Satisfactory Academic Progress

Discover how to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP), as this is one of the determining factors of student eligibility for continued receipt of financial aid.

Policy Basics Overview

Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, is a federal regulation requiring the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to monitor the progress of each student who is receiving financial aid as they move toward completing their degree. Students who fall behind in their coursework, fail to achieve minimum standards for grade point average, or fail to complete classes in a maximum time frame may lose eligibility for all types of federal, university, and state aid administered by our office.

Auburn University’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships reviews academic records at the end of each term to determine satisfactory academic progress (“SAP”) status which affects aid eligibility. Emails are sent to students who are not meeting requirements.

The required components include:

  • GPA- Students must maintain a 2.00 AU cumulative GPA (unadjusted)

  • Completion Ratio (CR) - Students must achieve a passing rate of at least 67% of all hours attempted.

  • Maximum Time Limit (MTL)

SAP is evaluated at the end of each term for all students. Students who fall below the SAP requirements will be placed on SAP Warning status. Students on SAP Warning status are eligible for aid.

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Undergraduate

Maximum Attempted Hours

  • 180 semester hours of academic work

  • Architecture - 258 semester hours of academic work.

Graduate

Maximum Attempted Hours

  • Master’s - 50 semester hours of academic work.

  • Doctoral (PHD, EDD) - 156 hours of academic work (Including Master’s hours).

Professional

Maximum Attempted Hours

  • Veterinary Medicine - 258 semester hours of academic work.

  • Pharmacy- 235 semester hours of academic work.

SAP Probation

Students who are on Failing SAP status may submit an appeal if they have extenuating circumstances that contributed to not meeting SAP requirements.  Please note that GAP (Grade Adjustment Policy) courses cannot be taken into account when determining SAP status.

For detailed information on SAP Requirements, SAP Evaluation, SAP Probation, Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility, and SAP Appeal Guidelines visit Auburn University’s complete Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.

Resources

Taking classes that are not in your Course Program of Study for your officially declared major may result in a reduction or cancellation to your overall financial aid package.

Learn about guidance on credit hour requirements, how to set up direct deposit for refunds, and process to request loan cancellation.

Learn about aid acceptance, federal aid requirements, and summary information for federal aid programs.

Find out how withdrawing from classes will affect your financial aid.  You should always contact our office prior to dropping below full time or withdrawing from all classes to determine how this will affect your aid.

Last updated: 01/12/2024