Satisfactory Academic Progress
Financial aid recipients must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward a degree objective in order to be eligible to receive financial aid at Hawai’i Pacific University. The SAP policy at the University is based on standards established by Federal regulations governing student financial aid. These standards are cumulative and include all periods of a student’s enrollment, INCLUDING PERIODS IN WHICH THE STUDENT DID NOT RECEIVE FINANCIAL AID and all courses attempted even if excluded under the forgiveness policy.
Students are considered to be meeting the SAP standards of Hawai’i Pacific University if the following requirements (standards) are met:
Undergraduate students whose cumulative attempted credit hours is greater than 12 credit hours must maintain a minimum GPA as follows below. Graduate students whose cumulative attempted credit hours are greater than 9 credit hours must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00:
Freshman (12-30 credit hours) 1.80 (Minimum Cumulative GPA)
Sophomore (31-60 credit hours) 1.80 (Minimum Cumulative GPA)
Junior/Senior (61 + credit hours) 2.00 (Minimum Cumulative GPA)
Graduate Students (9 + credit hours) 3.00 (Minimum Cumulative GPA)
*Withdrawals, grades of “Incomplete”, repeated courses, and non-credit courses (Pass/Fail) are included in the SAP calculation. Grade forgiveness is NOT allowed when calculating the financial aid GPA. Your academic GPA may differ from your financial aid GPA.
The average length of an undergraduate program of study at Hawai’i Pacific University is 124 credit hours. An undergraduate student is eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 186 attempted credit hours at Hawai’i Pacific University. Graduate students may receive financial aid for a maximum dependent on their specific program of study required credits. In order to demonstrate progress toward completion of his/or her program of study, a student’s overall total number of earned (completed) credit hours must be equal to or greater than 67% of the overall total number of his/or her attempted credit hours. A student meets the Completion Rate Requirement if: Overall Earned Credit Hours >=67% of Overall Attempted Credit Hours.
Example: Student’s Overall Earned Credit Hours = 60
Student’s Overall Attempted Credit Hours = 75
Calculation: 60 (credits earned) / 75 (credits attempted) = 80% completion rate
As the Student’s Overall Earned Credit Hours (60) is greater than 67% of the Student’s Overall Attempted Credit Hours (75 x .67 or 50), the student meets the Completion Rate Requirement.
Note: Students Who Fail To Complete Any (Complete Zero Credits) Of Their Attempted Credit Hours During Any One Semester, Term Or Session Will Be Placed On Warning Status Or Suspension Status (If Already On Warning Status From A Prior Term). Students Placed On Warning For Zero Credit Completion May Be Reinstated After One Semester As Long As They Are Meeting The Gpa And Completion Rate Requirements. Students Placed On Suspension Will Need To Appeal For Reinstatement. Students May Also Be Considered An Unofficial Withdrawal And Will Be Subject To A Partial Return Of Funds Unless They Can Provide Evidence Of Their Last Date Of Attendance.
HPU credits are included in determining attempted credit hours.
All periods of the student’s enrollment are counted. Even periods in which the student did not receive student financial aid funds.
Withdrawals, grades of “Incomplete”, courses that are repeated, and non-credit courses (Pass/Fail) are included in determining a student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress status.
Students who have completed all the coursework for their degree but have not yet received the degree cannot receive further student financial aid for that program.
Students failing to meet the GPA or Completion Rate Requirements as outlined herein will be placed on financial aid warning for the following period of enrollment. While on financial aid warning, the student is eligible to receive student financial aid. Students failing to meet the GPA or Completion Rate Requirements by the end of their financial aid warning period automatically become ineligible to receive financial aid.
Students with an ineligible status are not eligible to receive student financial aid at Hawai’i Pacific University. A student’s eligibility for financial aid will be reinstated once they again meet the GPA and Completion Rate Requirements. Students must submit a letter to the Financial Aid Office to indicate that they have made SAP and to request funds for the next semester.
An ineligible status can be appealed if the student has had mitigating circumstances such as serious illness or severe injury, or the death of an immediate family member or relative. Students may write a letter of appeal to the Financial Aid Office and must include supporting documentation (e.g. a death certificate or doctor’s note on doctor’s letterhead) in order to be considered for an exception to the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy. Note: A warning status cannot be appealed. Download: Financial Aid Appeal Request Form
A student may be paid Pell Grant and campus-based funds, state funds, and/or student loan funds for the payment period in which the student is again meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, but cannot be paid for any payment period during which time the student was in an ineligible status.
In accordance with Title IV policy, Hawai’i Pacific University does not recalculate student aid awards after students are awarded and in attendance for a semester or term. Students who add/drop classes subsequent to the start of a semester or term, regardless of grade forgiveness (no grade or WP), are evaluated for rate-of-progress on the basis of credit hours attempted (credit hours