Satisfactory Academic Progress

Criteria for satisfactory academic progress includes both qualitative and quantitative standards that apply

 equally to all students who receive financial aid.

Students not currently receiving aid are subject to these same policies should they apply for aid at a later date.

Qualitative Standards: Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)

All students, including recipients of financial aid, are subject to the academic regulations governing scholastic status as outlined in this handbook. To maintain academic progress, undergraduate students must earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher, and graduate studentsmustearnacumulativeGPAof3.0orhigher. Failure at the undergraduate level to achieve a cumulative 2.0 GPA by the end of the second year of enrollment at Woodbury University will result in lossof eligibility for financial aid. Recipients of financialaid who fail to maintain the prerequisite GPA run the risk of financial aid disqualification and becoming ineligible for financial aid.

Quantitative Standards (Units)

Each academic year, recipients of financial aid are expected to complete a minimum number of units based on their enrollment status. If the minimum unit requirements are not met, students disqualify themselves from financial aid and may become ineligible for future financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements 

Satisfactory academic progress for all undergraduate students is defined in the following chart, which indicates the minimum number of completed semester units necessary each academic year based on full-time and part-time enrollment status. Fulfillment of the University’s minimum satisfactory academic progress requirement does not guarantee degree completion in four years. Please see the academic load chart below for the average unit completion needed per academic year to accomplish this goal.

Academic Load

Example Of Minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards Within The Time Restriction For Full- And Part-Time Students

(A maximum of six years to complete a BS, BA, BBA, or BFA degree; minimum units 126)

Year #7                              12                               168

(A maximum of seven years to complete the BArch degree; minimum units 160)

*Full-time Enrollment Status: Students are expected to pass a minimum of 24 semester-hour units each academic year, an average of 12 units each semester, fall and spring.

Part Time**

(Maximum eight years to complete the BS degree; minimum 126

units)

Part-time students receive an additional two years to complete their degree objective. If a student is only part-time throughout their academic career, they will find it difficult to complete their degree objectives within acceptable time frames.

**Part-time Enrollment Status: Students are expected to pass a minimum of 12 semester-hour units each academic year, an average of six units each semester, fall and spring.

Note: Summer session at Woodbury University allows students to accelerate or remediate unit or grade point deficiencies from the previous academic semester through full- or part-time enrollment.

Completion Time Limits

For Undergraduate Students

Full-Time Enrollment Status

Undergraduate: Full-time undergraduates enroll in 12–18 units in each fall and spring semesters. Full- or part-time summer session enrollment may be used to accelerate a study program or remediate academic progress.

• Full-time Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates who enter with freshman status and without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within six academic years after matriculation. Financial aid is reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation. Eligibility for financial aid ceases six years after matriculation or earlier when the time limit for completion is reduced.
• Full-time Bachelor of Architecture degree candidates who enter with freshman status and without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within seven-and-one-half academic years after matriculation. For transfer students, the time limit for completion of the degree and continued eligibility for financial aid is reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation or extended when enrollment status varies from full-time to part-time. Eligibility for financial aid ceases seven years after matriculation or earlier when the time limit for completion is reduced.
• When enrolled full-time, undergraduate students must complete an average of 12 units per fall and spring semesters, 24 units during each academic year, and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Failure to meet these quantitative and qualitative standards each academic term will result in the loss of eligibility for financial aid.
• At the conclusion of their second academic year at Woodbury, all undergraduate students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to avoid financial aid disqualification and possible loss of eligibility for financial aid.

   

  Part-Time Enrollment Status

  Undergraduate: Part-time undergraduates enroll in less than 12 units per fall and spring academic semesters. During each semester of part-time enrollment, students are expected to complete all units attempted. Full- or part-time summer session enrollment may be used to accelerate a study program or remediate academic progress.

• Part-time Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Business Administration, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree candidates who enter with freshman status and without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within eight academic years after matriculation. For transfer students, the time limit for completion of the degree and continued eligibility for financial aid is reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation. Eligibility for financial aid ceases eight years after matriculation or earlier when time limits for completion are reduced.
• Part-time Bachelor of Architecture degree candidates who enter with freshman status and without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within 10 academic years after matriculation. For transfer students, the time limit for completion of the degree and continued eligibility for financial aid is reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation or extended when the enrollment status varies from full-time to part-time. Eligibility for financial aid ceases seven years after matriculation or earlier when the time limit for completion is reduced.
• When enrolled part-time, undergraduate students must complete all units attempted each fall and spring semester and maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher. Failure to meet these quantitative and qualitative standards each academic term will result in placement on financial aid probation and possible loss of eligibility for financial aid.

