Definitions and Terminology
- Definitions and Terminology
- SAP Appeal
Academic Credit and GPA
Attempted Credit Hours
All credit-bearing course hours are included, such as:
- Transfer credit (including study abroad, joint programs, and credits that may not apply to your current DePaul degree requirements)
- Test credit
- Other academic credit (e.g., military credit, advanced placement, prior learning assessment, etc.)
- Repeated courses
Required cumulative GPA
To remain eligible for financial aid, you must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA):
- Undergraduate Students: A cumulative GPA of 2.000 or higher is required.
- Graduate/Professional Students: A cumulative GPA must meet or exceed the minimum required for graduation from your program.
Required term GPA
If your SAP appeal is approved or you are following a SAP academic plan, you are required to achieve a term GPA of 2.500 or higher. You can find your specific term requirements in Campus Connect.
Required minimum course completion rate
You must successfully complete at least two-thirds (66.67%) of your total attempted credit hours. This includes all courses you remain enrolled in after the last day to drop classes. Every course listed on your transcript—such as those with W’s, F’s, or other grade notations—is factored into this calculation. Incomplete grades do not count as successful completions until a final grade is assigned and will negatively affect your course completion rate while they remain incomplete.
Successfully Completed Credit Hours
- Successfully Completed Courses: Any course with a passing grade (A, B, C, D, or PA) is considered successfully completed.
- Non-Passing Courses: Any course with a grade of F, W, WA, FX, R, RG, IN, ING, AU, or M is not considered successfully completed.
- Incomplete (IN, ING), Missing (M), and Research (R, RG) Grades: These are not considered complete until a final grade is submitted, as per university grading policy.
- Withdrawal Grades (W, WA, FX): These negatively affect your completion rate and maximum timeframe. W and WA grades are not factored into your GPA, but an FX is calculated as an F.
- Pass Grades (PA): PA grades are not included in your GPA calculation. If your GPA is below the required minimum and you are on SAP warning, probation, or an academic plan, you must take letter-graded courses to improve your GPA. Failure to meet the minimum SAP GPA requirements may result in aid suspension for the following term. Students on probation or an academic plan should review their GPA requirements in Campus Connect.
Repeated Courses
Both repeated and original course credits are included in your cumulative attempted credit hours. The grade for the repeated course is factored into your cumulative GPA in accordance with university policy. For details on how repeated grades are calculated in your GPA, please refer to your Academic Catalog. Financial aid regulations limit the number of times a student can repeat a course and still receive federal or state financial aid for that course.
Courses Taken for Audit
Audited courses do not provide academic credit and are not eligible for federal, state, or institutional financial aid. Additionally, they are not considered in the evaluation of your SAP.
Non-Credit Developmental Courses
Non-credit developmental courses do not earn academic credit and are ineligible for federal, state, or institutional financial aid. They are also not included in the evaluation of your SAP.
Satisfactory Academic Progress Statuses
Meeting SAP
When you are Meeting SAP, you are eligible to receive financial aid. This means you are successfully meeting all three SAP components.
Warning
You remain eligible for financial aid while on Warning. This status is assigned during your first term not meeting SAP, and no appeal is required. You may be placed on Warning if:
- Your cumulative GPA falls below the minimum required for your academic career, or
- You have not successfully completed at least 66.67% of the total courses you’ve attempted.
The Warning period lasts for one term. If you meet SAP requirements by the end of the Warning term, you will regain eligibility for aid in the following term. However, if you do not meet SAP requirements after the Warning term, you will become ineligible for aid. At that point, you may submit an appeal. If your appeal is approved, your aid will be reinstated, but approval is not guaranteed.
Not Meeting SAP
When you are Not Meeting SAP, you are ineligible for financial aid. This status is assigned if:
- You fail to meet one or more SAP requirements after your Warning term,
- You do not meet the conditions of an approved appeal during a term on Probation or an academic plan,
- You are a returning student or first-time aid applicant whose prior coursework does not meet SAP requirements, or
- You have exceeded or cannot complete your degree within the maximum timeframe.
If you are Not Meeting SAP, you may submit an appeal by the deadline. However, submitting an appeal does not guarantee the reinstatement of your financial aid eligibility.
Probation
You are eligible for financial aid while on Probation. This status is granted to students whose SAP appeal has been approved by the SAP Appeal Committee. During Probation, the committee will set specific term GPA and course completion requirements to help you meet SAP. If you meet SAP requirements by the end of your Probation term, you will remain eligible for aid in the following term.
Academic Plan
You are eligible for financial aid while on an Academic Plan. This status applies to students whose SAP appeal was approved in a prior term but require more than one term to meet SAP requirements. The SAP Appeal Committee will establish term GPA and course completion requirements to help you progress toward meeting SAP. If you fail to meet these requirements, you will lose aid eligibility for the following term unless you submit a new appeal explaining why you could not meet the requirements, and the appeal is approved. As with all appeals, approval is not guaranteed.