Students must achieve satisfactory academic progress toward their degree in order to maintain eligibility for most types of financial aid. To maintain satisfactory academic progress, students must meet the following three components: grade point average, completion rate requirement, and maximum time frame for degree completion. Additionally, students must be eligible to continue in their program of study in order to receive financial aid.

Satisfactory academic progress will be evaluated at the end of each term for which the student is in attendance. Students who do not meet the grade point average and completion rate requirements outlined below are given one-term of financial aid probation. Failure to meet all the requirements at the end of the probationary term will result in loss of federal financial aid, as well as state and institutional need-based financial aid. Students who do not earn their degree within the specified time frame become ineligible as soon as they reach the specified time frame for their program of study.

Grade Point Average Requirements

Undergraduate Students - All undergraduate students must:

• Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0, and
• Earn a term GPA of not less than 1.0

Students who fail to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or receive a GPA below 1.0 for any given term will receive one term of financial aid probation. Students who do not meet the GPA requirements at the end of their probationary term are ineligible to continue receiving financial aid.

Graduate Students - All graduate students must:

• Maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, and
• Remain eligible to continue in their program of study. Students who are dismissed by the university or by their graduate college are ineligible for federal financial aid for the program from which they were dismissed.

Law Students – All law students must:

• Maintain cumulative grade point average of 2.00 upon the completion of their first spring semester and any semester there after including summer.

Completion Rate Requirement

Undergraduate, Graduate and Law Students - Students must successfully complete at least two-thirds (67%) of their attempted credit hours each term. Successful completion is defined as receiving a grade of A, B, C, D or S. Multi-term courses, in which a "T" grade is assigned pending completion of the final term, are treated as successfully completed during the initial term(s).

Note: A grade of "W", received when a student withdraws from a class, has a negative impact on the completion rate. Credit hours in which a student receives a grade of "W" are included in the number of attempted hours, but do not count as successfully completed hours.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion

Undergraduate Students - Students are ineligible for federal financial aid once they have attempted credit hours that equal or exceed 150% of the credit hours required for their program of study. (See the impact of incomplete grades, withdrawals, the absence of letter grades and the treatment of transfer credits on the measurement of maximum time frame.)

• Bachelor's Degree:192 attempted credit hours

Graduate Students - Must complete their degrees within the following time frames:

• Six years from the date of entry into the College of Graduate Studies to complete the master's degree.
• Six years from the date of entry into the doctoral program to complete doctoral studies if the student entered the program with a master's degree from another university or interrupted his/her studies after completing the master's degree program at Cleveland State.
• Ten years from the date of entry into the College of Graduate Studies to complete a doctorate if the student enrolls consecutively in the master's and doctoral programs without interruption of at least one academic year following receipt of the master's degree.

Law Students - Must complete their degrees within the following time frames:

• Five years from date of entry into Law College to complete the J.D. program
• Six years from date of entry for students who take more than 43 credit hours as a part-time student to complete the J.D. program
• Eight years from initial matriculation as a dual degree student to complete the J.D./M.P.A., J.D./M.U.P.D.D., J.D./M.B.A, or J.D./M.A.E.S program

Impact of Selected Grades on Satisfactory Academic Progress

The Financial Aid Office has specific policies defining the effect of incompletes, withdrawals, absence of assigned letter grades, and transfer credits in the measurement of completion rate and maximum time frame.
Incompletes: Credit hours in which a student receives an "I" (incomplete) are included in the number of attempted hours, but do not count as successfully completed hours.
Withdrawals: Credit hours in which a student receives a grade of "W" are included in the number of attempted hours, but do not count as successfully completed hours.
Absence of an assigned letter grade: Credit hours in which a student receives a grade of **, I, NA, U, W, or X are included in the number of attempted hours, but do not count as successfully completed hours. Multi-term courses, in which a "T" grade is assigned pending completion of the final term, are treated as successfully completed during the initial term(s).
Transfer credits: Transfer credits are included in the total number of attempted hours for the measurement of maximum time frame.
Repeated hours: Hours for repeated courses as well as the initial hours for those courses are all included as attempted hours.
Academic Reassessment: The financial aid satisfactory academic progress is always based on the grades and completion rate of the student's attempted hours, rather than the adjusted credit total that results from the academic reassessment.

Financial Aid Probation

At the end of each term, students (who are not currently on financial aid probation) who do not meet the GPA or completion rate requirements will be placed on financial aid probation for the following term. Their progress will be measured again at the end of their probationary term.

Loss of Eligibility

Students become ineligible for federal financial aid, as well as for state and institutional need-based financial aid when:

• Students fail to meet the GPA or completion rate requirement at the end of their probationary term; or
• Students have attempted the maximum allowable credit hours for their program of study. (If a student reaches the maximum time frame during an award year, he or she becomes ineligible to receive additional federal and state need based financial aid, and any aid that has been awarded for future terms will be cancelled.)
• Students are dismissed by the university or their graduate college.

Regaining Eligibility

• Students who attend school (without federal aid or state and institutional need-based financial aid) and meet the GPA and completion rate requirements regain their financial aid eligibility for future terms.
• Students who are ineligible for financial aid due to failure to make satisfactory academic progress during their probationary term may submit a petition for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility. If the petition is approved the student's probationary period will be extended for one term and the student will be eligible to receive financial aid during the extended probationary term.
• Students who regain eligibility, either by meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards or by approval of their petition for reinstatement may be eligible for Federal Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Perkins Loans, Federal Work-Study, Federal Stafford Loans, and State need based aid beginning with the term in which they are determined to be eligible.

Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

Students who wish to petition for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility, may submit a written petition to the Financial Aid Office. In order to submit a petition, you must:

1. Complete both sides of the Petition for Reinstatement of Financial Aid. Attach documentation, if necessary, to present your best case.
2. Explain the mitigating circumstances that contributed to your failure to meet satisfactory academic progress.
3. You are encouraged to schedule an appointment to meet with your academic advisor to discuss your academic progress and identify ways in which you can improve your academic performance.
4. Petitioners will receive a written response, no later than four weeks after submitting the necessary information.
5. If your petition is denied, you will be responsible for all charges incurred as a result of the loss of federal and state need based financial assistance.