The Satisfactory Academic Progress standards outlined in this policy are as strict as or stricter than K-State’s institutional academic progress policies for students pursuing an educational credential. Specifically, K-State’s degree requirements do not impose a set time frame in which a student must have successfully completed their academic program.

In view of final program integrity regulations, published October 29, 2010, on the topic of SAP by the U.S. Department of Education, K-State’s OSFA has elected to measure SAP at the conclusion of each regularly scheduled semester/term. At K-State the semester/term represents a student’s payment period for federal, Title IV, financial assistance. Consequently, SAP is measured in increments of single terms i.e., at the conclusion of each fall, spring, and summer term.

K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance utilizes three quantitative tests to measure a student’s pace as well as maximum timeframe toward their degree completion. These quantitative tests are:

• Maximum Attempted Units Test
• Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units Single Term Test
• Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units Cumulative Test

All three of the above noted tests perform a comparison between “Attempted” to “Completed” Units.

Attempted Units represent a student’s total credit hour enrollment as of the published census date for each semester/term enrolled at K-State. Additionally, credit hours accepted by K-State from other institutions for the student are also added to the sum of attempted units.

Completed Units represent a student’s sum of successfully completed credit hours for each semester/term enrolled at K-State. Additionally, credit hours accepted by K-State from other institutions for the student are also added to the sum of completed units.

Maximum Attempted Units Test

The Maximum Attempted Units Test is employed for all three categories of students at K-State, undergraduate, graduate, and professional (veterinary medicine) students.

Undergraduate Programs of Study

For students pursuing an undergraduate degree the maximum attempted units may not exceed 150% of the published length of the educational program. Consequently, the Office of Student Financial Assistance attempts to set the threshold for the Maximum Attempted Units Test applied to undergraduate students so that the student will fail their test at a point in time where they have attempted more than 100% units but are likely to have not yet reached the 150% attempted units mark.

For example: Undergraduate students pursuing a typical four-year degree (requiring the successful completion of 124 credit hours), will fail the Maximum Attempted Units Test when the student has surpassed 154 attempted units without having completed their program of study. Allowing the student in this example to fail this SAP test at the 155 or more units attempted mark allows the OSFA to communicate to the student the necessity to complete the program of study before the 150% mark of 186 attempted units has been reached.

Professional Programs of Study (Veterinary Medicine)

For students pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree the maximum attempted units may not exceed 150% of the published length of the educational program. Consequently, the Office of Student Financial Assistance attempts to set a threshold for the Maximum Attempted Units Test applied to students pursuing a doctor in veterinary medicine degree so that the student will fail this test at a point in time where they have attempted more than 100% units but are unlikely to have reached the 150% attempted units mark.

For example: Students pursuing a doctor in veterinary medicine degree (requiring the successful completion of 169 units), will fail the Maximum Attempted Units Test when the student has surpassed 210 attempted units without having completed their program of study. Allowing the student in this example to fail this SAP test at the 211 or more units attempted mark allows the OSFA to communicate to the student the necessity to complete the program of study before the 150% mark of 254 attempted units has been reached.

Graduate Programs of Study

For students pursuing a graduate degree the maximum attempted units may not exceed 200% of the published length of the educational program. Consequently, the Office of Student Financial Assistance attempts to set the threshold for the Maximum Attempted Units Test applied to graduate students so that the student will fail this test at a point in time where they have attempted more than 100% units but are likely to have not yet reached the 200% attempted units mark.

For example: Graduate students pursuing a typical Ph.D. graduate degree (requiring the successful completion of 90 units), will fail the Maximum Attempted Units Test when the student has surpassed 162 attempted units without having completed their program of study. Allowing the student in this example to fail this SAP test at the 162 or more units attempted mark allows the OSFA to communicate to the student the necessity to complete the program of study before the 200% mark of 180 attempted units has been reached.

Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units - Single Term Test

The Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units - Single Term Test is utilized as an additional quantitative measurement of SAP for K-State’s undergraduate and professional (veterinary medicine) student populations. As the name implies, this test is specific to a student’s most recently completed term of enrollment. The test sets a threshold that requires a student to successfully complete 67% of their attempted units for a given term.

Examples of the Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units - Single Term Test:

Example #1 – Undergraduate Student A attempts 15 units for the fall term. At the conclusion of the fall term, Student A has successfully completed 9 units. Since Student A failed to meet the 67% threshold of successfully completing at least 10 units (15 x .67 = 10.05 = 10 rounded), Student A fails this SAP test.

Example #2 – Veterinary Medicine Student B attempts 20 units for the spring term. Student B successfully completes 18 units for the term. Since Student B surpassed the 67% threshold of completing a minimum of 15 units (20 x .67 = 13.4 = 13 rounded), Student B passes this SAP test.

Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units - Cumulative Test

The Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units - Cumulative Test is utilized as an additional quantitative measurement of SAP for K-State’s undergraduate and professional (veterinary medicine) student populations. As the name implies, this test measures a student’s cumulative pace toward degree completion by referencing the ratio of cumulative attempted units to the cumulative successfully completed units. The test sets a threshold that requires a student to successfully complete 67% of his/her cumulative attempted units.

Example of the Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units – Cumulative Test:

Example # 3 – Student C attempts 18 units for their first term (fall) at K-State. Student C successfully completes all 18 units for the fall term. Since the student completed 100% of their cumulative units attempted, they pass this test when evaluated at the conclusion of the fall term. Next, Student C attempts 15 units for the following spring term. This time, however, the student completes only 7 units. Since this test is cumulative, the total units attempted for the student’s entire career (fall and spring) will be compared to the total units successfully completed for the student’s entire career under this test at the conclusion of the spring term. Cumulative attempted units are equal to 33 (18 + 15) and the cumulative successfully completed units is equal to 25 (18 + 7). Since Student C completed 25 units (slightly higher than the 67% threshold of 22.11 = 22 rounded), the student still passes this SAP test at the conclusion of the spring term.

Where a student has successfully transferred course credits from other post-secondary institutions to K-State, those credits are included in the Maximum Attempted Units Test noted above. More specifically, each credit successfully transferred to K-State is also considered to represent one attempted unit which was successfully completed.

Both the Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units Single Term Test and the Ratio of Attempted to Completed Units Cumulative Test allow K-State to monitor the quantitative progress toward the completion of a degree program for students with various enrollment status i.e., full-time, and part-time.

K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance utilizes two qualitative tests to measure a student’s academic standing necessary to complete their degree program. These qualitative tests are:

• Two Year Cumulative GPA Test
• Minimum Cumulative GPA Test

Two Year Cumulative GPA Test

The Two-Year Cumulative GPA Test is utilized by K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance to measure the qualitative component of SAP for its undergraduate student population.

• To pass this test, undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher after having completed two terms.

Minimum Cumulative GPA Test

The Minimum Cumulative GPA Test is utilized by K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance to measure the qualitative component of SAP for its graduate and professional (veterinary medicine) student population.

• To pass this test a student pursuing a graduate degree must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or higher beginning with the first term evaluated.
• To pass this test a student pursuing a professional (veterinary medicine) degree must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher beginning with the first term evaluated.

As students’ SAP is evaluated at the regularly scheduled increments, K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance will typically confer one of five differing SAP statuses upon a student. They are:

Meets – This status is indicative that a student has successfully passed all applicable quantitative and qualitative tests that were deployed in evaluating their SAP status. The student has passed the SAP eligibility criteria to receive federal, Title IV, forms of student financial assistance.

Warning – Since K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance endeavors to evaluate student SAP at the conclusion of each regularly scheduled term (fall, spring, summer), a student may be placed on SAP warning. A student who has been placed on warning from a previous status of meets retains their federal Title IV student aid eligibility for one subsequent term of enrollment. A student on warning status is not required to successfully appeal their SAP status to receive federal, Title IV, student financial assistance.

Typically, a status of warning will be conferred on a student when their SAP status of meets is downgraded at a subsequent evaluation where the student fails to pass one or more of the applicable SAP tests outlined above.

Exclusion – This status indicates that the student is no longer eligible to receive federal, Title IV student financial aid.

Typically, a status of exclusion will be conferred on a student where they failed to pass all the deployed SAP tests following a term in which their status had been determined to be warning.

Less frequently, a student may be placed on exclusion from a previous status of meets if the margin of failing to pass one of the above noted SAP tests is significant. To illustrate:

• For undergraduates and professional (veterinary medicine) students, a status of exclusion may be conferred from a previous status of meets if the Maximum Attempted Units Test indicates that the student has reached the 150% mark for attempted units.
• For graduate students status of exclusion may be conferred from a previous status of meets if the Maximum Attempted Units Test indicates that the student has reached the 200% mark for attempted units.
• For undergraduate students a status of exclusion may be conferred from a previous status of meets if the Two-Year Cumulative GPA Test indicates that the student has failed to obtain a 2.000 cumulative GPA after the completion of four (4) terms.
• For graduate students a status of exclusion may be conferred from a previous status meets if the Cumulative GPA Test indicates that the student has failed to obtain a 3.000 cumulative GPA.
• For professional (veterinary medicine) students a status of exclusion may be conferred from a previous status of meets if the Cumulative GPA Test indicates that the student failed to obtain a 2.000 cumulative GPA.
• A student may also be placed on exclusion from a previous SAP status of Probation – Single Term or Probation – Academic Plan where the student failed to meet the academic expectations for the term in review.

Probation – Single Term – This status allows a student to receive federal, Title IV financial assistance for a single term following the successful appeal by the student of their SAP exclusion status.

