2.9 Academic Standing and Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

Board Policies
Chapter 2 -Students

Part 1. Introduction
Measurement of student progress toward achievement of an academic award is an important activity in higher education. Measurement provides feedback to students and ensures responsible action by colleges and universities regarding effective use of state and federal resources.

Student academic progress must also be monitored to ensure compliance with student financial aid regulations. Students within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities are often enrolled in more than one institution and they frequently transfer. Therefore, college and university financial aid satisfactory academic progress policies should be as uniform as possible, consistent with individual college and university missions.

Part 2. Definition

Academic forgiveness
Attempted credits and grades earned that are not used in the calculation of a student’s grade point average (GPA) in an evaluation for academic standing. Also known as academic amnesty, academic forgiveness, academic renewal, and fresh start.

Academic standing
The minimum GPA standards students must meet to retain enrollment eligibility at the college or university.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (Financial Aid SAP)
A set of standards students must meet to retain state and federal financial aid eligibility: maintaining a minimum GPA, completing the required percentage of attempted credits, and completing their program of study within its maximum timeframe.

Part 3. Academic Standing
Students must meet established academic standards, at the end of each term, to maintain good academic standing to continue enrollment at a college or university. Policy 2.9 applies to all students enrolled in credit bearing courses. Academic Standing has the same GPA standards as Financial Aid SAP.

College and university academic programs may have additional academic standards for acceptance, continued enrollment, or program completion (graduation). For additional information, see System Procedure 2.9.1 Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress and System Procedure 2.9.2 Academic Standing.

Colleges and universities may provide for reinstatement to enroll in classes following academic suspension under conditions different from those required for financial aid reinstatement.

Part 4. Financial Aid SAP
Students must meet Financial Aid SAP standards to be eligible for federal or state financial aid. Financial SAP applies to all students whether or not they are receiving financial aid. The Financial Aid SAP standards must be as strict as, or stricter than, the Academic Standing standards. Financial Aid SAP has the same GPA standards as Academic Standing. See System Procedure 2.9.1 Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress and System Procedure 2.9.2 Academic Standing.

Part 5. Undergraduate Academic Forgiveness
Academic forgiveness is only permitted for undergraduate courses and may be offered through System Procedure 2.9.2 Academic Standing. Academic forgiveness is never allowed under System Procedure 2.9.1 Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Policy History:

Date of Adoption: 09/20/95
Date of Implementation: 09/20/95
Date of Last Review: 06/17/26

Date & Subject of Amendments:

06/17/26 - Full review, removed requirement that colleges and universities create their own SAP policy. Amended Policy 2.9 to be the Financial Aid SAP and Academic Standing policy for all colleges and universities. The amendment aligns the policy with Workday requirements.

03/17/21 – Added new Part 2 definition section and definition of academic amnesty. Clarified academic amnesty in Part 3, and added “designee” in Part 5.

05/18/16 - Amended to better clarified the policy language to align with federal rules and applied the new formatting and writing styles which resulted in multiple technical edits.

Additional HISTORY

2.9 Academic Standing and Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress

Related Documents:

Policy History: