Costs & Financial Aid Undergraduate Costs & Financial Aid How to Apply Satisfactory Academic ProgressUH WILL BEGIN MONITORING SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS AT THE END OF EACH TERM
The Department of Education's release of final rules aims to strengthen the integrity of the Title IV programs including rule changes to the way Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is measured. These changes affect students for the first time for Fall 2011 and thereafter. These regulations governing student financial assistance require that an institution develop standards to measure academic progress toward a degree. Students applying for financial aid will be monitored for satisfactory academic progress whether or not financial aid was applied for or received during any academic period in which the student was previously enrolled. A student will not be eligible for financial assistance if he/she does not meet the academic progress requirements. Minimum standards, including qualitative and quantitative measures of progress, must be achieved by the end of any given enrolment period at UH.
| Classification | Cumulative GPA | Ratio of Passed Hours to Attempted Hours |
Total Maximum Attempted Hours (Including Transfer Credits) |
| Undergraduate | Minimum 2.00 | 75% | 190 Credit Hours |
| Graduate | Minimum 3.00 | 75% | 100 Hours Beyond Bachelor's Degree |
| Law | Minimum 2.00 | 75% | 100 Hours Beyond Bachelor's Degree |
| Optometry | Minimum 2.00 | 75% | 200 Hours Beyond Bachelor's Degree |
| Pharmacy | Minimum 2.00 | 75% | 100 Hours Beyond Bachelor's Degree |
| Post Baccalaureate | Minimum 2.00 | 75% | 100 Hours Beyond First Bachelor's Degree |
Qualitative Requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress
The minimum cumulative UH grade point average for undergraduate students is 2.00. The minimum cumulative UH grade point average for graduate students is 3.00. When a student applies and is accepted to graduate school, the student's satisfactory academic progress will be measured according to graduate student classification.
Quantitative Requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress
The Financial Aid Office determines the number of hours a student must complete by the end of each enrollment period based on the student's total registered hours during Fall, Spring and Summer at UH. Summer will be considered part of the total hours of the current academic year. Students are required to complete 75% of the courses in which they enroll for that semester.
Maximum Hour Limit
Federal regulations require an institution to establish a maximum number of credit hours to complete a degree or certification while also remaining eligible for federal, state,or institutional financial assistance. Consideration of eligibility includes all terms of enrollment, whether or not federal, state or institutional aid is received. Undergraduate students cannot exceed hours above 150% of their degree plan at any institution of higher education, to include all registered, earned or attempted hours. In addition, university withdrawal, dropped, duplicated or never completed hours are counted as well as hours earned in the Armed Forces.
For a graduate program (Master's or Doctoral), the maximum time frame cannot exceed 150% (see chart above) of the published length of the program measured by the number of years at UH.
Post-Baccalaureate programs will be monitored for maximum time frame based on their twelve month or twenty-four month period of aid eligibility. Post-Baccalaureate graduate non-degree and preparation programs are not eligible for aid.
Non-degree Graduate Academic Certificate programs will be monitored for maximum time frame based on their twelve month period of aid eligibility.
Students Who Receive All Failing Grades
If a student does not receive a passing grade in any class (earning any combination F's, W's and U's), or stops attending classes without notifying the University, during a semester in which he/she received financial aid, the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (SFA) must return all or a portion of aid that was disbursed. Official documentation proving that the student participated in an academically related event during the semester will be requested in order to show that the student earned Title IV aid. A calculation of earned aid will be processed based on acceptable documentation. If no acceptable documentation is provided, 100% of aid will be returned. Any return of funds will result in the student owing a balance to the University.
Possible Categories Assigned after SAP is calculated:
Meets SAP - A Status assigned to a student who has met minimum SAP requirements.
Financial Aid Warning- A status assigned to a student who is failing to meet SAP. Students under this category will receive aid for the following semester without a student appeal. This category is only assigned to students who were making SAP in the prior semester.
Financial Aid Probation - A status to a student who is failing to meet SAP A student must submit a SAP appeal and have it approved in order to be eligible for aid for that semester. Eligibility will be approved for one semester.
Not Meets - A status assigned to a student who was on Probation in the preceding semester and failed to meet SAP requirements. Aid will be disbursed to such students only if a successful appeal is received AND the student submits a SAP Appeal Plan Agreement. Requirements of the developed Plan Agreement must be closely met.
Appeal Process For Probation Status
An appeal must be submitted to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid (SFA) before aid can be disbursed in future semesters. Appeals must be filled out by the student and by an academic advisor, (no academic advisor signature is needed for an appeal for Fall 2011). A student can email the appeal to SAP@uh.edu or it may fax into our office at (713) 743-9098. Lastly a student may drop the appeal to our SFA counter in the Welcome Center.
If a student fails to meet SAP standards and consequently lose financial aid eligibility, the student may submit a written appeal with supporting documentation for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility if mitigating circumstances exist.
Mitigating circumstances include:
The appeal forms are also available in the Forms section of this website.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for the appeal to be processed. If the student's appeal is denied, he/she will be responsible for covering the balance for that semester. The Offices of Scholarships and Financial Aid will provide a response to the student's appeal before the first day of classes if the student submits a complete appeal and all supporting documents by payment deadline (usually falls a week before the 1st day of classes).
Appeal Process for Not Meets Status
If you fail to meet Satisfactory Academic progress standards during the semester for which you were on probation.
You will need to submit an appeal (see description immediately above) AND
Submit a SAP Appeal Plan Agreement. Under this Plan agreement a student will need to complete 100% of the hours enrolled in during that semester (i.e. cannot drop any courses after ORD/12th class day) and earn a 2.50 semester GPA for undergraduates or professional students (3.00 GPA for graduate students). The plan must contain a minimum of 6 credit hours that are required in your degree plan or are prerequisites for admission into a degree plan.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for the appeal to be processed. If a student's appeal is denied, please visit the Offices of Scholarships and Financial Aid for other funding opportunities. Our office will provide a student with a response to the appeal before the first day of classes if the student submits a complete appeal and all supporting documents by the UH payment deadline (usually falls a week before the 1st day of classes).
An appeal must be submitted to our office before aid can be disbursed in future semesters. Appeals must be filled out by the student and by the an academic advisor, (no academic advisor signature is needed for an undergraduate appeal for Fall 2011). A student can email the appeal to SAP@uh.edu or may fax into our office at (713) 743-9098. Lastly a student may drop your appeal to our SFA counter in the Welcome Center.
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