Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is the required grade point average and credit hours required to be enrolled at college.
If you are receiving financial aid, there are certain conditions you need to meet in order to continue receiving your aid. In many cases, one of those conditions is that you need to be progressing towards graduation and a degree.
The exact definition of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is set by each individual school. Typically, you need to maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average and take enough credit hours to be on track to graduate within 150% of the scheduled time frame for your degree.
What Is Satisfactory Academic Progress?
Satisfactory Academic Progress is a measure of whether or not you are making sufficient progress towards a degree. Federal financial aid requires that you make progress towards your degree.
Each school will set its own standards for what qualifies as Satisfactory Academic Progress, so if you're not sure what that looks like at your school, you should reach out to your school's financial aid office.
A school's Satisfactory Academic Progress policy will usually cover some or all of the following items, including:
- What GPA you'll need to maintain (at least a C- or 2.0 average is common)
- How many credits you need to be taking, based on your degree (for example, if you don't want to graduate in three years, but the amount you need to stay on track to finish in six, if you're taking a four-year degree)
- How often they evaluate your progress and what will happen if you fail
- What you can do to appeal your school's decision if you are not making satisfactory academic progress
How Satisfactory Academic Progress Is Used For Financial Aid
Because Satisfactory Academic Progress is a requirement for federal financial aid, nearly all schools will monitor this as part of their financial aid office. Schools may measure each student once or twice a year, using the most up-to-date information as of the measurement period. If your school determines you are not making sufficient progress, you may receive a financial aid warning or possibly lose your financial aid.
While satisfactory academic progress is typically used for federal financial aid products, there are some private student loans that also have an academic progress requirement. If you fall below your school's satisfactory progress threshold, it's possible you will not qualify for private loans as well.
If you're not sure how progress is measured or required for your loans, contact your loan provider or loan servicer.
How to Appeal a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Decision
If you are not making sufficient progress towards a degree, you may be able to appeal your school's decision. Typically, you can appeal the Satisfactory Academic Progress decision for reasons such as:
- A significant illness or injury
- Death of an immediate member of your family
- Other unusual or special circumstances
If you feel one of these applies to your specific situation, you need to contact your school's financial aid office in writing. While many colleges and universities allow appeals, not all do. Make sure you understand your school's academic progress policy before it becomes an issue.
If your SAP Appeal is denied, you may be forced to leave your college or lose financial aid.
Loopholes To Get Around Satisfactory Academic Progress
If you find yourself in the situation where you are at risk of losing your financial aid due to not making satisfactory academic progress, you may have a few loopholes that you can take advantage of.
One can be changing majors—your school's policy may allow for additional time if you have switched. Another possibility might be to enroll in a different school.
While these may sound like attractive options, they should only be used as a last resort. Colleges or universities may limit how often you can change majors in order to limit your ability to use this loophole. You may not be able or willing to change colleges, since that could represent a fairly significant overhaul and change to your life.
The Bottom Line
If you are receiving federal financial aid, you are required to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress towards a degree.
The exact standards for satisfactory academic progress are set by each school, so if you're not sure how your university measures this, contact the financial aid office. They can help you understand this in detail and if you are at danger of falling below the threshold of satisfactory academic progress.
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared toward anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Today, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
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