Both the U.S. Department of Education and the State of New York require that students receiving aid demonstrate continuing academic success in college in order to continue receiving financial aid. This concept is called “satisfactory academic progress” toward a degree. The standards below are the official policies in effect at SUNY Cortland. Questions about academic progress, progress calculations, and/or appeal procedures should be directed to the Financial Advisement Office.
Also, please note that this information is subject to change without prior notification. For the most accurate and current information, please refer to the latest college catalog.
State Financial Aid Programs
State University of New York has University-wide standards for the award of assistance under the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). To be eligible for New York State assistance under these standards, students must enroll in at least 12 credit hours of courses for each semester in which they receive assistance and must meet the academic progress standards shown below.
In addition, TAP recipients must demonstrate "program pursuit" by completing a percentage of the minimum full-time course load each semester according to the following schedule.
| Year of Eligibility: | Percent Completed: | |
| 1st | (0-12 points) | 50 percent (6 credit hours) |
| 2nd | (13-24 points) | 75 percent (9 credit hours) |
| 3rd | (25-36 points) | 100 percent (12 credit hours) |
| 4th | (37-48 points) | 100 percent (12 credit hours) |
Students who lose TAP eligibility may apply for a one-time waiver from the Financial Aid Office. Waiver decisions are made by an appeals committee. Waivers may only be granted for exceptional and unusual circumstances beyond the student's direct control.
Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Determining Eligibilitly for New York State Student Aid
| Before being certified for payment a student must have: |
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
6th
|
7th
|
8th
|
| Accrued at least this many credits: |
0
|
6
|
12
|
21
|
30
|
45
|
60
|
75
|
| At this grade point average: |
0
|
2.00
|
2.50
|
2.75
|
3.00
|
3.00
|
3.00
|
3.00
|
Noncredit remedial instruction can be counted toward a full-time academic load as set forth in 145-2.1 of the Commisioner's Regulations. The number of credits in this chart refers to work completed toward the degree.
Federal Financial Aid Programs
Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for Determining Continuing Eligibility for Federal Title IV Student Aid
| Minimum Academic Progress Requirements | Minimum Cumulative Grade Point Average | Cumulative Credits Earned/Attempted |
| Graduate Level Students |
3.00
|
65
|
*The number of "total credits" is the sum of all attempted credits at SUNY Cortland (see definition below) and all credits accepted for transfer by the Admissions Office. This figure is used exclusively for placement in the approppriate progress threshold of the chart.
Federal law and regulation require institutions of higher education to establish, publish and enforce minimum academic standards for the continued receipt of Federal Title IV Financial Aid. The Title IV Financial Aid Programs are the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal Work-Study Program, Federal Perkins Loan and the Federal Family Education Loan Program (including Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans and Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students). The charts above and the attached text are the published standards for SUNY Cortland. Failure to maintain academic performance in compliance with these standards will result in loss of future eligibility for Federal Title IV Financial Aid, including loans.
Maximum Time-frame Standard: Eligibility for Title IV Financial Aid is also limited to students completing their programs within one and one-half times the normal program length. For regular, full-time undergraduate students, the maximum time frame is twelve semesters. For part-time students, transfer students, students enrolled in dual majors and students with a history of both full- and part-time enrollment, the maximum time frame is reached when the student has attempted more than one-and-one-half the number of credits required to earn the degree(s). The maximum time frame standard evaluation for transfer students will consider only those credits attempted at SUNY Cortland or accepted for transfer credit by the Admissions Office.
Timing of Evaluations and Evaluation Process: The standard measures academic progress at the end of each semester in which Title IV aid is awarded to students, not including winter mini-semester. Evaluation of progress will occur shortly after final grades have been posted by the Registrar and notices will be sent out promptly. “Attempted” credits include all course work included in the student’s academic history at SUNY Cortland, except for transfer credits, advanced placement credits and CLEP credits. “Earned” credits include all attempted courses for which a passing grade has been received (quality points awarded). Grades listed as “Incomplete” or “Late Grade” at the time of evaluation will be considered attempted and unearned, but will not affect the grade point average. All other grades will be calculated in accordance with the College’s grading system, as described in the Academic Policies section of this catalog.
Data Corrections: If a student’s academic record is changed subsequent to the evaluation date, a student may submit a written request to the director of financial advisement for re-evaluation of the ineligibility determination. The most common situation leading to such a request is the successful resolution of “Incomplete” or “Late” grades.
Appeal of Ineligibility Decision: A determination of ineligibility may be appealed based on mitigating circumstances. A mitigating circumstance is defined as an exceptional or unusual event or events beyond the student’s direct control that contributed to or caused the academic difficulty. Appeal letters should be addressed to the director of financial advisement and should include a complete description of the circumstances that led to the academic difficulty and a plan for future academic success. Copies of supporting documentation should also be included. All appeals are reviewed by a committee of academic and financial professional staff whose determination is final. The committee will report all appeal decisions directly to the student and to the director of financial advisement.
A mitigating circumstance appeal may not be used to justify a pattern of poor performance or to override the maximum time frame standard.
Regaining Eligibility: A student who loses eligibility may regain it by successfully completing courses at SUNY Cortland with grades sufficient to meet the stated requirements. Such courses must be funded without benefit of Title IV aid. Under no circumstances will aid be paid retroactively for those courses once eligibility has been re-established. Upon completion of these courses, a student should submit a written request to the director of financial advicement for re-evaluation of eligibility. Students who have been absent from SUNY Cortland for a period of not less than eighteen months may submit a request for re-evaluation of eligibility upon re-admission to the College and demonstrated academic, professional and/or personal success during the period of absence. Such re-evaluation shall be based upon demonstrated correction of the previous academic difficulty, demonstrated success during the period of absence and likelihood of future academic success. The re-evaluation request must be in writing and addressed to the director of financial advisement. The request will be reviewed by a committee of academic and financial professional staff whose determination is final. The committee will report all re-evaluation decisions directly to the student and to the director of financial advisement.