Satisfactory Academic Progress for Need-Based Awards
Federal Regulations require all institutions that administer Title IV student assistance programs to monitor the academic progress towards a degree of those students applying for or receiving those funds. All Kenyon College students applying for Title IV federal assistance must meet the criteria for academic progress stated in this policy . The Federal programs governed by these regulations are the following:
- Federal Pell Grant
- Federal College Work-Study
- Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
- Federal Perkins Loan
- Federal Direct Subsidized Student Loan
- Federal Direct Unsubsidized Student Loan
- Federal Direct Parent (PLUS) Loan
Kenyon will also use the Satisfactory Academic Progress Standards for need-based institutional funds including:
- Kenyon College Need-Based Grant
- Kenyon College Loans
- Kenyon College Employment
Satisfactory Academic Progress standards include the following three elements:
- Maximum time frame within which a degree must be obtained
- Minimum cumulative grade-point average
- Minimum units earned per academic year
Maximum Time Frame
Maximum Time Frame is defined as the required length of time it will take a student to complete a degree program based on full-time enrollment status. For a student to remain eligible for federal and institutional need based student aid, the student must conform to the time frame for completion of a Baccalaureate Degree (full-time enrollment allowance is 8 enrolled semesters).
Transfer Students
Semesters accepted by the Kenyon College Registrar will be included as part of the maximum time frame towards the completion of a degree. For example, if a student transfers in as a second-semester sophomore, they would have 5 (8 allowable full-time enrolled semesters — 3 full-time semesters completed elsewhere) semesters of institutional financial aid eligibility remaining at Kenyon College. Students are permitted to receive federal and institutional funds for a period of time not to exceed eight (8) enrolled semesters including the time funds were received at the other institution(s).
Re-Enrolling Students
The prior Kenyon semesters and units of a re-enrolling student are considered when determining maximum time frame.
Minimum Cumulative Grade-Point
Need based financial aid recipients must maintain a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative grade-point average by the end of their second academic year to be eligible for financial assistance. The academic year begins with Fall semester and ends with Spring semester. To comply with new Federal regulations, effective July 1, 2011, Kenyon will evaluate GPA at the end of each semester.
| SEMESTER | CUMULATIVE GPA REQUIREMENT FOR SAP |
|---|---|
| End of first semester | 1.6 |
| End of second semester | 1.8 |
| End of third semester | 1.9 |
| End of fourth semester | 2.0 |
Some students receiving financial aid may repeat courses, receive incompletes, or withdraw from classes. Below, these topics are addressed, with the information being consistent with the Kenyon College Catalog.
Repeated Courses
A student may repeat a course with the advisor's and instructor's approvals. If the student repeats a course that was previously failed, the new grade and credit become part of the permanent record and may apply toward graduation requirements. However, the F is not removed from the student's record, and both grades are calculated into the cumulative average.
If a student repeats a course for which credit and a passing grade were received previously, the new grade becomes part of the permanent record; however, no credit or quality points are received for the repeated course. Thus the new grade does not affect the student's cumulative average.
Incomplete Courses
Incomplete courses do not earn credit or influence the grade point in the semester in which the course is incomplete; however, the course grades are counted once concluded.
Withdrawal from Classes
Grades and credit, for students withdrawing from the College, depend on the time of the withdrawal. The policy is as follows:
- Before the end of the Thanksgiving vacation: W (no credit or grade) in all courses.
- Between Thanksgiving and the end of the first semester: W in all year courses;* F's in all semester courses, unless the courses have been completed (in which case grade and credit are recorded), or unless the deans find that the withdrawal is justified (i.e. because of illness), in which case WI is recorded.
- Between the beginning of the second semester and the end of the spring vacation: W in all year courses* and all second-semester courses.
- After spring vacation, but before the end of the second semester: Fs in all courses* unless the deans find that the withdrawal is justified.
*Students who complete the first semester of year courses may request credit for that work. Half credit is granted if approved by both the instructor and the student's advisor. The grade assigned is usually, but not necessarily, the tentative grade. Instructors may require a final exam. In the absence of such a request for half credit, W is recorded as above.
Minimum Units of Credit
Minimum units of credit require need based financial aid recipients to earn the minimum units required for full-time enrollment status. For federal aid a student has six years (150%) to complete their degree. Institutional aid will only be provided for four of these years. The following table shows the units required at the end of each academic year.
Academic Year Units Required
| ACADEMIC YEAR | UNITS REQUIRED |
| 1 | 2.66 - 4.0 |
| 2 | 5.33 - 8.0 |
| 3 | 8.0 - 12.0 |
| 4 | 10.66 - 16.0 |
Seniors who have earned 12.5 or more units are allowed to enroll for a minimum of 3.5 units during their senior year.
Notice of Financial Aid Warning/Suspension from Financial Aid
A need based financial aid recipient who fails to meet the standards of satisfactory academic progress will be notified in writing by the Office of Financial Aid of his/her status, at the end of each semester. Eligibility for the next semester will be determined following the review at the end of each semester. Eligible need based aid recipients are allowed to continue to receive federal and institutional need based financial assistance during a warning period of one semester. This one semester of warning is only available to students who have not completed four semesters. Students who have completed more than four semesters at Kenyon College are not eligible for this semester of warning. If a student is not enrolled in the following semester, his/her warning period becomes effective with any subsequent period of enrollment, and will consist of one semester of warning.
To be removed from need based financial aid warning, the student must make up the appropriate grade point and/or unit deficiency during the warning period. Failure to overcome the deficiency within the warning period will result in the suspension of both federal and institutional need based financial assistance. Students are allowed only one warning period. If a student who has been placed on warning and subsequently reinstated fails to maintain the standards required, they will not be eligible for need based financial aid until the deficiencies have been removed.
Financial Aid Suspension
Students who have been suspended from federal and institutional need based financial assistance must make up the deficiency at their own expense. Time frame and earned units of credit will continue during the suspension period.
Right to Appeal/Procedures
All Title IV and institutional need based aid recipients have the right to appeal a financial aid suspension decision by submitting an appeal to the Director of Financial Aid with a written explanation of the following: (1) how an error may have occurred; or (2) how mitigating circumstances beyond their control affected their academic performance. Mitigating circumstances include the following: (1) death in the family; (2) separation or divorce; (3) severe accident or illness of the student, parent(s), or other family member; (4) extended hospitalization of the student; (5) re-enrollment after a period of extended absence (three years or more) and (6) other extreme circumstances as determined by the Office of Financial Aid and/or Dean of Student Development. The appeal must also include why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress and what has changed that will allow the student to makes satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation. Appeals will be reviewed by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee, which consists of the Dean of Admissions and the Director of Financial Aid. All appeals must be filed no later than two weeks after the beginning of the semester. Students will be notified of a decision within four (4) weeks of submitting the appeal.
Eligibility for Reinstatement
A student may be reinstated for federal and institutional need based financial assistance after one or more of the following: (1) approval of an appeal by the Financial Aid Appeals Committee; or (2) successfully completing the deficiencies at one's own expense. In cases of suspensions and/or denied appeals, the student will be required to notify the Office of Financial Aid with proper documentation when they are eligible for reinstatement. After eligibility has been established, any award will depend upon the availability of funds.