Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Good afternoon! My name is Kate Cobb and I am the SAP coordinator in Student Financial Services. Most of you probably don’t recognize me or my name, that’s because I’m fairly new still; I just started in July of this year. Just a little bit about me first – I am originally from the East Coast – I grew up in Upstate New York, got my Bachelor’s degree at Penn State and now “home” is North Carolina. I just received my master’s degree in Creative Non-Fiction Writing at University of Idaho in August and I love being a Coug so far! Most importantly though, I am so excited to get the chance to talk to you all about SAP today. Kate Cobb Program Coordinator – SAP Student Financial Services Washington State University

Learning Outcomes Understand SAP rules and regulations Understand the difference between the three SAP deficiencies Obtain the ability to determine a student’s deficiency by studying examples Understand how the SAP committee decides whether a student’s appeal is approved or denied Obtain the ability to determine if a student’s appeal is approved or denied using the SAP Committee rubric. SAP can be very overwhelming and confusing. After my first two weeks on the job here I was a bit overwhelmed. However, with a lot of training, I have become very proficient. With the understanding that SAP can be confusing, I am here today to help answer questions and teach you as advisors how to navigate to areas of financial aid, and more specifically SAP. What I hope that you all will get from today’s workshop is this: An understanding of the SAP rules and regulations; an understanding of the difference between the three SAP deficiencies; obtain the ability to determine a student’s deficiency by studying examples; Understand how the SAP committee decides whether a student’s appeal is approved or denied; and obtain the ability to determine if a student’s appeal is approved or denied using the SAP committee rubric.

SAP stands for Satisfactory Academic Progress. What is SAP? SAP stands for Satisfactory Academic Progress. Federal and state regulations require WSU to establish, publish and apply standards to monitor a student’s progress toward the completion of their certificate or degree program.

How SAP has Evolved Through Our Last Year More student-centric; Working closer with student Automated system Consistent evaluation of appeals with SAP committee rubric More liberal and considerate when processing appeals Better Customer Service experiences for students Examples: More student-friendly: We work closer with students during the academic plan process to fit both needs. When a student needs a hold taken off their account so that they can drop or add classes, and if it means that they will fail their academic plan, we will make sure the student knows and understands what this means before we temporarily remove the hold. Automated System: Smart forms which means quicker processing turn around time and quicker response to emails via sapappeal@wsu.edu Consistent evaluation: SAP committee rubrics which we’ll go into more detail later in the presentation; SAP training. More liberal: When a student is unsatisfied with the SAP decision, we are willing to review a student’s appeal. Customer service: All of this equals a better experience for the student, erases much of the confusion for SAP.

Some SAP Terminology Meets SAP: When a student is in a MEETS SAP Status, they are eligible for Financial Aid (as far as SAP is concerned). Warnings: If a student is in a warning status, they will still be eligible to receive financial aid. However, two warnings will place the student on a SAP disqualification. Disqualification and Academic Plans: Once a student is on SAP disqualification, they must submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid. If their appeal is approved they will be placed on an academic plan. Warnings: If a student has two warnings – either in two consecutive semesters OR two warnings in the same semester – then the student will be placed on a SAP disqualification. This means that if a student gets a warning for GPA one semester and a warning for pace to degree the next semester, they will be disqualified. It also means that if a student gets both a warning for GPA AND pace to degree in the same semester, they are in a disqualification. Disqualification and Academic Plans: In a later slide we will discuss what needs to be included in SAP appeals and how academic plans are made. Student’s academic progress will be monitored at the end of the semester they are enrolled in to determine their eligibility for aid in the next term. Monitoring Academic Progress: Students’ academic progress will be monitored at the end of each semester. If the student passes their academic plan, they will be in a Meets SAP status. If they fail their academic plan, they will have to appeal for Financial Aid again.

What is monitored under SAP? Student Financial Services monitors a student’s: Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) Pace to Degree (PTD) – both Term (by semester) and Cumulative (over-all) credit hours Maximum Time Frame Completion of Academic plan These are all evaluated after each term of attendance. ALL students – no matter their degree or financial aid status – are monitored under SAP. All students includes: undergraduates, post-bacs, grad and professional students, as well as students not receiving financial aid. This means that a student who is not receiving financial aid through SFS may be in a SAP denial – it doesn’t matter if they do or don’t receive financial aid. One of the reasons why we monitor all students’ academic progress and not just students wishing to receive financial aid is because there is no way to tell when a student will wish to receive aid or not until they file a FAFSA; however if we do not have a valid FAFSA on the student then no data will be pulled for SAP.

