Satisfactory Academic Progress (S.A.P.) Standards for Financial Aid
- Overview of Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
- Appeal Process
- Appeal Deadline
- Scholarship Appeals
- Complete Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Overview of Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards
As a general rule students are eligible to continue on financial assistance at UTC if they meet UTC continuation standards (published in the UTC catalog), do not abuse their right to receive financial assistance and make satisfactory progress in their program of study. A separate continuation scale is published each year for Provost's, Chancellor's, and Tennessee Lottery Scholarships.
Students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to remain eligible for State and Federal financial aid and are solely responsible for maintaining SAP. Students may view their SAP status on their MocsNet account. The SAP holds are as follows:
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No Progress / 0.0
Students who do not earn any credit hours within an academic semester are immediately suspended from financial aid. Any combination of F, W, I, IP, NC, NP, or audit is considered no progress.
-
Insufficient Progress
The charts below illustrate the minimum number of hours a student must earn based on enrollment status. To have financial aid reinstated, students must attend UTC during the summer term of the same academic year and make up credit hours without the receipt of financial aid. The student must notify Stephanie Brock in the Financial Aid Office once grades have posted in order to verify the number of credit hours earned.
- The following grades DO NOT receive credit for SAP: W, NC, F, I, IP, NP or Audit
- The following grades DO receive credit for SAP: A, B, C, D, SP, S
- Courses dropped after the start of the semester DO count as attempted hours.
- Repeated courses only count once toward minimum credits necessary to complete within an academic year.
Undergraduate
Enrollment Status |
One Semester |
Two Semesters |
Full time (12+ attempted hours) |
10 credit hours |
20 credit hours |
¾ time (9-11 attempted hours) |
7 credit hours |
14 credit hours |
½ time (6-8 attempted hours) |
5 credit hours |
10 credit hours |
< ½ time |
Complete Hours Attempted |
Complete Hours Attempted |
Graduate
Enrollment Status
One Semester
Two Semesters
Full time (9+ attempted hours)
6 credit hours
12 credit hours
½ time (6-8 attempted hours)
6 credit hours
12 credit hours
Maximum Time Limit (exceeding 150%)
Undergraduate Students: The maximum time limitation for the completion of a first degree is limited to 150% of the program’s published length. Most undergraduate programs require 128 hours, so the maximum attempted hours allowed is 192 hours (128 x 150%). The 192 hours include transfer hours and attempted hours. *(Please note: 192 hours is an example and may vary with your major/degree)
Graduate Students: The maximum time limitation for graduate students will be 150% of the standards established by the Graduate Office and published in the UTC Graduate Catalog.
-
Suspension / Dismissal
The student has been suspended or dismissed from the University due to disciplinary actions or failure to meet the 2.0 GPA requirement.
Appeal Process
Notification is sent to students who become ineligible for financial aid funds due to unsatisfactory academic progress. This notification will be sent by email to the student’s UTC account and can also be viewed by monitoring the information on the student’s MocsNet account. It is the responsibility of the student to initiate an appeal before the specific deadline.
To appeal for reinstatement of aid, the student's appeal, including the Satisfactory Academic Appeal Form, must be received in the UTC Financial Aid Office by 5:00 p.m. on the appeal deadline date. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the appeal is complete. No information or documentation may be added or removed from an appeal once it has been submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
Students with extenuating circumstances may appeal the determination that they are no longer eligible for financial aid. A Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal form is available from the Financial Aid Office, and on UTC’s Financial Aid website. Supporting documentation or a plan of action is required before the appeal can be reviewed. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the appeal is complete. No information or documentation may be added or removed from an appeal once it has been submitted to the Financial Aid Office.
Situations that may be considered when evaluating an appeal include, but are not limited to:
- Extenuating circumstances which prevented you from maintaining satisfactory academic progress, but which have since been resolved
- Serious illness or injury
- Death of an immediate family member
- Class cancellations
Students may view their MocsNet account for appeal results.
Appeal Deadline
A student will be given two opportunities each semester to file an appeal for financial aid. A priority deadline is scheduled prior to the start of each semester, and the final deadline is one week (7 days) prior to the start of classes of the semester. Upcoming appeal deadlines are posted in the Financial Aid Office and on the Continuing & Transfer Students Important Dates page. It is the responsibility of the student to complete the appeal by the specified deadline. Any appeal forms submitted after these two deadlines will be reviewed for the following academic semester.
Scholarship Appeals
Hope and University Scholarships Require a Separate Appeal
GPA requirements vary per scholarship, check with the Financial Aid Office. UTC Scholarship recipients must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours over a two-term period. HOPE Scholarship recipient’s eligibility will be reviewed every 24 attempted TELS hours. HOPE Scholarship recipients will forfeit the scholarship if enrollment changes to less than full time within a semester.
*Please stop by the Financial Aid Office if you have any questions regarding your scholarship eligibility.
Printable Version of the SAP Policy
The complete Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is available in Adobe PDF format. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, you may download it free:
