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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

In order for a Meredith College student to retain eligibility for federal, state and institutional financial assistance, the student must meet the following criteria listed below.

Undergraduate Degree Students:

Qualitative Requirement—Each student must maintain the following minimum Meredith QPR, based on credits attempted.

Total Attempted Hours   Minimum Meredith QPR
1-59
1.800
60 and above2.000
  

Quantitative Requirement—Each student must also be making satisfactory progress toward the completion of a degree . Satisfactory progress toward graduation is measured in terms of total academic credits earned . During the academic period, a student must earn 75% of all credits attempted for which she received assistance.

Program Length—Undergraduate students may not receive financial assistance for more than 150% of the expected program length, or ten semesters for full-time students, whichever is less.

Note: Beginning Fall 2016, the qualitative requirements changed . Please see Satisfactory Progress in the course catalogue.

Graduate Degree Students:

Qualitative Requirement—Each student must meet the academic standards for enrollment in the school or program as described in the Graduate Catalogue in order to continue to receive financial assistance.

Quantitative Requirement—Graduate students may not receive financial assistance for more than 150% of the expected program length.

Courses/Grades Used in Determining Satisfactory Academic Progress

Credit Earned: The successful completion of a credit attempted and earned is credit for which a grade of A, B, C, D, or P is received.

Incompletes: An incomplete grade will count as credit attempted and credit not earned until the Registrar’s Office has recorded a passing grade.

Withdrawal from courses: Any withdrawal after the add/drop period will count as credit attempted and credit not earned.

Remedial Credit: Remedial courses such as ENG 090 and MAT 090 will count as credit attempted but will not count toward overall credits earned.

Transfer Credit: Transfer credits, accepted by Meredith, will be added to the attempted/earned hours in order to arrive at the maximum number of credits a student may attempt and earn.

Repeated courses: course(s) repeated will be counted as attempt- ed credits as many times as the course(s) is attempted. When a course repeated is completed successfully, the completed course credit will be added to the number of credits earned.

Those Unable to Maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress

If a student is unable to meet the qualitative and quantitative requirements at the end of an academic period (defined as one academic year, if the student attends both semesters), then the student is not eligible for financial assistance and is placed on Financial Assistance SAP Suspension for the following semester. Please note an appeal is not a guarantee.

If a student exceeds the maximum number of hours allowed for degree completion (150% of expected program length) her future financial assistance will be suspended. If the student wishes to continue to receive financial assistance, she would need to follow the appeal process.

Appeal Process

A student who has her/his financial assistance suspended will have an opportunity to submit an appeal of the decision. The student must submit an appeal letter to the financial assistance office stating the reasons for reconsideration. This letter must include a detailed description of the extenuating circumstances that occurred during the semester in which the student failed to meet this policy. The appeal must also include all necessary documentation to support the existence of the circumstances described and evidence that the circumstances have been resolved. The appeal should also detail the student’s plans for ensuring satisfactory academic performance in the upcoming academic term. Events or circumstances that merit an appeal include personal or family emergencies, unanticipated events, serious medical difficulties, and/or serious psychological difficulties. The Financial Assistance Appeals Committee will consider this information when making a decision on the outcome of the student’s appeal.

Students seeking to reestablish financial aid eligibility will remain ineligible to receive financial aid or payment deferrals until the appeal process is complete and the Financial Assistance Appeals Committee has made a decision. Students should be prepared to pay tuition, fees, and other educational expenses until she/he has been approved to receive financial assistance.

Appeal Granted– Student responsibilities

If an appeal is granted, a student will continue to receive aid on a probationary basis for the following semester. If the student does not meet both the qualitative and quantitative conditions of Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the following semester, she/he may not be eligible for further financial assistance.

Appeal Denied

If the Financial Assistance Appeals Committee denies a student’s appeal, the denied student will be sent a letter informing them that their financial assistance has been suspended. Included with the letter the student will receive information about specific procedures and minimum requirements to reinstate financial assistance after it has been suspended.

Re-establishing eligibility after Denial or Suspension

A student suspended for reasons other than exceeding the maximum number of hours for degree completion who does not appeal, or whose appeal is denied, may be reinstated on a probationary basis by meeting both of the following criteria:

1. Achieve the required qualitative requirements;
2. Successfully complete 75% of the hours attempted for at least one semester.

These requirements may be met while either attending Meredith
for the semester without financial aid or by transferring the requirements to Meredith from another accredited institution . Transfer work must be reflected on the Meredith transcript to be considered for purposes of financial aid eligibility.

Students who do not wish to appeal or whose appeal is denied may receive alternative/private loans to fund their educational expenses . Please contact the Office of Financial Assistance at 919-760-8565 for more information.

Contact Information
1st Floor, Johnson Hall
1-800-MEREDITH
(919) 760-8565
Fax: (919) 760-2373
finaid@meredith.edu