Federal regulations (General Provision CRF 668.1) require that Cornell University review the academic progress of students who apply for and/or receive financial assistance. To be making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree, students must maintain specified grade point averages and proceed through the program at a pace leading to completion within a specified time frame. This regulation applies to each financial aid applicant, whether a previous recipient or not.

This policy on satisfactory academic progress relates specifically to full time undergraduate students who apply for and/or receive federal financial aid and/or Cornell University scholarships and grants. In addition to meeting the standard for receiving financial aid, students must also meet the academic standards of their college at Cornell University. Please review individual college information in Courses of Study. Note that the criteria for the New York State Tuition Assistance Program satisfactory academic progress differs from the federal and Cornell University satisfactory academic progress criteria.

Annual Evaluation

Annual financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) evaluation will be completed at the end of each academic year and cannot take place until final grades have been posted. This review will determine academic eligibility for the upcoming Summer, Fall, Winter and/or Spring terms. Every student who applies for financial aid as listed above must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress regardless of whether they are a first time applicant or have received financial aid in the past. Any financial assistance offered for the year ahead is subject to cancellation if the minimum standards of satisfactory academic progress were not met in the year prior.

Incoming freshmen and new transfer students will be considered for financial aid for one academic year prior to the evaluation of Satisfactory Academic Progress. At the end of the first academic year of attendance at Cornell University all students will be evaluated based on the standards of their designated academic level. They will then be reviewed annually until graduation. Students who transfer to Cornell University in January will not be evaluated until they have completed three regular semesters.

The Office of the University Registrar will evaluate the students’ academic records. A report identifying all students who have not met the eligibility criteria will be generated, sorted by college, and forwarded to the college and the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment. Each student’s record will be reviewed under the direction of the Associate Director of Financial Aid for Compliance and Regulation. Students will be notified of their failure to meet the SAP guidelines via a letter from the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment.

Required Grade Point Averages

By the end of the second academic year (measured by period of time, not grade level), a student must attain a C average, or an academic standard consistent with the college’s graduation requirements. For the purposes of this regulation, the Degree GPA will be used. Credits that have been transferred to Cornell are not included in the Degree GPA.

¹ While there is no GPA graduation requirement for Engineering, the basic requirement for making satisfactory academic progress in Engineering is GPA greater than or equal to 2.0 each semester.

²For students who matriculated prior to the Fall 2008 semester

³For students matriculating in or after the Fall 2008 semester

Required Completion Rate

The maximum time frame for completing an academic program cannot exceed 150% of the length of the program as measured by credit hours or semesters. In order to ensure that steady progress is being made, students must make incremental progress toward the degree with passing grades. Progress is measured for all students by academic class year as defined by the college. The minimum number of credits does include transferred and advanced placement credit hours.

*A maximum of seven academic years is permitted to complete bachelor’s programs normally considered to be five academic years in length.

Probation and Denial

Students failing to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will be placed on one year financial aid probation. Financial aid probation is granted once during an applicant’s undergraduate academic career at Cornell University. Students on probation are eligible for financial aid. They will be notified in writing of their status by the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment and a list of these students will be provided to the individual colleges. Parents/legal guardians also will be notified that the student has been placed on probation.

By the end of the probationary period, the student must have the stated minimum grade point average and completion requirements as defined above. Failure to comply with the Satisfactory Academic Progress grade point average requirement and completion schedule beyond the one year probationary period will result in the denial of all federal and institutional financial aid. Students will be notified of their financial aid ineligibility via a letter from the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment. Parents/legal guardians also will be notified that the student has is being denied financial aid.

Students terminated from receiving financial aid can reestablish eligibility by successfully completing the required number of credit hours and by attaining the overall required grade point average by the end of the next academic year. Neither paying for one’s classes nor sitting out a semester is sufficient to reestablish the financial aid eligibility of a student who has failed to meet SAP. If a special or unusual circumstance contributed to a student’s lack of satisfactory academic progress, the student may appeal the denial of financial aid.

Appeal Process

The letter of denial from the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment will describe the appeal process and an appeal form will be provided. Examples of special or unusual circumstances are a personal injury or illness, death of a relative, or other circumstances as determined by the student’s college.

The appeal must be submitted to the student’s college for evaluation. The college will respond to the appeal in writing within two weeks of receiving the complete appeal with a copy provided to the Associate Director – Compliance and Regulation in the Office of Financial Aid and Student Employment.