Satisfactory Academic Progress

You must maintain Satisfactory Progress to be eligible for Federal or State Title IV financial aid.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

You must complete 67% of the credits that you attempt.

You must maintain a minimum GPA.  Undergraduate students with 0-29 completed credits must earn a 1.6.  Students with 30-59 completed credit hours must maintain a 1.8.  Students who have completed 60+ hours must maintain a 2.0.  Graduate and undergraduate teacher's certification students must maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Undergraduate students may receive financial aid until they attempt 180 semester hours of credit from North Park and/or transfer schools.   Graduate and teacher's certification students can receive financial aid until they attempt 150% of the published credit hours required to receive your degree/certificate.  This policy will consider all enrollments at North Park and other colleges/universities whether or not financial aid was received.

Be advised that failures and incompletes are counted toward hours attempted and will be included in computing GPA's.  Withdrawals and audits are not counted as credits attempted or completed.  All other credit courses, including pass/fail courses that are passed, will be counted as credits completed.

Repeat credits are credits awarded when a student repeats a course in order to improve a grade. You may repeat a class as allowed by the institution. For the first three courses, the new grade can replace the initial grade. For additional courses beyond three, the grade will be the average of the two grades. All repeated credits are included in the percent of completion and maximum time frame calculations.

When a student transfers into North Park, the credits accepted by North Park are not included in a North Park GPA. The credits are counted as attempted credits so they are included in the maximum time frame and counted as credits completed. After you have matriculated to North Park, if you take additional courses at a different university and wish to transfer those courses to North Park, both the grade and hours attempted will be counted in the North Park transcript and satisfactory academic progress calculations.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Procedures

You will be evaluated annually at the end of the Spring Semester. If you have not made satisfactory academic progress, you will not be eligible for state or federal financial aid, including federal student loans, in subsequent semesters. If you transferred to North Park, and the spring semester is you first semester, you will be evaluated after completing two semesters and then annually after the spring term. You will be notified by mail and/or email if you do not meet the satisfactory academic progress standards.

Satisfactory academic progress decisions may be appealed if you feel that the status is:

• The result of error
• Mitigating circumstances exist
• The condition of Satisfactory Academic Progress has been met. For example, you have completed a course that was previously listed as an incomplete, improving your overall GPA/courses completed percentage.

Appeal Process

A letter of appeal must be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid within two weeks after receiving notice of losing your financial aid eligibility. The Director of Financial Aid will present the appeal to the Financial Aid Committee. The Committee will notify you in writing of its decision within two weeks of receiving the appeal. Successful appeals will allow you one or two additional semesters of aid eligibility after which time, your cumulative record must fully meet satisfactory progress standards.

You may attempt to reestablish your eligibility after attending North Park without benefit of financial aid or attending another college for two semesters, and then meeting the satisfactory academic requirements.