What are the SAP requirements for Grade Point Average (GPA)? Typically, Undergraduates and Second Bachelor’s Degree (Post-Bac’s) are required to maintain a 2.0 Cumulative GPA or above Colleges and Specific Scholarships may have different GPA requirements; these are just the requirements for SAP. If a student falls below a 2.0 GPA, they will receive a warning. After their second warning in a row, they will go into SAP disqualification.

What does Pace to Degree (PTD) Mean? Pace to Degree is an ongoing measure that ensures a student is on track to complete their degree, both on a term basis and cumulative. PTD (Term) = # of credits successfully completed (in a term) ÷ # of credits attempted (in a term) Pace (Cumulative) = Cumulative number of credits successfully completed ÷ Cumulative # of credits attempted Term Example: A student completed 3 out of 16 attempted credits. 3/16 = 0.18 = 18% Cumulative Example: A student completed 17 out 31 attempted credits. 17/31 = 0.54 = 54% Pace to Degree term is measured by dividing the number of credits successfully completed in a term by the number of credits attempted in a term. Pace to Degree cumulative is measured by dividing the cumulative number of credits successfully completed by the cumulative number of credits attempted.

What are the Pace to Degree (PTD) requirements for SAP? Students must pass at least 67% of their attempted credits per term and/or overall to be in a MEET’s SAP Status. If a student passes between 50% and 66% of their attempted credits per term and/or overall, they will be on a SAP warning. If a student passes below 50% of their attempted credits per term and/or overall, they will be on a SAP disqualification. The students on a warning will still be eligible for financial aid, however they will have to bring their Pace to Degree rate up because two warnings in a row equals a disqualification. And once a student is on disqualification they must file a SAP appeal.

What does Maximum Time Frame (MTF) mean? According to State and Federal regulations, and WSU policy, students must complete their degree within a maximum time frame measured in credits. Students who do not complete their degree within this credit-limit are not considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and will be on SAP disqualification, which means they must submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid. This regulation is in place to ensure that the majority of students receive funding for their degree. The Maximum Time Frame regulation ensures that students get aid only for their degree. When monitoring Maximum Time Frame, it does not matter how many majors or degrees a student is attempting or how many times they have changed their major. It also includes courses successfully transferred to WSU, as well as Summer credits, Running Start credits, AP credits and IB credits. This also counts both completed and failed classes, as well as pass/fail courses. We wish that every student could get funding; however, we’d run out of aid real fast if this was the case.

What are the MTF requirements? For Undergraduates, the MTF rule is 125% of their degree credit requirements – this is mandated by the state of Washington. A typical bachelor’s degree consists of a minimum of 120 credits – 125% of 120 is 150 credits. So a typical undergrad student is given 150 attempted credits to obtain his/her first bachelor’s degree. Once they exceed this limit they will be in SAP disqualification and must appeal for future financial aid. In their appeal, they are required to submit a letter from their advisor, you all, stating their anticipated graduation date and the courses and credits left to complete. There are about 5 programs that don’t meet the “typical” degree guidelines. Post baccalaureate students are expected to complete their second bachelor’s degree within 90 attempted credit hours. Students studying to obtain their teaching certificate (outside a degree program) are also expected to complete within 90 attempted credit hours.

SAP APPEALS When a student goes into a SAP Disqualification, they are required to submit a SAP appeal via submitsfsdocs.wsu.edu to be considered for Financial aid.

What is included in a SAP appeal? An explanation of circumstances A statement of resolution A list of classes and credits that the student is enrolled in If their deficiency is Maximum Time Frame, then they will also need to include a letter from their advisor stating their anticipated graduation date and the credits and courses they have left to complete. If the student has failed at least one academic plan in the past AND their reason for deficiency is due to a medical condition, they will need to submit a letter from their health care provider stating whether or not they feel the student is well enough to return. Explanation of Circumstances: why/how they became SAP deficient. A statement of resolution: Steps they are taking/have taken to resolve their circumstances and bring them into good SAP standing. A list of classes and credits that they are enrolled in: this is what we use to create their academic plans, if their appeal is approved MTF: If a student is seeking two majors, documentation must come from both advisors. All of this information is listed on the SAP Appeal; so the student can see exactly what is needed while filling out the appeal form on submitsfsdocs.wsu.edu. If they are missing something, we will then send them a ZZUSIS notification to their WSU email indicating what they are missing and when they need to hand it in by. We are very generous with our due dates for these items as we understand students can become very busy and might not always check their WSU email daily.

