Keep Your Financial Aid; Know the Policies

Satisfactory Academic Progress

In accordance with the U.S. Department of Education (CFR 668.32 & 668.34), Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) is required to establish minimum academic standards that students must meet to determine satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility purposes. These standards apply to federal, state, and institutional scholarships & waivers (unless waived by the specific program). OSUIT must notify students of this policy and monitor the progress of all students receiving financial aid to insure their continued compliance. Students are expected to read, understand, and adhere to this policy. If you require clarification of this policy, you should contact Financial Aid and Scholarships in the Grady W. Clack Center on the OSUIT campus or by phone at 918-293-4684.

Students who are receiving financial aid or seek to receive financial aid, you are required to meet these minimum academic standards. In order to receive financial aid you must be enrolled in an eligible, degree-seeking program at OSUIT and you must be in compliance with this satisfactory academic progress policy (SAP). Satisfactory academic progress is monitored at the end of each trimester. Failure to meet these standards means that the student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid. It is the responsibility of all students receiving financial aid to become familiar with the policy and to ensure that the standards are met.

Satisfactory academic progress is checked at the end of each term.

Students receiving any type of federal and/or state financial assistance at OSUIT must meet this criterion to continue to receive financial aid:

• Maintain a minimum cumulative graduation/retention grade point average of:
  • 1.7 on a 4.0 scale for total hours earned from all institutions for 1 - 30 credit hours
  • OR 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all programs EXCEPT Information Technology Division (ITD) and Engineering Technology Division (ETD) with total hours earned for 31 or more credit hours; 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for all Information Technology Division (ITD) and Engineering Technology Division (ETD) with total hours earned for 31 or more credit hours
• Successfully complete at least 67 percent of all credit hours attempted (PACE). Hours passed divided by hours attempted determine pace percentage. 

Financial Aid Status Categories

• Good Standing: The student is enrolled in an eligible program, is in compliance with satisfactory academic progress, and is receiving financial aid.
• Financial Aid Warning: This is the status assigned when satisfactory academic progress is not maintained. This status is limited to one trimester and the student’s future financial aid eligibility is dependent upon how well the student does during the warning trimester. Students who have been placed on Financial Aid Warning may be removed from the status and restored to good standing by meeting the completion rate and/or college grade point average requirements by the end of the Financial Aid Warning term. Students may still receive financial aid during a warning; however, if the student fails to meet requirements, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension.
• Financial Aid Suspension: This is the status assigned to students who were previously on Financial Aid Warning and have failed to meet the academic progress requirements at the end of the warning trimester. Students are allowed to submit an appeal form to appeal this decision. The decision will either be denied (will not qualify for financial aid in future terms until SAP is met) or required to adhere to an academic plan as determined by the appeals committee.
• Financial Aid Academic Plan: This is the status assigned to students who were on financial aid suspension, appealed and received an appeal approval. Students in this category must follow an individually designed Academic Plan, developed to ensure the students achievement of satisfactory academic progress over an assigned period of time. Students are eligible for financial aid as long as the conditions of their Academic Plan are met.

A student placed on financial aid warning or suspension will be notified via the institutional email assigned to them. It is the student's responsibility to check your institutional email regularly.

Financial Aid Appeals Process

A student who is suspended from financial aid eligibility may appeal their suspension. A student is required to complete a Financial Aid Suspension Appeal form or by picking one up in the Grady W. Clack Center on the OSUIT campus. If you are appealing your maximum time frame, a Maximum Time Frame Form (MXHR) is also required. The appeal must contain an explanation of why you are appealing, and state what is different that will make you successful in future trimesters (a plan in place). The circumstances must be extenuating, and documentation should be provided as to why the student could not complete the trimester. Students will be notified via their institutional email of the Suspension Appeal Committee's decision.

Reestablishing Eligibility Without Submitting an Appeal

If you choose not to submit an appeal, should you reach the standards of academic progress per the policy requirements, (2.0 GPA for all programs except ITD & ETD and 2.5 GPA for all ETD and ITD programs with a 67 percent completion rate) or obtaining a degree, you will be reinstated the next time academic progress is checked.

Guidelines

Academic Progress Evaluation: Academic progress is evaluated at the end of each trimester on every student. The evaluation will review all credits hours that the student has attempted.

Successful completion of a course	A, B, C, D, S or P
Unsuccessful completion of a course	F, W, I, U, NP, AW, F/W or any other designation that is not considered successfully completing a course.

