Undergraduate Maximum Time Frame (Max Credits)
Students receiving federal financial aid must adhere to the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy which mandates timely progression towards degree or certificate completion within an established timeframe. Undergraduates who exceed the designated threshold, typically aligned with or marginally above their program's duration, will face suspension of financial aid eligibility. To reassess eligibility and potentially resume aid, affected students are required to submit an SAP MAX Appeal form. This initiates a review process to determine if they may receive federal financial aid for the remaining portion of their academic journey.
Undergraduates must complete their degrees within 150% of the average length of their program. A student pursuing an associate’s degree that is 60 credits long would need to complete the degree within 90 attempted credits. Similarly, a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree requiring completion of 120 credits must meet the degree requirements within 180 attempted credits.
Policy Details
DegreeWorks plans included with the SAP MAX Appeal must detail required coursework required for completion of the degree in the fewest course attempts. We require the student to meet with their Academic Advisor to update DegreeWorks prior to submitting the SAP Max Appeal. Students can only receive aid for courses required for their program, which in most cases, would include an option but not a minor.
At the point in time that an undergraduate can no longer complete the degree within the required time frame, they are ineligible for federal aid even if they have not reached the limit. However, if a student can obtain their degree within a reasonable time frame, we can create a plan of study.
If a student only has one remaining course that is less than six credits, they will not be eligible for student loans for that semester. Therefore, students should plan accordingly.
Students in SAP MAX often have funding issues based on lifetime limits such as Pell Grant lifetime limits and/or Direct Loan borrowing limits. When a student reaches Pell Grant or Direct Loan borrowing limits, financial aid cannot be disbursed for those programs.
Undergraduates who are enrolled in dual degrees or dual majors must complete the requirements for one of the degrees in the required timeframe. Once the requirements for the first bachelor’s degree have been met, the student will be treated as a post-baccalaureate student for aid purposes regardless of whether they formally apply for graduation. In other words, a student only needs to meet the requirements for their first bachelor’s degree to be considered no longer eligible for funding as an undergraduate student.
Students who submit SAP MAX Appeal and have their eligibility reinstated must adhere to the plan of study. If the student does not pass all the classes or does not complete within the detailed timeline because they enroll in additional courses not in the plan risk having their aid suspended. In those cases, a second SAP MAX and DegreeWorks must be submitted. There is no guarantee that an SAP MAX Appeal would be approved. While the goal of federal financial aid is to fund your academic pursuits, there is a maximum time frame that cannot be purposely exceeded.