MINIMAL ACADEMIC PROGRESS STANDARDS

On behalf of the College, the Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to review and cancel an award at any time because of changes in financial or academic status, change of academic program, or failure to meet the minimal academic progress standards.  The minimal progress standards require that students receiving financial aid maintain a sufficient grade point average while successfully completing a specified number of semester hours each year.  Minimal progress standards are based solely on classes taken at UVA-Wise for which a student receives aid.  Financial aid is defined as:  Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, College scholarships and grants, College Scholarship Assistance Program Grants, Federal Work-study employment, Federal Perkins Loans, Stafford Loans, and Federal PLUS Loans.  Below are the minimum standards for meeting minimal academic progress.

These standards are all students (part-time and full-time):

    At the end of       Grade Point                      Semester hours

     this number           average                              completed

    of semesters         should be                             should be

            2                       1.75                        75% of hours attempted

            4                       1.85                        75% of hours attempted

            6                         2.0                        75% of hours attempted

            8                         2.0                        75% of hours attempted

           10                        2.0                        75% of hours attempted

Students requiring financial assistance beyond ten semesters must be reviewed by the Financial Aid Committee to assess progress towards meeting specified graduation requirements.

For the purpose of assessing satisfactory progress, semester hours completed in remedial classes are counted as hours attempted and completed.

Students attending on less than a full-time basis will have their eligibility measured on an equivalency basis.

When the standards listed above have not been met, financial aid will be withdrawn until the minimums are met.  Semester hours completed in summer sessions at the College and courses taken at other institutions that have been pre-approved by the Registrar can be used to make up deficiencies.

A student may request that the Financial Aid Appeals Committee grant an exception to the minimum standards.  With that request, the student must submit written documentation of the reason for the appeal and a plan for meeting the minimum standards listed above.  The Appeals Committee may request an interview with any student who requests such an exception.  Financial Aid can be reinstated when a student has removed a deficiency.  It is the responsibility of the student to notify the Office of Financial Aid when deficiencies have been removed.  The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of each academic year and a determination about the student’s eligibility for further aid will be made in June for the fall semester, allowing the student to make up semester hours during a summer session if necessary.  Students entering for the first time or re-entering the College in the spring semester will have grades checked upon completion of that semester.

Students failing to meet minimal academic requirements will not be considered as having met the College’s financial aid priority date.  Therefore, if reinstated, access to need-based financial aid as detailed above will be awarded subject to fund availability.