Satisfactory Academic Progress

  

Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy is the term used to define successful completion of coursework to remain eligible for federal, state and some institutional financial aid. NJIT is required by federal and state regulations and institutional policy to determine whether a student is meeting SAP requirements. View NJIT's Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy.

Basic Elements of SAP

  • The standard applies to undergraduate, graduate (Master’s and Ph.D.) and graduate certificate students who wish to be considered for aid eligibility.
  • The entire student’s academic history in their program level is considered in the assessment whether financial aid was received in the past or not
  • The three SAP measurements include minimum grade point average, minimum pace requirement, and total semesters attended within the required timeframe

SAP Assessment and Review

Student’s academic history is reviewed annually at the conclusion of the spring payment period.

SAP Appeals Process

A student who fails the standards of SAP and has mitigating circumstances as mentioned below may submit an appeal by the deadline as per the policy and the appeal form. Below are the mitigating circumstance allowed under an appeal:

  • Death in the family
  • Illness
  • Other special circumstances

Completed SAP appeals will be revised within 15 business days. Decisions will be sent to the student’s NJIT email account.

COVID-19 SAP Related Policies

Policy

NJIT will exclude the attempted credits for NAD (not academic credit), W (withdrawal) and I (incomplete) grades from the quantitative component (pace and timeframe) of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for a student who was unable to complete the course because of the COVID-19 national emergency.

Rationale for Excluding Credits from Quantitative Measurement

Institutional policy provided the use of special grades in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. Per the institutional policy, such grades do not factor in the GPA but are included in the student’s attempted credits, therefore negatively impacting a student’s “pace” progression and 150% maximum timeframe. However, Section 3506 of the CARES Act allows NJIT to exclude attempted credits a student was unable to complete as a result of COVID-19 national emergency from the quantitative component (pace measurement) of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculation. Therefore, we are utilizing this flexibility for our students.

Procedure

Students failing for only pace or timeframe progression who received a grade of NAD (not academic credit), W (withdrawal statuses of MD, MW, WD ) as of March 1, 2020, and I (incomplete), will not need to complete an appeal but rather complete the COVID-19 Special Grading SAP Reasonable Determination online form and the Signature Page. If approved, students will have their SAP calculation re-assessed. Students are required to provide a typed explanation of the COVID-19 related circumstance (wet signatures are required) and attach supporting documentation, as applicable. Depending on the COVID-19 circumstance, some examples of supporting documentation may include but not limited to a medical note, hospital discharge papers, employer letter or paystubs, and military discharge papers. If supporting documentation cannot be provided, students are required to explain in the statement. The online COVID-19 Special Grading SAP Reasonable Determination online form must be completed by the below deadlines:

RELATED FORMS


STUDENT RESOURCES