Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

A student’s SAP eligibility will be evaluated at the end of each semester in which the student was enrolled and encompasses a student’s entire academic record. Former students returning to Boise State after attending a different institution will have their SAP status reevaluated at the end of their current semester of enrollment at Boise State. Students may appeal their SAP status. More information on the appeal process is listed in the “Appeal Process” section of this policy document.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses

Good

Students are in “good” standing if they meet all of the SAP requirements defined in this policy. Students in good standing are not notified at the end of each semester SAP evaluation period, but this status is visible in the MyBoiseState Student Center.

Warning

Students assigned a “warning status” are still eligible to receive financial aid, but need to make improvements in their academic progress to avoid losing eligibility in the future. Two consecutive semesters of (warning status) not meeting SAP requirements in either/both GPA and/or pace will result in a “Hold” status and loss of eligibility for financial aid. Warning status cannot be appealed. Students are notified of their warning status via BroncoMail and this status is visible in the MyBoiseState Student
Center.

Hold

Students assigned a “hold” status are no longer eligible to receive financial aid because they are not meeting the minimum pace or GPA standards or have exceeded the maximum time to complete their degree or certificate program. A student in this status may appeal to have their aid reinstated with an academic plan. Information on the deadlines and how to appeal a hold status is listed in the “Appeal Process” section of this policy document. Students are notified of a hold status via BroncoMail and this status is visible in the MyBoiseState Student Center.

Plan

If an appeal is approved, the student is placed on an academic plan which makes the student eligible to receive financial aid while they work toward meeting the minimum standards established by this policy within a defined period of time. Failure to meet the academic performance conditions stated in the academic plan each semester through the end of the plan will result in a hold status. Information on the academic plan is found in the “Appeal Process” section of this policy document. Students are notified of their plan status via BroncoMail.

Minimum Cumulative Grade Standard

Boise State University students must maintain a minimum cumulative Boise State GPA in accordance with the University Catalog. Boise State Cumulative GPA for SAP purposes is calculated by the Registrar’s Office in accordance with University policy except in situations where the student has enrolled in remedial courses or has been approved for a grade exclusion. Regulations require that all grades are included in the GPA calculation even if the Registrar does not include remedial courses in the GPA or has granted a grade exclusion.

Pace Standard

Students must complete 67% of all attempted credits included on the Boise State University transcript, including transfer credits from other schools attended. This is calculated by dividing the credits completed by credits attempted.

Credits attempted: Attempted credits include all graded courses (“D-“ or better, “F”, “P”, “I”, “W”, “IP”, “CW”) and transcripted courses such as transfer credits, remedial courses, course challenge, English as a Second Language (ESL), test, prior learning credits, repeated courses, and university excluded credits related to the student’s current academic career.

Credits completed: Credits completed include all enrolled classes for which a student receives a passing grade of “D-“or better, “P”, or “IP”, transfer credits, remedial courses, course challenge, English as a Second Language (ESL), test, prior learning credits, repeated courses, and university excluded credits related to the student’s current academic career.

Maximum Time Standard

Students are expected to complete degree requirements after attempting a certain number of credits. The maximum attempted credits allowed for degree or certificate completion is 150% of the minimum credit requirements for the single degree or certificate program as determined by the Boise State Undergraduate or Graduate Catalog, even when a student is pursuing multiple majors or certifications concurrently or consecutively. Information on the appeal process for an extension of the maximum time limit is listed in the “Appeal Process” section of this policy document.

A student may receive a notification via BroncoMail when they reach 120 attempted credits for their first bachelor degree. All students are responsible for monitoring their degree or
certificate progress within the limits of the maximum time requirement of this policy.

*The maximum time standard for all graduate degree and certificate programs is based upon the minimum program credit requirements as published in the Boise State Graduate Catalog. The maximum time limit is calculated based on the catalog year assigned to you by the Registrar’s Office.

Deadline: Appeals for the current semester are due by the published census day of the fall or spring semester or June 15th for the summer semester. Late appeals will be reviewed for financial aid eligibility for the next semester and will include any current semester enrollment. Appeals cannot be approved retroactively if they are submitted after the end of the semester.

