Graduate Students

Overview

Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward degree completion to receive financial aid. The requirements are as follows:

1. Maintain the required minimum GPA of 3.0. (See the "Academic Probation and Dismissal Policy" in the Graduate Bulletin.)
2. Complete 2/3rds of the credits registered for on the 10th day of the quarter on both a quarterly and cumulative basis for the duration of studies.
3. Complete a degree program within a maximum time frame for which Walla Walla University (WWU) awards financial aid. (See “Maximum Time Frame for Aid Eligibility” section in this policy.)

This satisfactory academic progress requirement applies to a student’s entire period of attendance as a graduate student at WWU, including any periods during which the student receives no financial aid.

Academic progress is reviewed quarterly after grades are posted. At the end of each term, students who have not maintained satisfactory academic progress are notified by Student Financial Services and placed on Financial Aid Warning. If the student does not meet the policy the next quarter, the student becomes ineligible for financial aid.

Students who fail to maintain satisfactory academic progress may seek financial aid eligibility reinstatement. (See the “Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility” section of this policy.)

Students are responsible for monitoring their own academic progress.

Definition of Terms Related to this Policy

Attempted Credits. The number of credits a student was enrolled for on the 10th day of the quarter. Financial aid is awarded based on these credits. (Incompletes, withdrawals, classes taken for no credit [s/nc] and failed classes are counted toward the total attempted credits. A repeated course is counted as an attempted credit each time the course is taken.)

Completed Credits. The number of credits successfully completed toward a degree. Only courses for which the student received a passing grade (C or better) are included. (Incompletes/C- and below, withdrawals, failed courses and audits are not counted as completed credits. A repeated course is counted only once.)

Financial Aid Warning. The status assigned to a student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress at the end of a quarter. The student may continue to receive financial aid for one more quarter without appealing.

Financial Aid Ineligible. Financial aid will be cancelled for a student who does not meet the SAP policy two quarters in a row.

Financial Aid Probation. The status assigned to a student who fails to make satisfactory academic progress and who has appealed and been approved to receive financial aid the following quarter enrolled. At the end of a probation quarter the student must be meeting the SAP policy or be successfully following an academic plan approved by the Financial Aid Committee.

Maximum Time Frame. The maximum amount of time allowed for a student to finish a degree.

Appeal. The process by which a student who is not meeting the SAP policy petitions for reconsideration of aid eligibility.

Special Considerations

Transfer Students. The accepted transfer credits a student earns prior to the time of acceptance will count toward both attempted and completed credits. The GPA from transfer credit is not considered in terms of this policy.

First-Time Aid Recipients. When a student first applies for financial aid, the student’s entire period of attendance—even periods during which the student may not have received financial aid—is evaluated in terms of the SAP policy. A student who has not maintained satisfactory academic progress will not be eligible for aid until the student makes up for the deficiency. 

Dropping Courses. Financial aid awards are based on credits for which a student is registered on the 10th day of the quarter. Courses dropped before the 10th day of the quarter are not counted in the SAP review. (Dropping a course before the 10th day may affect the current financial aid award.)

Dropping a course after the 10th day does not affect financial aid for the current quarter, however it may impact aid the subsequent quarter. SAP reviews are conducted at the end of each quarter, and any financial aid a student is awarded for future quarters is not valid until the student has passed the quarterly review.

Co-op/Experiential Courses. Student enrolled in off-campus programs for which credit does not apply toward a degree are regarded in terms of the policy as though they did not enroll.

Repeated Course. A repeated course is counted toward attempted credits each time the course is taken, but is counted toward completed credits only once. 

Incompletes. An incomplete is counted toward attempted credits the quarter in which it was received. An incomplete/C or higher is counted in completed credits for the quarter in which the student registers for the course.

In-progress Courses. An in-progress course is counted toward attempted and completed credits during the quarter in which the student registers for it. 

Audited Courses. Audited courses are not counted toward attempted or completed courses.

