ADU is required to establish Satisfactory Academic Progress standards for its federal and state financial aid recipients in accordance with the U.S. Department of Education regulations. These standards ensure that only those recipients demonstrating satisfactory progress toward the completion of their educational programs continue to receive financial aid.

Whether a student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress depends on his or her cumulative grade point average (GPA), successful completion of courses (credit hours), and maximum time limits to complete his or her course of study. Students must meet all the requirements listed below:

Undergraduate:

• Grade Point Average Requirement: A student must maintain an overall GPA of 2.00 at the end of each trimester. The GPA is calculated on ADU courses. If a student repeats a course, the policies regarding repeated courses will apply.
• Trimester Completion Requirement: A student must successfully complete 60% of the courses attempted for the trimester.

Graduate:

• Grade Point Average Requirement: A student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.00 at the end of each trimester. The GPA is calculated on ADU courses. If a student repeats a course, the policies regarding repeated courses will apply.
• Trimester Completion Requirement: A student must successfully complete all of program courses attempted for the trimester with a minimum grade of "B, earn no more than one "C" in a cognate course, or earns no grade lower than a "C". 
• Attempted hours: Are defined as the hours for which the student is enrolled and charged at the end of the drop/add period. Earned hours are defined as the sum of hours for which a student has earned a minimum grade of “D-” (0.70). Audits, deferred grades, failures, incompletes, in progress, withdrawals, or grades not submitted by the instructor are not earned hours. Passing credits received for pass/no pass courses are considered attempted and earned hours.  Failing grades in pass/no pass courses are considered attempted but not earned. Grades of failure will be included in calculation of hours attempted and will affect the GPA. Changes in the GPA due to the completion of the incomplete or deferred grade are taken into account for aid eligibility at the next appointed monitoring time. Financial aid is available for the initial time a course is taken and one retake.

Maximum Time Limit Requirement: Students’ eligibility for financial aid will be terminated once they have attempted more than 150% of the credits required for their degree. For example, the Associate of Science degree in Nursing requires completing 72 trimester credit hours. A student will be eligible for financial aid for 108 credit hours. The summer enrollment period counts toward the 150% time limit. Hours attempted are the sum of all ADU hours as of the end of the drop/add period, whether or not financial aid was received, plus all transfer hours accepted for credit. If a student changes course of study, only the hours from the previous course of study that will count toward the student’s new degree requirements are included in the calculation of attempted and earned hours.

Consortium Agreement: Students who are receiving financial aid under a consortium agreement must submit their transcripts from the other institution within three weeks after the end of the term.

Evaluation of Academic Progress: A financial aid recipient’s satisfactory academic progress is evaluated after each trimester. Students not meeting the requirements will be placed on financial aid probation for one term only during the next trimester of enrollment and will receive a letter of financial aid probation.

Probation: The student may continue to receive financial assistance during the financial aid probationary period. At the end of the financial aid probationary period, the student will:

• Be removed from the financial aid probationary status because both cumulative GPA and completion rate standards are met; or
• Be suspended from receiving assistance from federal, state, and institutional sources and will receive a financial aid suspension letter.

Financial Aid Suspension: Students who do not meet the cumulative GPA and completion rate standards are no longer eligible for financial aid until they have taken classes, using their own funds, and have raised their cumulative GPA and completion rate to meet the above standards.

Appeal Procedure: A student can appeal the financial aid suspension if he or she can demonstrate extenuating circumstances or show that the decision was based on incorrect or incomplete facts. Examples of extenuating circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the student are incapacitating illness, death of a family member, and natural disaster(s), etc.  A student must submit a written petition of appeal with supporting documentation to the Senior Vice President for Academic Administration within ten working days of notification of the determination explaining why the financial aid should not be suspended.

The Senior Vice President for Academic Administration will render a written decision to the student and send a copy to the Financial Aid Office after consultation with the department chair and the Student Finance Committee. Notification must be made within ten business days after the decision is made.

The student is eligible to receive an extension of financial aid for no more than one trimester in the event of extenuating circumstances.

Reinstatement: A student may have financial aid reinstated once all satisfactory academic progress standards are met.