Cumulative Graduation/Retention Grade Point Average: The Cumulative Graduation/Retention GPA is calculated on the total number of credit hours attempted at OSUIT and any other institution of higher education.

Completion Rate of Courses Taken (PACE): A student must successfully complete a minimum of 67 percent of the credit hours attempted at all institutions (previous and OSUIT). The formula is as follows:
total number of credit hours successfully completed divided by the total number of credit hours attempted (includes withdrawn courses).

time-frame for Academic Completion: A student is allowed to attempt up to 150 percent of the hours to complete their program. See the OSUIT catalog program description and number of hours required for degree completion. A student must be aware that changing programs (from AAS to AS) could affect the time-frame in which you meet your 150 percent. (AS - 90 credit hrs max; AAS - 135 credit hrs max; and BT 180 credit hours max)

Transfers of Credit from Other Schools:
All hours attempted from other institutions will be included in the attempted hours with those attempted at OSUIT for financial aid purposes. Transferring students will need to have all official transcripts submitted to the Admissions and/or Registrar’s office and submit a Request to Receive Financial Aid with a Previous Degree form to the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships to determine aid eligibility. Student’s grade level will be determined by the Registrar’s office.

Retakes, Withdrawals and Incomplete Grades:

• Repeated Coursework: A student may repeat a previously passed course one (1) time and count it in the enrollment status for financial aid. A student may repeat any failed course until it is passed, and it count toward financial aid enrollment status. (Remember, however, that the hours for these courses will always be included in your completion rate {PACE} calculation.)
• Withdrawals: Grades of “W”, “F/W” and “AW” are not considered as a completion of those courses.
• Incomplete Grades: Are treated as a non-completion of the course. Should the “I” grade be changed to a grade considered successful completion of a course, the student should notify the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships to see if it will affect their Satisfactory Academic Progress status. A student is not eligible for further funding on a course where an “I” grade remains on the record.

Return of Title IV Aid for Not Completing the Trimester:
Title IV funds are awarded to you to attend an entire payment period, and the funds are intended to cover your educational and living expenses for the entire period. The federal government has set guidelines concerning students who completely withdraw from school. Any student making a complete withdrawal, stops attending their courses or fails to receive passing grades in courses for the trimester and received a Federal Pell Grant, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Direct Loan or a Parent PLUS loan could be required to pay back funds.

If you successfully complete a module class and withdraw from classes in the subsequent module, you may still be subject to a Return of Title IV Funds calculation. A module course is one that does not span the entire length of the payment period (trimester).

Refunds to financial aid recipients who withdraw from school or drop a course during the refund period must be returned to the appropriate financial aid accounts. Students may also be required to repay a portion of the financial aid received. Refunds will be made to financial aid accounts in the following order:

1. Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
2. Subsidized Federal Stafford Loan
3. Federal PLUS Loan
4. Federal Pell Grant
5. Federal SEOG Grant
6. Other FSA Programs
7. Other Federal, State, Private or Institutional aid programs
8. The Student

Ability to Benefit

Effective July 1, 2012, students who do not have a High School Diploma, GED, or cannot provide documentation of meeting home school requirements will not be eligible for Federal Financial Aid.

If a student is enrolled before July 1, 2012 and can show ability-to-benefit (ATB) by either passing the ACCUPLACER® Test or having successfully completed at least six credit hours of postsecondary education toward your degree at OSUIT, the student will be eligible for Title IV aid. (This means you would have to be attending classes prior to July 1, 2012.)

Ability to Benefit Prior to July 1, 2012:

To receive financial aid, students must either be a high school graduate, GED recipient or provide documentation of completion of six (6) credit hours applicable to your degree at OSUIT (not remedial hours). Students who have not graduated from high school or have not received a GED can receive financial aid if “ability to benefit” from attending OSUIT is demonstrated. To demonstrate “ability to benefit” students must take the ACCUPLACER® test coordinated through the OSUIT Admissions and Records Office. The first ACCUPLACER® test is and can be taken a total of three (3) times. Each retake test will cost $5.00. If tutoring is taken through the LASSO center, a 4th attempt is allowed. Students must achieve the following minimum scores on each section of the ACCUPLACER® test to demonstrate “ability to benefit”:

Reading	75
English	80
Writeplacer	5
Arithmetic	70
Elementary Algebra	74

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