Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements for Federal and Pace Funded Financial Aid

A student’s academic progress is reviewed at the end of each Spring semester, and they must meet the following Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements to receive financial aid for any subsequent semester from any of the following Federal or institutional aid programs:

Federal              

  • Pell Grant
  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
  • Federal Work Study (FWS)
  • Federal Direct Loan (both Subsidized and Unsubsidized)
  • Federal Direct Parent  PLUS loan
  • Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan

Institutional

  • Pace Scholarships1
  • Pace Grants
  • Tuition Remission programs
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Recipients of Pace University’s grants, scholarships and tuition programs must also meet the stricter requirements of these programs regarding the cumulative QPA and other criteria required to maintain continued eligibility for these academic-based programs. Students should refer to the Award Agreement Form they signed when they first received the award or speak with a Financial Aid Counselor if there are any questions about continued eligibility for any institutional award.

Satisfactory Academic Progress is Subject to a Two-fold Criterion

  • Qualitative Measure - Quality Point Average:
    Students must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative quality point average (QPA) or higher for specific academic programs. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative QPA.
  • Quantitative Measure – Pace of Completion:
    Percentage of attempted cumulative hours completed. Completion rate is determined by dividing the total number of credit hours earned by the total number of credit hours attempted. Students must maintain a cumulative pace of completion of at least 67%. Transfer credits accepted toward the current degree program are considered as credits attempted and credits earned.

Maximum Time Frame (MTF)

Federal regulations require a student complete his program of study within 150% (length of program x 1.5) of the time allotted for the program. For example, if an undergraduate degree is 120 credit hours in length, a student with this major must complete the program within 180 (120 x 1.5) credit hours. Credit hours attempted includes all grades as well as transfer credits and “W” (withdrawal grades). A student becomes ineligible at the evaluation point when it is determined they will exceed the maximum time frame, not just at the point when they reach the maximum time frame.

A student is making satisfactory academic progress if the student meets the criteria on the chart for their specific program.  The chart below is for the majority of our 120 credit programs.  Please visit SAP for Undergraduate Students for all programs. specific to their program:

Undergraduate Students

Cumulative Credits Attempted Required Percentage Passed Minimum Cumulative QPA
1-23 50% 2.00
24-47 55% 2.00
48-71 55% 2.00
72-95 60% 2.00
96-180 70% 2.00

A student who has attempted more than 180 credits no longer qualifies for financial aid.

Review Policies

  1. The cumulative QPA (Quality Point Average) is the average of all quality points achieved for all courses taken during all semesters at Pace toward the current degree program.

  2. The following will be considered as credits attempted and passed:

    1. “A” through “D” grades

    2. “P” passing with credit

    3. Transfer credits accepted toward the current degree program.

  3. The following will be considered as credits attempted but not passed:

    1. “F” grades

    2. “W” withdrawal

    3. “I-F” incomplete – failure due to unofficial withdrawal

    4. “I” incomplete

    5. “I-R” – referral (if the grade of I-R remains for more than one major semester after the semester in which the course was taken)

    6. Credits from courses that have been repeated

  4. The following will not be considered as credits attempted or passed:

    1. “AUD” audit no credit

    2. “K” pending

  5. If a student fails to meet any of the criteria as indicated in the Table above, the student will be making unsatisfactory academic progress. All Federal and Pace aid for future semesters is canceled.

Special Note regarding Repeated Courses – All courses taken at Pace are counted as attempted credits even if they have been taken again. If a student fails a course and then repeats it in a subsequent semester and receives a passing grade, the credits for the first time the course was taken are counted as attempted but not passed and the credits for the second time the course was taken are counted as attempted and passed.

Special Note regarding Withdrawals – All courses that a student has started at Pace are counted as attempted. Courses from which a student has withdrawn count as attempted but not passed, even though they do not figure into the calculation of the QPA.

Special Note for Resuming Students – All course work toward a particular degree program at Pace University is counted when determining whether a student is making satisfactory academic progress, even if the student has taken some time off from attending the University.

Special Note for Bachelor’s degree candidates who previously received an Associate’s degree from Pace- If the student is currently working toward a Bachelor’s degree and previously received an Associate’s degree from Pace, the cumulative QPA and the credits attempted and passed or not passed during the Associates degree program are included in the determination of the student’s academic progress toward the Bachelor’s degree program.

