Financial Aid Policies

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Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Updated February 2024

All students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a degree to receive financial aid, including loans. Failure to maintain satisfactory progress will result in financial aid suspension. All periods of enrollment, including those in which a student does not receive financial aid, are assessed. A student whose financial aid has been suspended may file a petition to have it reinstated (see Appeal Procedure below).

The UW-Superior SAP Policy has two components: Grade Point Average (GPA) and Pace of Completion. Both GPA and Pace of Completion are reviewed at the end of Summer College for Title IV aid purposes. If the student does not meet both components at that time, they are placed on Financial Aid Suspension. The Financial Aid Office monitors SAP annually, at the end of Summer College only, and will notify students by email if they have not met SAP. These students may file a Petition for Financial Aid Reinstatement with the Financial Aid Office.

Transfer students are assumed to be making satisfactory progress upon entering UW-Superior (i.e., financial aid suspension at another institution does not carry forward).

The obtaining of a degree, with the exception of an associate degree, automatically reinstates the student’s eligibility for financial aid.

Grade Point Average Standards

Students are placed on financial aid suspension whenever their cumulative GPA drops below 2.0 for undergraduates or 3.0 for graduates.

For SAP purposes, a repeated course grade does NOT replace the prior grade. ALL classes taken at UW-Superior are included when calculating cumulative GPA for SAP. Transfer credits included for GPA by the Registrar’s office are also included when calculating cumulative GPA for SAP.

Incompletes do not count towards a student’s GPA until it is converted into a grade. If a student would like us to recalculate their SAP GPA at the point the grade is posted, they can reach out to our office to do so.

Pace of Completion Standards

There are two components to Pace of Completion: Credits Attempted vs. Credits Earned, and Progression through Program.

Credits Attempted vs. Credits Earned

Attempted credits are: credits enrolled in on the census date, credits added after the census date, and posted transfer credits. All transfer credits accepted by the institution count as credits attempted and completed. Incompletes and drops with Withdraw (W) grades after the census date are counted as attempted credits. Remedial credits are counted as attempted credits. Financial aid may be received for remedial coursework only if it is required for degree. Repeated courses are counted as attempted credits as many times as the course is repeated. Only the most recent repeat of the course is counted as earned credits. Example: A student repeats a previously failed three credit class with a passing grade. Thus, the student has attempted six credits and earned three. If both attempts of the class result in two grades of “F”, then the student has attempted six credits but earned zero credits. Financial aid may be received for repeat coursework as many times as necessary to pass the course, if SAP is met. Financial aid is allowed for only one repeat for a course in which a passing grade has previously been earned.

Credits attempted successfully are credits earned. The successful completion of credits attempted is credit for which a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, P, or IP is received, and all posted transfer credits. Unsuccessful completion of credits attempted is credit for which a grade of F, W or I is received. If an I is converted to a passing grade, it then counts as successful completion.

Suspension will occur when credits attempted vs. credits earned falls below 67%.

Ex. Credits Earned/Credits Attempted = Pace of Completion (must be at or above 67%)

Progression Through Program (Maximum Timeframe)

Students may receive financial aid for no more than 150% of the published length of their currently enrolled academic program, measured in credits. For example, a student’s current academic program is 120 credits. Financial aid may be received for no more than 180 credits, including transfer credits and regardless of changes in major or degree. All transfer credits accepted by the institution count as credits attempted and completed. When pursuing a second bachelor’s degree, 60 credits will be disregarded from the calculation. When pursuing a second master’s degree, 9 credits will be disregarded from the calculation. For maximum timeframe, these regulations go into effect when it become mathematically impossible for a student to complete their degree within 150% of the published length of their currently enrolled academic program. This means that a student could become ineligible for financial aid due to maximum timeframe prior to attempting 150% of credits.

A student who completes the academic requirements for a program but does not yet have the degree or certificate is not eligible for further financial aid for that program.

