Satisfactory Academic Progress

For Financial Aid Applicants and Recipients
Financial Aid recipients must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress toward a degree objective to remain eligible to receive Title IV financial aid at Purdue University North Central (PNC).  The Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy at PNC is based on standards established by Federal Regulations governing student Title IV financial aid.  These standards are cumulative and include all periods of a student's enrollment, including periods in which the student did not receive student financial aid.   The Satisfactory Academic Progress process will be run on an annual basis.

To remain eligible for financial aid under the PNC Satisfactory Academic Progress policy, students must meet the following requirements:

GPA Requirement.  To continue to meet the undergraduate satisfactory academic progress GPA requirements, undergraduate students must maintain a minimum graduation index of 2.00.  To continue to meet the Graduate satisfactory academic progress GPA requirements, students must maintain a minimum graduation index of 3.00.

Completion Rate Requirement.  The average length of an undergraduate program of study at PNC is 126 credit hours. An undergraduate student is eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 186 attempted credit hours at PNC.  Graduate students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 90 attempted credit hours.  In order to show progression toward completion of their program of study, a student's overall total number of earned (completed) credit hours must be equal to or greater than 67% of the overall total number of their attempted credit hours.

Student is meeting the Completion Rate Requirement if:

Overall Earned Credit Hours >= 67% of Overall Attempted Credit Hours

Example:
Student's Overall Earned Credit Hours is 127
Student's Overall Attempted Credit Hours is 136
136 x .67 = 91 (minimum number of Overall Earned Credit Hours the student must have)

As the Student's Overall Earned Credit Hours (127) is greater than 67% of the Students Overall Attempted Credit Hours (136 x .67 or 91), the student is meeting the Completion Rate Requirement.

General Information

• Transfer credit hours are included in determining attempted total credit hours.
• Withdrawals, grades of “F”, grades of “incomplete”, courses that are repeated, and non-credit courses are included in determining a student's Satisfactory Academic Progress status.

Probationary Status
Students failing to meet the GPA or Completion Rate requirements as outlined are placed on Financial Aid Probation for one academic year.  While on Financial Aid Probation the student is eligible to receive student financial aid.  Students failing to meet the GPA or Completion Rate requirements by the end of their financial aid probationary period automatically become ineligible to receive financial aid.

Ineligible Status
If a student becomes ineligible due to unsatisfactory academic performance the following steps apply: 

• Student appeals (see appeal information below) drop status with Financial Aid Office within time frame set by the Financial Aid Office.  Please note that a late appeal is automatically disqualified.

1.  If student’s appeal is approved:

a. Student is reinstated on a probationary status for the upcoming academic year.

2. If student’s appeal is denied:

a. Student must pay for, and satisfactorily complete enough PNC credit hours to once again meet the satisfactory academic progress policy standards.

b. After satisfactorily completing the required PNC credit hours to again meet the satisfactory academic progress policy standards, the student must submit a written request for reinstatement to the Financial Aid Office.

Appeal Process
An ineligible status can be appealed if the student has had mitigating circumstances such as personal illness or injury, or the death of an immediate family member.  Students may go to www.pnc.edu/financialaid, and click ‘Forms’ tab to obtain a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal form. Note: A probationary status cannot be appealed.

Financial Aid After Reinstatement
A student may be paid Pell Grant and campus-based funds, state funds, and/or FFELP Student Loan funds for the academic period in which the student is again meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, but cannot be paid for any academic period during which time the student was in an ineligible status.