Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

Federal and state regulations, and Marietta College policy, require students to make satisfactory progress toward completion of their degree in order to maintain eligibility for financial assistance. Progress will include a measurement of all course work attempted at Marietta College. The quantitative and qualitative standards used to determine academic progress include all periods (fall, spring and summer terms) that the student is enrolled. Periods of enrollment in which the student did not receive financial aid funding are required to be included for satisfactory academic progress determination. Evidence of progress includes grades, work projects, and/or other factors that are measurable against a norm. The College assesses the student’s academic progress at the end of Spring term.

Satisfactory academic progress is a condition for receipt of all financial aid resources administered by the College. Awards to students subsequently determined to have not met the financial aid standards or who have been dismissed will be withdrawn. Questions about the financial aid standards of satisfactory academic progress may be addressed to the Office of Student Financial Services.
The financial aid standards of satisfactory academic progress apply to federal, state, and Marietta College resources. Different standards might be required for funds provided by other state and private agencies and, where applicable, will be governed by those standards.
Satisfactory academic progress is reviewed at the completion of the Spring term. There is no warning or probation status unless the student appeals the loss and is granted an additional term of eligibility. If the student does not return to satisfactory academic progress at the completion of the probationary term, the student will be place on financial aid loss. Financial aid loss means the termination of all federal, state, and institutional aid.
Students will be offered the opportunity to appeal a loss of financial aid. Appeals by those denied aid because of failure to meet these standards should be directed to the Associate Director of Student Financial Services for consideration by the Financial Aid Committee on Academic Progress. Members of the committee include the Director and Associate Director of Student Financial Services. The Associate Director of Student Financial Services convenes the committee.

Marietta’s financial aid standards of satisfactory academic progress required for retention of eligibility for financial aid involve qualitative and quantitative measures. The qualitative measure examines the quality of the student’s academic performance as measured by grade point average. The quantitative measure examines the student’s progress towards completion of the number of credit hours required to receive a degree.

Note that the financial aid standards are not the same as those applied by the Academic Standing Committee to determine whether a student is in good academic standing. The financial aid standards are minimum requirements a student must meet to retain financial aid eligibility, provided the Academic Standing Committee and Provost determine that the student is academically eligible to enroll at the institution. A student may be ineligible to receive aid through failure to meet the financial aid standards, or may have met the financial aid standards but be ineligible to enroll at the College.

Qualitative Measure

The qualitative measure of academic progress consists of two parts. The first measures the cumulative GPA required for credit hours earned; the second measures the cumulative GPA required after two academic years. Students must have achieved the stipulated cumulative grade point average for the credit hours specified.

The measure of the qualitative component of satisfactory academic progress is graduated, taking into account varying levels of enrollment.

Credit Hours Earned	Required Cumulative GPA
0 to 24 hrs	1.600
25 to 58 hrs	1.800
59 hrs and higher	2.000

In addition, a student must have achieved a 2.000 GPA at the end of two academic years regardless of how many hours enrolled for each term.

Quantitative Measure

The quantitative measure of academic progress also consists of two parts. The total hours attempted may be no greater then 150% of total hours required for the degree program in which the student is enrolled. When progress is checked, a student must earn at least 67% of the credit hours attempted. Below is the maximum attempted hours that will be allowed for any particular degree program:

Degree	Hours Required for the Degree	Credit Hours Attempted
Associate of Arts	61	91
Bachelor of Arts	120	180
BA - Public Accounting	150	225
Bachelor of Fine Arts	120	180
Bachelor of Music	120	180
Bachelor of Music - Music Therapy	134	201
Bachelor of Science	120	180
BS - Environmental Engineering	137	206
BS in Petroleum Engineering	134	201

A student will be granted an allowance for one change of major or second degree. A student who changes his or her major will be allowed a maximum number of attempted credit hours equal to the credit hours attempted at the point of making the major change or starting the second degree plus the maximum allowable attempted hours for the new major. When progress is checked, a student must still earn at least 67% of the total credit hours attempted.

For a student pursuing a double major, the maximum credit hours attempted will be 150% of the total of the general education requirements plus the courses required for the two majors.

Incomplete Grades, Course Repetitions, Withdrawals, and Non-credit Remedial Courses

In each of the above situations, courses will count towards the credit hours attempted when measuring both the quantitative and qualitative component of academic progress. If a student has lost eligibility for financial aid because of failure to make satisfactory academic progress all incomplete grades must be resolved prior to determining renewed eligibility for aid.

Transfer Students

To determine the satisfactory progress of a student transferring to Marietta, evaluation of the quantitative and qualitative measures for the terms completed will be based on the point of the student’s entry into the College. For example, a student transferring into the College with 30 credit hours of prior course work will be measured against the standards for those who have completed 30 credit hours at the College. Marietta College is required by federal regulation to consider all transfer credit in the evaluation process of completed credits and pace towards completion.

Fresh Start

Students readmitted to Marietta College under the Fresh Start program will automatically be granted a probationary term of financial aid. Students making Satisfactory Academic Progress during that probationary term will continue to have eligibility for financial aid as long as they continue to meet qualitative and quantitative requirements on a cumulative basis from the point of readmission. However, they are eligible for financial aid for no more than 150% of the total hours required for the degree program in which the student is enrolled including hours attempted prior to entering the Fresh Start program. Students who fail to make satisfactory progress in their probationary term or any term thereafter will lose aid eligibility and be treated as any other student who has already had a probationary term of financial aid and their entire Marietta College record will be considered in determining when aid can be reinstated.