In order to receive financial aid, you must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid purposes as defined by the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships. Our definition of SAP is different from the University's definition of being in good academic standing.

Federal regulations require all institutions which administer Title IV student assistance programs to monitor the academic progress towards a degree or certificate of students applying for funds. All Ohio University students who have completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and wish to be considered for Title IV federal and selected other types of assistance must meet the criteria stated in the policy regardless of whether or not they previously received aid. Programs governed by these regulations are:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Work Study (FWS)
• Federal Academic Competitiveness Grant
• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• National SMART Grant
• Federal TEACH Grant
• Federal Perkins Loan
• William D. Ford Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford Loan
• William D. Ford Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
• William D. Ford Federal Direct Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
• Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG)
• Ohio Instructional Grant
• Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency Grant (PHEAA)
• OU Bobcat Award
• Ohio University Grant (OUG)
• Ohio University Access Grant (OUAG)
• Regional Campus Grant
• Some Ohio University Long-term Loan and Short-term Loan Programs

Our definition of SAP has three components.

1. Accumulative grade point average (GPA). An undergraduate must have a 2.00 GPA and a graduate student must have a 3.00 GPA by the end of the second year in school.
2. Maximum time frame for completing a degree. An undergraduate student seeking an associate's degree may remain eligible through the first 135 hours of enrollment. An undergraduate student seeking an associate's degree in nursing may remain eligible through the first 164 hours of enrollment. A bachelor's degree student may remain eligible through the first 288 hours of undergraduate enrollment. A graduate student may remain eligible through the first 216 graduate credit hours of enrollment.
3. Minimum number of credit hours must be earned each quarter according to your enrollment status (full-time, three-quarter-time, half time, or less than half time).

Students are reviewed at the end of each spring quarter. A student who is found to be deficient in one or more components is put on warning status for the next school year. After a student has been on a warning status for a year and is still found to be deficient, the student is ineligible to continue to receive financial aid for the next school year. A student who is ineligible has the right to appeal if there are extenuating circumstances that contributed to the deficiency. Students wishing to appeal are encouraged to review the SAP Appeal Procedures. An appeal form can be obtained from the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, any Regional Campus Office of Student Services, or from this web site.