Satisfactory Academic Progress
The U.S. Department of Education requires that students receiving federal financial aid meet the UMass Amherst academic status standards ensuring academic progress toward a degree or certificate program of study.
Financial Aid Services monitors Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the end of each semester, including summer for all students regardless of whether or not the student receives aid. At the conclusion of each semester, students who do not meet the minimum SAP requirements are notified and either placed on Financial Aid Warning (FA Warning) or Financial Aid SAP Not Meet (FA SAP Not Meet). Please note: students on FA Warning have one semester to meet minimum SAP eligibility requirements or will be determined as SAP Not Meet the next semester.
SAP Minimum Qualitative and Quantitative Requirements
Undergraduate Students:
- Must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 after four semesters and subsequent semesters.
- Must have earned the minimum cumulative credits as outlined in the chart below and earn their degree within 10 semesters.
Graduate Students:
- Must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) for all semesters.
- Must earn degree credits and completion requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin, and defined by the Statue of Limitations established during the acceptance process.
All coursework is included in the SAP review. This includes coursework completed as a non-degree student and coursework prior to re-admission.
Transfer, AP, dual enrollment, and CLEP credits are included in the 10 semester SAP review.
The treatment of incomplete, withdrawal and repetition of coursework is outlined in the Academic Regulations maintained by the University Registrar.
This chart illustrates the minimum credits a student should complete after each semester:
| Total Semesters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Minimum Earned Credits | 5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 75 | 90 | 105 | 120 |
(This chart is for financial aid purposes only, individual majors, academic scholarships and other aid sources may have more rigorous requirements.)
SAP Status and Financial Aid Eligibility
Students placed on FA Warning are eligible for financial aid consideration to not need to appeal.
Students placed on FA SAP Not Meet are no longer eligible for financial aid and may submit a SAP appeal if there are extenuating circumstances to be considered for financial aid for one semester.
Readmitted students that were not meeting the minimum SAP requirements previously are placed on FA SAP Not Meet and may submit a SAP appeal if there are extenuating circumstances to be considered for financial aid for one semester.
Student s who have been determined by the dean to have completed the degree requirements for a first major, but wish to continue to complete a second major, and have a SAP appeal approved will have aid eligibility for a second bachelor student (loan only).
See Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) appeal form for information regarding annual appeal deadlines.
Appealing for continued financial aid consideration
Students with extenuating circumstances and support from their academic dean can appeal for one semester of financial aid eligibility.
- The student must meet with their academic dean to establish an academic plan which will enable the student to regain SAP, and submit a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal (SAPA) form.
- The student must submit a letter to Financial Aid Services explaining the extenuating circumstances which led to their current academic standing.
- Third-party documentation supporting the appeal is recommended. Examples of extenuating circumstances and recommended documentation can be found on page two.
If the appeal is approved, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Academic Plan (FA Academic Plan) and will be eligible for financial aid consideration for one semester.
Students who were on FA Academic Plan and continue not meeting the minimum SAP requirements will be placed on SAP Not Meet. The student must meet with their academic dean to ensure that they have made progress on their established academic plan and provide a new SAPA form to Financial Aid Services. The student may then be placed on FA Academic Plan again and considered for financial aid.
Examples of Extenuating Circumstances and Recommended Documentation:
This is not all-inclusive; there may be other types of documentation that are acceptable. Be sure the dates of the documentation coincide with the dates of attendance at UMass Amherst and the terms that have impacted the academic performance. Extenuating circumstances that may be considered include death in the family, illness, accident, or other academic performance factors beyond the student’s control. Submitting an appeal with supporting documentation does not guarantee the appeal will be approved.
| Reason for appeal: | Recommended documentation: |
| Medical condition or illness | Doctor’s note (on letterhead) and/ or hospital records |
| Death of an immediate relative | Obituary notice and/ or death certificate AND explain the relationship between student and deceased. |
| Divorce or separation | Complete divorce decree, signed letter from an attorney (on letterhead), signed statement from counselor or therapist. |
| Military service | Copy of the military orders, DD-214, showing dates of service, or a letter from the commanding officer describing the dates and duration of service. |
Readmission following suspension or under the UMass Amherst FRESH START Program | Submit a letter explaining in detail the nature and dates of the suspension/withdrawal and the personal circumstances that led to the suspension or withdrawal. |
| Other extenuating circumstances | Provide documentation to support the extenuating circumstances, explaining why the situation was beyond the student's control, why it impacted the student's academic performance, and how the circumstance has changed to allow the student to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standard if the SAP appeal is approved. |
Once the student and academic Dean have completed the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal via Docusign, it will be sent to Financial Aid Services for review for the semester indicated on the form. Students will be informed of their SAP status after review of the appeal, with a determination if they are eligible to receive financial aid for that term.