So this is a little hard to read, but I wanted to give you an idea of what our SAP forms look like. This is what students see when they log in to submitsfsdocs.wsu.edu and click on the SAP appeal form.

What is included in a SAP Academic Plan? The plan requires them to pass and complete a certain amount of credits. If the student has a GPA disqualification, they will also be contracted to achieve a 2.3 term GPA. If they are Maximum Time Frame deficient, then they will be contracted to complete, pass, and graduate with their degree by the term that their advisor specifies, in addition to any other terms. An example of an academic plan will look like this: Complete and pass 12 Fall 2014 credit hours. Achieve a 2.3 term GPA. Complete, pass and graduate with your bachelor’s degree by Spring 2015. No further funding after Spring 2015. Once a student’s SAP appeal is approved, they are placed on an academic plan: The plan requires them to pass and complete a certain amount of credits – usually however many credits the student is enrolled in. Though this depends on the student’s deficiency and circumstances. If the student has a GPA disqualification, the student will also be contracted to achieve a 2.3 term GPA. If they are Maximum Time Frame deficient, then they will be contracted to complete, pass, and graduate with their degree by the term that their advisor specifies as their anticipated graduation date. This graduation date is the date that the advisor will list in the letter or email they send to us when we process the appeal. All of this is why it is important for the student to include all of the requested information in their appeal. If we do not have this information, we cannot create an accurate academic plan for them and they will likely fail their plan. An example of an academic plan will look like this: Complete and pass 12 Fall 2014 credit hours. Achieve a 2.3 term GPA. Complete, pass and graduate with your bachelor’s degree by Spring 2015. No further funding after Spring 2015.

Important points to keep in mind: Two or more warnings in a row = Disqualification Filing an appeal is not a guarantee of approval of financial aid. A student will be on a SAP disqualification if they fail one (or more) academic plan(s), even if they appear to be in good academic standing. Reinstatement through the University is not the same as reinstatement of Financial Aid. These are separate processes. Dropping classes may affect a student’s SAP status and therefore financial aid. This depends on the student’s situation, past SAP history, and how many credits they want to drop. It is best to have the student check with SFS before they drop a course. Example: A student is contracted to pass 12 fall 2014 credits. This student only passes 9/12. They have a 75% Pace to Degree rate (for the term), and their GPA is above a 2.0; however since they did not pass 12 like their contract stated, they are disqualified and will have to appeal again. The academic plan overrides all SAP statuses, even if the student brought themselves into a MEET SAP Status. Reinstatement: As you all are aware, we use the reinstatement papers while processing SAP appeals; however students DO need to submit a SAP Appeal if they are in SAP disqualification and wish to receive financial aid. Dropping classes: Meeting with a SFS counselor will be required if student is on an academic plan.

Important SAP Dates On January 5, 2015, the SAP Process will run for Spring 2015 To get their aid before the first week of class, students MUST submit all documentation for their SAP appeal between January 5 and January 9. SAP appeals will be accepted until the 30th day of the semester. On January 5, 2015, the SAP Process will run for Spring 2015 – this is when students will receive notice of their updated Spring SAP Status and requests for submitting an appeal. At this time all students who are SAP disqualified will have a SAP appeal available to them. To get their aid before the first week of class, students MUST submit all documentation for their SAP appeal between January 5 and January 9. SAP appeals will be accepted until the 30th day of the semester. After February 10, appeals will only be reviewed based on extenuating circumstances. This falls in line with the Registrar’s 30th day.

SAP Committee Rubric

Example 1: GPA Deficiency Warning Warning So now I’m going to show you all examples of students who are on SAP Disqualifications and warnings and what that looks like to the person doing SAP Processing. In speaking with Kellie, a shared concern is that incorrect information might be given to students without knowing it. So these next slides are to hopefully help you understand the deficiencies a bit better and not so much the ZZUSIS screen. The first time an undergraduate student falls below a 2.0 GPA, they will be put on a SAP Warning. This is an example of a student who was on a SAP warning for the fall term. They have a 1.52 GPA based on their Spring grades – our numbers do not round up or down; and for the GPA deficiency it does not matter how low a GPA is, you will always get a warning for that deficiency first.

