if the student is following the academic plan and making progress.  If progress is being made, the student's financial aid will be re-instated for the following semester.  If it is determined that the student is not following the academic plan and is not making progress, the student will not receive Federal Financial Aid until requirements are met for Satisfactory Academic Progress.

New York Financial Aid Academic Requirements

Program Pursuit: A student must achieve a passing or failing grade and complete a certain percentage of their full-time course load in order to receive a state award during the subsequent semester (grades of "W" or "WF" are not included). Full-time is defined as minimum of 12 credits or the equivalent.

The following chart lists the minimum standards of satisfactory progress that a student must maintain to continue their TAP eligibility for each subsequent semester:
Calendar Semester (Non-remedial students)

Calendar Semester (Remedial students)

*Note: Only students enrolled in an approved five year program (e.g. H.E.O.P.) are eligible to receive a ninth or tenth semester TAP payment.

Students who have lost eligibility for a state award due to a failure to meet the academic progress requirements in a given semester will lose TAP eligibility for the following semester. If this occurs, eligibility will be reinstated at the time the student again meets the requirements. A one-time waiver is given if extenuating circumstance occurred which affected th student's academic performance. Ex: The student had a serious illness or death in the family. Details on how to apply are available in the Financial Aid Office.