This status may be conferred on a student by the Office of Student Financial Assistance utilizing professional judgment associated with the appeal process. This status is conferred where it has been determined that it is mathematically possible for the student to rehabilitate their SAP standing within the time span of one term. Typically, specific academic objectives for the term are established as a condition of the status of probation – single term.

Probation – Academic Plan - This status allows a student to receive federal, Title IV financial assistance for a potential period greater than one term following the successful appeal by the student of their SAP exclusion status. This status may be conferred on a student by the Office of Student Financial Assistance utilizing professional judgment associated with the appeal process in response to an exclusion status. This status is applied where it has been determined that it is mathematically impossible for the student to rehabilitate their SAP standing within the time span of one term. This status requires the creation of an academic plan that outlines academic recovery objectives over consecutive terms. A student with a status of probation – academic plan is evaluated at the conclusion of each term to determine if the student has successfully met the objectives for that particular term. Provided the student meets the objectives for a given term, they will remain on the probation – academic plan status with no additional appeal required. Conversely, if a student with an SAP status of probation – academic plan fails to meet the objectives for a given term, as set out as a condition of this status, the student’s SAP will be downgraded to exclusion with the resulting loss of federal, Title IV, student eligibility at the time of evaluation.

Students who have been placed on exclusion status may file an appeal with K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance. The appeal should include:

• contact information for the student,
• a statement from the student detailing the cause(s) for their failure to meet the SAP standards as well as their plans for future academic improvement, and
• a statement from the student’s academic advisor and/or representative from their academic department/college corroborating the student’s academic improvement plans

The above noted information may be submitted utilizing a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form that can be obtained under the ‘Forms and Applications’ link on the Office of Student Financial Assistance’s webpage.

Upon receipt of the completed Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form, a director-level staff member or designated full-time staff member within the Office of Student Financial Assistance, will review the information provided to determine if the student has both encountered and devised a realistic plan to address mitigating circumstances that warrant the continuation of federal, Title IV, student eligibility.

Examples of mitigating circumstances might include – student illness, death of a relative, full-time employment, a protracted break from academic work, etc.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance reserves the right to premise an appeal decision, in place of or in augmentation with a completed Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form, on a review of a student’s academic history, as recorded in the University’s student information system, and/or on communications with the student, the student’s academic advisor, or the student’s academic department.

Note: An appeal may be approved or denied. SAP appeal determinations rendered by the Office of Student Financial Assistance are final and may not be contested.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance reserves the right to retroactively review an SAP appeal for a prior term/semester. In such rare instances the office does not consider the student’s actual academic progress or lack thereof for the prior term. Regulations governing the awarding and disbursement of aid for a semester already concluded will, however, still apply.

If the SAP appeal is approved, an SAP status of probation – single term or probation – academic plan will be conferred on the student.

As a condition of either of the probation statuses, the Office of Student Financial Assistance may set specific academic requirements. The requirements may include any combination of the following:

• successful completion of a set number of units for one or more academic terms
• attainment of a set percentage of attempted vs. completed for one or more terms
• attainment of a specific term GPA for one or more terms
• setting a limit on the number of units attempted for one or more terms
• interruption of one or more terms

*Note: The status of probation – academic plan, will be accompanied with specific academic requirements for each term covered by the academic plan. This status will be conferred on students after July 1, 2011.

Typically, to be conferred the SAP status of meets a student must pass all of the quantitative and qualitative measurements applicable to their academic career (i.e. graduate, undergraduate, or professional (veterinary medicine) ) as described in both the Quantitative Measurement and Qualitative Measurement sections above. After all, failure to meet any applicable test is indicative of a failure to meet SAP.

However, on a case-by-case basis the Office of Student Financial Assistance may place a student on SAP meets status where it has been determined that unique circumstances to the student render an incomplete assessment of the student’s true SAP status via the systematic tests deployed. For example, a student may be placed on an SAP status of meets when it has been verified that not all transfer units accepted by K-State are applicable toward the student’s program of study or when it has been verified that a student is pursuing more than one degree concurrently or when it can be verified that a student has switched from one degree program to a differing one.

Generally, the Office of Student Financial Assistance makes no special provision to inform a student that they have an SAP status of meets.

The communications outlined below typically take the form of either a paper or electronic (e-mail) notification. Electronic, e-mail communications are sent to the student’s, official campus e-mail address. Communications are generally made within 2- 3 weeks following the calculation of an unsatisfactory SAP status and/or the evaluation of an SAP appeal.

If it has been determined that a student has either an SAP status of warning or exclusion, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will communicate this status to the student along with the implications of the status regarding federal, Title IV eligibility. For students with the SAP status of exclusion, the office will take an additional step of setting a checklist item within the University’s student information system, KSIS, which will alert the student to this status and inform the student how to file an appeal.

