Standards of Academic Progress
In order to qualify for financial assistance from the federal and state governments as set forth by The Higher Education Act of 1965, Thomas More College has developed standards of satisfactory academic progress prior to awarding any federal financial aid funds to students. These standards were established to encourage students to successfully complete courses for which federal financial aid is received, and to progress satisfactorily toward degree completion.
Successful completion of a course is defined as receiving one of the
following grades: A, B, C, D or P.
The standards apply to the following financial aid programs:
Federal Pell Grant
Federal Stafford Loans
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
Federal Work Study
Federal Perkins Loan
Federal Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
Nursing Student Loans
These requirements also apply to the KHEAA grant programs, CAP and KTG, and institutional need-based scholarships, grants and loans.
Note: These standards are separate from, and in addition to, academic standards required by the College for continued enrollment.
The criteria used to determine financial aid academic progress are grade point average (G.P.A.), course completion rate, and maximum time frame for completion of degree requirements. At the end of each year, the Financial Aid Office reviews student’s progress during the previous semester(s). All periods of enrollment are reviewed, including semesters during which no financial aid was received.
Qualitative Requirements - Grade Point Average
Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. Graduate students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Quantitative Requirements - Completion
Rate
Undergraduate and graduate students must successfully complete a minimum of 70% of the credit hours attempted each academic year (attempted hours are hours for which a charge was incurred). The academic year for financial aid purposes begins with the fall semester and ends with the summer semester.
Maximum Time Frame of Degree Requirements
Students must complete their first degree program within 150% of the published length of their degree program. Most programs at Thomas More College are four (4) years in length and/or 128 credit hours. Undergraduate students may receive financial aid for a period not to exceed the equivalent of 12 semesters of full-time enrollment (12 credit hours) or 192 attempted credit hours. Graduate students may receive financial aid for a period not to exceed the equivalent of six (6) semesters of full-time enrollment.
Financial Aid/Scholarship
Appeal Procedures
Students who fail to meet the Qualitative, Quantitative and Time Frame requirements will be placed on one semester of financial aid probation before facing the loss of financial aid and/or scholarships. If after receiving one semester of financial aid probation, the student continues to fail the above standards he/she will forfeit their financial aid/scholarship(s) for the next semester.
There are two opportunities for appealing the forfeiture of financial aid/scholarship eligibility to the Director of Financial Aid:
1. The first appeal is to be a written request submitted within 10 business days of notice of forfeiture and including any mitigating circumstances that have affected the student’s academic performance;
2. The second appeal is a scheduled, in-person meeting with the Director of Financial Aid, who reserves the right to weigh each case on an individual basis.
A student may appeal the forfeiture of their full tuition scholarships and designated academic scholarships to the Scholarship Committee a total of two times:
1. The first appeal is to be a written request submitted within 10 business days of notice of forfeiture and including any mitigating circumstances that have affected the student’s academic performance;
2. The second appeal is a scheduled, in-person meeting with the Scholarship Committee, which reserves the right to weigh each case on an individual basis.
If a favorable response to an appeal is granted, the student may regain their financial aid/scholarship eligibility for that semester and the student’s academic record will be reviewed at the end of each semester to determine if the requirements continue to be met.
If a negative response to the appeal is given, the student will lose their financial aid/scholarship for that semester and subsequent semesters.
If after two appeals (written and in-person) the student continues to fail the above requirements he/she is terminated from financial aid and scholarships.
The student may regain their financial aid eligibility after an appeal denial or termination if he/she pays for 12 credit hours at their own expense and successfully completes all 12 credit hours at Thomas More College. The 12 credit hours do not have to be taken all in one semester under this provision. Federal and Institutional aid may not be used to pay for tuition costs under this provision. This provision does not apply to retention of scholarships.
Academic Suspension
Any student suspended from the College will be ineligible for further financial aid. If the Vice President for Academic Affairs grants reinstatement, the student may appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility to the Director of Financial Aid in accordance with the Financial Aid Appeal Procedure outlined in this policy.
Scholarship Retention Requirements
To retain title to a Thomas More College scholarship, by the end of each semester, a student must:
Maintain a CGPA of 3.5 for full tuition scholarships;
Maintain a CGPA of 3.0 for partial tuition scholarships;
Maintain a CGPA of 2.5 for all non-need based scholarships and grants;
Maintain full-time enrollment of at least 12 credit hours per semester;
Scholarships may be maintained for a total of 128 credit hours earned. Special exemption may be given to students due to program requirements.
Students are allowed one financial aid probationary semester before their scholarship is revoked. Failure to comply with the above requirements will result in forfeiture of the scholarship for the next semester(s). Students may appeal scholarship forfeitures per the Financial Aid/Scholarship Appeal Procedures.
Other Factors Affecting Satisfactory Academic Progress
Withdrawals, incomplete courses, repeated courses, and transfer credits count towards a student’s compliance with the CGPA, completion rate and maximum time frame standards of this policy. Students who change majors or courses are still responsible for completing the degree in the maximum time frame. Reevaluation of the maximum time frame will be considered for individual situations.
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