Academic Progress Appeal Provisions

A student who is not making satisfactory academic progress may submit an Appeal to be placed on Academic Progress Probation. Appeals are approved only in cases where the student has demonstrated that the academic progress criteria were not met due to extraordinary circumstances occurring in the student's life, generally beyond his/her control.

Extraordinary circumstances might include:

  1. Severe and long-term illness or injury to the student making the successful completion of courses that had been started a physical impossibility or hardship.
  2. Death of an immediate family member that creates serious emotional stress or, in some cases, serious financial stress or uncertainty.
  3. Serious emotional distress.

Circumstances that, generally, do not warrant an academic progress waiver include:

  1. Not liking the course or professor.
  2. Being too busy at work, particularly if it is the same job the student had before the semester started and nothing out of the ordinary has occurred in the company.
  3. Deciding after the semester starts to take some time off to work.

Academic Progress appeals should be carefully considered and timed. It is rare that a student would be granted more than one Academic Progress appeal during their academic program. The basis for a subsequent appeal will be reviewed carefully and will only be considered when circumstances are extraordinary and unique from a previous appeal. During the probation period, the student must make up any academic progress deficiency. If the appeal is approved, the student must meet the terms of an academic plan developed with a Financial Aid counselor by the end of the next semester and each subsequent semester.

A probationary period may be granted only when the following conditions are met:

  1. Detailed documentation must be provided to verify the extraordinary circumstances that warrant the probationary period.
  2. An explanation of how these circumstances resulted in the loss of satisfactory academic progress.
  3. An explanation of how the student’s situation has changed so that these circumstances are not expected to cause further problems that would prevent the students from demonstrating Satisfactory Academic Progress in the future.
  4. Based on the documentation and the student’s academic record, there must be a reasonable expectation that all future academic progress requirements will be met.

(Please note: Successful appeals of academic standing with the dean of the student’s school or division at Pace and waivers of the good academic standing requirements for New York State aid granted by the TAP Coordinator’s office do not constitute an appeal of academic progress for federal or institutional financial aid. In addition, documentation submitted to either the office of the academic dean or the TAP Coordinator’s office to support an appeal of academic standing is not shared with the Financial Aid Office. Students must submit such documentation separately to the Financial Aid Office when submitting an academic progress appeal for federal or institutional financial aid.)

A student who believes they have grounds for an academic progress appeal should complete and submit the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeal Form found on the Financial Aid webpage.

Good Academic Standing Requirements for Full-Time Undergraduate Students Receiving New York State Aid

Full-time undergraduate students receiving TAP, Child of Veteran Awards, Veteran Tuition Awards, or any other New York State grant or scholarship, must meet the State Education Department’s requirements for both satisfactory academic progress and program pursuit. For purposes of continued state aid eligibility, students are reviewed at the end of every semester for eligibility for the following term.

Satisfactory Academic Progress means that the student must pass a certain cumulative number of credits with a certain cumulative QPA prior to receiving each semester’s award. A student may receive state aid for a maximum of eight (in some cases 10) semesters. The following chart outlines the number of credits passed and cumulative QPA a student must achieve in order to be eligible for each semester’s state aid award.

Baccalaureate Degree

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2006-07 through and including 2009-10:

Before Being Certified for this Payment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th1 10th1
You Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits 0 6 18 30 45 57 69 84 96 108
With At Least This Cum Grade Point Average 0.00 1.10 1.30 1.40 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
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Note: Only students in five-year programs, approved pursuant to Section 145–2.7 of the State Regulations, are eligible for more than eight semesters of undergraduate awards.

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2010-11 and thereafter:

Before Being Certified for this Payment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th1 10th1
You Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits 0 6 18 30 45 57 69 84 96 111
With At Least This Cum Grade Point Average 0.00 1.50 1.80 1.80 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00
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Note: Only students in five-year programs, approved pursuant to Section 145–2.7 of the State Regulations, are eligible for more than eight semesters of undergraduate awards.

