DePaul University > Admission & Aid > Financial Aid > Maintain Eligibility > Satisfactory Academic Progress > Definitions and Terminology

Definitions and Terminology

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Terminology Related to Academic Credit

All credit-bearing course hours, including:

  • Transfer credit (regardless of whether they apply to your current DePaul degree requirements)
  • Credit earned through study abroad consortium or other consortium agreement is treated as transfer credit
  • Test credit
  • Other types of academic credit (such as military, PLA, AP)
  • Repeated courses

The policy requires that you maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) to remain eligible for financial aid. 

  • Undergraduate Students:  The minimum cumulative GPA requirement is 2.00.
  • Graduate/Professional Students:  The minimum cumulative GPA is 2.00, or higher if required by your graduate degree.

The quantitative component (or “completion rate”) requires you to complete at least two-thirds (66.67%) of all attempted credit hours. For example, if you attempt 12 credit hours a term, you are expected to complete at least 8 credit hours.

If you are assigned a financial aid probation status, or are completing a financial aid academic plan, you are expected to maintain a minimum term GPA of at least 2.50.  In some cases, a higher term GPA may be required to meet SAP. Your specific term requirements are located on the “View My FA Academic Progress” panel within your Financial Aid tile in Campus Connect.

Any course with a passing grade (A, B, C, D or PA) is successfully completed.

Any course with a non-passing grade (F, W, WA, FX, R, IN or M) is not successfully completed.

  • Incomplete (IN), Missing (M) and Research (R) grades: Grades of IN, M and R are not successfully completed until the final grade is submitted, in accordance with university grading policy.  Students must notify the SAP Committee of grade changes by emailing OFA_SAP@depaul.edu.
  • Withdrawal grades (W, WA, and FX): All withdrawal grades negatively impact quantitative (completion rate) and maximum timeframe. W and WA grades are not calculated in the grade point average; an FX, is calculated in the GPA as an F.
  • Pass grades (PA): PA grades are not calculated into your GPA. If you are below the minimum required GPA and you are on SAP warning, probation, or special SAP plan, you must take letter graded courses to improve your GPA to meet the minimum SAP standard. Aid may be suspended the following term if your GPA does not meet minimum SAP requirements. Students should refer to their View My FA Academic Progress panel in Campus Connect for GPA requirements.

Repeated and original course credits are both counted towards cumulative attempted credit hours. The repeat grade is treated in the cumulative GPA according to university policy. Refer to your Academic Catalog for more information on how repeated grades are calculated in your cumulative GPA.

Treatment of Repeated Coursework for Financial Aid Disbursement.

Audited courses do not earn academic credit and are not eligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. They are not evaluated in the review of your SAP.

Non-credit development courses do not earn academic credit and are not eligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid. They are not evaluated in the review of your SAP.

Terminology Related to Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses

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You are eligible to receive aid in this status.  Financial aid “warning” is assigned when you have fallen below the minimum thresholds of SAP:

  • cumulative GPA is below 2.00 (or higher if required by your graduate degree), or
  • completion rate is below 66.67% (you have completed fewer than 66.67% of attempted hours).

Failure to meet the minimum standards after your warning term will result in financial aid suspension.

You are not eligible to receive federal, state, and most institutional aid in this status. “Suspension” status is assigned if:

  • you fail to meet your progress requirements after a warning, probation or academic plan status
  • you are a readmitted student or first-time aid applicant whose prior coursework does not meet SAP requirements
  • you exceed the maximum timeframe
  • you cannot complete your degree within the 150% timeframe

The Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to suspend your aid if you withdraw completely or fail to complete all courses in a term.

If you are assigned a suspension status, you can appeal this status in Campus Connect.

A SAP appeal is a written request from a student submitted after aid is suspended.

Please review the Appeal Financial Aid Suspension section for more information.

Approved SAP appeals will be placed on a probationary status and you will be notified via email.

Probation lasts one term and you are expected to successfully complete all courses and earn the required minimum term GPA.

Meeting both cumulative GPA and completion rate after your probationary term places you back in good standing. You must continue to meet minimum SAP requirements in your future enrollment.

You may need more than one consecutive term to meet minimum SAP requirements. If after you meet your probationary requirements, but you don’t meet overall SAP requirements, you may continue onto Academic Plans 1 and 2.

By the end of Academic Plan 2, you must meet minimum SAP requirements, or you will be suspended.


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