Eligibility for financial aid is terminated if a student takes longer than 150% of the established time to complete his/her course of study. Full-time undergraduate students cannot take more than six years to meet their degree requirements, nor can they attempt more than 180 credits to meet their degree requirements.
Eligibility for financial aid for part-time students and graduate students will be terminated if they take longer than 150% of the established time for their particular program of study.
Quantitative Measure
Undergraduate students must successfully complete 120 academic credits toward their degree to graduate. To meet financial satisfactory progress, a full-time student must cumulatively complete 67% of all credits attempted by the end of each semester. This is approximately 10 credits per semester. Part-time students must also successfully complete 67% of all credits attempted, or approximately 5 credits per semester.
Qualitative Measure
All students must achieve the following grade point average (GPA) to maintain financial aid satisfactory academic progress.
1 to 24 credits must hold a GPA of 1.65
25 to 59 credits must hold a GPA of 1.85
60 or more credits must hold a GPA of 2.00
Transfer and Repeat Credits
Transfer credits accepted by Chestnut Hill College toward the student’s degree are considered as both attempted and completed for purposes of measuring the student’s rate of completion.
Failure to Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
A student’s satisfactory academic progress is measured at the end of each semester. Students who do not meet the satisfactory academic progress measure described above will be put on “Financial Aid Warning.” The student will keep this Warning Status for one full semester, during which he/she is expected to bring their academic standing up to the required standard. The student may receive financial aid for this semester. If the student succeeds in bringing his/her academic standing to the appropriate level, he/she will continue to be eligible for federal financial aid. However, if the student fails to meet the satisfactory academic progress measure at the end of the “Warning Period,” he/she will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and no longer be eligible for federal financial aid.
Appealing the Financial Aid Measure of Academic Progress
A student who fails to meet satisfactory academic progress after having a Warning Period may appeal to have his/her financial aid continued. A student may appeal this decision to the Financial Aid Academic Appeal Committee (FAAAC) one time. The appeal will require the student to complete and submit the Financial Aid Academic Appeal Form. A student will also be required to indicate the circumstances that prohibited successful completion of their coursework. If supporting documentation is available to substantiate those circumstances, a student should also supply copies to Student Financial Services. As a federal requirement, a student must consult their academic advisor to establish their academic plan for future success. The FAAAC will determine if the appeal is granted and then notify the student.
If an appeal is granted, a student will be placed on a probationary period for one semester. At the end of this semester, the student’s grades will be reviewed to determine if they are making academic progress and adhering to their academic recovery plan. A review will take place on a semester basis until the student meets the SAP standards. If SAP recovery requires more than one semester, the FAAAC will determine, on a case by case basis, if the duration of probation should be for two semesters. If an appeal is denied, a student will be ineligible for financial aid thus responsible for changes incurred. If a student attains satisfactory academic progress after that point, future financial aid can be considered.