Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy & Procedures

2023-2024 SAP Appeals: For the 2023-2024 academic year, SAP appeals will be accepted on our Student Forms portal. If you have a To Do item on your Student Center indicating that you did not meet the SAP requirements, you may appeal. You can find more information in the details of the To Do item, but you will be able to log in and/or create your account at fresnostate.studentforms.com where you will be able to submit your SAP appeal electronically!

• Fall 2023 Deadline: December 1, 2023
• Spring 2024 Deadline: May 1, 2024
• Summer 2024 Deadline: July 1, 2024, or 2 weeks before the end of your last class, whichever is first

2024-2025 SAP Appeals: For the 2024-2025 academic year, SAP appeals will be accepted on our Student Forms portal. If you have a To Do item on your Student Center indicating that you did not meet the SAP requirements, you may appeal. You can find more information in the details of the To Do item, but you will be able to log in and/or create your account at fresnostate.studentforms.com where you will be able to submit your SAP appeal electronically!

• Fall 2024 Deadline: December 1, 2024
• Spring 2025 Deadline: May 1, 2025
• Summer 2025 Deadline: July 1, 2025, or 2 weeks before the end of your last class, whichever is first

Students must meet the minimum cumulative GPA requirement to meet the GPA component. The cumulative GPA listed on the academic transcript is the GPA used to determine continued financial aid eligibility.

The minimum required GPA components are:

• Undergraduate - 2.00
• Credential -  2.50
• 2nd Bachelor's - 3.00
• Graduate/Doctorate – 3.00

Fresno State's Financial Aid Office assesses the acceptable pace of progression as a ratio of all Fresno State attempted units and all Fresno State earned units. Transfer units accepted toward degree count as both attempted and earned units.

• Undergraduates must complete 67% of all attempted units.
• Post-Baccalaureates must complete 67% of all attempted units.

Grades of A, B, C, D, or CR are counted toward earned units, and grades of F, NC, I, W, RD, RP, AU, or WU will count toward attempted units but not earned units. Pace is calculated by adding your Fresno State and transfer earned units and dividing them by Fresno State attempted units and earned transfer units. Since attempted units include grade substitutions and courses with grades of F, NC, I, W, RD, RP, AU, or WU, the total units attempted and earned may not match the units reported on your transcripts.

Per Federal regulations, students are expected to complete their program/degrees within an allotted time frame. The Maximum Unit Limit is set for a student to complete their program/degree within a percentage of the published unit requirements. Maximum Unit Limits are based on one program/degree per career. Multiple programs/degrees in the same career will need to go through the SAP appeal process.

For financial aid purposes, students are limited to 150% of the published required units attempted for their program. Once students reach the maximum units allowed, they become disqualified from financial aid; there is no warning semester.  Students are expected to complete all their majors and minors within the allotted time frames. Completing a second major or minor is not a sufficient reason to not complete a program within the allotted time frame. A student who changes majors multiple times or pursues a second program may find themselves reaching their unit and time limit maximums. A student in this situation will need to submit an appeal and their case will be reviewed on an individual basis for continued funding consideration.

• Students with an academic history showing patterns of enrollment inability or unwillingness to progress, such as several Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals, withdrawals, repeats, incompletes, or enrollment inconsistent with the student's educational objective, may be regarded as ineligible for future financial aid. Units for which the student withdrew (official or unofficial) are subject to all the provisions of this policy.
• Transfer units that are accepted towards the student's educational program will count as both attempted and earned units when calculating GPA, Pace, and Maximum Unit Limit for SAP.
• Students who complete all undergraduate or post-baccalaureate program/degree course requirements but do not graduate for ANY reason are not eligible for additional funding. Reasons not acceptable for further funding include but are not limited to raising GPA to meet graduation requirements, needing to pass the Writing Proficiency Exam, and wanting to complete a minor or a second major (double majors).
• Academic progress can be reevaluated at any time throughout the year, as identified by a member of the Financial Aid office. 

The first term a student fails to meet the GPA and/or Pace standards will be given warning status. Students with a warning status can receive financial aid during the warning semester. However, students must meet SAP standards by the end of the warning period/term to continue receiving financial aid. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisors and utilize campus resources to support them and their academic journeys at Fresno State.

Students who do not meet SAP standards by the end of the warning period/term will be disqualified from receiving financial aid. Students may go through the appeal process to be considered for financial aid. Please read the SAP Appeal Process and Examples section for more information.

Maximum Unit Limit Warning

Per federal regulations, students who have attempted 150% or more of the required published units for their program/degree do not receive a warning semester. We do, however, send a courtesy email letting you know if/when you are close to meeting the Maximum Unit Limit. Students who do not meet the Maximum Unit criteria are placed in a Fail status and are ineligible for aid; they will have an opportunity to appeal. Please read below for more information about the SAP Appeal Process.

