Satisfactory Academic Progress

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Overview

Because federal and state financial aid is help given to students in expectation that they will complete their academic programs, to remain eligible for aid, students must meet standards for satisfactory academic progress (SAP). You must meet or exceed these standards with the results of your courses at the end of each semester in order to be eligible for federal and state financial aid for the next semester.

SAP Standards at Vincennes University

There are three standards of satisfactory academic progress (SAP):

  1. Cumulative grade point average (GPA)
  2. Cumulative completion rate or Pace = Number of credits passed (completed) divided by the number of credits attempted.
  3. Maximum timeframe = total cumulative credits attempted.
  1. Minimum Cumulative GPA:
    • While attempting fewer than 12 credits hours: 1.7
    • After attempting 12 credit hours: 1.8
    • After attempting 30 credit hours: 1.9
    • After attempting 45 credit hours: 2.0
  2. Minimum Cumulative Completion Rate/Pace:
    • While attempting fewer than 12 credits hours: 50%
    • After attempting 12 credits, pass 60%
    • After attempting 30 credits, pass 63%
    • After attempting 45 credits, pass 67%
  3. Maximum Time-frame
    • Supposing they meet or exceed the minimum GPA and completion rate standards, students are allowed to receive financial aid for up to 150% of the number of credits required to complete their degree or certificate. For example, students in an associate degree program that requires 64 credits are eligible for financial aid for up to 96 credits (64 x 1.5). Students in a certificate program that requires 30 credits are eligible for financial aid for up to 45 credits (30 x 1.5)

What Happens if I don't Meet These Standards?

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First Failure to Meet SAP

The first time you fail to meet the GPA and completion rate/pace standards, you are on financial aid warning for the next semester.

Students who exceed the maximum timeframe are not given a warning period. They are ineligible when our progress evaluation shows that it is mathematically impossible to complete their academic program within the 150% limits. (See below for exceptions grantable on appeal.)
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Appealing Financial Aid Suspension

If you fail to improve to the required standards after being on financial aid warning, you will be on financial aid suspension, that is, you will be ineligible for federal and state financial aid.

HOWEVER, you may APPEAL YOUR SUSPENSION by explaining and documenting the extenuating circumstances that prevented you from being successful and by explaining how your circumstances will be different in the future.

Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to:
  • Your own illness or injury
  • Death, illness, or injury of a family member
  • Pregnancy or birth of a child
  • Marital problems
  • Financial difficulty or hardship
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How to Submit Your Appeal

  1. Log in to your VU-X account.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and use the "Discover More" button to locate the Financial Aid card.
  3. On the Financial Aid card, click on "Check If You Have Any Outstanding Requirements".
  4. Next, click on "View if you have any Outstanding Requirements".
  5. Select the correct Aid Year from the drop-down box.
  6. Scroll down to Student Requirements.
  7. Under Unsatisfied Requirements, click on the link "Your financial aid is suspended..."
  8. Complete the appeal form. Explain your circumstance and, if applicable, how you plan to improve your academic performance. Upload required supporting documentation.
  9. If your appeal is approved, you will then be required to submit the academic plan document that will be made available on your VU-X from the Financial Aid card under Unsatisfied Requirements. You will need to read, sign, and return the academic plan form.
If your appeal is denied, you will be notified via a message on your VU-X. If your appeal is approved, you will be notified via email about a new requirement on your VU-X for the academic plan.
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If Your Appeal is Approved

If your appeal is approved, you will be placed on financial aid probation. Your financial aid for the semester will not pay to your account until you submit your signed academic plan.

The academic goals you must meet while on financial aid probation will be spelled out in an academic plan, which you can access from your VU-X account under Financial Aid. You will need to print out your academic plan, sign it, and submit it to the student financial services office.

For 150% maximum timeframe appeals: An academic plan for the 150% maximum timeframe standard also requires you to submit a printout of your current DegreeWorks plan with your signed academic plan. Your DegreeWorks plan will show which courses are required for your degree completion. Financial aid will only cover those required courses. You may need to meet with your academic advisor to ensure your DegreeWorks plan is accurate.
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If your appeal is denied

If your appeal is denied, you are ineligible for federal and state financial aid at VU. A financial aid suspension at VU does not necessarily follow you to another school.

Returning to VU with financial aid: If you want to return to VU with financial aid, you must show that you can meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress. To do this, you will have to submit another appeal and a copy of your grades from the other school you attended. An unofficial copy is sufficient.

If your grades show that it is possible for you to reach at least the minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress, your appeal may be granted. If your appeal is granted, you would be eligible for aid on a probation status as long as you meet your academic plan.

Important: Simply not returning to VU for a semester or two is not sufficient for regaining financial aid eligibility.

Additional details:

  • Developmental courses are counted as attempted courses, and they contribute to the GPA for financial aid purposes only.
  • Courses with a grade of W, WF, or WN are counted as attempted courses.
  • Courses with grade of I (incomplete) or RD (report delayed) are counted as attempted courses but are not counted as passed completed courses until the final passing grade is available. In cases where a course with grade of I or RD makes a difference in whether an appeal of suspension can be approved or not, we will have to wait on completion of the course to render a decision on the appeal.
  • Repeated courses are counted as attempted courses. The highest grade among the repeats is used for GPA calculation.
  • Courses attempted and the corresponding grades during semesters in which the student does not receive federal financial aid are still counted as attempted courses for all three standards of progress.
  • Transfer courses are counted as both attempted and passed courses for completion rate (pace) purposes.
  • For checking GPA progress, i.e., whether a student has to meet the 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 or 2.0 standard, only the credits attempted at VU are used to determine the GPA expectation.

For appeals on the maximum timeframe standard (150%) some exceptions might make it possible for the university to provide federal financial aid for additional credits. The University may exclude:

  • Up to 30 credits of developmental courses completed or attempted.
  • Transfer credits that do not meet any requirements for the degree or certificate toward which the student is working at Vincennes University.
  • Credits attempted or earned, while the student was still in high school, that do not meet requirements for the degree or certificate at Vincennes University. This is true whether the courses were undertaken because required for the high school diploma or because the student thought the courses might be required in college.
  • Credits attempted or earned toward a prior academic program that do not meet degree requirements for a new academic program. We allow only one change of academic program (major) under this provision.
  • Credits attempted or earned in completion of one degree or certificate at Vincennes University which do not meet requirements for a second or subsequent degree or certificate.

Contact Us

Student Financial Services

Bursar & Financial Aid Offices
Offices are located in the Welsh Administration Building.

16 Indianapolis Ave, Vincennes, IN 47591

Fall and Spring Semester Office Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time)
Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time)

Summer Office Hours:

Summer Hours will be observed May 18th through August 7th
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time)
Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time)

Bursar's Office

Email: Bursars@VINU.EDU
Phone: 812-888-4244

Financial Aid

Email: FA@VINU.EDU
Phone: 812-888-4361
Fax: 812-888-4261

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