The Federal Title IV Programs governed by this policy include: Federal Pell Grant, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), Federal Stafford (Subsidized and Unsubsidized) Loans, and the PLUS loans. The state grant program governed by this policy is the Nebraska State Grant (NSG).

In order to receive Title IV funds or State Grants, the student must be making satisfactory progress in his or her course of study according to Bellevue University's Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy. Satisfactory progress is defined as an effective measure of evidence of positive movement toward a student's degree or credential. This measurement has two components:

1. A Qualitative Component - the student must meet minimum standards for quality work (GPA). For example:
   • Undergraduate:

     Hours Attempted	GPA
     12-29	1.4 or better
     30-44	1.6 or better
     45-59	1.8 or better
     60+	2.0 or better

   • Graduate:
     • A student in a graduate program must maintain a 3.0 GPA or better to meet minimum standards.
2. A Quantitative Component - the student must accumulate a sufficient number of credit hours to demonstrate that a degree will be earned within a set amount of time. For example:

On a cumulative basis, a student must successfully complete two-thirds of the credit hours attempted each academic year. Hours attempted are those for which a student is registered as of the start date of any session, plus hours added during late registration. Hours dropped or audited after the start date of a session will be counted as "hours attempted" whether or not financial aid was received for those hours.

Students at Bellevue University are required to complete their degree in a maximum time frame.

Non-accelerated undergraduate programs:

The completion of these undergraduate programs will take no longer than six years of full-time attendance. A 1/2 time student will take no longer than twelve years to complete an undergraduate program. A student will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension if they have accumulated more than 144 semester hours of credit and have not graduated. If the student has exceptional circumstances and submits this in writing to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee this suspension may be waived. In any case an explanation will be required of students who exceed 144 semester hours (six years x 24 credit hours = 144 credit hours).

Accelerated undergraduate programs:

The completion of these undergraduate programs will take no longer than two years of full-time attendance.

Graduate programs:

The completion of these programs will take no longer than three years of full-time attendance.

Any student who exceeds the above stated time limits will be required to submit in writing an explanation of the mitigating circumstances to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee.

Students that have met degree requirements but choose not to apply for graduation will be denied further federal Title IV financial aid.

These standards apply to all periods of enrollment including those in which financial aid was neither applied for nor received. These standards must be met for the student to be eligible for any of the Federal Title IV Student Aid Programs.

The effects of course Incompletes, Withdrawals, Repeats, and Audits on Satisfactory Progress.

Incompletes (I) - This is not a final grade. The financial aid office considers the grade of "I" as a soft "F" or failure. This means that unless the student completes the course work within the appropriate time frame, the grade will change to a "F".

Official withdrawals (W) - These hours will be counted toward the two-third's completion rate for the year. No after-the-fact financial aid will be paid for classes in which a grade of "W" is assigned.

Repeats - financial aid will be paid for classes a student chooses to repeat, as long as these classes count toward completion of the degree program. It may be academically sound for a student to repeat certain classes to raise his or her GPA to acceptable standards.

Audits (AU) - No financial aid will be given for classes taken in this status. No credit is earned toward completion of degree requirements; therefore, the student is not eligible for any financial aid.

Students who do not meet minimum requirements will be suspended from receiving consideration for financial aid.

Students will be notified by letter and given the opportunity to appeal the decision. These students will be placed on probation for one term and required to obtain the specific GPA and pass all courses attempted for that term. After the probation term, if standards are not met, the student will be ineligible for further financial aid unless severe mitigating circumstances exist.

Financial aid will be denied to students who repeatedly drop courses or withdraw from the University.

All applicants are reviewed with respect to the maximum time frame and if the applicant has earned 144 credit hours or more, he or she will be placed on financial aid suspension.

Procedures for a student to appeal a determination that he or she is not making satisfactory progress:

Any student has the right to appeal. The appeal must be in writing, addressed to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee, stating the reason(s) for failure to make satisfactory progress. Appeals will take four working days to process, and the student will be notified in writing of the committee's final decision.

Procedures for a student to re-establish that he or she is maintaining satisfactory progress:

The student should address the Financial Aid Appeals Committee in writing and provide all necessary supporting documentation for their request. If the Financial Aid Appeals Committee determines that mitigating circumstances exist, they will reinstate the student's financial aid and inform the student of any special restrictions.

Procedures for Satisfactory Progress Review:

The financial aid office will review each student's academic progress once a year:

• For undergraduate non-accelerated students during the Summer session, usually during the month of August, but in any case prior to Fall disbursements.
• For undergraduate accelerated students at the beginning of their second semester.
• For graduate students once each academic year.
• For all students prior to the certification or disbursement of any federal funds.

The University publishes and makes readily available its Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy in our Catalog, and in the Financial Aid Office Policy Statement. The information may also be found in our FAQ Policies and Procedures Guide.