Appeal Procedure

Students who do not meet the above standards for GPA or Pace of Completion may appeal, due to mitigating circumstances including but not limited to: the death of a relative of the student, an injury or illness of the student, or other circumstances. A student has the right to submit a petition to the Financial Aid Reinstatement Committee explaining the circumstances that prevented the student from meeting the standards of the SAP Policy, why that will change, and how the student will again meet SAP. If the first petition is denied, the student may submit a second petition. If a second petition is denied, or a student chooses not to petition, they may regain eligibility by raising their cumulative percentage rate above 67 and/or raising their GPA to the requirement, dependent on which requirement(s) the student is not meeting. There are no personal appeals and the decision of the Financial Aid Reinstatement Committee is final.

Submission deadline of appeal documentation is the 1st day of the last month of the term for which the student is petitioning (ex. December 1 for fall semester). In addition, if the student is submitting their appeal documentation after midterm of the term for which they are petitioning, current grades for each enrolled course are required.

Students who successfully petition for financial aid reinstatement will be reinstated on Financial Aid Probation and given an Academic Plan, which will be monitored at the end of each enrollment period. If the Academic Plan is not met, Financial Aid Suspension will once again occur. Students who meet the conditions of their Academic Plan will remain on that plan until the required completion rate and/or GPA is met.

The Committee generally meets the week prior to the start of classes each term. Other meetings are scheduled on an as-needed basis. Students may contact the Financial Aid Office for current information on meeting times. The results from actions of the committee will be emailed to the student following the
meeting. It is possible that the Committee may recommend a more aggressive Academic Plan for the student, which must be in place before aid will be reinstated.

Return of Title IV Funds Policy

According to Federal Regulation 34 CFR 668.22, when a recipient of Title IV grant or loan assistance withdraws from an institution during a payment period or period of enrollment in which the recipient began attendance, the institution must determine the amount of Title IV grant or loan assistance that the student earned as of the student’s withdrawal date. UW‐Superior uses the payment period for calculating the aid that a student earned. There are two types of withdrawals: Official and Unofficial.

Official withdrawal dates are determined by the Registrar’s office based on the date the
student submits their withdrawal.

An unofficial withdrawal occurs when a student receives an “XF” grade for the semester. The XF grade means the student did not complete the coursework and quit attending class during the semester but did not officially withdraw from the class. The last date of attendance is determined by the instructors and reported when they submit grades. If a last day of attendance cannot be otherwise determined, the student is assumed to have attended 50% of the payment period and Return of Title IV Funds is calculated based on that date.

If a student has a credit balance on their account and it has not been refunded to the student at the time of withdrawal or has a credit balance due to the withdrawal, the refund will be held until the Return to Title IV Funds calculation has been completed. Any remaining credit balance will be refunded to the student as soon as possible, but no later than 14 calendar days following the completion of the calculation.

Calculation 1

  • The Financial Aid Office (FAO) determines the amount of Title IV financial aid that has been disbursed to the student versus the amount that could have been disbursed. In most cases, the full amount of aid will have been disbursed. If aid has not been disbursed, the student may be eligible for a post-withdrawal disbursement*.
  • The FAO determines the amount of time the student attended versus the total days of the semester. Breaks of five or more days during the semester are removed from the total days of the semester. The calculation is represented as a percentage of aid the student has earned. This is multiplied by the amount of Title IV aid disbursed and that could have been disbursed. This is the amount of aid the student has earned.
  • The FAO subtracts the earned aid from the total aid disbursed to the student. This is the amount of aid the student has not earned.
  • The FAO also determines the amount of institutional charges that the student has incurred during their time of attendance. This amount is multiplied by the percentage of unearned aid and represents the amount of unearned institutional charges.

