Undergraduate
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
To be eligible for federal, state and university aid, students are required by the U.S. Department of Education, the state of California and CLU to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward completing their degree. The following guidelines provide academic progress criteria for all students receiving financial aid at CLU.
Financial Aid Programs Subject to SAP
Academic progress criteria apply both to recipients of financial aid programs created under Title IV regulations of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, as well as to recipients of CLU Grant and Scholarships. Specifically included are the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Perkins Loan Program, Federal Work-Study programs, and Federal Stafford Loans.
Satisfactory academic progress standards also apply to students receiving state-supported grants.
Students who have CLU Scholarships must also maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 to remain eligible to receive their scholarship.
Grade Point Average Requirement
To maintain satisfactory academic progress, students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Yearly Progress Requirement
To maintain satisfactory progress, undergraduate students must complete a minimum number of 12 units per semester for a total of 24 units per year as illustrated in the following table.
| SAP Semester Number | Minimum Cumulative SAP Units Required |
|---|---|
| 1 | 12 |
| 2 | 24 |
| 3 | 36 |
| 4 | 48 |
| 5 | 60 |
| 6 | 72 |
| 7 | 84 |
| 8 | 96 |
| 9 | 108 |
| 10 | 120 |
| 11 | 132 |
| 12 |
144 (NOTE: CLU Aid is cut off at 140 units) |
SAP Semester Number
New freshmen who enter CLU begin at semester 1. Transfer students begin at their calculated SAP semester number by finding the semester corresponding to their total transfer units. In cases where the transfer units are between 2 semesters, students should use the lower semester to determine semesters completed (e.g. if your total transfer units are 54, you would have completed through semester 4, and your first semester at CLU would be semester 5). Summers are not counted as SAP semesters for progress, but units taken in the summer can be counted to maintain or regain SAP.
Maximum Time Allowance
To show satisfactory progress, students must complete their degree objective within a specified amount of time.
Undergraduate students enrolled in single-degree, four-year programs requiring 124 units are eligible for Federal financial aid for a maximum of 180 total attempted units or a maximum of 12 SAP semesters, whichever comes first CLU Aid including grants and scholarships will be cut off after 140 units or 10 SAP semesters. See the previous section for an explanation of SAP semesters.
Students Who Change Majors
If a continuing CLU student changes from one major to another and it will affect SAP, the student should notify the Financial Aid Office and we will review the request to increase the maximum time allowance.
How SAP is Monitored
Satisfactory academic progress is monitored for all students at the end of the academic year, typically in early June.
Financial Aid Probation
Students who do not meet the yearly progress requirement will be placed on financial aid probation for their next two semesters of enrollment, not including summer enrollment. Students may continue to receive financial aid while on probation. Students who are placed on financial aid probation are encouraged to seek both academic and financial aid advisement. By the end of financial aid probation, the student must meet all satisfactory academic progress requirements. If, at the end of the probationary period, the student does not meet the minimum requirements, he or she will no longer be considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and will become ineligible for financial aid. Students will be allowed one probationary period during the course of their enrollment, subject to appeal.
Failure to Maintain SAP
Students who do not meet satisfactory academic progress requirements are notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office. Students who have reached the maximum time allowance are ineligible for further financial aid. Students who are academically disqualified from the university are ineligible for further financial aid. Students who fail to meet the yearly progress requirement are placed on financial aid probation.
Regaining Financial Aid Eligibility
Students who have lost eligibility for financial aid due to lack of yearly progress can be reinstated by successfully completing sufficient units or increasing their GPA to meet the desired standards. The student must notify the Financial Aid Office once the units have been completed.
Students may appeal, in writing to the Financial Aid Office, the determination that they are not meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements. The following basis for appeals will be considered: extended illness; one-time extenuating circumstances which have since been resolved; enrollment limitations due to academic advisement. The appeal will be evaluated, and the student will be notified of the decision.
Any student who is appealing his or her Satisfactory Academic Progress status must meet all financial aid application deadlines and other eligibility requirements. As with any type of financial aid appeal, Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals are funded on a funds-available basis.
Incompletes, Withdrawals, Repetitions, and Remedial Work
Grades of W or IN will not be counted toward a degree and therefore should not be counted toward SAP units. They will be counted in the maximum time allowance. Students may use up to 12 units of remedial work to maintain SAP status. These units will also be counted in the maximum time allowance.
Repeated Course Work
Repeated course work will not be included when determining a student's yearly progress unless it was not counted the first time the course was taken. This only occurs in classes in which a student has withdrawn or not received a passing grade. All repeated course work counts toward the student's maximum time allowance.
Summer Course Work
The summer session is considered to be an optional semester for satisfactory academic progress purposes. Students who have fallen behind in yearly progress may wish to use summer session enrollment to make up the deficiency. Units earned during the summer session will count toward the student's cumulative maximum unit allowance and cumulative GPA, but the term will not count as an SAP semester.
CLU Academic Scholarships
Students who receive CLU Academic Scholarships are required to maintain at 3.0 GPA. Transfer scholarship winners are required to maintain a 2.85 GPA. Presidential Scholars are required to maintain a 3.25 GPA. Cumulative GPA will be assessed at the end of each academic year. Students who fail to meet these cumulative GPA requirements will be placed on SCHOLARSHIP WARNING and subject to the following process:
Students will have one (1) academic year, including summer to raise the GPA to the required minimum. Students who fail to do so will lose their scholarship until their GPA meets the minimum standards. Students with significant need who lose scholarships may have a portion, but not all, of the scholarship replaced by need-based grant.
Students may appeal the loss of scholarship, in writing, to the financial aid office. However, only significant extenuating circumstances will be considered given the one year warning period.
