Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

To be considered eligible for the financial aid programs named above, a student must meet all of the following conditions:

1. Qualitative - Grade Point Average

• Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

2. Quantitative - Pace of Completion
Pace is calculated by the number of successfully completed credits divided by the total credit hours attempted. Students must successfully complete (pass) at least two-thirds (66.67%) of their cumulative attempted credit hours to stay on pace with the Maximum Time Frame requirements described below. For example, a student who has successfully completed 30 credit hours and attempted 40, pace would be 30 ÷ 40 = 75%.

a. Attempted credits are based on records maintained by the Registrar's Office and include courses for which the student receives a grade of A, B, C, D, F, I, NC, P, S, U, W, WF, or WX. Attempted credits do not include audited courses, validation credits, or courses dropped prior to the issuance of a W.

b. Successfully completed credits include those for which the student receives a passing grade (A, B, C, D, P, or S). Courses for which the student receives a grade of F, I, NC, U, W, WF, or WX will not be counted as completed.

c. Remedial coursework is treated no differently than other coursework.

d. Repeated courses count multiple times as attempted credits, but only once toward completed credits.

e. Transfer credits accepted by NMC are included in both the attempted credits and completed credits.

f. Grades of Incomplete are counted as attempted but not completed. If the student subsequently completes the course requirements and wants to request a recalculation of the percentage of credits completed, the student must notify the Financial Aid Office.

3. Maximum Time Frame
Students must complete all program requirements within 150% of the time it normally takes to complete the degree program (as measured in credit hours). Example: If the student's program of study requires 126 credits, the student must complete the degree by the time the student has attempted 189 credits.

a. If the student is enrolled in multiple programs the Maximum Time Frame will be based on the longest program.

b. If the student has changed programs, professional courses applicable to the first program will be excluded from the new program's attempted credit limit unless also required for the new program.

c. The student becomes ineligible for financial aid when it becomes mathematically impossible to earn the required credit hours for the program within the maximum time frame.

A student's financial aid eligibility will be suspended or terminated if any of the following occurs:

• Student is enrolled in a program longer than two academic years (i.e. a bachelor's degree program) and does not have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 at the end of the second year.
• Student failed to meet either or both the Qualitative and Quantitative standards at the time of the annual review.
• Student has attempted 150% of the credits required for the degree program. 

A student whose financial aid eligibility was terminated may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. Reasons for an appeal may include: death of a relative, injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances. At a minimum, an appeal must include the following:

• A written or typed statement explaining the circumstances contributing to the student's failure to meet the SAP standards, along with the nature and timing of the circumstances;
• Supporting documentation, as appropriate;
• A description of what has changed in the student's situation that would allow the student to meet SAP requirements in the future; and
• An Academic Development Plan (ADP) that has been developed with and is signed by the student's advisor. The ADP must include how the student expects to meet the SAP standards as well as the time frame in which the student expects to be back in compliance with such standards.

If the student's appeal is denied or the student fails to make progress during the Probationary Period, the student may re-establish financial aid eligibility after meeting the following conditions:

• Enroll at student's own expense until both the Quantitative and Qualitative SAP standards are met, while not exceeding the Maximum Time Frame.

Students will be mailed written notification if their status changes as a result of the SAP evaluation.