Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress

Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress

All students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain enrolled at the university. Satisfactory academic progress is determined by measuring the student’s cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and the student’s rate of progress toward completion of the academic program.

These are outlined below.

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

SAP - Quantitative Criteria

Students must complete at least 67% of credit hours attempted each semester to remain compliant with SAP Policy. Credit hour progression will be based on a cumulative total of attempted hours to earned hours. For example, if a student enrolls for twelve term credit hours the student is required to complete a minimum of eight-term credit hours (12 x 67% = 8) for the term. Failure to meet these standards may result in the student being placed on probation.
SAP - Qualitative Criteria

A student must achieve a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.0 at the midpoint of the program and must have earned 75% of the credits attempted. A student who does not achieve these criteria will be placed on probation for the rest of the academic term. A student on academic probation who earns less than 3.0 in his/her cumulative average will be continued on academic probation. Academic probation may be removed only by earning a 3.0 CGPA or higher in the next term.

Students placed on probation will be notified in writing and will receive academic advising to assist them in grade improvement.
SAP - Evaluation

  1. Students are evaluated at the end of an academic term.
  2. If a student fails a course before the academic term ends, they are immediately placed on academic probation.
  3. The student will remain on academic probation until they retake the failed course when it is next offered and passes on the next attempt.
  4. If the student takes the course a second time and passes it, the student is removed from academic probation.
  5. If the student fails the course for a second time, the student could be academically dismissed from the university.
SAP Evaluation - Timeframe to Complete (MTF) Policy

The maximum allowable timeframe for students to remain active in the program is as follows:

The credit hours attempted cannot exceed 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program. The student will be withdrawn once it is determined that he/she has exceeded the allowable maximum time frame.

Program Program Length Maximum Allowed Timeframe
Master's Program 18 Months 27 Months

CGPA REQUIREMENTS

Students at the graduate level must meet a minimum CGPA requirement of 3.0 throughout their enrollment to be considered making satisfactory academic progress. CGPA will be reviewed at the end of each term after grades have been posted to determine if the student’s CGPA complies.

GRADE CHANGE

A change in grade must be resolved by the end of the term following the term in which the grade was originally issued. Grade changes must be submitted from the faculty to the University registrar on the official “Grade Change Form”, with the instructor's signature.

All grade changes are subject to administrative approval. Students questioning a term grade posted to their academic record should e-mail the university registrar. The university registrar will forward the e-mail to the instructor of the course and the appropriate academic administrator for resolution. The timeframe for changing the grade is one (1) week from the end of the term.

COMPUTATION OF CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE

The cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is computed by assigning every component a percentage based on its portion of the total hours comprising the student's program. Quality points are assigned to each grade given. The CGPA will be calculated by totaling the assigned quality points