Appeal approval is not guaranteed and you will be held responsible for any fees incurred if you enroll while on a financial aid SAP “Hold.”

If extenuating circumstances (beyond the student’s control) occurred which caused the student to fail to meet one or more of the satisfactory academic progress standards, a written appeal must be submitted for review by committee. Examples of extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to: death or injury/illness of a close family member, the student’s injury, illness or other health condition, an emergency event, victim of a violent crime, or unexpected employment/work issues.

All appeals require: 1) sufficient documentation of the issue, 2) an explanation of how extenuating circumstances affected the student’s academic performance, and 3) how the circumstances have been resolved so the student can be academically successful going forward. Appeals that do not include all three requirements will not be considered. All complete appeals are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by a committee whose decision is final.

Approved Appeals: Students with approved appeals will be placed on an academic plan with certain conditions for academic performance that will be monitored at the end of each semester. Academic plans have a defined length and may end early when the student meets the minimum SAP standards, completes their degree program, or fails to meet the conditions of their academic plan status. Students not meeting the conditions of the academic plan in progress will be placed in a hold status (ineligible for financial aid) and are required to re-appeal for further consideration. Appeals cannot be approved with an academic plan if it is not possible for the student to regain SAP eligibility within a defined period of time.

Students on an academic plan for an approved extension of maximum time will also have an academic plan with performance conditions set based on the most expedient plan to meet degree completion requirements. Maximum time cannot be extended based on the student’s desire to complete a second major, degree or certificate.

Students who are on an academic plan may experience delays in receiving financial aid at the start of each semester while the student’s academic record is reviewed for compliance with the conditions of the academic plan.

Other Ways to Re-establish Eligibility

If the student decides not to appeal or if an appeal is denied, the student may enroll without the assistance of federal and state financial aid funds. To regain federal and state financial aid eligibility, the student must continue to enroll with self-funding (which may include alternative loans) until they successfully meet the minimum SAP requirements.

The student may also re-establish financial aid eligibility after a grade change.

Once the student meets the minimum SAP requirements, the student must contact the Financial Aid office to request a re-evaluation of their SAP status.

The only way to regain eligibility for exceeding the maximum time standard is to submit an appeal for an extension or pursue a more advanced degree.

Other Course Considerations

• Repeated Courses (determined by Boise State Course Catalog): Repeated courses will use a grade replacement policy. Only the most recent grade will be used in the calculation of the GPA. All course enrollment, including repeats, count toward attempted credits and earned credits (if successfully completed). Please note, successfully completed courses repeated more than once are not eligible to receive additional financial aid; however, all course attempts are included in the GPA and pace SAP evaluation.
• Remedial Courses: Courses are included in the percentage completion rate and the GPA calculation. Funding for remedial courses is limited to 30 credits.
• Jump Start/College in the High School/Concurrent Courses: Courses are included in the pace standard and the maximum time frame calculation.
• Transfer Courses: Transfer credits accepted by Boise State are counted in the pace and maximum time calculation regardless of whether they count toward your degree.
• Consortium Agreements: Consortium credits count toward all SAP standards when they are transferred to Boise State.
• AP/CLEP/DSST/IBO Credits: Credits obtained through testing that are transferable and creditable are counted as attempted and completed for credit completion rate and maximum time frame requirements.
• Audited Courses: Audited courses are not eligible for financial aid and not counted as attempted or completed credits for SAP requirements.
• Pass/Fail Courses: Pass/Fail courses are included in the pace and max time calculations. A course with the final result as “pass” is not included in the GPA calculation. A course with the final result of “fail” is calculated in the Boise State cumulative GPA, per the graduate and undergraduate catalogs.
• Withdrawals: Counted as attempted but not completed.
• Incomplete Courses: Counted as attempted but not completed.
• In Progress Courses: Counted as attempted and completed until the final grade is posted.

Other Financial Aid Program Limitations

The following aid programs have additional limitations separate from the SAP Policy that cannot be increased or extended by appeal:

• The Federal Pell Grant is limited to 6 academic years of full-time eligibility.
• The Federal Direct Loan annual and lifetime borrowing limits.