Financial Aid
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
At Allen University, your academic success is one of our highest priorities. SAP guidelines make sure you are making steady, meaningful progress toward your degree, and they determine your eligibility for enrollment and financial aid.
The SAP action cycle
- WarningNot meeting SAP at the end of a semester for the first time.
- SuspensionStill not meeting cumulative standards after a second consecutive semester.
- AppealAppeal to the Admission Committee to reinstate enrollment and financial aid eligibility.
- ProbationIf approved, return on probation with an academic plan.
The Three Standards
How SAP is measured.
You are measured on three standards at the end of each semester and must meet all three to stay eligible for enrollment and federal, state, and institutional financial aid.
Cumulative grade point average
The qualitative standard. The minimum cumulative GPA required depends on the number of credit hours attempted. View the GPA requirements chart.
Completion rate
The quantitative standard: earned hours ÷ attempted hours. Results are rounded, so 66.5% becomes 67%.
Example: 30 hours attempted, 21 earned = 70%. Meets the standard.
Maximum timeframe
You must complete your degree within 150% of the credit hours your program requires.
This includes all coursework attempted at Allen and all accepted transfer work. Changing majors or adding a double major or minor does not raise the limit, and only hours for your current major are counted.
Example: a 120-hour degree allows up to 180 attempted hours (120 × 150%). Required hours vary by degree and by when you started your program.
Transfer students
If you were in good academic standing at your previous college, you are eligible for enrollment and financial aid at Allen. You are held to the same SAP standards as current students.
Exceptions
If exceptional circumstances affect your ability to meet SAP, exceptions may be considered. Each case is handled individually based on the details you provide.
SAP Statuses
Where you stand.
Warning
Failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress after one semester of enrollment. Students are still eligible to continue enrollment and to receive financial aid.
Suspension
Failure to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress after two consecutive semesters, or failure to meet an academic plan. The student may not receive further financial aid or continue enrollment until he or she meets the requirements of the SAP Policy.
Probation
Assigned to a student who has NOT met SAP standards but has an approved appeal, for one semester or the length of their Academic Plan.
After the probation semester.
A student may regain or lose eligibility. The next semester’s status falls into one of three categories.
- Stay on probation
The student meets his or her academic plan requirements and continues on the established academic plan.
- Return to suspension
The student does not meet the required pace of completion or GPA for the semester, or the requirements of the academic plan. Federal aid is cancelled for future semesters. The student is not eligible to continue enrollment and has the option to appeal.
- Move to satisfactory
The student meets the overall GPA and Cumulative Completion Rate (while meeting maximum timeframe conditions). The student is no longer on probation and is meeting cumulative SAP standards.
Appeals
How to appeal a suspension.
Students on suspension cannot simply skip a semester to regain eligibility. The way back is a written appeal approved by the Admission Committee, followed by a probation semester with an academic plan.
The appeal form asks you to choose the situation that applies and to include matching documentation:
- Medical
- Accident
- Legal circumstances
- Death/illness
- Work circumstances
- Family circumstances
- Military service
- Emotional concerns (i.e., depression)
- Exceeded maximum timeframe/pursuing a second degree
Good to know
- Appeals without supporting documentation will be denied.
- Letters from professionals must be signed, dated, and on letterhead.
- Submit one complete packet, not individual documents.
- The University reserves the right to deny readmission based on the merits of the individual case, or to set conditions for readmission.
- If you attended another school while suspended, send official transcripts to Admissions before readmission is considered.
- Summer school is possible with a successful administrative appeal, but students on suspension are not eligible for financial aid.
- Decisions of the Admission Committee are final.
- Complete the appeal applicationDownload the SAP Appeal Form. Indicate the term you are appealing for, then explain the specific circumstance that prevented you from making SAP and what has changed, or how you will address it, so you can complete your program.
- Add your documentationInclude records that support your explanation. For maximum timeframe appeals, describe every circumstance that caused you to accumulate extra hours and include a Degree Audit form completed by your academic advisor.
- Submit during an appeal window
- 2nd week of August
- Last week of December
- 3rd week of May
- 3rd week of July
- Send it to the Admission CommitteeEmail admissioncommittee@allenuniversity.edu or mail to Dean of Enrollment Management, Attn: Admissions Committee, 1530 Harden Street, Columbia, SC 29204.
- Get your decisionAppeals are reviewed in about three weeks. You’ll be notified by mail or email. If approved, you return on probation. If you need more than one semester to meet SAP, you will also need an academic plan.
Academic Plans
Need more than one semester?
Students with an approved appeal who need more than one semester to meet cumulative SAP standards must have an academic plan.
- Meet with your academic advisorTogether you determine the number of semesters needed to meet SAP standards, the classes required, and the minimum grade required in each class.
- Meet with the Admission CommitteeA committee member reviews the final page with you, including the number of semesters for the plan and any additional requirements set by the committee.
- Sign the planYou and the committee member both sign. You keep the original, and a copy is kept in the Office of Financial Aid.
- Report any changesIf class availability requires changes, meet with your advisor and bring the adjustments to the Office of Financial Aid to be kept with your appeal and original plan.
Courses & Grades
What counts toward SAP.
How each type of course and grade is treated in the Cumulative Completion Rate (total hours attempted) and the GPA calculation.
| Course or grade | Hours attempted | In GPA | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawals (W) | Yes | Yes | Only administrative withdrawals do not count against the GPA. |
| Incompletes (I) / Not Reported (blank) | Yes | — | |
| Transfer credits | Yes | No | Must be accepted by the University. |
| Repeated courses | Yes | Highest grade | Federal student aid is available for only one retake of a passed course. |
| Failing (F) grades | Yes | Yes | |
| Pass/Fail | Yes | No | Successfully completed courses count toward total hours earned. |
Change in majors. Only courses counting toward a student’s program of study (major) count toward maximum timeframe. Students may change majors a maximum of three times.
Other Rules That Apply
SAP isn’t the only requirement.
Federal aid
Federal law requires every school that awards federal student aid to measure SAP. A warning lasts one payment period and needs no appeal. Probation is never automatic. It requires a successful appeal.
SC Tuition Grant
Allen participates in the South Carolina Tuition Grants program. Upperclassmen must pass at least 24 credit hours per academic year and meet Allen’s SAP standards. You must enroll full-time (12 hours) each semester. If you are not full-time in the fall, you lose eligibility for the entire year.
Pell Grant lifetime limit
Separate from SAP, the Federal Pell Grant has a lifetime limit of 600%, the equivalent of 12 full-time semesters. Each term you receive a Pell Grant counts toward this limit.