Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Students must maintain a level of academic progress toward completing their degree or teacher certification to retain eligibility for aid - including student loans, parent loans, work-study, and grants.

Academic Progress Standards

• A minimum overall grade point average (GPA);
• Completion of at least 67% (rounded) of attempted hours (completion rate);
• A maximum amount of attempted hours based on the student’s degree objective.

Visit the Minimum SAP Standards webpage for more information on the minimum criteria.

SAP Review Schedule

New students, including first-time freshmen and first-time transfer students, are automatically considered to be making satisfactory academic progress (SAP). For currently enrolled students, we review the maximum attempted hours each semester. GPA and completion rate criteria are evaluated at the end of each spring semester for students who were enrolled in the previous summer, fall, or spring. If a student who wasn't enrolled during those semesters submits a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), we will conduct a manual review of their academic progress for financial aid, considering GPA, completion rate, and maximum attempted hours. This review will be based on their current academic record. Students who receive a grade change can request a manual review of your SAP status.

Students who are NOT maintaining these standards after the SAP reviews immediately lose eligibility for aid. If a student continues after not maintaining SAP standards, they must do so without federal, state, and/or institutional financial aid.

Students may appeal if they can document extenuating circumstances that occurred during an enrollment period, demonstrate the steps they have taken to address those circumstances, and show that they can return to compliance or complete their degree within three semesters.

Students suspended from financial aid have the option to appeal for their aid eligibility. Visit our SAP Process webpage for more information. Students must meet with their academic advisor to appeal (or Academic Affairs for students on the Keyser campus). Students are responsible for making payments when their bill is due regardless of the status of the appeal.

Reviewing Your Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students can view the status of your financial aid academic progress on your Financial Aid Information via your WVU Portal by following the steps below.

1. Go to your WVU Portal
2. Enter your login credentials ( WVU username and password)
3. Click on the "Financial Aid Information" button
4. Select the appropriate award year
5. Click on the "Satisfactory Academic Progress" tab

Please note that in addition to meeting overall SAP, certain aid programs (such as state and institutional grants and scholarships) may have their own renewal requirements with minimum overall GPAs and/or earning a certain amount of hours.

Each student is responsible for their awareness of the SAP policy. Refer to our Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy document for further details.

Calculating Your SAP Values

If you want to review or calculate values determining your academic progress*:

1. Log into your WVU Portal
2. Click on "STAR"
3. Click on "Academic Transcript"
4. Select "All Levels" and "Web Transcript" and submit
5. Click "Transcript Totals" to view overall information
6. Your Overall GPA determines your GPA for SAP standards
7. To calculate your completion rate, take your Overall Earned Hours and divide by your Overall Attempt Hours to get the percentage

*To determine how close you are to your maximum attempted hours, take the hours required in the WVU Academic Catalog for the semester you began the program and multiply by 1.5 to see how many hours you can attempt.