Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
The United States Department of Education (Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended) requires students to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completing their degree to receive financial aid. As a result, recipients of federal, state, and institutional aid must comply with Georgia Institute of Technology’s Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy as a condition of initial or continued eligibility.
To ensure students are making satisfactory academic progress, the academic record of each financial aid recipient is reviewed at the end of every academic term (Fall, Spring, and Summer). Students returning to the Institute following a withdrawal or academic dismissal will be evaluated at the time of readmission.
To meet the requirements of satisfactory academic progress, students are required to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average, be on pace to graduate, and complete their degree within a maximum time frame as defined below. All semesters of enrollment are reviewed regardless of whether aid was received for those semesters.
SAP Standards
SAP consists of two components of measurement: qualitative and quantitative. The qualitative measure requires maintaining a satisfactory grade point average (GPA). The quantitative measure requires successfully completing the required percentage of attempted credits (pace) and receiving a degree in a timely manner (maximum time frame).
Students are required to meet the following minimum cumulative GPA requirements:
| Classification |
Minimum Cumulative GPA |
| Undergraduate Students |
2.00 |
| Graduate Students |
3.00 |
If a student is dismissed from the Institute, their financial aid will be suspended.
Pace
Undergraduate and Graduate students are required to successfully complete 67% of cumulative hours attempted at the Institute. The Pace percentage is calculated by dividing the cumulative number of credits earned by the cumulative number of credits attempted.
Pace = (Cumulative Credits Earned / Cumulative Credits Attempted) x 100
Accepted transfer and transient credits are included in both “attempted” and “earned” credits. GPA is not impacted by transfer, transient, noncredit or remedial courses.
Maximum Time Frame
The maximum time frame of undergraduate and master’s student’s eligibility for financial aid is limited to 150% of the published length of the program. Once it has been determined that it is not possible for the student to complete their degree within the maximum time frame, the student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid.
Credits counted toward time frame include all attempted credits, inclusive of all transfer and transient credits accepted by the Institute. Noncredit and/or remedial courses are not included in the time frame calculation.
Students enrolled in a doctoral program (PhD) who have reached their 12th semester must submit a Program Completion Plan to their graduate/thesis advisor for approval by the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (OSFA). Doctoral students who demonstrate, through their Program Completion Plan, that they are making satisfactory progress toward degree completion will remain eligible for financial aid.
Courses and Grades Used to Determine Pace and Maximum Time Frame
All coursework attempted, including repeated and withdrawn coursework recorded on the student’s academic record are considered when calculating Pace and Maximum Time Frame and determining whether the student meets satisfactory academic progress.
| Courses/Grade |
Included Earned Credits |
Included Attempted Credit |
| Transfer/Transient/Study Abroad |
Yes |
Yes |
| Grades: A, B, C, D, Satisfactory (S) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Grades: F, Unsatisfactory (U) |
|
Yes |
| Withdrawals (W), Incompletes (I), Repeat Coursework |
|
Yes |
| Not reported (NR) *students with NR grades are not reviewed for SAP purposes until a grade is entered |
|
|
Special Considerations Affecting Academic Progress
The following outlines how various academic circumstances —such as readmission, grade changes, dual degrees, repeated courses, and audited coursework— affect a student’s academic standing and financial aid eligibility.
Approved readmission to the Institute does not reset SAP requirements. All previously attempted credits will continue to count toward GPA, Pace, and Maximum Time Frame calculations.
When a grade change occurs, the student’s HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship GPA will be recalculated based on the term in which the grade change originally occurred. For HOPE/Zell Miller Scholarship, if the updated grade negatively impacts the student’s state aid eligibility, the student will be required to repay previously disbursed funds, and any state aid pending disbursement will be canceled.
For all other financial aid, grade changes that occur during a term will not be incorporated into Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculations until the next scheduled SAP point of evaluation, which occurs at the end of each term. If a grade change would positively affect a student’s financial aid eligibility, the student may submit a SAP Appeal to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.
