Satisfactory Academic Progress
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is required of a financial aid recipient to fulfill a specified educational objective within a specific time frame as defined by the institution. All students must meet these requirements, regardless of whether or not they previously received financial aid.
According to federal regulations, effective July 1, 2011, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has established the following SAP standards that must be met in order to receive federal and state financial assistance. For more information, view our FAQ.
All NSU students must continuously meet the following four criteria in order to maintain SAP for financial aid eligibility.
Qualitative Measure (Grade Point Average)
Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) in order to receive financial aid during their course of study.
Quantitative Measure (Annual Credits)
Students must successfully complete a minimum of 66.7 percent (rounded from 2/3) of all attempted credits each academic year. Please note that repeat and incomplete courses are counted toward the quantitative measurement.
Quantitative formula:
Successfully completed credits
Attempted credits
Maximum Timeframe Measurement (Total Allowable Credits)
Students must complete their degree requirements within 150 percent of the published length of their program (number of credits needed to complete degree requirements). For example, a program requiring 120 credits to graduate will be limited to 180 credits of financial aid eligibility. All coursework is counted including, but not limited to, repeat and incomplete coursework, transfer credits, and coursework completed for a prior degree or major for which a degree was not conferred.
Pace (Overall Credits Completed)
Students must successfully complete a minimum of 66.7 percent of all courses attempted within their academic degree level (undergraduate, graduate, first professional, etc). Students who do not meet pace are not eligible to receive financial aid. Pace is calculated annually to determine if the student is making the necessary progression to complete the degree program within the maximum timeframe.
Pace formula:
Cumulative successfully completed credits
Cumulative attempted credits
Important: All credits are part of the calculation, including, but not limited to, repeat and incomplete coursework, transfer credits, and coursework completed for a prior degree or major for which a degree was not conferred. The only time a student may start over is after a degree is conferred.
Please note: Students interested in receiving state aid (such as the Florida Resident Access Grant, Florida Student Assistance Grant, or Florida Bright Futures Scholarship) must also meet the state SAP standards established for each aid program.
For your specific program requirements, click on your program level below:
- Qualitative Measure: Min. GPA 2.00
- Quantitative Measure: at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
- Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
- Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits
- Qualitative Measure Min. GPA 3.00 or 80 percent (for programs with a numeric grading system)
Exceptions:
Program Min. Cumulative GPA/Percent Anesthesiologist Assistant 2.00 or 75 percent Occupational Therapy 2.00 or 75 percent Pharmaceutical Affairs 2.00 or 75 percent Physician Assistant
Minimum2.00 or 75 percent Dental Minimum 70 percent or passing grades in all Pass/Fail coursework. Students with a combination of grade types must meet both criteria. - Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
Exception: Programs that grade using a Pass/Fail system, such as the Doctor of Health Science, Dual Health Science-MHS/DHS, and Doctor of Allopathic Medicine programs, require successful completion of 100 percent of all credits attempted annually. - Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
- Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits
- Qualitative Measure
- Qualitative Measure: Min. GPA 3.00 for all programs
- Exception: Computer and Information Sciences. Min. GPA 3.25 for students who began in the spring 2007 semester or after
- Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU.
- Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program.
- Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits
- Qualitative Measure (GPA)
Program Min. Cumulative GPA/Percent Dental Predoctoral, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Pharmacy 2.00 or 70 percent Occupational Therapy - Hybrid in Tampa, Physical Therapy—Hybrid Entry Level and Entry Level 2.00 or 75 percent Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Nursing 3.00 or 80 percent Allopathic Medicine, Health Science Passing grade in all coursework Dental Postdoctoral 70 percent or passing grade in all pass/fail coursework Students with a combination of grade types must meet both criteria. - Quantitative Measure: Successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU. Exception: Pharmacy students must also successfully pass all repeated courses.
- Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
- Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits for your program
- Qualitative Measure
Minimum cumulative GPA at the time of annual SAP evaluation:
Min. GPA 2.00 if admitted prior to Fall 2019
Min. GPA 2.25 if admitted after Fall 2019
- Quantitative Measure: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all credits attempted annually at NSU
- Maximum Timeframe: financial aid limited to 150 percent of the published length of your program
- Pace: successful completion of at least 66.7 percent of all attempted credits
Transfer Credit
NSU will count transfer credits and advanced placement hours accepted toward a student's educational program as both attempted and successfully completed hours. These credits will be included in pace and maximum timeframe calculations, but excluded from the annual qualitative and quantitative measurement calculation.
Attempted Credits
All credits are part of the calculation, including, but not limited to, repeat and incomplete coursework, transfer credits, and coursework completed for a prior degree, certificate or major for which a degree or certificate was not conferred, regardless of receiving financial aid.
Incompletes and Withdrawals
Courses with incomplete and withdrawal grades at the time of the SAP review count as attempted hours but are not counted as successfully completed hours. An incomplete grade that is converted at a later time will be considered during the next annual SAP review.
Repeat Courses
Courses that are repeated will count in attempted hours. Repeated courses that are excluded from the academic record will not count as successfully completed hours or in the GPA calculation.
Drop Courses
Credits for courses that are dropped without attendance are not counted as attempted credits. All other credits for dropped courses will count as attempted credits. Dropped courses do not count as successfully completed credits.
SAP Determination
The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) evaluates SAP for all students at the end of the final semester of their current academic year to determine financial aid eligibility for the next academic year. In addition, student academic progress is reviewed mid-year to alert students who may be in danger of failing SAP. Students who have failed to meet federal SAP requirements are ineligible to receive any federal or state financial aid for the upcoming academic year.
| Academic Year | Mid-Year Review | SAP Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| three semester programs (Fall/Winter/Summer) |
January | end of the final semester of a student’s enrollment in the academic year |
| three-semester programs (Summer/Fall/Winter) |
August/September | end of the final semester of a student’s enrollment in the academic year |
| four-term programs (Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring) |
January | end of the final semester of a student’s enrollment in the academic year |
| two-semester programs | January | end of the final semester of a student’s enrollment in the academic year |
SAP Notification
Students who are not making SAP at the mid-year evaluation will receive an email to their NSU email addresses to alert them of their SAP status. Students who have failed to meet SAP at the end-of-year evaluation will receive a notification to their NSU email addresses and a letter sent to their preferred mailing addresses displayed in Self-Service Banner (SSB).
Students may also view their academic progress status online by following the steps below:
- Login to SharkLink using your user name and password.
- Click on the "Finances" tab and select "View Satisfactory Academic Progress."
SAP Appeal
A student with extenuating circumstances may appeal the denial of student financial assistance by submitting a SAP Appeal Form within 60 days from the day the failure notice was sent. The appeal must be made in writing, addressed to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee in care of the Office of Student Financial Assistance, and include the following documentation:
- Completed Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form describing why the student has failed SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to successfully meet SAP in the future
- A physician's note if the appeal is based on medical circumstances. In accordance with HIPAA privacy rules, documentation should never include medical records or copies of prescriptions.
- Additional supporting documents, if appropriate
A student's appeal may be approved on a probationary basis for one semester, as long as it is feasible for the student to meet all SAP requirements within one semester. If not, an academic plan must also be included with the appeal.
Late appeals will not be accepted. Generally, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will only approve one appeal per academic degree.
SAP Academic Plan
If a student is unable to feasibly meet all SAP requirements within one semester, an academic plan must be developed with the student's academic advisor. The academic plan will outline grade and credit requirements that will allow the student to successfully meet SAP. If necessary, the academic plan may extend beyond the current academic year. If SAP failure was based on the quantitative measure only, it is not necessary to establish an academic plan. If SAP failure was based on the maximum timeframe measure, the student must complete all credits required for degree completion by the end of the last semester of the academic plan.
Under an academic plan, a student's progress will be monitored at the end of each semester in order to ensure that the student is progressing according to the requirements of the plan. As long as the student is progressing accordingly, the student will remain eligible for financial aid. If the student is not meeting the requirements of the plan, the student will not be eligible to receive financial aid until all components of SAP have been met.