Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a standard used to measure a student’s successful completion of coursework toward a degree. The University of Connecticut is required via federal regulation to establish a reasonable Satisfactory Academic Progress policy to determine whether an otherwise eligible student is making SAP in his or her educational program. Students who are found to be in violation of the parameters set forth by the SAP policy are ineligible to receive most forms of federal, state, and institutional financial aid.

Requirements for Maintaining SAP

  1. Maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) – Grades with a notation of Incomplete or Withdrawal have no bearing on the calculation of cumulative GPA. Credit-hours that are transferred into the university and successfully articulated towards the completion of an educational program have no impact in this regard. Courses that are repeated will have only the most recent course counted towards the GPA calculation.
    Type of Student Minimum GPA Requirements
    Undergraduates (<24 credits earned) 1.8
    Undergraduates (24+ credits earned) 2.0
    Doctor of Pharmacy Professional Program (PHMD) 2.0
    Graduates 3.0
  2. Complete a minimum of 75 percent of all attempted credits – All students must earn a minimum of seventy-five (75) percent of their cumulative attempted credit hours. Credit-hours that are transferred into the university and successfully articulated towards the completion of an educational program will be counted as both earned and attempted hours for the purposes of this standard. Courses with the following grades are counted as attempted and not earned (F, F@, W, U, I, X, IF, IU, Y, XF, XU, NF or N).
  3. Complete a degree program in maximum timeframe – All students are expected to complete their respective educational programs within a specific timeframe, as measured in credit hours. Undergraduate students are expected to complete their educational program in a timeframe no longer than 150% of its published length (including transfer credits). Graduate students are expected to complete their educational program in a timeframe no longer than 200 credits (including transfer credits).

Failure to Meet SAP Probation Requirements

Students who do not meet the requirements of their Financial Aid Eligibility Plan are not eligible for most types of financial aid.  Students who have not met the requirements will be notified in writing that they have lost financial aid eligibility.

Financial Aid Affected by SAP

Federal Programs

  • Pell Grant
  • Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loan
  • Direct (Parent) PLUS Loan
  • Direct (Graduate) PLUS Loan
  • Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
  • Work-Study
  • Private Education Loans*

Institutional Programs

  • Merit Scholarships
  • University Grant

State Programs

  • Roberta B. Willis Scholarship
  • Roberta B. Willis Grant
  • Gear Up Scholarship
  • State Scholarships
Note: Private scholarships, tuition waivers, and departmental scholarships are not subject to SAP standards. Merit scholarships have their own set of academic standards. *Some private education loan lenders require students to meet SAP; others do not.  See the suggested lender list for details.

Financial Aid Probation

A student for whom a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal is approved will be granted a period of Financial Aid probation during which they will be placed on a Financial Aid Eligibility Plan.  Students placed in this status may receive all forms of financial aid for which SAP compliance is required.  The purpose of the Financial Aid Eligibility Plan is to ensure that a student is able to restore financial aid eligibility as defined by university SAP standards prior to their exceeding their educational program’s maximum timeframe.

Students must meet the following to be considered meeting the terms of their Financial Aid Eligibility Plan:

Undergraduate Students 

  • Full-time students must complete a minimum of twelve (12) credit hours with a minimum GPA of 2.0
  • Less than full-time students must complete all courses for which they receive financial assistance with a minimum GPA of 2.0

Graduate Students

  • Full-time students must complete a minimum of nine (9) credit hours with a minimum GPA of 3.0
  • Less than full-time students must complete all courses for which they receive financial assistance with a minimum GPA of 3.0

Doctor of Pharmacy Students

  • Must complete a minimum of eighteen (18) credit hours per term with a minimum GPA of 2.0

Frequency of SAP Evaluation

At the end of each Spring term, our office evaluates each student’s progress.  Students who have not met all three SAP requirements will be notified in writing that they have lost financial aid eligibility.

A student may appeal if they experienced extenuating circumstances that led to their not meeting SAP.  To appeal, students must submit all of the following:

  • Completed SAP Appeal Form on the Forms Portal
  • Detailed reason for not meeting SAP
  • A plan for academic success
  • Any required supporting documentation as defined on the SAP Appeal Form

Readmitted Students & SAP

If a student is readmitted to the University and was previously cited for SAP or received a SAP communication from our office, they are required to submit a completed SAP appeal with all necessary documents in order to be considered for financial aid. Please note that an appeal must be approved by our office in order to regain eligibility for most types of aid.