Academic Progress Standard for Federal Aid

The standards and procedures described in this section apply to all of the following types of financial aid:

Student academic progress for financial aid purposes is typically assessed after the completion of the spring term. This review focuses on the grades and credits from the previous fall and spring terms and determines a student's eligibility for aid for the upcoming fall and spring term.

To remain eligible for federal grants and loans, a student must demonstrate academic progress with respect to both the number of credits earned and the grade-point average (GPA)

Students will receive a letter and a copy of this policy from UPG, which advises them if they have not achieved Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid purposes. The majority of the letters will be mailed in May after the grades for the fall and spring terms have been accessed.

Grade Point Average	1.5 cumulative GPA for first-year freshmen 2.0 cumulative GPA for all other academic levels
Credits	Full-time students must complete at least 24 credits during the academic year. Part-time students who have attempted between 6 and 11.5 credits must complete at least 6 credits. Part-time students who have attempted 5 or fewer credits must complete all credits attempted.
NOTES: (1) Withdrawals, incomplete grades, repeated courses, and noncredit remedial coursework may jeopardize a student's ability to maintain academic progress. (2) The GPA is calculated using credits earned at the University of Pittsburgh and does not, with the exception of credits earned in some study abroad programs, include credits earned elsewhere. (3) A full-time student who only attended for one semester, must complete 12 credits with the applicable 1.5 or 2.0 GPA to maintain financial aid eligibility.

One-Time Financial Aid Probation
The first time that a student fails to meet the standard for academic progress described above, he/she may be eligible for one year of financial aid probation. Probation will allow him/her to re-establish progress while still receiving federal financial aid. The financial aid probationary year is only available to full-time students who have earned at least twelve credits during the preceding academic year. For part-time students, there is no minimum number of credits required to establish eligibility for a probationary year. During the probationary year, the student will continue to receive federal aid.

During the probationary year full-time students must earn 24 credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 in order to regain their eligibility for federal aid for the following year. Part-time probationary students must also complete the minimum number of credits specified by the academic progress standard and achieve a GPA of at least 2.0. A student who has been placed on financial aid probation previously is not eligible for a second probationary year.

Not Eligible for Federal Student Aid
A student will not be eligible for federal student aid when he/she:

Summer Redemption
If a student falls short of the academic progress requirements, he/she may seek to earn good standing by enrolling in summer courses. Enrolling in classes at any Pitt campus can increase the student's GPA and total number of credits. If the student attends another institution, only the credits earned will apply; the GPA from those credits is not transferable. Discuss the specifics with your academic advisor before enrolling elsewhere.

It is the student's responsibility to notify the Financial Aid Office of credits taken during the summer and to request a review of his/her financial aid status.

Written Appeal for Academic Progress
Students who have used their one-time financial aid probationary year and fail to meet the academic progress standard for a second time may appeal for a waiver of the academic progress standard.

Waivers will be granted very rarely and only in extreme circumstances seen as outside the student's control. The appeal form can be obtained from the Financial Aid Office, Academic Affairs Office or at www.upg.pitt.edu/prospective/financialaid. The appeal form must be completed and returned with documentation verifying the extreme circumstances. Incomplete forms and requests without proper documentation will be automatically denied.

The completed appeal form and the required documentation must be forwarded to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by July 1, 2007.He will report his decision in a letter to the student and to the Financial Aid Office by July 15, 2007. If granted, the waiver will allow federal financial aid processing to continue. Please note that if a waiver is granted for federal aid, it will not reinstate a Pennsylvania grant. (See below for the standards and procedures for Pennsylvania grants.)

Regaining Federal Financial Aid Eligibility
The Financial Aid Office will reconsider a student's account at the time when his/her academic record improves.If the student feels that he has earned the reinstatement after the fall grades are posted, then it is his/her responsibility to contact the Financial Aid Office and request reevaluation.

Limitations for Federal Aid Amounts
For federal financial aid purposes, a student enrolled in a program leading to a bachelor degree must complete the 120 required credits within a maximum of 180 credits taken. This means that students may not receive federal aid after 180 credits have been attempted. Students can receive federal Stafford program proceeds up to the maximum dollar amount allowed by federal regulation.

A Summary - "What Do I Do Next?"
If this is the first time that you failed to achieve satisfactory academic progress, you will be notified and placed on Federal Financial Aid Probation. (This is not Academic Probation from the Academic Affairs Department.) The student does not need to complete any additional paperwork or notify the Financial Aid Office. His/her federal aid will be processed. During the academic year, the student must earn certain standards to insure federal aid in future semesters.

If you have failed to meet the federal academic requirements at anytime in the past, you will not be eligible to receive federal aid until you make up the credits and/or GPA that is required. It is possible to make up the requirements during the fall semester and have federal aid for the spring. In that case, it is the student's responsibility to contact the Financial Aid Office after the grades are posted to review the account. Extreme cases may choose to submit written proof to the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Forms for this are located on the UPG web-site.

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