Re-Establishing Financial Aid Eligibility

A student who is on Academic Plan or Suspension status may regain his or her financial aid eligibility after any semester in which he or she meets Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) and regains good standing status (2.0 cumulative GPA, 67 percent completion rate, and not exceeded 150 percent of program plan).

Financial Aid Appeal Process

Federal regulations allow students to appeal the denial of their federal financial aid if they have extenuating circumstances. The circumstances include, but are not limited to, illness, death in the immediate family, call to active military duty, natural disaster or other circumstances that are beyond the student's control.

If you have a valid reason to appeal, submit a SAP Appeal:

• Log-in or create an account on your Student Portal on the FAFSA website. (Portal log in directions below)
• Click the Request button in Blue in the upper right hand corner of the page.
• Choose the award year for which you are requesting the appeal. 
• Complete the tasks associated with submitting your appeal including an appeal statement and attach documentation that supports the specified circumstance(s) related to the time period in which you are appealing. Examples of documentation could include an obituary notice, divorce decree, or a letter from a physician, attorney, social services agency, etc. The supporting documentation submitted with the appeal form is vital, and can be the difference between the appeal being approved or denied. The appeal statement must contain at least the following three components:
• 
  
  • The nature of the extenuating circumstance(s) and the timeline of when it occured that caused the student to fail SAP standards
  • What has changed that will enable the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation
  • The steps the student will take to ensure they continue to meet SAP in the future

The SAP Appeal Committee will review the appeal along with the supporting documentation. The student will receive notification of the decision through his or her Student Office365 email account. If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on an Academic Plan. If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid until he/she is able to meet SAP. The Committee's decision is final.

For more information, please review the SAP for Financial Aid.