The school reviews the amount of unearned aid versus unearned institutional charges, within 30 days from the date the school determined the student withdrew (officially or unofficially). The lesser amount is returned. The school has 45 days from the date the student withdrew (officially or unofficially) to return this amount. Aid is returned in the following order:

  • Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan
  • Federal Direct Subsidized Loan
  • Federal Direct PLUS Loan
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Iraq and Afghanistan Service (IASG) Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity (FSEOG) Grant
  • TEACH Grants

If the calculation results in an amount to be returned and it exceeds the school’s responsibility, the student may be required to repay some funds directly. A similar calculation will be done for State and Institutional aid to determine the amount to be returned. A return of state and/or institutional funds will never result in a balance owed by the student.

Calculation 2

If the calculation results in an amount to be returned and it exceeds the school’s responsibility, the student may be required to repay some funds directly. A similar calculation will be done for State and Institutional aid to determine the amount to be returned. A return of state and/or institutional funds will never result in a balance owed by the student.

Exemptions

Students who meet one of the following exemptions will not be subject to a return of Title IV Funds:

  • The student successfully completed a class or multiple classes that comprise at least half-time enrollment for the term (in a program offered in modules).
  • The student successfully completed a class or multiple classes that comprise at least 49% of the days in the term (in a program offered in modules).
  • The student completed all the requirements for graduation.

*Post-withdrawal disbursement (PWD)

If the student did not receive all of the funds earned prior to withdrawing, a PWD may be due. Once the Return to Title IV Funds is calculated, the student will receive a revised award letter indicating the change in aid, including the PWD if applicable. PWD grant funds will disburse at the next scheduled disbursement, no later than 45 days after the school’s determination that the student withdrew, and first apply to any authorized charges at the institution before being refunded to the student. If the PWD includes loan funds, the student or parent (for PLUS loans) must give permission before the loan funds can be disbursed. The student or parent has 14 days to respond and give permission. Students will be notified of post-withdrawal loan disbursement eligibility within 30 days of the date of withdrawal determination. Any credit balance resulting from a PWD will be refunded to the student as soon as possible and no later than 14 calendar days from the date of the PWD.

Policy and Procedures for Unofficial Withdrawal for Title IV Aid

Unofficial Withdrawal Policy

Students are defined as unofficially withdrawn for Title IV purposes when they receive an “XF” grade for the semester. The XF grade means the student did not complete the coursework and quit attending class during the semester but did not officially withdraw from the class.

Procedure

  • At the end of each semester, a report is generated of all students who have Title IV aid and who have all XF’s for the semester.
  • The last date of attendance is determined by the instructors and reported when they submit grades.
  • If a last day of attendance cannot be otherwise determined, the student is assumed to have attended 50% of the enrollment period and the formula is calculated based on that length of attendance.
  • Students will be billed for resulting institutional charges and repayments.
  • Registrar is notified of the determined last date of attendance for each unofficial withdrawal student, so that NSC records can be updated.

Fall 2018

Enrollment Status Definitions for Financial Aid

Graduate Students (M.S.E in Educational Administration, M.S.E in Instruction, M.S.E in Special Education, M.S.E. in School Counseling, M.S.E in Counseling – Clinical and Mental Health, M.S.E in Counseling – Marriage and Family Therapy, and Ed.S. in Educational Administration – Superintendent/District Administrator ONLY)

  • Full time = 6+ credits per semester
  • Three quarter time = 4.5-5.5 credits per semester
  • Half time = 3-4 credits per semester

Graduate Students (for all other programs):

  • Full time = 9+ credits per semester
  • Three quarter time = 7-8.5 credits per semester
  • Half time = 4.5-6.5 credits per semester

Undergraduate students:

  • Full time = 12+ credits per semester
  • Three quarter time = 9-11.5 credits per semester
  • Half time = 6-8.5 credits per semester

Consortium Agreement

UW-Superior financial aid recipients who are attending another institution but are planning to earn their degree from UW-Superior, may be eligible to receive financial aid from UW-Superior through a consortium agreement. Learn more.