Satisfactory Academic Progress

In order to remain eligible for all types of financial aid, you must make satisfactory progress toward completing your degree requirements. There are some basic academic progress standards that must be met each year (or term) in order for you to continue to receive financial aid. For the purposes of these policies, an academic year is defined as a consecutive summer, fall, and spring semester.

Failure to meet these Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements will result in the cancellation/nonrenewal of financial assistance. 

UM Merit/Academic Scholarships

Renewal requirements apply to all undergraduate students receiving UM merit/academic scholarships. This include the Hammond, Weeks, Jenkins, Stamps, President's, Canes Achievement, and Singer Scholarships. Hammond Scholarship recipients should contact the Office of Academic Enhancement at oae@miami.edu or 305-284-3187 to review contract renewal terms. Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated at the end of each spring semester.

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  • Minimum cumulative GPA (does not round up)

    Students must maintain a minimum cumulative institutional GPA of 3.0. Only credits taken at UM count toward your GPA requirement.

  • Credit Completion

    • At least 24 credit hours each academic year or 12 credit hours for full-time students enrolled for only one semester are required.
    • Courses may not be repeated.
    • Withdrawals, incompletes, audits, NC/No-Credits, NG/No Grades, and F’s are attempted credits but not considered earned credit hours.
    • Transfer and test credits are counted in the credit completion calculation, but not in a cumulative GPA.

  • Term limits

    Up to eight consecutive terms or per scholarship agreement.

  • Inactive status

    If you go on Inactive Status or enroll in a non-UM program (fall or spring), and you are meeting SAP prior to your semester away, your scholarship will be on hold until you return. For non-UM programs, each term is counted as a semester "used" of your scholarship

UM and Federal Need-Based Aid

UM and Federal Need-Based Aid include Coral Grants, donor awards, Pell, SEOG, Work Study, International Student Grants, Direct Student Loans, and PLUS Loans. Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated at the end of each term.

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  • Minimum cumulative GPA (does not round up)

    Students must maintain a minimum cumulative institutional GPA of 2.0. However, if your program requires a higher GPA it could be greater than 2.0.

  • Credit Completion

    • 12 credits or more per semester is recommended.
    • Must successfully earn 67 percent of the total credit hours attempted during your overall academic career. Rounding does not apply.
    • Credits must be required for your primary degree program.
    • Undergraduate and graduate credits cannot be combined to meet this standard.
    • Funds cannot be used to pay for more than two attempts of any single course.
    • Withdrawals, incompletes, audits, NG’s (no grades), and F’s are attempted but not earned hours.
    • Transfer and test credits are counted in the calculation, but not in a cumulative GPA.

  • Term limits/Maximum Time Frame

    Your degree must be completed within 150 percent of normal completion as determined by the school or college catalog. A student will fail when the institution is aware that a student cannot complete their program within the 150 percent time frame. For example, a typical bachelor’s degree requires 120 credits, so financial aid can be applied to only 150 percent of 120, or 180 credits. Only those who are determined to not be on track to meet the maximum time frames requirements will immediately lose aid eligibility and not be given a warning term.

  • Warning Period

    Federal and institutional need-based aid recipients will be placed on a “warning status” for one semester following notice of failure to meet SAP requirements. Failure to meet the requirements by the end of the warning period will result in loss of financial aid eligibility

  • Inactive Status

    If you go on Inactive Status or enroll in a non-UM program (fall or spring), your loans MAY go into repayment. If you are meeting SAP prior to your semester away from UM, you can receive aid upon return.

Florida Financial Aid (Bright Futures, EASE, FSAG)

Renewal requirements apply to all undergraduate students receiving Florida Financial aid, which includes Bright Future Scholarships (Academic and Medallion), Effective Access to Student Education (EASE), and Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG). Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated at the end of each spring semester.

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  • Minimum cumulative GPA (does not round up)

    • Florida Bright Futures Academic Scholars must maintain a minimum institutional GPA of 3.0 for full renewal and 2.75 for partial renewal (equivalent to Florida Medallion amount).
    • Florida Bright Futures Medallion Scholars must maintain a minimum institutional GPA of 2.75.
    • Effective Access to Student Education (EASE) and Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) recipients must maintain a minimum cumulative institutional GPA of 2.0.

  • Credit Completion

    • At least 24 credit hours each academic year.
    • At least 12 credit hours for full-time students enrolled for only one semester.
    • Withdrawals, incompletes, audits, and F’s are attempted credits but not considered earned hours.
    • For EASE and FSAG students, classes taken in the previous summer may be included in calculating the completed hours.
    • Part-time Bright Futures recipients must earn a prorated number of credit hours: 9-11 credits per term equal 9 earned hours per term; 6-8 credits per term equal 6 earned hours per term.

  • Term Limits

    • Bright Futures limits recipients to 120 credits for a four-year undergraduate program; if you are enrolled in an approved five-year undergraduate program, you may apply for an extension with the state of Florida.
    • EASE and FSAG recipients are limited to 9 terms; 10 terms if you are enrolled in an approved five-year undergraduate program.

