Quantitative Components

• Undergraduate students must complete at least 70% of all attempted WCU hours.
• No student can receive funding from Title IV programs after she/he has attempted 150% of the required hours for the enrolled degree program.

Qualitative Components

• Students who have attempted fewer than 24 semester hours at WCU must have a cumulative GPA of at least 1.5.
• Students who have attempted between 24 and 59 semester hours at WCU must have a cumulative GPA of at least 1.8.
• Students who have attempted 60 or more hours at WCU must have a cumulative GPA of 2.0.

Frequency of Review

Student grades will be reviewed at the completion of the spring term to determine eligibility for the following academic year, regardless of the number of semesters the student attended since the last review*. Any student who does not meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines at the time of the May review each year will be ineligible for federal financial aid for the following academic year and will be sent a notification of their ineligibility. Being ineligible for the following academic year will not prevent a student from receiving financial aid for the adjacent summer term.

A student may regain eligibility for financial aid after any academic term if his/her grades meet the guidelines listed above. Students should notify the Financial Aid Office and request a review of their SAP standing.

Students who receive a notice of ineligibility for federal aid based on the SAP guidelines may send a written letter requesting aid under a contractual basis if the student can document any of the following circumstances:

1. Student suffered an illness that necessitated that the student miss 5 consecutive days of class.
2. Student suffered a loss in his/her immediate family. Immediate family is defined as parents, grandparents, and siblings for a dependent student. Immediate family for an independent student also includes his/her spouse and children.
3. Student has been absent from the university for one or more semesters and can document that the time away from the university was spent in pursuit of activities that should make the student better prepared to succeed academically.
4. Student was the victim of a natural disaster that caused him/her to miss school for at least 5 consecutive days.

Appeal Process and Form (PDF)

* Students who are currently under a financial aid contract will continue to be reviewed at the end of each academic term. Students who fail to meet the terms of their contract will be ineligible for further aid after the term in which they break the financial aid contract unless they meet regular SAP guidelines. Also, students who withdraw from the university will be reviewed at the time of withdrawal and the calculated Satisfactory Academic Progress status will apply immediately after the withdrawal.

Graduate Student Policy

WCU has also instituted a formal SAP policy for graduate students. The SAP policy for graduate students requires that students complete at least 66% of attempted hours, lose eligibility after attempting more than 150% of required degree hours, and maintain an acceptable cumulative GPA as defined by The Graduate School.