Aid recipients must meet two components: Quantitative and Qualitative. Quantitative is measured by completing a minimum percentage of attempted credits and Qualitative is measured by maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average. These requirements are in place to ensure that students are making steady progress toward the attainment of a degree.

Quantitative

Students must successfully complete at least 67% of cumulative credits attempted. The percentage is calculated by dividing completed credits (passing grades and transfer credits) by attempted credits. Attempted credits include successfully completed credits, earned F’s, incompletes, withdrawals, and courses that were grade replaced. 67% completion percentage is required to assure that students can obtain a degree in the maximum time frame allowed, which is 150% of the published length of the degree program. To determine the published length of a degree program, please refer to MSOE’s Academic Catalog. For more information on the maximum time frame, please review the maximum time frame section below:

1. Students are monitored at the end of the each academic term including summer.
2. Students not meeting the minimum percentage after a given academic term will be placed on financial aid warning for their next term of attendance.
3. While on financial aid warning, the student is still eligible for financial aid but the student must meet the required minimum percentage by the end of the warning term.
   
   1. If the student completes enough credits to meet the minimum percentage, the financial aid warning will be lifted.
   2. If the student does not complete enough credits to meet the minimum percentage during the financial aid warning term, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension and will not qualify for financial aid for their next term of attendance. Students can appeal their suspension. Please see the appeal section below.

Qualitative

In accordance with federal regulations, a student’s CGPA must be reviewed at the end of each term of attendance including summer.

1. Students who have not maintained a 2.0 CGPA at the time of review will be placed on financial aid warning for their next term of attendance.
2. While on financial aid warning, the student is still eligible for financial aid, but the student must reestablish a 2.0 CGPA by the end of the warning term.
   
   
   1. If the student reestablishes a 2.0 CGPA or higher, the financial aid warning will be lifted.
   2. If the student does not reestablish the 2.0 CGPA during the financial aid warning term, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension and will not qualify for financial aid for their next term of attendance. Students can appeal their suspension. Please see the appeal section below.
3. Graduate students abide by the same policy, but instead must maintain a 3.0 CGPA each term.

Grading Scale

MSOE's grading scale consists of passing and non-passing grades, in which the Financial Aid SAP policy is based.

1. Passing Grades consist of the following: A, AB, B, BC, C, CD^, D^, S, P, LP
2. Non-Passing Grades consist of the following: F, F*, NP, U, W, NR, PIP 

^Undergraduate students only

In the event of a significant disruption of academic activities, as declared by the Vice President of Academics, a temporary, alternative pass/no pass grading scale may be employed. The use of the alternative grading scale must be authorized by the Council for Academic Planning and communicated by the Vice President of Academics. When in effect, the alternative grading scale must be consistently applied university wide.

• Pass is defined as the equivalent of a C grade or higher for undergraduate students and a B grade of higher for graduate students
• Low Pass is defined as the equivalent of a CD/D grade for undergraduate students and a BC/C grade for graduate students
• No Pass is defined as the equivalent of an F grade for both undergraduate and graduate students

Students who have a grade change from a non-passing grade to a passing grade can request a re-evaluation of their SAP standing. Students seeking this option must submit an updated transcript to the MSOE Financial Aid Office with the re-evaluation request. Please allow 1-2 weeks for processing. Students who have changed majors and have had courses “pounded out” will be evaluated at the end of the term. 

Appeals

If a student is placed on financial aid suspension, they may appeal their suspension. Students are notified of their suspension status via email to their MSOE email address. Included in this notification are instructions on where to find the appeal form and the appeal deadline. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office by 4:30 pm on Monday of the eighth week of classes of the term for which the student is appealing their suspension. A committee reviews the appeals, and the student will be notified of the decision in writing via email to their MSOE email address.

