To remain eligible for financial aid, you must meet all of these academic requirements (please note that these requirements are in addition to the academic requirements of CIIS). There are two methods of measuring your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP):
I. Time Frame and Quantitative (Pace) Analysis
II. Qualitative Analysis
I. TIME FRAME AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
You may not exceed 150 percent of your program-required units. 150 percent Formula: Required Units x 150%.
You may not exceed the time to degree completion.
Example 1
Your program requires 36 units in coursework.
You completed 55 units and you are at 152% completion rate. Exceeds the 150% limit; financial aid is compromised. No corrective resolution available for Time Frame issues.
Example 2
Your program requires 60 units in coursework.
You completed 90 units and you are at 150% completion rate. At the 150% limit; financial aid is compromised. No corrective resolution available for Time Frame issues.
All Doctoral Students must graduate ten years after starting their programs, except for Clinical Psychology students who need to graduate within eight years.
Clinical Psychology students must advance to candidacy within two years of starting their program. If you can not meet these guidelines, extensions may be approved by the Dean of Academics, Registrar and Financial Aid Office.
"Coursework" includes all classroom coursework, practicum, internships, comprehensive exams, proposal writing, and proposal writing completion courses (as applicable). These limits begin accumulating from the first day of the semester to which the student is admitted.
"Thesis or Dissertation" includes all work done on the thesis or dissertation, the oral defense (required for dissertation only), and technical edits. These limits begin accumulating from the first day of the semester in which the student advances to candidacy.
Your financial aid eligibility is determined by the requirements of your program. You will not be eligible for aid for courses in excess of the requirements stated in the CIIS catalog unless there is a revised academic program plan approved by the Dean of Academics, Registrar and Financial Aid Office.
II. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
To remain eligible for aid, you may have no more than two unsatisfactory grades in your transcripts.
Graduate students may not have more than two unsatisfactory grades (e.g.: Incompletes (I-IN), Not Pass (NP), Not Satisfactory (NS), Administrative Withdraw (AW), B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F)
Undergraduate students may not receive more than 2 unsatisfactory grades (e.g.: Incompletes (I-IN), Not Pass (NP), Not Satisfactory (NS), Administrative Withdraw (AW), D+, D, D-, or F)
If the student not making SAP is in the Community Mental Health program (Cohort model), the student would need to submit an academic plan to the Registrar’s Office and be approved by the Dean of Academics Planning and Registrar.
For further details on grading policy, refer to the current CIIS Catalog.
Financial Aid Warning
Students who do not make satisfactory academic progress would be placed on financial aid warning for one semester. During this time, financial aid funds would be released. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress after the warning period lose their aid eligibility.
Undergraduate students do not have any warning periods. If an undergraduate student does not make progress, he or she would lose aid eligibility.
Note: If you are not enrolled during the warning semester, your warning may roll-over to the following enrolled semester.
Example 1
Laura is an undergraduate student. She has three bad grades and since there are no Warnings for this program; she is not eligible for further financial aid until she reduces her unsatisfactory grades to two or less.
Corrective resolution:
Laura covers her tuition with her savings while repairing her SAP status thereby re-attaining SAP and financial aid eligibility for the subsequent semesters.
Example 2
Neil, a graduate student, was placed on SAP Warning in the fall semester because he had 3 incomplete grades.
Corrective resolution:
Neil completed all 3 incomplete grades at the end of his Warning period. SAP is re-attained and therefore eligible to continue receiving financial aid for subsequent semesters.
Example 3
Jorge, a graduate student, was placed on SAP Warning in the fall semester because he had four bad grades. Jorge was not enrolled in the fall semester. He enrolls in spring semester instead. Jorge's SAP Warning period is rolled over to the spring semester, his next enrolled semester. Jorge has spring semester to resolve his SAP issues.
Academic Probation
When a student has been placed on academic probation by the Registrar’s Office, the student must secure a new academic plan to return to good academic standing. During this academic probation period, a student may remain eligible to receive financial aid. The new academic probation plan must be approved by the Dean of Academic Planning.
Academic Standards Committee (ASC)
Students who fail to meet the requirement(s) of their academic probation plan to return to good academic standing would be sent before the Academic Standards Committee. The ASC may extend the student’s academic probation, but during this period the student is not eligible to receive further financial aid.
Re-establishing Aid Eligibility
When a student loses aid eligibility because he or she failed to meet the requirements of the academic plan, the student may appeal that result on the basis of: an injury or illness, the death of a relative, or other special circumstances.
The appeal must explain why he or she failed to meet the plan and how they will be able to make academic progress.
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee (FAAC) would review your case and determine if you qualify for an extension. The FAAC would complete the review within 15 business days from receiving all the complete paperwork from the student.
Questions?
You can contact us at:
finaid@ciis.edu (email)