Appeals

Occasionally, extenuating circumstances contribute to a student’s inability to meet the requirements for satisfactory progress. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Death of an immediate family member;
• Severe injury or illness of the student or an immediate family member;
• Emergency situations such as fire or flood;
• Legal separation from spouse or divorce; and
• Military reassignment or required job transfers or shift changes.

Students who have extenuating circumstances may submit a written appeal to the Registrar. The written appeal must (i) explain why the student failed to make SAP and what has changed that will allow the student to make SAP at the next evaluation; and (ii) attach supporting documentation to document the relevant extenuating circumstances (e.g., physician statement documenting a severe injury/illness; an obituary/death certificate documenting the death of an immediate family member; insurance claim/FEMA application documenting a traumatic life-altering event, such as a fire, flood or hurricane).

The Registrar in collaboration with the Director of Student Financial Aid Services and the director/chair of the relevant graduate program (or their designee) will review the appeal to determine if the student will be able to meet SAP standards by the next evaluation. If the appeal is denied, the student may take classes at their own expense to try to regain SAP. If the appeal is approved, the student is placed on SAP Probation and an academic plan will be developed in conjunction with the director/chair of the relevant graduate program in order to help the student meet SAP standards in a specified timeline in order to graduate from the program. Graduate students on SAP Probation will continue to receive aid as long as they earn grades of a B or higher. If a student earns grades of a C or lower, W, I or CIP, they are placed on SAP Suspension again and cannot receive financial aid. All appeal decisions are final.