  At the conclusion of their second academic year at Woodbury, all undergraduate students must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in order to qualify for financial aid during their third year of study.

   

  Completion Time Limits For Graduate Students

  Full-Time Graduate Enrollment Status

  For the purpose of evaluating satisfactory academic progress, full-time graduate students enroll in six or more units per semester. Full- or part-time summer session enrollment may be used to accelerate a study program or remediate progress.

• Full-time graduate degree candidates who entered without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within three years after matriculation. For transfer students, the time limits for completion of the degree and continued eligibility for financial aid are reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation or extended when the enrollment status varies from full-time to part-time. Eligibility for financial

  aid ceases three years after matriculation or earlier when the time limit for completion is reduced.

• When enrolled full-time, graduate students must complete a minimum of six units per semester, 12 units per academic year (fall and spring semesters) and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Failure to meet these quantitative and qualitative standards each academic term will result in disqualification from financial aid.

   

  Part-Time Graduate Enrollment Status

• During each semester of part-time enrollment, students are expected to complete all units attempted.
• Part-time graduate students enroll in less than six units in fall and spring semesters. Full- or part-time summer session enrollment may be used to accelerate a study program or remediate academic progress.

   

  Completion Time Limits

• Part-time graduate degree candidates who entered without transferable credit must complete their degree requirements within six years after matriculation. For transfer students, the time limits for completion of the degree and for continued eligibility for financial aid are reduced when transferable units are applied upon matriculation or when the enrollment status varies from part-time to full-time. Eligibility for financial aid ceases three years after matriculation or earlier when the time limit for completion is reduced.
• When enrolled part-time, graduate students must complete all units attempted per semester and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Graduate students in Architecture must complete all units attempted per semester with credit or better. Conditional credit will count as credit or better. Failure to meet these quantitative and qualitative standards each academic term will result in disqualification from financial aid.

  Definitions And Clarifications Applicable To Requirements For Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

  Satisfactory academic progress is based on both qualitative (GPA) and quantitative (units) criteria.

• When a student’s semester enrollment status varies between full-time and part-time, that student is expected to complete at least 12 units during each semester of full-time enrollment; during each semester of part-time enrollment, the student is expected to complete all units attempted.
• Failure, No Pass, or No Credit grades: Courses for which a grade of “F,” “NP,” or “NC” are recorded cannot be counted as completed units toward SAP requirements.
• Withdrawal: Courses for which grades of “W,” “WU,” or “WW” are recorded cannot be counted as completed units toward SAP requirements.
• Audit Courses: Audit course units do not apply as units of progress during an academic semester, and units graded “AU” are not applied as completed units toward SAP requirements.
• Incomplete: Courses for which a grade of “I” is recorded cannot count as units toward SAP requirements. When final grades are recorded, units and letter grades will be applied toward the quantitative and qualitative SAP requirements.
• In Progress: Courses for which an interim mark of “IP” is assigned do not count as completed units toward the requirement until the course is completed and a final grade is recorded.
• Repeated Courses: Students may remediate a course for the purpose of improving their grade. The final grade of the repeated course will apply to the cumulative GPA. With the exception of courses designated as repeatable, students have only one chance to repeat a course in which they have received a passing grade. If no passing grade is achieved, then a student may repeat the course until they do receive a passing grade.
• Non-credit Pre-requisite of Remedial Courses: Units of enrollment for pre-requisite and non- credit pre-requisite or remedial courses do not earn credit toward the degree, but are counted as completed units toward meeting SAP requirements.

   

  Financial Aid Disqualification And Probation Status And Provisions For Regaining Eligibility For Financial Aid

  Financial Aid Disqualification Status

  Financial aid recipients who are unable to meet the qualitative and/or quantitative standards outlined under the policy on satisfactory academic progress (SAP) disqualify themselves from financial aid. An appeal must be filed with the Financial Aid Office to be considered for probation status. Warning notices of pending disqualification are mailed to students at the conclusion of the fall semester. Official notices of financial aid disqualification status are mailed to students at the conclusion of each academic year.