For students pursuing two or more bachelor degrees simultaneously, GPA and Pace are measured based on their total attempted credits. The Maximum Time Frame will be determined according to the degree program that requires a greater number of credits.
Students who register for and receive a grade in a course for which credit has already been granted will have all attempted and earned credits included in the calculation of both Pace and Maximum Time Frame.
For GPA purposes, all grades are included in the GPA calculation unless the Grade Substitution Policy applies, in which case, only the higher grade earned for the repeated course will be used for the student’s GPA calculation. For more information about grade substitution, please visit the Institute’s Grade Substitution Policy Catalog.
Special Note: For HOPE Scholarship eligibility, all credit hours attempted after high school graduation are counted, even if a course is later forgiven by the institution. As a result, when a student uses the Grade Substitution Policy, both the original and repeated course, including all credits and grades, are included in HOPE attempted hours and GPA calculations. Students should also note that HOPE eligibility remains subject to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy.
Audited courses receive a grade of “V” (Visitor). The “V” grade does not affect a student’s grade-point average (GPA), and no academic credit is awarded for audited coursework.
Audited courses cannot be used to establish or maintain financial aid eligibility. They are not counted when determining a student’s earned or attempted credits for financial aid purposes.
Failure to Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
Failure to maintain Pace and/or GPA SAP requirements outlined above for two or more consecutive terms will result in financial aid ineligibility.
During the first term in which a student fails to meet the GPA or Pace requirement, they will be placed on a “warning” SAP status until the next evaluation period. The student will be notified of this status and will remain eligible to receive financial aid during the warning term.
SAP requirements are re-evaluated each term to determine a student’s academic standing. If, after already being placed on warning, the student again fails to meet the required GPA and Pace standards in the next term of enrollment, the student will move to a financial aid “suspension” status. Students on suspension are not eligible to receive financial aid unless they submit an appeal and the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) approves it.
Students who have reached their Maximum Time Frame will move to a “suspension” status and are not eligible for a financial aid.
Students may regain their financial aid eligibility once they have raised their cumulative GPA to 2.00 for undergraduate students or 3.00 for graduate students and successfully completed at least 67% of their cumulative attempted credits within the maximum time frame for their program. Alternatively, students may regain financial aid eligibility through an approved appeal, following the process outlined below.
SAP Appeal Process
Students who fail to meet SAP requirements may submit a SAP appeal to request reinstatement of financial aid. Students are limited to three appeals that have been reviewed and received a determination; after this, no further appeals will be allowed for that degree program. For students concurrently enrolled in multiple degree programs, the total number of reviewed appeals with determinations remains limited to three.
All appeals must be submitted by the last day of the academic term in which financial aid is requested. Federal loans may not be available for appeals submitted close to the end of term due to processing limitations.
Appeal for GPA/Pace
If your financial aid has been suspended for not meeting SAP standards, follow these steps to submit an appeal.
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Click Manage Request in the portal.
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Select SAP Appeal for the appropriate aid year.
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Submit a written and signed statement including:
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The mitigating circumstances that prevented the student from meeting SAP requirements (e.g. death in the family, student illness/injury, or other personal circumstance).
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Indicate changes made to improve academic progress at the next evaluation point.
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Steps you will take to maintain SAP standards moving forward.
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Upload official supporting documentation, such as medical records, legal documents, advisor letter, that supports the student’s basis for the appeal. Documentation must be specific to the terms in which the student did not meet SAP requirements.
Go to Portal
Approved Appeal and Academic Plan
If a student re-establishes their financial aid eligibility through the appeal process, the term in which their initial appeal is approved will be considered a “probationary” term.
During the student’s Probationary term, they must adhere to the following academic plan to continue to be eligible for financial aid on a probationary basis:
If a student fails to meet the requirements of their academic plan, their eligibility to receive financial aid will be suspended, and the student will have to submit a new appeal or meet SAP standards on their own to regain financial aid eligibility. As a reminder, a student is allowed only three appeals with a decision; once all three have been used, no further appeals are permitted for that degree program.
