Satisfactory academic progress is defined as successfully proceeding toward completion of degree requirements. Hofstra University’s Financial Aid Office is required by federal regulations to evaluate students’ progress toward meeting their degree requirements to determine whether they remain eligible for federal aid. The official student record as maintained by the Office of Academic Records is reviewed to determine a student’s compliance with this policy. Satisfactory academic progress is reviewed on an academic year basis, which typically occurs for the majority of students at the conclusion of the spring semester. Students enrolled in the Paralegal Studies certificate program will be evaluated at the midpoint of their program.
This policy pertains only to federal student aid recipients. A recipient of Hofstra University institutional scholarships and grants must meet the eligibility requirements for renewal as listed in the University Bulletin and on the website: click here. The New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), as well as any other state-sponsored program, has its own progress policies. The progress requirements for TAP are located on the website: click here. If you have questions about satisfactory academic progress monitoring not addressed in this policy, please contact the Student Financial Services and Registrar Suite.
Which types of aid are affected?
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive funds under the Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, TEACH Grant, Federal Pell Grant, Federal Stafford Loan, Federal Parent PLUS Loan, and Federal Graduate PLUS Loan programs.
What are the requirements?
Undergraduate Student Requirements (full or part time)
Students:
- Must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
- Who have:
- 0-29 attempted credit hours must earn 60% of those hours
- 30- 59 attempted credit hours must earn 70% of those hours
- 60+ attempted credit hours must earn 80% of those hours
- Must complete a first bachelor’s degree within 150% of the program’s required credit amount (186 attempted hours for the majority of offered programs with a 124-credit-hour requirement).
Pace is calculated by the cumulative total of hours completed divided by the cumulative total number of hours attempted.
Graduate Student and Post-Master's Certificate Requirements
Students must:
- Maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average
- Complete 75% of the cumulative credit hours attempted. Please note: Attempted hours include "W" and "UW" grades.
- Complete a master's degree within 150% of the program's required credit amount. For example, a 30-credit program must be completed within 45 attempted credits.
Pace is calculated by the cumulative total of hours completed divided by the cumulative total number of hours attempted.
- Will be evaluated at the midpoint of the program after completing the module that allows the student to earn 156 of the 306 clock hours. The student must have earned 156 clock hours and have a 2.0 cumulative grade point average to be eligible for federal student aid.
Courses used in determining satisfactory academic progress:
All courses attempted, including any repeated, incomplete courses or withdrawals recorded on the Hofstra University academic record at the time progress is checked, are considered in determining if the student has completed the required percentage of attempted credit hours and/or if the student exceeded the maximum number of credit hours for degree completion. Transfer credits from another institution that are accepted toward the student’s educational program must count as both attempted and completed hours. Any credits or grades that are not counted under an academic amnesty program will be included in the SAP determination. However, academic amnesty may be included as reasoning in an appeal for reinstatement of federal aid.
The following grades indicate successful completion of a course: A, A-, B, B+, B-, C, C+, C-, CR, D, D+, P, T-, TR
Students who receive PR grades are considered to be making progress for that course.
The following grades indicate that a course was not successfully completed: F, I, MW, NC, UW, or W. A course for which a grade was not submitted (NR) will not be included in the attempted credits.
Transfer credits must be reflected on the student's academic record at Hofstra in order to be considered for purposes of financial aid eligibility.
Remedial credits will count in the calculation of the cumulative grade point average but not in the attempted or earned credits.
Credits by exam have grades, and the grades for those credits count in the student’s grade point average (GPA) for all Title IV purposes.
Meeting the Requirements
Academic records are reviewed at the end of each spring semester to determine academic progress and future student aid eligibility. Students who have met the minimum credit and GPA requirements and who have not exceeded the maximum credit limit for program completion are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and are eligible for federal student aid in subsequent semesters.
Failure to Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
A student who exceeds the maximum number of hours allowed for degree completion will be notified in writing that the student has been deemed ineligible for future federal student aid disbursements. The student may appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee; eligibility may be reinstated after the student's record is reviewed and the reason for the excessive credit hours is documented.
A student who either fails to achieve the required cumulative minimum GPA requirement or to complete the required percentage of the total hours attempted will be notified that they will not be eligible for federal student aid for the following academic year of enrollment at Hofstra University. This includes any summer sessions for which federal student aid has not yet been disbursed.
Financial Aid Suspension
A student who has been denied federal student aid based on the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy may submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The appeal and supporting documentation must be received in the Office of Financial Aid by the deadline reflected in the suspension notification letter. The appeal should speak in detail to mitigating or extenuating circumstances that affected the student's academic performance, such as illness, accident, change of degree or change of major, other life-changing events. or severe physical injury or mental trauma, and should explain what has changed that will allow the student to meet the eligibility requirements moving forward.
Appeals can be sent by:
Financial Aid Appeals Committee
RE: Federal Financial Aid Appeal
Room 202 Memorial Hall
126 Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY 11549-1260
- Sending an email to SFS@hofstra.edu from the Pride email account with the subject line Federal Financial Aid Appeal
- Upload the appeal via my.hofstra.edu uploader tool
- Mailing your appeal to
If a student's appeal meets the appropriate requirements, the student will be placed on financial aid probation and may need to complete an Academic Plan in order to be considered for federal student aid for the following semester. If the Financial Aid Appeals Committee determines that a Plan is necessary, it will forward the Satisfactory Academic Progress Academic Plan Form to the student's academic advisor either in the Center for University Advising or within the student's program of study. The advisor will reach out to the student to discuss the student's academic future and plans, and to create an Academic Plan that will ensure that the student is able to meet the University's satisfactory academic progress standards by a specific point in time. The academic advisor may determine that the student will not be able to make satisfactory academic progress in the future, in which case the appeal will be denied and the student will be notified by the Office of Financial Aid. Otherwise, the Academic Plan will be completed by the academic advisor and signed by both the advisor and the student. The student will maintain a copy of the plan for their records, and a copy will be forwarded to the Office of Financial Aid. The Office of Financial Aid will reinstate the student's federal student aid and package the student with aid for the subsequent term. A notification of aid will also be sent to the student.
After one semester on financial aid probation, the student's situation will be reviewed to determine whether the student is making satisfactory academic progress or whether the student has met appropriate milestone requirements in an Academic Plan. If the student fails to meet these requirements after the completion of the term, they will not be eligible for federal aid for the subsequent terms. The student will not be able to appeal this decision unless there were unforeseen, severe extenuating circumstances during the term.
Action taken on a financial aid appeal is final and is transmitted to the student in writing by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee. The student should not assume an appeal will be granted. If the student enrolls for the following semester, they will not be entitled to a refund of charges if their appeal is denied and they withdraw from classes after published refund dates. A student who enrolls and whose appeal is subsequently denied will be eligible for a refund of charges based solely on the refund policy outlined by the Office of Student Accounts/Bursar.
A student may regain eligibility by attending Hofstra University for the academic year without the benefit of federal financial aid and meeting the SAP eligibility criteria. A student may also regain eligibility by transferring work to Hofstra from an accredited institution. Transfer work must be reflected on the Hofstra transcript to be considered for purposes of federal financial aid eligibility.