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SAP Process

Summer 2026 appeals will be available on or after March 24, 2026.

Appeal Process

Who Should Appeal

Students suspended from financial aid have the option to appeal for their aid eligibility. Students who meet the following criteria will be considered.

  • Have extenuating circumstances* which:
    • Were beyond their control;
    • Occurred during a period in which the student was enrolled; AND
    • Impacted their ability to be academically successful.

*Potential circumstances include but are not limited to a medical condition such as student injury, illness, or mental health diagnosis, medical diagnosis of a family member or close friend, death of a family member or close friend, birth of the student's child, divorce, separation, adoption of a child, issues related to COVID-19, or other personal difficulties that were unexpected and beyond the student's control.

How to Appeal

Considerations

  • Academic advisors often have earlier deadlines, so set up an appointment as soon as possible.
  • Students can only appeal once during a semester.
  • Completed appeals submitted with all necessary documentation are usually reviewed within 5 to 7 business days. This time may be extended during peak processing times – the start of each semester and throughout the summer semester.
  • Incomplete appeals cannot be reviewed.

Steps

You will be notified via your MIX email that you must appeal your financial aid eligibility. Please note students may not receive notification until after their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is received for the aid year.

  1. Meet with your Academic Advisor (or Academic Affairs for students on the Keyser campus) to develop your Academic Success Plan via DegreeWorks. Once completed, save your Plan as a PDF to submit with your appeal.
  2. Gather third-party documentation that supports your extenuating circumstances.
  3. Complete the appeal form. To access the form, go to the StudentForms website, log in with your WVU student username and password, and follow the on-screen instructions.

You will be notified of the outcome of your appeal via your MIX email. Please note you are responsible for making payment when your bill is due regardless of the status of the appeal.

Appeal Deadlines

  • Summer 2026 - June 1, 2026 (priority deadline)
  • Fall 2026 - July 1, 2026 (priority deadline)

The deadline for Spring 2026 has passed.

After the Appeal

Whatever the outcome of your appeal, below are some tips to assist you through the rest of the process.

Approved Appeals

You will be notified via your MIX email that the appeal has been approved.

  1. After your appeal is approved, you are on probation status for financial aid. Your aid will be reinstated on a probationary status only for one semester unless you are making Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the semester or - at the end of the probation semester - you successfully met the requirements specified by WVU in your Academic Success Plan.

  2. You will be reviewed at the end of each semester to ensure you are meeting the terms of the Academic Success Plan developed with your advisor or Academic Affairs for students on the Keyser campus (or to see if you have come into compliance or graduated).

  3. You must adhere to the courses listed on your Academic Success Plan for the specific semesters they are listed. If you are not able to take the courses during the listed semesters, you must develop a new Academic Success Plan with your academic advisor (or Academic Affairs for students on the Keyser campus) and submit a PDF of the new Academic Success Plan to the WVU Hub no later than 5 business days after the last day to add/drop a course from the start of the semester. Special consideration may be given in situations where the course being added/removed from the Plan for the semester has not started, and you have not received a 'W' for any course in the semester. Once a 'W' is recorded, a new Academic Success Plan for the semester cannot be submitted. Adding courses not listed on the plan or dropping/withdrawing from courses on the plan means you are not meeting the terms of your Academic Success Plan.

  4. If you do not meet the terms of your Academic Success Plan (and have not come into compliance at that time), further aid eligibility is removed immediately. Students are notified via their MIX email.

Denied Appeals

If the appeal is not approved, you will be notified via your MIX email. You may consider other forms of funding such as:

  • Private scholarships from providers external to the University;

  • Paying out-of-pocket;

  • Utilizing our tuition payment plan to break institutional charges up into smaller payments;

  • Pursuing loans from private lenders by searching for loans which do not require satisfactory academic progress.

Students can only appeal once per semester. Appeal decisions are final for the semester and cannot be appealed to a different level; however, students do have the option to appeal again for a future semester.

Appeal Frequency

Approved Appeals

If your appeal was approved and you're on an Academic Success Plan, you will be reviewed at the end of each semester to ensure you are meeting the terms of your Plan (or if you have come in compliance with SAP standards*). If you do not meet the terms of your Academic Success Plan, you will immediately be suspended from aid eligibility. You do have the option of appealing again should that be the case.

*If you have come in compliance with SAP standards, your financial aid eligibility will continue.

Previously Denied Appeals

Students can always appeal but only once per semester. Additional appeals submitted during an enrollment period would be reviewed for the next semester. If a student chooses to attend the semester for which the appeal was denied, they may consider paying out-of-pocket, utilizing the  tuition payment plan to break institutional charges up into smaller payments, or pursuing  credit-based loans from private lenders by searching for loans which do not require satisfactory academic progress.

Specific Circumstances

Receiving Academic Forgiveness

The measurement of Satisfactory Academic Progress is determined by reviewing a student's overall attempted hours, overall earned hours, and overall GPA as determined by the University in adherence to the University’s Grading Policies and Academic Forgiveness Policy. If a student is granted academic forgiveness, they will be required to appeal if they do not meet satisfactory academic progress standards.

Changing Majors

Students who have changed majors will continue to have all attempted hours and earned grades considered when evaluating academic progress.

Returning to WVU

Students who are readmitted are only eligible for financial aid if they are meeting the SAP policy. If not meeting the policy, they may follow the appeal process to see if their financial aid can be reinstated.

New WVU Students

Students enrolling at the institution for the first time are initially considered to be making SAP. This includes incoming first-time freshmen and transfer students. The measurement of academic progress will be made at the conclusion of their spring semester and will include all transfer hours (if applicable) on the student's academic record.

Not Receiving Financial Aid for Semesters You Struggled

All periods of enrollment must be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress, including semesters in which the student was enrolled but did not receive financial aid.

Refer to our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy document for further details.