If a SAP appeal is approved for one term, the student will be placed on probation. Probation status means the student can meet all SAP requirements within one semester following the conditions listed in the approval letter. If the student does not meet all SAP requirements at the end of the probation period, they will fail SAP and be ineligible for financial aid the following term. If a student will be their degree/credential in the term, they are placed on probation.

SAP PLANS

If it is determined that a student needs more than one probationary period to regain and meet all four SAP requirements, the student may be placed on an SAP plan.  SAP plans have specific stipulations for successful SAP progress during subsequent semester/term(s) within a specific time frame.  SAP plans may require the student to complete specific coursework, certain GPA/grade standards, and/or successful completion of a specific number of units.

Students with SAP plans must not deviate from their SAP plans unless they have prior approval from the Financial Aid Office. Deviation without prior approval may result in immediate cancellation of financial aid awards. All SAP plans must be monitored until the student meets all SAP requirements, and the plan must include the student completing the program within the maximum unit limit for their program/degree. Failure to meet the SAP plan requirements may result in loss of financial aid eligibility until the student is able to re-establish SAP eligibility on their own.

If an appeal was denied or a student was not eligible to file an appeal during the current term, a student may have their financial aid reinstated in a future term.  Students who successfully complete future sufficient units and meet GPA requirements in coursework relevant to their degree objective without the benefit of receiving financial aid may re-establish their eligibility for financial aid. SAP is reviewed at the end of each term after grades are finalized, and students’ SAP statuses are calculated before each term.

SAP Appeals must include ALL of the following:

1. A completed Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal on your Student Forms Portal
2. A one-page statement that addresses each of the following:
   • What circumstances beyond your control resulted in not meeting SAP standards in previous semesters?
   • How has your situation changed?
   • What specific steps have you taken to ensure that you can meet SAP standards and make progress toward your degree in future semesters?
   • FOR MAXIMUM UNIT SAP Appeals: What specific circumstances resulted in attempting more than 150% of the units required for your degree?
3. Written documentation or evidence that supports the reason(s) given in your statement:
4. For Maximum Unit SAP Appeals, a copy of your graduation plan signed by your academic advisor on department letterhead.

• If the SAP appeal is approved, the student is eligible for financial aid. Financial aid awards will depend on the availability of funding.
• If the SAP appeal is submitted AFTER the deadline, processing may not be possible.
• If a student does not appeal by the listed SAP appeal deadline(s) AND was already awarded financial aid, all awards may be canceled.
• If your SAP appeal is approved AFTER the financial aid awards were canceled, reinstatement of the awards will depend on the availability of funding.  Financial aid awards will be processed in date and/or priority order.
• The student is not protected from the Drop for Non-Payment Process unless they have an approved SAP appeal or they have submitted a SAP appeal and a decision is pending.
• If the SAP appeal is denied, the student is not eligible to receive financial aid funding.
  • The student has the right to request a second review by the Assistant Vice President of Student Financial Resources. The student should contact our office at 559.278.2182 or visit the North Lobby in Joyal Administration to request a second review; the student will receive an email with additional instructions within 3-5 business days. All second review decisions are FINAL.

Please be advised that the disclosure of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, domestic or dating violence, stalking or abuse of a minor will be referred to the appropriate campus of legal authorities. Your statement will remain private to the extent possible but subject to disclosure by the Financial Aid Office as required by applicable executive orders and federal and state laws.

If you have been a victim of discrimination, harassment, sexual misconduct, domestic or dating violence or stalking, please find more information about your rights and options at https://studentaffairs.fresnostate.edu/survivoradvocate/index.html.

Below are examples of conditions that may justify a SAP Appeal. SAP Appeals are not limited the reasons below.

• Injury or illness of the student, relative, or other significant person
• Death of a relative or other significant person
• Pregnancy or birth of a child
• Homelessness
• Loss of childcare
• Loss or change in employment
• Extreme change in financial or legal circumstances
• Loss of access to personal or public transportation
• Being a victim of a serious crime
• Natural disaster
• Change of major; A student cannot change their major more than 2 times as an extenuating circumstance for attempted excess units for a SAP appeal

Below are examples of conditions that DO NOT justify an appeal:

• A situation that could have been anticipated 
• Dissatisfaction with course material, instructor, instructional method, or course difficulty
• Lack of motivation, change in academic interests, or academic overload
• Participation in extracurricular activities (i.e. clubs, sororities, fraternities, sports, band)