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Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Unsatisfactory Status and Your Right to Appeal

Unsatisfactory Status

A student whose status is determined to be unsatisfactory is not eligible to receive financial aid. A student placed in financial aid suspension will be sent an email after term review is complete.

Regaining Eligibility

The student whose aid has been suspended will remain in that status until he or she meets one of the following conditions:

  • Continues to attend St. Thomas at his or her own expense and returns to full compliance with all parts of the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy;
  • Submits a successful appeal (see below) documenting any extenuating circumstances which contributed to non-compliance;
  • Attends another institution and have credits transfer to St. Thomas to improve completion rate. It is recommended that you consult with academic counseling to ensure the courses you select will transfer and help you fulfill degree requirements. Attending another institution will not assist in the minimum GPA calculation, so this is not a strategy to use to regain eligibility in cases where the minimum GPA is not met.

Right to Appeal

Students who have had financial aid suspended due to unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal to the Undergraduate Financial Aid Office. The appropriate appeal form should be submitted within 15 days of receipt of notification of unsatisfactory progress and all relevant associated documentation should be received within one week of the submission of the appeal form. Students may appeal due to a special circumstance such as illness or injury of the student, death of a relative or other circumstance that results in undue hardship to the student as documented by a third-party professional such as a healthcare provider, counselor, cleric, lawyer, etc. The appeal in general should map the circumstances that caused low academic performance, and systems or support now in place that will help to mitigate the impact of these conditions if still present. Students should explain clearly why they failed to make satisfactory progress and what has changed (or will change) to allow them to meet SAP.

If the appeal for continuation of financial aid is approved, the student is placed on an academic plan. An outline of the approval and terms of the academic plan are provided to students using the student UST email account. The plan will outline expectations for course completion and/or GPA performance moving forward. These academic plans will be reviewed at each progress review point (at the end of each semester/summer term). If the terms of the plan are met, but the student is not yet back in compliance, they will be allowed to continue to receive funding in the next term on a continued plan- until back in compliance. However, if during end of term review, we determine that the student has not met the plan terms, aid will once again be suspended, and the student is notified by email using the student's UST email account.

Students can submit a subsequent appeal if they have failed to meet the initial plan terms and are once again in a suspension status. Subsequent appeals will only be considered if the student outlines entirely different circumstances (than outlined in first appeal) that impacted academic performance during the period covered by the plan and specify what has changed in their situation to address these new challenges.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form

Graduation Plan Form for Maximum Timeframe Appeals