Eligibility Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirements. Graduate students are required to complete 2/3rds of their attempted credits on both a quarterly and cumulative basis.

A student involved in research, thesis or teaching-assistantship and taking fewer than four credit hours during the quarter may receive aid for reduced hours for a maximum of four quarters. A letter from the department chair must be submitted to Student Financial Services verifying the student is involved in one of the approved exceptions and confirming the student’s satisfactory academic progress.

A masters student’s academic progress as an undergraduate prior to starting the master's program is not considered in determining financial aid eligibility.

A doctoral student's academic progress as either an undergraduate or master's level prior to starting the doctoral program is not considered in determining financial aid eligibility.

Maximum Time Frame for Aid Eligibility. Graduate programs have varying academic requirements. Therefore, a student’s academic progress will be evaluated in terms of the number of quarters expected to complete a given degree program.

Washington State aid programs are awarded a maximum of 125 percent of the academic program’s limit.

The maximum number of quarters for which a graduate student may receive financial aid is as follows:

Formula to calculate maximum quarters for graduate programs. (Number of quarter hours required to complete the degree + 10%) ÷ 7 hours per quarter (minimum full time graduate load) = maximum number of quarters eligible for aid. This answer must be rounded down. Biology was increased by 1 quarter due to the structure of their program and two summers at Rosario.

Minimum GPA for Aid Eligibility. Graduate students are required to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0.

Quarterly Review. At the end of each quarter after grades are processed, a student’s progress is measured using a series of four tests. The student must pass all four tests each quarter in order to meet the SAP policy.

1. Maximum Attempted Terms Test. The total number of terms enrolled must be less than the maximum for the program listed above.
2. Minimum Cumulative GPA Test. The student’s cumulative GPA must be at least 3.0. 
3. Current Earned Units Test. Term credits completed divided by term credits attempted must be at least 2/3rds.
4. Cumulative Earned Units Test. Cumulative credits completed divided by cumulative credits attempted must be at least 2/3rds.

Program-Specific Conditions

Federal Direct Loan borrowers who drop to less than four credits will have their remaining loan canceled. They will need to reapply for the loan if funding for subsequent quarters is desired.

Recipients of the Washington State Financial Aid Program must complete 12 credits or the term’s attempted credits, whichever is less. If a student completes less than 50 percent of the attempted credits for one quarter or at least 50 percent but less than 100 percent of the attempted credits for two consecutive quarters, subsequent disbursements will be canceled. The student will regain their eligibility for Washington State Financial Aid for subsequent quarters (subject to program requirements) by attempting at least 6 credits, and completing the term's attempted credits or 12 credits, whichever is less.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

A student’s financial aid eligibility may be reinstated by one or more of the following:

1. If the deficiency was caused by an incomplete, a student may make up the incomplete in the allowable time and request a re-evaluation of academic progress.
2. If the grade for a course is changed, a student may request a re-evaluation of academic progress.
3. The student may attend WWU without financial assistance. If the student is meeting the SAP policy at the end of the term, their financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for the next term.
4. The student may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Committee. The SAP appeal form is found at: wallawalla.edu/sap-appeal. The appeal must include an explanation of why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress and what circumstances have changed that will allow the student to meet the SAP policy at the next evaluation. If it will take more than one quarter to be meeting the SAP policy, an academic plan for a minimum of three quarters (or until graduation), signed by the student’s advisor, is also required. If the appeal is approved, the student will be put on Financial Aid Probation and aid will be reinstated. Subsequent quarters of aid eligibility are contingent upon the student meeting the SAP policy or successfully following the approved academic plan.
5. A student who has reached the maximum time frame for aid eligibility and needs additional time to complete a degree may submit an appeal to the Financial Aid Committee. The appeal should explain why the degree could not be completed within the allowable time frame. An academic plan, signed by the student’s advisor, should accompany the appeal and explain which credits are needed to finish the degree.

NOTE: Reinstatement of Financial Aid awards is based on available funding. Therefore, students may not receive their original financial aid awards.