Academic Decisions and Financial Aid

Full-time vs. Part-time Status A Course “Drop” is the complete removal of a course from a student’s academic record.  This can occur prior to the semester or during the official “drop/add” period at the beginning of the semester.   There is no penalty for dropping a course, but the removal of the course will result in a re-calculation of the student’s full-time status for that semester, and thus may result in a reduction of aid eligibility if the drop causes the student to fall below full-time.

A Course Withdrawal occurs after the official “drop/add” period and results in an “X” grade being issued for the course in question.   The “X” grade results in the course credits being counted as attempted, but not earned or graded.   Thus, the accumulation of too many course withdrawals may have a negative impact on a student’s academic eligibility for financial aid in future semesters (see “How Your Academic Performance Affects Your Future Aid” – below).

Withdrawal from College vs. a Leave of Absence

A Withdrawal From College occurs when a student discontinues his/her studies at SUNY Cortland and does not intend to return in the future.  A student who wishes to withdraw must contact the appropriate Associate Dean and request to withdraw.  A student who withdraws from the college will need to be re-admitted should he/she ever decide to return to Cortland .

A Leave of Absence occurs when a student temporarily discontinues his/her studies at Cortland but fully intends to return in a future semester.  A leave of absence MUST be approved in advance by the appropriate Associate Dean.

If a student withdraws from the college or takes a leave of absence between semesters, there is generally no negative financial impact.  However, if the withdrawal/leave occurs during the semester, there may be multiple financial consequences. 

First, any withdrawal or leave occurring in the first 60% of a semester results in a prorated reduction in federal student aid for the current semester.  For example, a student who withdraws at the half-way point of the semester will lose one-half of his/her federal aid for that semester, and quite likely will owe a bill to the college at that point.  Also, if the withdrawal/leave occurs during the semester, all courses will be issued a grade of “W”.  The “W” grade results in the course credits being counted as attempted, but not earned or graded.    Since this action results in a large number of attempted but unearned credits, it is likely that a student who withdraws/takes a leave during the semester may lose eligibility for future financial aid at SUNY Cortland. 

TIP #2:  It is highly recommended a student withdrawing/taking a leave of absence from SUNY Cortland meet with his/her Advisor in the Financial Advisement Office.  If at all possible, it is best to have the meeting before deciding to withdraw or take a leave.

How Your Academic Performance Affects Your Future Aid:

Satisfactory Academic Progress Toward a Degree

The concept of “Satisfactory Academic Progress” is simple.  There are minimum standards of academic performance (grade point average and credits earned) that a student must meet in order to continue getting benefit of the aid/loan programs in future semesters.  These standards become increasingly stringent as a student progresses through his/her academic career.  That is, more is expected academically of a college senior than a college freshman.  

 At the end of each semester (including summer sessions) the Financial Advisement Office calculates which students are meeting the performance standards and which are not.  The rules vary for federal aid and state aid; and the specific rules and standards for each program are published in the college catalog. 

Undergraduate students are identified by class year (freshman, sophomore, etc.) based upon the number of total credits earned toward graduation.  This calculation includes any transfer credits that have been accepted for transfer by the appropriate academic office.   Class year designations are not used for graduate students.  The undergraduate class year definitions are as follows:

                        Total Earned Credits:                       Class Year:

                        Up to 25.5                                          Freshman
                        26 to 56                                             Sophomore
                        56.5 to 89.5                                       Junior
                        90 or more                                         Senior

Grade Point Average Standard

The Satisfactory Academic Progress standards require a measurement of the quality of work each student has performed.  The measurement of quality is the Grade Point Average (GPA).

In general, undergraduate students who maintain cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 will continue to meet the GPA requirements for both federal and state aid eligibility.  The rules are more lenient for freshman and sophomore students.  However, once a student reaches the end of his/her sophomore year, the 2.0 GPA (“C” average) standard is applicable to all programs. 

SUNY Cortland does not use transfer credits in calculation of a student’s GPA, so it is very important that students transferring to Cortland at the “Junior” Class Year level maintain at least a 2.0 GPA in their first semester at Cortland .

The Satisfactory Academic Progress standards also require a measurement of the quantity of work each student has performed.  The measurement of quantity is based on the number of earned credits versus the number of attempted credits at SUNY Cortland.

This standard also becomes more stringent as a student advances in class year.   While “W” and “X” grades have no negative effect on the GPA, they are counted as credits attempted but not earned for purposes of this standard. 

A related concept is the maximum time-frame standard.  A student is expected to complete a degree in no more than one-and-one-half times the normal program length.  For most undergraduates, this limits the receipt of financial aid to a maximum of twelve full-time semesters (six years).

Both the state and federal academic progress standards are available in the SUNY Cortland Undergraduate Catalog.   

If a student loses aid eligibility based upon poor academic performance, he/she may regain eligibility by successfully completing courses at SUNY Cortland (without aid) with sufficient grades/credits to re-establish eligibility under the standard.  Although these courses must be completed without benefit of financial aid, there are alternative financing options available.  We suggest that you contact your Financial Advisement Advisor as not all Alternative Loan providers will fund students not making Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Sometimes a student’s performance in a given semester can be negatively impacted by medical issues, family crisis, or other events/circumstances beyond the student’s control.  When that semester’s performance results in a loss of aid eligibility, there is a procedure for student’s to submit a mitigating circumstances appeal.  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, including faculty recommendations.   A mitigating circumstances appeal may not be used to justify a long-term pattern of poor performance or to override the maximum time frame standard.

Credit for a specific course can only be “earned” once.  Sometimes a student who has received a poor but passing grade (usually a “D”) chooses to re-take that course to improve the grade.   Aid cannot be paid for a course that is already earned, so it important that any such re-takes are scheduled in addition to twelve full credits of new coursework to maintain full-time status.

A grade of “incomplete’” (INC) indicates that a student is working with an instructor to make-up missing work within a given timeframe.  Unfortunately, at the time Satisfactory Academic Progress is calculated, the Financial Advisement Office cannot determine what the final grade will be.  Hence, the INC credits are counted as attempted credits but not earned credits.  This calculation sometimes results in a loss of eligibility.  Students faced with this situation should attempt to complete the work as quickly as possible, and should notify the Financial Advisement Office as soon as the final grade has been issued.

The processing of grades from international campuses often requires several weeks.  These delays can result in a temporary determination of a loss of aid eligibility, particularly in the NYS TAP Grant program.   TAP eligible students who participate in international study should be aware that the delay in grades may also result in the delay of TAP Grants for the following semester.  Students facing this situation should notify the Financial Advisement Office as soon as final grades have been posted.

Class Year and Student Loans

The maximum annual limit for student loans is based on a student’s class year as follows:

• Freshmen are eligible for up to $3500.
• Sophomores are eligible for up to $4000.
• Juniors are eligible for up to $5500. 
• Seniors are eligible for up to $5500.

If a student advances in Class Year standing at the mid-point of the academic year (at the end of the fall semester), he/she may be eligible for the increased loan amount in the spring semester.  Students who would like to take advantage of the increase should contact their Advisor in the Financial Advisement Office.