Not Meet So this is based off the next semester, summer, for that same student. Now as you can see the student is SAP disqualified for Fall 2014 term because this student’s GPA during the summer term was again below a 2.0. In order to be considered for financial aid for the Fall Semester, this student had to submit a SAP appeal form.

If approved a plan will be created and emailed to the student If approved a plan will be created and emailed to the student. Once the student submits his academic plan signed and dated, the terms of his plan will be added to the comments box and his SAP status will change from DISQ to Acad Plan.

Example 2: Pace to Degree Term This is an example of a warning for Pace to Degree term. If a student has passed only 50 – 66% of their classes for the term, they are in a SAP warning for Pace to Degree term. In this case the student completed 10 out of the 15 credits they attempted; dividing 10 by 15 will give you 66.67% and so this student would still receive financial aid and would not need to submit a SAP appeal, but the next term they could be in denial depending on how many classes they pass (or don’t pass). Remember two warnings in a row equals a denial.

This is an example of a student who would be on a SAP disqualification for Pace To Degree Term. We also call these particular students Zero Hours Passed because they did not pass any of the credits they had attempted for that term. This student would then have to file a SAP Appeal to be considered for financial aid. Additionally, Zero Hours Passed Students will need to submit some kind of documentation showing that they attended their classes past the 60% mark of the semester – for Fall 2014 that date was October 28. If they don’t submit this documentation to me, then we will have to take back their Title IV funds and create a large bill for the previous semester in which they will be responsible for paying the bill through other means. This is essentially to ensure that students getting Title IV funds use it for school and don’t take advantage of the system and take the money without attending school.

Example 3: Pace to Degree Cumulative Warn Warning This student is on a SAP Warning for Pace to Degree – Cumulative. They have passed 17 out of 31 attempted credits, dividing 17 by 31 gives you 0.54; which puts them at 54% passing rate. They will still receive financial aid but depending on their grades in the next term they might be on disqualification for their next term.

Not Meet This student would be on a SAP Disqualification for Cumulative Pace to Degree. They only passed 8 out of 22 attempted credits, with a 36.36% pass rate. They would need to submit a SAP appeal to be considered for Financial Aid.

Example 4: Maximum Time Frame WARN WARNING 145 - 149 Just this Fall semester we had a policy change regarding Maximum Time Frame regulations. According to the new policy, students who have attempted between 145 and 149 credit hours will be placed on a SAP warning, and students who have attempted 150+ credit hours will be on a SAP disqualification and must submit an Appeal for future aid.

Maximum Time Frame – Disqualification Not Meet This student is in a SAP disqualification for Maximum Time Frame because he has attempted over 150 credits. If he would like to be considered for financial aid for the next term then this student will need to file a SAP appeal.

Example 5: Failed Academic Plans Spring So the last example that I will go over with you all before we break out into groups and start doing hands on training is when a student fails an academic plan. So this student was placed on an academic plan because his cumulative GPA was below a 2.0 and received two warnings in a row. Their academic plan contracts them to pass 6 Spring (2014) credit hours. (Generally, we contract students for the amount of credits they are enrolled in, with some exceptions. If the student was Maximum Time Frame deficient, we will also contract them to pass, complete, and graduate with their degree by term that their advisor specifies.) Once the student has handed in their signed academic plan the academic plan terms will be entered into the comments box and their SAP status will change to ACAD PLAN (Academic Plan).

Pass 12 Fall 2013 credit hours. Once the grades are in for that term and we have run SAP on students, we will then check our list of students on academic plans to see if they passed their plan or not. This student was contracted to pass 12 Fall 2013 credit hours, but did not pass any credit hours, so they are put back on SAP disqualification and will have to appeal for financial aid.

SAP RESOURCES: http://finaid.wsu.edu/maintaining-eligibility/satisfactory-academic-progress-sap/ https://finaid.wsu.edu/media/2794/sap-handbook.pdf sapappeal@wsu.edu

QUESTIONS?

(Group) Hands on Training Instructions: Separate into groups of 3 or 4. Study your student example. Determine what will be needed in their appeal. Using the SAP committee rubric, determine if the student’s appeal will be approved or denied. If the student’s appeal has been approved, determine what their academic plan terms would be.

Any remaining Questions? Please feel free to email or call me with any SAP questions that you might have. Kate Cobb – kate.cobb@wsu.edu; 5-9788 Myla Walter - mmmoody@wsu.edu Randi Croyle - randiroo@wsu.edu