All federal aid is paid in two disbursements over an award year. The first financial aid disbursement usually occurs within the first 30 (thirty) days of the program’s start date.
Each disbursement after the first is contingent upon students meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. In addition, students must complete both the clock or credit hours and the weeks in the payment period to receive the subsequent disbursement in non-term programs.
For term programs, SAP is monitored at the end of each term. In non-term programs, SAP measurements are completed at the scheduled end of each payment period when the student’s scheduled clock or credit hours have elapsed, regardless of whether the student attended them.
Pell, FSEOG, IASG, Direct Loans, and PLUS Loans are disbursed once per pay period.
Before a financial aid disbursement, the Financial Aid Advisor must check the student’s status to ensure that the student is not in LOA status. For PLUS loans, the Financial Aid Advisor will check the parent’s status with NSLDS to confirm that the parent is not in default nor owes a refund of federal grant funds before each disbursement.
Maximum Timeframe
All students who receive financial aid must complete their program within 150 percent of the expected program length, as measured in either credit hours for term programs or calendar time for non-term programs. If they exceed the maximum timeframe, they are subject to the loss of financial aid, which can be appealed following the procedure outlined below.
Students who are academically expelled from one program and wish to transfer to another program at Sacramento Ultrasound Institute must submit a written appeal according to the terms outlined below. Admission to the new program requires the program director’s approval and the director of financial aid. If the appeal is granted, the student will be admitted to the new program on an Academic Plan status and must follow the terms of the academic plan.
Appeal and Reinstatement
Students who have lost financial aid eligibility for failure to maintain satisfactory progress will be notified in writing of the cancellation of financial aid. Students with mitigating circumstances wishing to appeal the revocation of financial assistance may write to the Financial Aid Office. Mitigating circumstances may include but are not limited to illness or injury of the student or immediate family member, death of a relative, or other extraordinary circumstances. The Director of Financial Aid and Campus Director will evaluate the appeal and determine whether the student may continue receiving financial aid on an Academic Plan status.
The student’s appeal must include the following:
- The reason the student failed to meet the SAP standard(s) AND
- What has changed in the student’s situation so that they will now be able to meet the SAP standards AND
- Supporting documentation, as applicable.
If an appeal is granted and financial aid is reinstated, the student will receive assistance on an Academic Plan status. A student with this status must regain SAP standing by the point specified in the academic plan; the terms will be included in the notice forwarded to the student when the appeal is granted. The terms will generally require students to meet or exceed the attendance requirements, pass all courses with a “C” or better, and may include additional required elements, such as tutoring. Each month, the student’s progress will be reviewed based on the Academic Plan. At the end of the payment period, if a student fails to meet the requirements of the Academic Plan, they will become ineligible for financial aid.
The Academic Plan is structured to assist the student in regaining SAP status within a projected timeframe, generally not exceeding the Maximum time frame.
Students are limited to one appeal during their education at Sacramento Ultrasound Institute, regardless of the reason or other circumstances. If a student regains SAP status, they can appeal one additional time.
CREDIT-BASED PROGRAMS
The refund will be issued 30 days from the start date of the credit balance on the student’s account.
TERM-BASED PROGRAMS
All withdrawals, incompletes, and repetitions are considered when determining Satisfactory Academic Progress. Incompletes and withdrawals are not considered credits completed. Transfer credits are counted as both attempted and earned but do not affect the GPA. Nontraditional awarding of credit, including credit by exam and credit for life experience, are counted as both attempted and credits earned but do not affect the GPA. Satisfactory progress standards apply to all students, regardless of enrollment status (full-time, 3/4 time, 1/2 time, or less than 1/2 time). All credit hours for which a student has incurred a financial obligation are considered.
Students are considered good if they have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and meet the quantitative measure. The required pace or percentage of credit hours completed versus the hours attempted must be at least 67%. Accountability starts with the student’s entry date at the institution.
Students who do not meet the required standards of SAP will receive a Warning notice. While on Warning status, students are eligible to receive financial aid. Students that are still below standards for a second term will have their aid canceled. Students may appeal the loss of financial assistance under the above appeal policy.
All withdrawals and incompletes are considered when determining Satisfactory Academic Progress but do not impact the GPA. Transfer hours reduce the length of the scheduled program hours at SUI but do not impact the SAP measurements except for the Maximum time frame. All hours for which a student has incurred a financial obligation are considered.
NON-TERM PROGRAMS
Students are considered good if they have at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) at the end of each payment period (qualitative measure). They must also meet the quantitative measure to ensure the student can graduate by the scheduled maximum timeframe, 150% of the program expressed in calendar time. The required pace or percentage of clock hours completed (quantitative measure) is determined as follows: a student must complete a minimum number of scheduled hours of each payment period that varies by the program under the attendance policy. This information can be found in the chart below.
Satisfactory Academic Progress is reviewed at the scheduled end of each payment period in all non-term-based programs, both clock and non-term credit hours. If a student does not meet either or both of the SAP requirements at the scheduled end of a payment period, the student’s financial aid eligibility is terminated and subject to appeal as outlined in the policy above.