Federal regulations require that students receiving financial aid maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward their degree. Reinhardt University evaluates SAP for doctoral and advanced graduate students at the end of each term based on the following standards:
Qualitative Standard — Minimum GPA
Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher at all times. A student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 will be placed on financial aid warning for the following term. If the GPA is not restored to 3.0 or above by the end of the warning term, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension.
Quantitative Standard — Pace of Completion
Students must successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted credit hours on a cumulative basis. Credit hours that are withdrawn, failed, or incomplete are counted as attempted but not completed for SAP purposes.
Maximum Timeframe
Students must complete their degree within 150% of the published program length, measured in credit hours attempted:
Program | Total Credit Hours | Maximum Attempted Hours (150%) |
|---|---|---|
EdS | 30 | 45 |
EdD | 54 | 81 |
DBA | 54 | 81 |
SAP Appeal
A student who fails to meet SAP standards will be notified in writing by the Office of Student Financial Services and will be placed on financial aid suspension. A student on financial aid suspension may appeal the suspension if the failure to meet SAP standards was due to an extenuating circumstance such as illness, injury, or other unforeseeable event.
To appeal, the student must submit a written SAP appeal to the Office of Student Financial Services that includes:
- An explanation of the extenuating circumstance that contributed to the failure to meet SAP standards
- Documentation supporting the extenuating circumstance
- A plan for returning to good standing
Approved appeals result in financial aid probation status for one term.