Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
GPA and PACE are evaluated for all students (full-time and part-time) who receive Title IV Federal Financial aid or Bethel College Institutional financial aid after the end of each semester (Fall/Spring). Students are notified by mail and email if they failed SAP standards. Duration is evaluated at the end of each semester. Students are also evaluated each semester to see if they can become SAP eligible based on GPA and/or PACE and are notified by mail and email if they become eligible. Students who are on SAP probation are reviewed at the end of each semester to ensure probation requirements are met.
Students who lose financial aid eligibility due to not meeting SAP requirements may regain eligibility by:
- earning the necessary GPA or credit hours to meet the minimum requirements while not receiving federal and institutional financial aid or
- submitting a SAP appeal** (see below) which is then reviewed by the Office of Financial Aid.
Minimum course completion rates and GPA:
Students are required to pass or satisfactorily complete (not withdraw from) a minimum of 67% of the courses taken (PACE), with a grade point average (GPA) above the published academic suspension level. The current GPA levels are 1.4 for freshmen and 1.6 for sophomores. Federal regulations require students who have attempted 48 credit hours to maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Transfer credits that are accepted from another institution, and are included on a student’s Bethel transcript, will count as both attempted and completed hours.
Maximum time frame to complete an undergraduate degree:
The time frame, (the Dept of Ed calls it “PACE”) for completion of an undergraduate program cannot exceed 150% of the published program length. The minimum number of credit hours required to graduate from Bethel is 120. Therefore, students who have attempted fewer than 180 hours of college credit, either here or elsewhere, are eligible to apply for financial aid. Transfer credit hours that are transcripted by Bethel are included in the calculation of a student’s maximum time frame to complete their degree. However, withdrawals (WP or WF), incompletes, failures, courses at non-accredited institutions, or non-college level remedial courses that are not reflected on official BC transcripts, will not be counted toward the determination of the 180 hours attempted.
Evaluation timing and intervals:
Evaluation of this standard is made every semester. The completion rate is based on classes taken during the previous semester, as well as credit hours attempted and GPA. The evaluation of course completion will relate only to courses taken at Bethel, however hours attempted and cumulative GPA will include all hours attempted or transferred to Bethel as shown on the official Bethel transcript.
Impact of Course Repeats, Withdrawals and Incomplete Courses:
Email the financial aid office: finaid@bethelks.edu if you have questions about course repeats (duplications), withdrawals and incomplete courses.
- Course Repeats: Students receiving an F in a course may repeat that course and receive financial aid for it until the course is passed. Students receiving a passing grade (D- or better) and retaking the course may only receive financial aid for that course one additional time. Repeated courses will be counted towards both the pace, GPA, and duration of eligibility components of SAP.
- Course Drops after the add/drop period (W’s): A withdrawn course will count as attempted hours but will not count as completed hours in the SAP pace calculation.
- Incompletes: An Incomplete will count as attempted hours but will not count as completed hours (therefore affecting pace). An incomplete may negatively affect a student’s pace and aid eligibility. Once the work is completed a grade, passing or failing, is assigned and that grade will be incorporated into the next SAP review.
**SAP Appeal
Students may appeal either warning or suspension status in writing by explaining to the Financial Aid Director why they failed to meet satisfactory academic progress as defined herein. Reasons may include but are not limited to: illness, death in the family, other unusual circumstances, or by listing course work completed successfully in summer term or interterm following the initial determination of warning status. The student will also need to articulate what steps they plan to take in order to meet SAP by the time of the next evaluation.
Students on suspension due to the 180-hour limit may appeal if their course work attempted while at Bethel has not exceeded the 150% of the minimum hours needed to complete their degree objective. The Financial Aid Director will respond to the appeal in writing by mail or email. A student may appeal the decision of the Financial Aid Director by writing to the Admissions and Financial Aid Committee.
If the appeal is approved, students will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one semester. Students on Probation are eligible for aid, but must make SAP to receive aid beyond one semester. At the end of the semester an evaluation will be made to determine if the student has met the SAP as reflected in GPA and PACE. If SAP is met then the student is back on normal status. If the SAP is not met, the aid is suspended.
Academic PLAN: If a student has done so poorly that it would be impossible to meet SAP in one semester, the student may ask for and be allowed to work up an Academic Plan (PLAN) with the registrar’s office. The PLAN must be completed with the student’s academic advisor and signed by the advisor, the student and the Director of Financial Aid. The PLAN must indicate the PACE and GPA that is the target goal for the semester and to get the student back to SAP. At the end of the semester the financial aid office will determine if the PLAN was followed and SAP was met. If successful, normal status will return. If not successful, aid will be suspended.
SAP Appeal Deadlines: For the fall and spring semesters, SAP appeals must be submitted to the Director of Financial aid no later than two weeks before the start of the fall term (the date will be listed). For a Spring semester appeal, due to the limited number of days between the semester, the specific date will be listed on the suspension notification that is mailed and emailed to the student.
In all circumstances, students will have their financial aid reinstated and will be removed from financial aid warning, suspension or probationary status when all satisfactory academic progress measurements are once again restored.