SAP Components
There are three components to SAP. If you do not comply with any component, you may lose aid eligibility. The three components are as follows:
Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA)
Completion Rate (Deficit Hours)
You must successfully complete at least a minimum percentage of all credit hours attempted. This percentage includes all institutional and transfer credit hours, regardless of whether you received financial aid. Grades of W, D, F, I, U, Q, X, NG, and grade exclusions are not considered to be adequate grades for completion.
Maximum Hours (Excessive Hours)
You are expected to complete your degree pursuits within a maximum timeframe, including transfer hours earned as well as institutional attempted hours. You may not receive financial assistance beyond the following:
- Graduate Students: 150% of degree program requirements
Credit hours are cumulative. If you are working towards earning more than one degree in the same category (e.g., double major), you may reach this maximum timeframe before completing your course of study and may need to appeal eligibility.
SAP Warnings
If you do not meet SAP standards for a semester, you will be given a warning at the end of the semester. You will be allowed to receive financial aid for the next semester. If you fail to meet the SAP components after your warning semester, you will be ineligible for financial aid. If you do not meet SAP minimums after your warning semester, you will be given the opportunity to appeal. This appeal process is outlined below.
SAP Notifications
Students who fail to meet minimum SAP standards are not eligible to receive financial aid. Students will be notified of the reason(s) for the loss of eligibility through an email sent to their TAMU email address as well as via the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal.
Students may appeal their ineligibility by providing information on extenuating circumstances, indicating what has changed to allow successful academic progress. However, the submission of an appeal is only a request and does not guarantee that scholarship or financial aid eligibility will be reinstated. The appeal must be submitted online through the
Howdy Portal. Click the My Finances tab and enter the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal. Students should provide evidence of the extenuating circumstances that occurred. For more information, please review the "Appeals Process" section. Please note that the financial aid appeal process is different from college/department academic appeal processes. Scholarships may require a separate appeal process.
Students who graduate from Texas A&M University but do not meet Scholarships & Financial Aid SAP minimums will be denied aid eligibility for additional coursework taken at the same degree level (i.e. teacher certification or post-baccalaureate work), but may visit with a Scholarships & Financial Aid advisor to determine continuing eligibility. Academic progress for students beginning a new degree level (i.e. undergraduate to graduate or undergraduate to professional) will be evaluated based on coursework/performance at the new level.
Changes to recorded grades that take place after SAP evaluation has occurred will be included in the next official SAP evaluation at the end of the subsequent semester. If a grading error is corrected after the SAP evaluation was completed, students may contact our office by phone, email, or in person to request a recalculation of SAP status using the corrected grade. Recalculations will not be done when an Incomplete (I) grade is updated once missing work is completed.
SAP Appeal Process
If extenuating circumstances have prevented you from meeting the minimum Satisfactory Academic Progress standards required for financial aid eligibility, federal regulations provide you the opportunity to appeal the loss of your eligibility.
If an appeal is granted, you will be placed on financial aid probation and asked to follow an academic plan that will lead to meeting minimum SAP requirements in the future. If you do not meet the terms of probation, eligibility for financial aid will cease and all remaining aid will be cancelled. Subsequent appeals of the same nature are not permitted. Once you fail to meet the terms of your academic plan and lose eligibility, the only way to regain eligibility for financial aid is to meet the SAP minimum requirements.
Appeal Process
To facilitate this appeal opportunity for exceeding Maximum Hours or not meeting Completion Rates, please follow the steps below:
- Visit the Howdy Portal and access the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal channel on the My Finances tab to review the qualifications and file the appeal form.
- Print the Academic Advisor Appeal Questionnaire form and meet with your Academic Advisor to have this completed. Return to the portal to upload it.
- Once Steps 1-2 are complete, a link will be provided in your portal to schedule an appeal appointment. At this appointment you will discuss options for your academic success and financial aid.
Note: Completion of the steps listed above does not guarantee your appeal will be granted.