Associate Degree

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2006-07 through and including 2009-10:

Before Being Certified for this Payment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
You Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits 0 6 18 30 42 54
With At Least This Cum Grade Point Average 0.00 1.10 1.30 1.40 2.00 2.00

This chart applies to students first receiving aid in 2010-11 and thereafter:

Before Being Certified for this Payment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
You Must Have Accrued at Least This Many Credits 0 6 18 30 42 54
With At Least This Cum Grade Point Average 0.00 1.30 1.50 1.80 2.00 2.00

In addition to these Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements, the student must also meet requirements of Program Pursuit.

Program Pursuit means that the student must receive passing or failing grades in a certain number of credits during each semester that he/she receives a state award. ("W" grades (withdrawals) do not meet this requirement.) The following chart outlines the number of passing or failing credits the student must receive in each semester that a state award is received in order to continue to qualify for the award.

During the semester you receive this TAP payment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
You must pass or fail at least this number of credits 6 6 9 9 12 12 12 12

A recipient of New York State aid who fails to meet the Program Pursuit or Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements in a particular semester, may wish to make up the necessary credits or achieve the required cumulative QPA by pursuing credits at his/her own expense in a given semester. By so doing, he/she may be able to make up the deficiency and be eligible to receive his/her New York State aid in the following semester.

Repeated Courses - If the student repeats a course in which an acceptable passing grade has already been received, such a course cannot be considered in determining whether the academic progress or program pursuit requirements have been met. There are two exceptions to this rule:

  1. If the passing grade received for a course is unacceptable in a particular curriculum (e.g., a student enrolled in the nursing program who receives less than a "C+" grade in a nursing course).
  2. If the course can be taken more than once and credits earned each time toward the completion of a student’s degree program (e.g., NYC 290 New York City Humanities Internship).

Undecided Majors - In addition to the academic progress and program pursuit requirements, students must have an approved major prior to the midpoint of their academic program. Students in a baccalaureate degree program must have an approved major prior to the first day of their junior year. Students in an associate degree program must have an approved major prior to the first day of their sophomore year.

Special Notes for Transfer and Readmitted Students - Transfer students and students readmitted after an absence of at least one year from college are reviewed for satisfactory academic progress for New York State assistance on a somewhat different basis. While the student must meet the Program Pursuit Requirements based on the number of New York State award payments he/she has received, the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements the student will have to meet may be based on either the number of state aid payment he/she has received or the number of transfer or readmit credits awarded upon admission to the University. Pace will place the student on the chart for satisfactory academic progress based on whichever placement is of greater benefit to the student.

Accelerated Study TAP - To qualify for Accelerated Study TAP, students must be enrolled in at least six credits and have completed 24 credits (at least 12 credits in each term) in the prior two semesters (fall and spring) to receive payment for accelerated study during a summer term at Pace. This requirement does not apply if the student is enrolled full-time in the summer.

Waiver Provision - Exceptional Cases a TAP recipient who does not make academic progress or program pursuit in a particular semester due to extraordinary circumstances (serious illness, death in the family, etc.) may request a one-time waiver of these requirements. A waiver can be used only once as an undergraduate student so its use must be carefully considered and timed. During the waiver semester, the student must make up any academic progress or program pursuit deficiency. A waiver may be granted only when the following conditions are met:

  • Detailed documentation must be provided to verify the extraordinary circumstances. 
  • The documentation must include an explanation of how these circumstances resulted in the loss of good academic standing.
  • Based on the documentation and the student’s academic record, there must be a reasonable expectation that all future academic progress requirements will be met.

Please Note: Successful appeals of academic standing with the dean of the student’s school or division at Pace and academic progress waivers granted by the Office of Student Financial Services for federal and/or institutional aid programs do not constitute a waiver of the good academic standing requirements of the New York State aid programs. In addition, documentation submitted to either the office of the academic dean or the Office of Student Financial Services to support an appeal of academic standing or academic progress is not shared with the TAP coordinator’s office. Students must submit such documentation separately when requesting a waiver of the good academic standing requirements of the New York State aid programs. A student who believes he/she has grounds for a waiver of the good academic standing requirements of the New York State aid programs or who has any questions concerning his/her eligibility for New York State aid should contact the University TAP Certifying Officer or his/her assistants, at (877) 672-1830.