  • Inactive status

    If you go on Inactive Status or enroll in a non-UM program (fall or spring), you can receive aid upon return if meeting SAP prior to semester away from UM and Bright Futures eligibility is not exhausted elsewhere.

  • Reinstatement

    Reinstatement of Florida Bright Futures

    Recipients of the Florida Bright Futures program who do not receive any scholarships for the period of one academic year may apply for reinstatement of aid through the Florida Department of Education Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) website.

    Florida academic award recipients who fail to achieve a 3.0 GPA institutional average, but achieve at least a 2.75 GPA institutional average, will renew at the lower Florida Medallion amount.

    Bright Futures–eligible recipients who fail to achieve a minimum 2.75 institutional GPA and become ineligible during their first year of funding may apply for restoration in an academic year after which the 2.75 institutional GPA requirement is met. The 2.75 institutional GPA must be met before the fall term for which the student is applying.

    If this is the case, you must complete a Reinstatement/Restoration application available on the Florida Department of Education Office of Student Financial Assistance website.

    Students who do not meet the minimum earned hours requirement during any academic renewal period or who fail to meet the minimum institutional GPA requirement after their first year of funding will not be permitted to have a reinstatement opportunity.

    Reinstatement of Effective Access to Student Education

    Reinstatement of the EASE grant may be obtained after one full academic year of ineligibility by earning a minimum of 24 credits and a minimum institutional GPA of 2.0.

Benacquisto Scholarship

The Benacquisto Scholarship is a merit scholarship for high school graduates who achieved the National Merit or National Achievement Scholar designation. To be eligible a student must enroll full-time in an undergraduate degree-seeking program and initially enroll during the fall academic term immediately following their high school graduation. Satisfactory Academic Progress is evaluated by the state at the end of each spring semester.

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  • Minimum cumulative GPA (does not round up)

    Recipients must maintain a minimum institutional cumulative GPA of 3.0.

  • Credit Completion

    Students must complete all credits attempted with a minimum of 12 credits/semester or 24 credits/academic year. All credits must be required for your primary degree program.

  • Term Limits and Renewal

    A student enrolled in a 4-year undergraduate program is eligible to receive an award for a maximum of 8 semesters (120 credits), while a student enrolled in an approved 5-year program may apply for an extension to be eligible for a maximum of 10 semesters.

    To renew your award, you must complete all credits attempted. Students who do not earn the required credits or fail to maintain the minimum GPA will be ineligible to continue receiving this award and will not be granted restoration.

  • Inactive Status

    If you go on Inactive Status or enroll in a non-UM program (fall or spring), you must proactively notify the UM State Aid Program coordinator for an eligibility review.

Private Education Loans

Some private education loan lenders require that students meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards at their institution. Please check with your individual lender for more information.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Process

Students who do not meet the conditions listed have the opportunity to submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Review Committee. While the committee can consider a variety of factors when evaluating each request, students must prepare a convincing argument indicating the reason for failing to meet satisfactory academic progress, the steps taken to try to rectify the situation, and what the plan for success to get back on track. The appeal letter must be signed, and must include documentation to support the argument.

If a student plans to submit an appeal, all requests must be submitted to the committee no more than 30 days from the day the notification was sent to the student. A student who misses this period to appeal may submit an appeal at the end of the next term, for future term consideration.

If a student re-establishes their aid eligibility through the appeals process, the term in which their initial appeal is approved will be considered a “Probationary” term. If a student is placed on an academic plan during the probationary term then the student must meet the requirements as outlined in the academic plan to continue receiving aid.  

Special Update:  Satisfactory Academic Progress CR/NC Grade during COVID-19
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  • Will the CR/NC option affect my UM merit award?

    Since all CR/NC courses for which you receive a CR grade will count as earned credits, they will also count toward the 24 academic year credits that are needed for UM Merit award renewal eligibility. Please keep in mind that you must also maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0. 

  • Will the CR/NC option affect my UM merit award and state aid?

    Since all CR/NC courses for which you receive a CR grade will count as earned credits, they will also count toward the 24 academic year credits that are needed for Florida State and UM Merit award renewal eligibility. Please keep in mind that you must also maintain the appropriate cumulative GPA for your individual awards. 

  • Will the CR/NC option affect my UM merit award, state aid and Need based aid?

    Since all CR/NC courses for which you receive a CR grade will count as earned credits, they will also count toward the 24 academic year credits that are needed for Florida State and UM Merit award renewal eligibility. Please keep in mind that you must also maintain the appropriate cumulative GPA for your individual awards. 

    For need based aid, you must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standards that are in compliance with federal regulations (see above). Please keep in mind that the CR/NC courses will count as credits attempted and/or earned for the tracking of your need-based aid eligibility. 

  • Will the CR/NC option affect my state aid?

    Since all CR/NC courses for which you receive a CR grade will count as earned credits, they will also count toward the 24 academic year credits that are needed for Florida State aid renewal eligibility. Please keep in mind that you must also maintain the appropriate cumulative GPA for your individual awards.

FAQs

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