   

  For purposes of financial aid, summer session enrollments may be used to remediate units from the previous fall and spring academic semesters. To remediate GPA deficiencies, courses must be completed at Woodbury, as GPA quality points are only applied to units completed in residency. When probation status is not removed within the time limit, students lose their eligibility for financial aid.

   

  Loss of Eligibility for Financial Aid

  When the terms of the policies on satisfactory academic progress and financial aid probation status are not met, students experience a loss of eligibility for financial aid. Students who are disqualified from financial aid may continue to study at the University if they are not also academically disqualified. Academic achievements during this period may assist students in regaining eligibility for financial aid during future terms of enrollment.

   

  Provisions for Regaining Eligibility for Financial Aid Students who have lost their eligibility for financial aid may regain eligibility by remediating the factors that caused the disqualification, including the following:

• Unit deficiencies may be remediated through completion of credit via approved transfer credit procedures, or, under special provisions, the student may complete additional residency

  coursework to remediate unit and GPA deficiencies.

• Readmission to the University after a two-year period of absence from the University.
• The Second-Year Rule: When eligibility for financial aid is lost due to failure to end the second academic year at Woodbury with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, eligibility may only be reinstated following a financial aid appeal. If the appeal is granted, the student must then meet the minimum GPA in the semester immediately following the semester during which the minimum GPA was not achieved.
• An appeal for financial aid probation status, through a successful appeal of policies on satisfactory academic progress.
• Remediation through summer enrollment at Woodbury or an approved concurrent enrollment at another institution. Summer sessions may be used to remediate deficiencies from the previous academic year.

Financial Aid Probation Status

Official notices of financial aid probation status are mailed to students following a successful appeal of loss of eligibility for financial aid. During semesters with an approved financial aid probation status, students remain eligible for financial aid and must meet the conditions of their probation to continue their eligibility during future semesters. The conditions of an approved financial aid probation status are defined based upon the student’s academic deficiencies and must be met within specified time frames. When probation status is not removed within specified time limits, students lose their eligibility for financial aid programs.

Procedures for Appeals to the Policies on Satisfactory Progress

Students who have not made satisfactory academic progress have the right to appeal their loss of eligibility for financial aid. Students who believe they have extenuating circumstances may submit a written letter of appeal and provide full documentation of those circumstances for review by the Director of Enrollment Services or the director’s designee. Each appeal will be considered on the merits of its circumstances and on an individual basis. Decisions on appeals are final and will be documented in writing.

Petitions to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee Written petitions for exceptions to financial aid policy are filed at the Financial Aid Office and directed to the attention of the Director of Enrollment Services. Each petition is evaluated on its own merits based on the special circumstances presented by the student. Students are notified in writing regarding the decision.

Disabled Students

Woodbury University is sensitive to the needs of disabled students and makes reasonable accommodations to create an accessible campus. In addition, when determining financial need, the Financial Aid Office takes into consideration extra costs that disabled students may incur while pursuing higher education. Resources available through federal and state programs also are considered when evaluating students’ special needs.

Refund Policy For Students Receiving Student Financial Assistance

(Title IV Funds)

Woodbury University complies with the Higher Education Amendments of 1998, Public Law 105- 244, for students who completely withdraw from the University. Accordingly, refunds, if applicable, will be calculated based upon the federal refund methodology. Calculated refunds to Federal Title IV programs are based on the amount of aid unearned at the time of withdrawal and have no relationship to students’ incurred institutional charges for the same period. Consequently, financial aid refunds and tuition charged can represent two independent sources of debt students may incur.

Financial aid refunds are calculated on a per diem basis (days attended at time of withdrawal) for withdrawals up through 60% of each semester. After 60% of the semester has elapsed, there is no refund calculation for federal aid programs. Non-institutional charges and non-refundable fees are excluded from the refund calculation. Calculated refunds are returned to the appropriate aid programs.

Note: Discuss the impact of withdrawal from courses with your financial aid counselor before withdrawing to avoid owing repayment to federal aid programs (if you have received more aid than earned for the payment period), or owing money to the University for tuition not covered by aid as a result of a refund.

Students withdrawing from the University must follow the procedures for official withdrawal from courses as indicated in this handbook (see “Withdrawal from Courses”). It is the student’s responsibility to indicate the last date of attendance. In the event a student does not comply with the procedures for withdrawal, the last date of attendance will be the later of the withdrawal date recorded by the registrar or the date recorded by the Office of Residence Life. Students completely withdrawing from the University will be assessed a $100 administrative fee.