Texas State University
 
J. C. Kellam, Suite 240
601 University Dr.
San Marcos, TX 78666
Phone: 512.245.2315
Fax: 512.245.7920
FA Answer Bank: http://txstate.custhelp.com

Title IV School Code: 003615
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Maintain My Eligibility

In order to receive financial aid, you must meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements as required by federal regulation. Texas State applies the SAP standards to all federal, state and institutional financial assistance programs.

 

At the end of each spring semester, your Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid will be evaluated based on your previous year’s work (summer / fall / spring). If you do not meet all of the SAP requirements, you will not be eligible to receive financial aid. The only exception is if it is your first time to become ineligible to receive aid (due to SAP) while working on your degree (i.e., bachelor’s, master’s, etc.). In such a case, you will be placed on financial aid probation (except in the case of exceeding the maximum hours requirement). When on financial aid probation, you will have one year (summer / fall / spring) to meet the SAP requirements.

 

Any changes to your financial aid status with respect to the SAP requirements will be communicated to you via your Texas State email account. The three SAP standards you must meet at the end of each spring semester are as follows:

Minimum GPA

At the end of each evaluation period (end of spring semester), you must have achieved at least a minimum Texas State GPA in order to remain eligible for financial aid. The GPA requirements are indicated in the below table.

 

Minimum GPA Requirements

Degree or Certificate

Minimum GPA

Bachelor’s
Freshman (1 – 29 hours)
Sophomore - Senior

 

1.85
2.0

2nd Bachelor’s

2.5

Certification

2.5

Master’s

3.0

Doctoral

3.0

 
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Minimum Completion Rate

In order for you to receive financial aid, you must complete 70% of your attempted Texas State coursework during your most recent year of attendance at Texas State (summer / fall / spring). To calculate your completion rate for the evaluation period (summer / fall / spring), just take the total of your Texas State completed hours and divide that figure by your attempted Texas State hours. 

Attempted hours include all registered hours per semester whether or not you earned a grade or received credit.

Hours that count as attempted but not completed are:

  • F grades for undergraduate students
  • D or F grades for graduate students
  • PR (progress) for undergraduates
  • W (withdrawal)
  • I (incomplete)
Hours that count as attempted and completed are:
  • A through D grades for undergraduate students
  • A through C grades for graduate students
  • PR (progress) for graduate thesis or dissertation hours
  • CR (credit)
Examples:
  1. If you complete 18 of 24 attempted hours during the evaluation period, your completion rate of 75% (18/24 = .75) would exceed the minimum completion rate requirement.
  2. If you complete 20 of 30 attempted hours during the evaluation period, you will have a completion rate of 66% (20/30 = 66.6) and would not meet the minimum completion rate requirement. 

Please note that all completion rate calculations are rounded down to the nearest whole number (for example, 69.9 percent is rounded down to 69%).

 
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Maximum Hours Limit

The number of credit hours you attempt may not exceed 150% of the number of credit hours required for graduation in your program of study. Attempted hours include any hours you attempted at any institution, regardless of whether you received financial aid for those hours. To remain eligible for financial aid, you must not exceed the maximum hours limit as indicated in the below table.  

Maximum Hours Limit Requirements

Degree or Certificate

Maximum Hours

Bachelor’s

192

2nd Bachelor’s

 45

Certification

 90

Master’s

104

Doctoral

113


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Financial Aid Probation

If it is the first time that you have become ineligible to receive aid while working on your degree, you will be placed on financial aid probation. The only exception is for exceeding maximum hours, which results in immediate suspension. During your probationary period, which starts the next time you enroll at Texas State and lasts for one additional evaluation period (summer / fall / spring), you are allowed to receive financial aid. Whether you enroll for one, two or three semesters during the probationary period, you must be meeting the SAP requirements at the end of spring. You are only allowed one probationary period while working toward your degree.

Probationary Period Examples (*Attempted Hours)
Evaluated at End of Spring
Summer Hours
Fall Hours
Spring Hours
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No

*Attempted hours are the hours you are enrolled in after the last day of adds and drops.

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Financial Aid Suspension

If you do not meet the SAP requirements by the end of the probationary year (end of spring semester), you will be placed on financial aid suspension. Once you are on financial aid suspension, you are not eligible to receive financial aid until you meet the SAP requirements.

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Notification of Financial Aid Probation or Suspension Status

You will be notified via your Texas State email account in the event you are placed on financial aid probation or suspension. The email will direct you to My Financial Aid for more details.

 
Reinstatement

If you are on financial aid suspension, you may have your aid reinstated in one of the following manners:

  • Continue to attend Texas State without financial aid and meet the SAP requirements. If by the end of the next evaluation period (end of spring semester) you are meeting the SAP requirements, you will be eligible to receive future financial aid as long as you continue to meet the SAP requirements.
  • File an appeal demonstrating mitigating circumstances and be approved for an exemption to the SAP requirements.
If you are on financial aid suspension and subsequently meet the SAP requirements prior to the standard evaluation period at the end of spring, you may request reinstatement by contacting Financial Aid and Scholarships.

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Appeal Process

In the event you have been placed on financial aid suspension, you may file an appeal. Appeals will only be approved in the case of mitigating circumstances. There is no guarantee of approval. Mitigating circumstances may include, but are not limited to, a death in the family, illness of the student or any undue hardship that prohibits the successful completion of coursework. Circumstances will be evaluated by the reviewer of the appeal. If you wish to appeal the loss of your financial aid, you must do so through the following appeals process.

  • Level 1 Appeal - Financial Aid Counselor
  • Level 2 Appeal - Assistant/Associate Director
  • Level 3 Appeal - Director
  • Level 4 Appeal - Financial Aid Advisory, Appeals and Scholarship Committee (final appeal level)
 An appeal must include the following:
  • Your name, Texas State ID number and Texas State email address
  • A written description of the mitigating circumstances
  • Documentation to support any claims
  • If appealing because you have exceeded the maximum hours limit or because of a change in major, a degree plan must be submitted showing the number of hours remaining until graduation.
  • A description of the steps you have taken to remedy the situation
  • Your signature

Note: Appeals submitted without documentation will be denied.

Once you are notified of not being eligible for financial aid (financial aid suspension), you have (10) working days to submit an appeal. If your appeal is denied at any level (with the exception of a level 4 appeal) and you wish to appeal to the next level, you must submit a written notice of appeal to the next level within ten (10) working days after receiving an oral or written notice of the decision at the previous level.

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*Attempted hours are the hours you are enrolled in after the last day of adds and drops.