Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

To receive funds administered by the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), students must be making measurable academic progress toward completion of an eligible degree program. The following Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy is standards that require a student make academic progress during all periods of enrollment, including periods when a student did not receive financial aid. TAMUK will be consistent in applying the SAP policies to full & part time students.

Students enrolling at TAMUK for the first time (including transfers) are initially considered to be meeting SAP. The measurement of academic progress will be made at the conclusion of the first enrollment term and will include all acceptable transfer credits that the TAMUK academic record contains.

Minimum Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards

  • Maintain required cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) based on the matrix below, or higher (a qualitative measure) and
  • Student Type Required Cumulative GPA
    Graduate Student 3.0 GPA for all coursework completed at TAMUK
    Doctoral Students 3.0 GPA for all coursework completed at TAMUK
  • Successfully complete at least 67% of the cumulative attempted credit hours (a quantitative measure) and
  • Make positive progress toward a program of study before 150 percent of the average published program length (credits needed to earn a degree).

Financial Aid Eligibility Statuses

  • New - Student is considered a new student to TAMUK or are starting a new program. Student is fully eligible to apply for financial aid.
  • Good – Student is meeting the minimum academic standards or has no academic history. Student is fully Eligible to apply for financial aid.
  • Warning – Student did not meet minimum standards for cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate in the previous evaluation period. Student is still Eligible to apply for financial aid, but must reach all minimum standards by the end of the next evaluation period to maintain eligibility.
  • Unsatisfactory – Student has failed to meet minimum standards for cumulative GPA and/or 67% completion rate SAP at the end of the evaluation period. Student is Ineligible for financial aid.
  • Maximum Timeframe (MTF) – Graduate and Doctoral students must earn their degree within 150% of the minimum number of required credits within the graduate and doctoral programs. If a student exceeds these credit hour limits, they are not making progress toward a degree within the 150% federal requirement. Student is ineligible for financial aid.

How is the 67% completion rate calculated? The calculation is made as follows: earned credit hours divided by attempted credit hours = completion rate (result will be rounded to closest whole number).

Successful completion of a class is defined as earning a grade of A, B, C, or D and will be used to determine cumulative GPA, Completion Rate and Timeframe. Grades of S will count towards Completion Rate and Timeframe. 

Unsuccessful grades of F, I, Q, QE, QI, QF, X or U will be used in determining completion rate and timeframe. Letter grades of QF and F are used towards the completion rate, cumulative GPA, and timeframe. In the case of X and I grades, students are responsibility for notifying the OSFA if these grades change so that SAP can be recalculated. 

Withdrawals: All institutional withdrawals are factored into the completion rate and the maximum timeframe.

When is Academic Progress Evaluated? A student’s satisfactory academic progress will be evaluated at the end of each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer). Students will not be eligible for federal funding during this time if in an ineligible SAP status.

New Financial Aid Students with prior academic history: TAMUK students with prior academic history will be evaluated at the time they apply for financial aid. They will receive one of three financial aid statuses.

  • Good – Student is meeting the minimum academic standards or has no academic history. Student is fully Eligible to apply for financial aid.
  • Warning – Student is below minimum standards in his/her previous academic history. Student is still Eligible to apply for financial aid, but must reach the minimum standards at the end of the next evaluation period to maintain eligibility.
  • Timeframe – Graduate and Doctoral students must earn their degree before 150% of the minimum number of required credits within the graduate and doctoral programs. If a student exceeds these credit hour limits, they are not making progress toward a degree within the 150% federal requirement. Student is Ineligible for financial aid.

Transfer Students and Transfer credit hours: Students transferring to TAMUK are required to have all prior college transcripts evaluated for transfer credits. All credit hours accepted by TAMUK will be used to determine a maximum timeframe of 150%.

Repeat Courses: Students repeating courses, for the first time only can receive aid for that repeated course. All repeat courses will be used in determining completion rate and timeframe. Actual letter grades are included in the cumulative GPA.

Audited Credit Hours: Courses taken on an audit basis are not counted when determining the completion percentage or for purposes of determining your cumulative GPA.

Second Degree/Double Majors: When determining eligibility for graduate and doctoral students who complete one graduate or doctoral degree program at TAMUK and begin another graduate or doctoral degree program, hours from the prior degree are calculated toward maximum time frame. If the OSFA determines that the student will exceed maximum timeframe or when the students exceed the maximum timeframe allowed for their respective programs, the student will not be eligible for additional aid. Students can appeal for additional time as outlined below. 

How to Re-establish Eligibility

  • A student must bring his/her GPA and completion rate up to the minimum standards of the required cumulative GPA, and 67% completion rate. A student will be Ineligible for financial aid and cannot be reimbursed during this time.
  • Mitigating Circumstances: If a student has experienced mitigating circumstances (illness, family illness, change of major) during the most recent evaluation period, they may submit an Appeal to reinstate financial aid eligibility. A deadline for appeal submission will be published each semester. Appeals received after the deadline will not be reviewed until the next semester.

The student must explain, in the appeal, what has changed that will now allow them to meet the SAP requirements. The student must also submit supporting documentation with the appeal. The following may be considered acceptable documentation to support reason for appeal:

  • Statement from physician or health professional patient's name, dates of occurrence, and any other pertinent information
  • Copy of death certificate, obituary or statement from physician
  • Other documentation that supports circumstances and resolution

Appeals that are incomplete, and/or lack supporting documentation may not reviewed and the student is notified. If the request is granted, the student will be placed on one of two Financial Aid Eligibility Statuses:

  • Probation – The student is expected to improve to minimum standards by the end of the next evaluation period. The student is Eligible for financial aid, but must meet minimum standards by the next evaluation period. 
  • Academic Plan – The student cannot be expected to improve to minimum standards by the next evaluation period. The student and TAMUK have agreed to an academic plan to allow the student to meet minimum standards within a fixed number of evaluation periods. The student is eligible to apply for financial aid as long as they are strictly following the academic plan. If at any time the student stops following the plan and they are not meeting minimum standards they will become Ineligible for financial aid. If a student meets minimum standards at any time while on an academic plan, their Financial Aid Eligibility Status will be updated to Eligible.

If the request is not granted, the student will remain Ineligible for financial aid.

  • Timeframe Mitigating Circumstances: If a student has not completed their program of study within the 150% timeframe and there are mitigating circumstances (illness, job related, family illness, change of major), they may submit an Appeal to reinstate financial aid eligibility. If this appeal is granted, the student will be placed on the following Academic Eligibility Status:
  • Timeframe Success Plan – The student and TAMUK have agreed to Timeframe Success plan. The student is fully Eligible to apply for financial aid, as long as they are strictly following the success plan. If at any time the student stops following the success plan, they will become Ineligible for financial aid.

STUDENTS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY EMAIL, OF THEIR SAP STATUS, AT THE END OF EACH SEMESTER.

If the request is not granted, the student will be Ineligible for financial aid.

All appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. All committee decisions are final.

Availability of SAP Policy: The SAP policy is available to students on the OSFA website. Office staff may also print copies of the policy in the office if a request is made. The policy is updated as needed or whenever changes in federal regulations occur.