If you have been suspended from financial aid because of failure to
meet the minimum SAP requirements, and you feel that severe or unusual
circumstances have kept you from making progress toward your degree, you
may appeal.
To appeal, you must submit an online written appeal in Campus Connect.
Your appeal should include all of the items below. Additional
documentation may be requested by the committee in the review process. Appeals must be submitted by the seventh week of the term for which you
are seeking reinstatement. Exceptions are made only on an appeal basis
and not retroactive once the term has ended. Please refer to the Satisfactory Academic Progress FAQ for specific dates.
- You must explain the circumstances that kept you from meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards in the past.
- You must explain what has changed that will allow you to be
successful in the future. Include as many specifics as possible,
including your anticipated academic program completion date and the
estimated number of hours remaining for your degree or aid-eligible
non-degree graduate program.
- You must meet with your academic advisor to discuss your plan of
action. You will need to request your advisor to complete an online SAP
advisor support form, or you may print the Academic Advisor Support Form
from our website and request that your academic advisor complete the
statement when you meet together.
Additional appeal requirements for undergraduate students who
exceed the maximum timeframe: If you are an undergraduate student who
is nearing or has exceeded the maximum timeframe for undergraduate
study, you will need to provide additional documentation in your
appeal. Please contact the Office of Financial Aid counseling staff for
assistance.
The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Process
Satisfactory Academic Progress appeals are reviewed within 14
days, provided that all necessary documentation is received. You should
receive an email with the outcome of your appeal within 14 days
of your submission of a complete appeal.
Financial Aid Probation/Academic Plan: Terms Following Suspension
A successful appeal for reinstatement after a financial aid suspension will result in the following:
- A probationary term in which specified term requirements must be met;
- An additional two monitoring terms, at the end of which you will be
expected to be fully meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress
requirements, both in terms of GPA and completion rate. These monitoring
terms are referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress Term 1 and 2
(SAP Academic Plan 1 and SAP Academic Plan 2).
Special Situations
Readmitted Students
Readmitted students are required to meet the Satisfactory Academic
Progress Policy requirements. If you are returning to DePaul after an
absence, and your former coursework would indicate that you are below
the minimum progress requirements, you will need to appeal for
reinstatement for your student aid eligibility by submitting a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form for Readmitted Students (PDF) explaining:
- You must explain the circumstances that kept you from meeting the satisfactory academic progress standards in the past.
- You must explain your plan for corrective action — that is, tell us
what changes you have made that will allow you to be successful in the
future.
- You must describe your current educational objective and your plan
for successfully achieving this goal at DePaul University. If you are
transferring in new academic credit, please explain how the transfer
credit relates to your current educational objective at DePaul.
First-Time Financial Aid Applicants
Current students who apply for financial aid are required to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements. If you are a currently enrolled student and you are applying for financial aid for the first time, and your coursework does not meet the minimum academic progress requirements, you will need to complete a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal, as explained in the appeal process above.
Undergraduate Students Who Exceed the Maximum Timeframe
In general, accepted transfer credit hours are included in SAP measurements regardless of the treatment of courses in the student's current DePaul degree requirements. However, a student approaching the maximum timeframe because of transfer hours that do not apply to his/her DePaul degree program may appeal for a maximum timeframe review: in these situations, a student's cumulative attempted hours may be recomputed based on the transfer hours that apply toward the student’s DePaul degree. If you are an undergraduate student and you wish to submit a maximum timeframe appeal, you should complete the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal process, as explained in the appeal process above.
Students Who Withdraw
The Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to suspend students who completely withdraw — i.e., students who fail to demonstrate any measurable progress within a given term. If you withdraw completely or fail to complete all of your courses in a term, you may be suspended and asked to appeal.
Undergraduate Students Pursuing a Second Major or Additional Minor
Undergraduate students pursuing a second major or an additional minor
are subject to the Program Completion Requirements explained in the
Overview of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (above,
Requirement 3). A student who has completed the requirements for a first
bachelor’s degree (even if the student has not applied for graduation
and/or the degree is not officially conferred) is no longer eligible for
federal and state financial aid programs that are restricted to one
undergraduate degree. These include the Federal Pell Grant, Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) and the State of
Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP Grant).
For more detailed information, please see our Satisfactory Academic Progress FAQ.
Second Undergraduate Degree
Students pursuing a second undergraduate degree are eligible only for federal student loans at the undergraduate level.
Students seeking a second undergraduate degree are subject to the maximum timeframe component for undergraduate study. In general, this is 288 credit hours. Students who reach this timeframe and wish to appeal should follow the maximum timeframe appeal explained in Section Three. Once it has been determined that a student pursuing a second undergraduate degree has fulfilled the enrollment requirements for the second undergraduate degree, the student is no longer eligible for federal or state financial aid. See Program Completion Requirements, explained in the Overview of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy (above, Requirement 3).