What is Satisfactory Academic Progress?
Oregon State University is required to establish standards for measuring Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for students to be eligible for Title IV (federal) aid in accordance with the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended by Congress. A student must meet the requirements of the financial aid SAP policy to be eligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid assistance at OSU. Below will is a general overview of the policy. For complete Satisfactory Academic Policy details, please review our complete SAP Policy.
Satisfactory Academic Progress requires financial aid recipients to meet the following 3 criteria*. You are held to this standard regardless of whether you have received financial aid in the past:
- Meet minimum cumulative OSU grade point averages (GPA).
- Satisfactorily complete at least 67% of cumulative credit hours attempted (Pace).
- Complete a degree/certificate program within the maximum time frame of credit hours allowed (MTF).
*A student that is suspended then reinstated at any time by the University will be considered ineligible for further aid even if they are meeting all other requirements.
Grade Point Average (qualitative)
You must meet the OSU minimum GPA of 2.0 undergraduate/post-baccalaureate, 2.25 DVM, 2.5 PharmD, and all other Graduate Programs 3.0 in order to retain your eligibility. This is based on your OSU GPA, not your overall GPA. If you are in the Degree Partnership Program be advised that coursework completed at the community college WILL NOT impact your GPA for Satisfactory Academic Progress purposes. Also, the OSU grade received for the third retake of a course is excluded for GPA improvement purposes. See the Academic Regulations Repeated Courses Section for more information.
Completion Rate/PACE (quantitative)
You must complete at least 67% of ALL attempted coursework (including courses from the community college). Your Pace is your EARNED HOURS/TOTAL ATTEMPTED HOURS. For example, 67 earned/120 attempted=55.8%. Your pace of completion will go down if you withdraw from courses, do not pass courses, take remedial coursework (non-college level classes like MTH 95), retake a previously passed course, or retake a course for the third time. See the Academic Regulations Repeated Courses Section for more information.
Maximum Timeframe
You have 150% of the published time it takes to receive your degree to complete it and remain eligible for financial aid. For example, a Bachelor’s Degree requires 180 credit hours to complete, which means you would have a TOTAL of 270 hours to complete your degree before you are no longer eligible to receive financial aid.
Appealing for an MTF extension does not impact the federal aggregate aid limits. Once the aggregate limits are reached an MTF extension would have no impact on extending federal aid eligibility. Find more on our Aid Limits for Undergraduates page.
Maximum Timeframe Completion Chart:
| Degree Program | Maximum Time Frame |
|---|---|
| First Bachelor’s Degree | 270 |
| Biology, Chemical, or Environmental Engineering | 288 |
| International or Education Double Degree | 318 |
| Forest-Civil Engineering Double Degree | 365 |
| 2nd or 3rd Bachelor’s Degree | 135 |
| Sustainability Double Degree | 324 |
| Innovation Management Double Degree | 324 |
| Computer Science Double Degree | 360 |
| Master’s Degree | 127 |
| Ph.D. | 210 |
| Ph.D. College of Science | 285 |
| Doctor of Pharmacy | 246 |
| Doctor of Veterinary Medicine | 265 |
Sign in to the Financial Aid Self-Service portal in the top right-hand corner of this page and go to the "Satisfactory Academic Progress" tab.
*Please review our Repeating Coursework page for additional information on how repeats impact Pace and GPA.
Satisfactory Academic Progress is monitored at the end of each term and students will receive an email to their OSU student email address regarding their status for the upcoming term. The current SAP status will also be available to you through MyOregonState. Students meeting the GPA and Pace components of the SAP policy are considered to be in GOOD standing and retain their aid eligibility (except as noted below).
You will be placed on financial aid WARNING if you were meeting the requirements in the prior term but are now not meeting this policy's GPA or PACE measures. If you are on financial aid warning, you may continue to receive financial aid for one term. If you fail to meet the SAP standards by the end of your warning term you will be placed in an INELIGIBLE status. If you are in an INELIGIBLE status you will be notified that future financial aid disbursements will be terminated. Students in the following status at any time will become INELIGIBLE for financial aid:
- Suspended by the University
- Exceeded maximum time frame for degree
You may submit an appeal for a review of your circumstances to reinstate your financial aid eligibility, or you may attend without the benefit of financial aid until you reach the SAP policy standards.
How am I notified?
Satisfactory Academic Progress standing is calculated at the end of each term. Students will receive an email to their OSU student email address regarding their aid eligibility for the upcoming term. The current SAP status will be displayed in the Financial Aid Self-Service Portal for students to access as well. Students meeting the GPA and Pace components of the SAP policy are considered to be in GOOD standing and retain their aid eligibility (except as noted below).
You will be placed on financial aid WARNING if you were meeting the requirements in the prior term but are now not meeting the GPA or PACE measures of this policy. If you are on financial aid warning, you may continue to receive financial aid for one term. If you fail to meet the SAP standards by the end of your warning term, you will be placed in an aid INELIGIBLE status. If you are in an INELIGIBLE status, you will be sent a notification that future financial aid disbursements will be terminated. Additionally, students in the following status at any time will become INELIGIBLE for financial aid:
- Suspended by the University
- Exceeded maximum time frame for degree
You may submit an appeal for a review of your circumstances to reinstate your financial aid eligibility, or you may attend without the benefit of financial aid until you reach the SAP policy standards.
How can I appeal?
Sign in to the Financial Aid Self-Service portal in the top right-hand corner of this page and go to the "Satisfactory Academic Progress" tab. You will find the link to complete a SAP appeal through your portal. A complete appeal must be received no later than the end of week 7 for current term financial aid reinstatement consideration. Appeals received after week 7 will be considered for future term reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.
You will need to submit a personal statement along with any documentation you have to support your appeal. If you will require more than one term to reach the required Pace or GPA, you will need to create a multi-term plan in MyDegrees, approved and locked by your academic advisor, that shows the terms and courses you will be taking to meet SAP.
For a Maximum Timeframe (MTF) Appeal, we will need to know the total number of remaining credits you must take to achieve your primary degree. Those courses must be included in an academic plan from your advisor as part of your appeal. We CANNOT consider coursework needed to earn a minor or double major for an MTF extension. In most cases, only one extension may be granted. Second MTF appeals are only considered in the most extenuating circumstances.
Important: Repeated coursework must be identified on all academic plans. Please review our Repeating Coursework Page for additional information on how repeats affect Pace and GPA.