Students may file an appeal for the following reasons: death of a relative, personal injury or illness, or other extenuating circumstances that the student can document. Students must indicate why they failed to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress and what has changed in their situation to allow the student to meet the requirements. All appeals must include documentation of the extenuating circumstance. Students are limited to two suspension appeals to the Financial Aid Office while attending MSOE. Students will also have a one-time opportunity to appeal to the Vice President of Academics in the event of a) a third appeal request OR b) an appeal denial from the Financial Aid Office (first or second appeal). Once an appeal is made to the Vice President of Academics, no further appeals will be allowed.

The Financial Aid Suspension Appeal Form can be found here.

Financial Aid Probation

Students whose appeals have been approved may be placed on financial aid probation for their next term of attendance. While on financial aid probation, the student must reestablish a 2.0 CGPA (undergraduate students)/3.0 CGPA (graduate students) and/or reestablish 67% completion rate of cumulative credits attempted. If it is determined prior to the probation term that the student will not meet the requirements of the financial aid probation during the probation term, an academic plan will be developed for the student.

Academic Plan

Students whose appeals have been approved may have to complete an MSOE Financial Aid Plan Agreement if it is determined by the Financial Aid Office that they cannot mathematically reestablish a 2.0 CGPA and/or reestablish 67% successful completion rate of cumulative credits attempted within one term of study. The academic plan will be developed on an individual basis and may include academic performance requirements, meetings with an academic advisor, meetings with a counselor and the Raider Center for Academic Success. The plan must be signed by both the student and a Raider Center for Academic Success staff member and returned to the Financial Aid Office by the due date specified on the plan agreement. Failure to submit a signed plan by the due date results in suspension of financial aid for the term. Failure to meet the requirements of MSOE Financial Aid Plan Agreement will result in suspension of financial aid for the next term of attendance.

Denial of Appeal

Students whose financial aid suspension appeal is denied will have a one-time opportunity to forward their appeal to the Vice President of Academics for review. Once an appeal is made to the Vice President of Academics, no further appeals will be allowed. Students whose appeal is denied by the Vice President of Academics or students who decide not to forward their appeal will need to find sources of funding other than federal, state or MSOE financial aid to cover the costs of their next term of attendance.

MSOE Financial Aid Office will review students’ cumulative grade point average and percent of successfully completed credits after each term. Once they have reached a 2.0 CGPA and completion rate of at least 67% of cumulative credits attempted, their financial aid will be reinstated. Students who are unable to meet the requirements after one term on financial aid suspension will have the opportunity to appeal their suspension again unless they have appealed twice previously, or their appeal was previously forwarded to the Executive Vice President of Academics.

Maximum Time Frame

Students must complete their degree program within 150% of the published length of their degree program. The following below will be considered when calculating the maximum time frame.

• Transfer credits accepted from other schools will be counted toward completion of the degree program as both hours attempted and hours completed.
• Students who repeat a course will have both the initial and subsequent course(s) count toward completion of published length of the degree program as both hours attempted and hours completed.
• Remedial courses will be counted toward completion of the published length of the degree program as both hours attempted and hours completed.
• Courses where a student withdraws are also included in the maximum time frame calculation as attempted credits only and will be counted toward completion of published length of the degree program.
• Courses in terms where students are not receiving financial aid will also be calculated as part of the maximum time frame calculation for financial aid purposes.
• Students who change majors must submit a Change of Program form with MSOE’s Registrar’s Office. When submitting the form, students will have the option to have all courses that do not meet academic requirements for the new major removed. If student chooses this option, courses removed will not be considered in the maximum time frame calculation and will not count towards the CGPA calculation.
• When calculating the maximum time frame for students enrolled in two degree program, the calculation will be based on 150% of the total credits needed to complete the longest of the two programs.

Please note:

1. Students’ enrollment level is determined by the number of credits registered as of 4:30PM Friday of week one of each term.
2. Federal Pell Grant, MSOE scholarships and MSOE grants are awarded for a maximum of six full-time years (18 full-time terms).
3. Wisconsin grant is awarded for a maximum of 5 years.