Probationary SAP statuses such as probation – single term or probation – academic plan is communicated to the student upon the successful completion of the student’s appeal process.

Typically, the status of probation – single term will outline the expectations of the student for the following term. The status of probation – academic plan will also outline the requirements to be met over a series of subsequent terms. (Note: The status of probation – academic plan will not come into full effect until after July 1, 2011)

If an SAP appeal is denied, a communication is sent to the student when the determination is made.

Repeated Course Work -

K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance will allow grades earned as part of repeated course work to factor into a student’s cumulative G.P.A. (qualitative) SAP standing, while reserving the right, on a case by case basis, to include only the highest grade earned for a repeated course as part of a student’s exclusion appeal. This approach is premised on the understanding that, generally, a course may not be double counted toward a student’s degree completion requirements.

However, all attempts by a student, even repeated attempts, will be counted by the Office of Student Financial Assistance as part of the student’s pace/max timeframe (quantitative) SAP standing.

Incomplete Course Work-

Course work that results in a status assessment of “incomplete” will have no impact upon a student’s qualitative SAP component until grades have been attached to that course work. However, all course work with a unit value associated to it will be counted as part of a student’s quantitative SAP component – irrespective of whether a status of “incomplete” has been attached to the course work at the conclusion of the term or not.

Withdrawal from Course Work-

Withdrawals from course work on or after the census date for a given term are counted by the Office of Student Financial Assistance as part of the student’s quantitative SAP evaluation. Conversely, if a student is withdrawn from a course prior to the term census date, that course will not count toward the student’s quantitative SAP evaluation.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance reserves the right, on a student-by-student basis and as part of a successful exclusion SAP appeal, to exclude specific withdrawals from a student’s quantitative SAP evaluation where legitimate, mitigating circumstances gave rise to the student’s course withdrawal after the term’s census date.

Course Work with Non-punitive Grade Assignments –

Course work with non-punitive grade assignments such as audited courses or credit/no-credit grading schemes will be counted by the Office of Student Financial Assistance within the quantitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation.

Course Work Grade Changes –

The Office of Student Financial Assistance makes a good faith effort to identify course grade changes that take place after the SAP calculation has been performed to reflect a student’s academic progress more accurately. Since no automated, delivered process exists within the university’s student information system (KSIS), a designated staff member executes an in-house authored system query. The staff member reviews the results of the query and will perform manual corrections to individual student records. This business practice is initiated after semester grade posting. This process takes place on an approximate weekly basis for one month’s time after grades post. The practice continues on an approximate bi-weekly basis after grades have been posted for a month.

English as Second Language (ESL) and remedial course work –

ESL and remedial course work will be counted by the Office of Student Financial Assistance within the quantitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation.

Where a student’s eligibility for federal, Title IV, student financial assistance is threatened by the accumulation of units earned, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will endeavor to establish whether the time frame to completion has been artificially inflated due to one of the following:

• transfer units counted that are not applicable to the student’s program of study or
• units counted that are applicable to the simultaneous pursuit of more than one program of study or
• units counted that are applicable to a completed program of study plus an in-progress program of study or
• units counted where the student has changed their program of study

In resolving SAP eligibility issues such as noted above, the Office of Student Financial Assistance may utilize such resources as access to the student’s academic department/college, communication with the student, and/or utilization of a degree audit tool.

Where transfer units from other post-secondary institutions have been recorded but are not applicable to the student’s program of study, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will endeavor to re-set the student’s SAP status to reflect only the completion of units applicable to the student’s program of study.

Where a student may be working toward the completion of more than one program of study simultaneously, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will endeavor to re-set the student’s SAP status to more accurately reflect an appropriate time frame. For example, a student simultaneously pursuing an undergraduate degree in biochemistry and an undergraduate degree in business is not likely to complete both programs of study within the time frame associated with a single undergraduate program of study.

Like the above scenario, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will also endeavor to re-set a student’s SAP status to address situations where a student has already successfully completed one program of study but is currently pursuing an additional program of study. An example of such a situation is observed where a student is actively pursuing the completion of a program of study having already successfully completed an earlier program e.g., working toward a second bachelor’s degree.

Where a student has changed their program of study, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will endeavor to re-set the student’s SAP status to reflect only those units attempted/completed that are applicable to the student’s most current pursuit of their program of study.

Although K-State offers two academic amnesty/renewal procedures known as “Academic Fresh Start GPA ” and “Academic Forgiveness GPA,” federal student aid regulations make no provisions for such institution-based academic renewal programs. In consequence, K-State’s Office of Student Financial Assistance must determine a student’s SAP status premised on all historical units attempted, units completed, and grades earned that are applicable to a student’s program of study irrespective of the student’s admission into one of these two K-State academic amnesty/renewal programs.