ACADEMIC PROGRESS POLICY

TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY

The Departments of Education at both the Federal and State level set minimum standards that each student must meet in order to receive financial aid. However, each school may then set additional standards. To receive financial aid, a student must continue to maintain satisfactory academic progress according to the hours attempted per year. This will differ for full-time and part-time students. All financial aid is computed for full-time attendance unless the student notifies the Financial Aid Office otherwise. The general academic progress standards apply to all aid applicants, whether or not aid was received in prior semesters.

There are separate guidelines for renewal of Truman academic scholarships. Please refer to the scholarship renewal question and answer section here.

The aid programs covered by Truman’s general academic progress policy are:

FEDERAL PROGRAMS: Pell Grant, College Work-Study, Nursing Loan, Perkins Loan, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, TEACH Grant, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans and PLUS Loans.

MISSOURI STATE PROGRAMS:  Bright Flight Scholarship and Access Missouri Grant. The Missouri state statute requires a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 for renewal of these two programs.  They may be renewed annually for up to 10 semesters or until you have completed a bachelor’s degree, whichever occurs first  (Access Missouri renewal eligibility is also dependent on FAFSA results).  Students must be enrolled full-time to receive the funds, but are allowed to pass 20 hours for the year (or pro-rated hours if in attendance only one semester) by Truman’s academic progress policy.  Denial due to the review of academic year grades supersedes notification of aid awards for a subsequent term and/or a letter from the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) regarding renewal of state funds. The 2.5 cumulative GPA cannot be appealed. However, it is permissible to appeal the 20 hours successfully completed minimum requirement.

Students may regain eligibility for state funds if a 2.5 cumulative GPA is attained after any subsequent term – summer and/or fall. Students must notify the Financial Aid Office to have the funds reinstated because progress is not automatically monitored after the denial of funds. PLEASE NOTE: If a student does not receive Bright Flight funds for an entire academic year (consecutive fall and spring semesters) then the student will never be able to regain eligibility for the funds.  If you are unable to attend school for an entire academic year you may qualify for a deferment of your scholarship eligibility.  Acceptable reasons for deferment may include:  participation in a high school student exchange program; service in a nonprofit organization or a state or federal government agency; service on active duty in the armed forces of the United States; documented medical reasons.  Please contact MDHE immediately if you are anticipating being in any of these categories.

TRUMAN PROGRAMS: Truman Access Grant, Midwest Student Exchange Program, and Representative Jim Sears Scholarship.

PRIVATE PROGRAMS: It is Truman’s policy that the general academic progress policy covers funds received from alternative loan programs and private scholarships unless stated otherwise.

GENERAL POLICY

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Yearly academic progress will be checked after spring grades are posted. If a student attends only one semester of the year then progress is checked after that term. Progress also requires at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA after 2 years (4 semesters). Students are not eligible for further aid until credit hours are made up and/or the cumulative GPA is raised. You should self-evaluate and monitor your status during and after each term to allow for any adjustments that can be made to remain in good standing. 

Academic Year:  The following chart outlines the number of credit hours that an undergraduate must take at Truman per semester to be a full-time, ¾-time, or ½-time student and the number of Truman credit hours per year that must be passed to achieve satisfactory academic progress. If a Pell Grant is awarded for less than six credit hours, the student must pass all hours in which they are enrolled during that term.

Summer Terms: Academic progress is also checked after grades are posted for all summer sessions. This will affect your fall aid if progress is not met. To receive a Stafford Loan for summer students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours. In certain cases, some aid types may be available at less than six hours. In those situations, all hours for which the aid was awarded would have to be passed to maintain academic progress.

Summer Sessions (including Interim)

CUMULATIVE GPA: Truman requires a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for all federal programs after four semesters.  The Federal TEACH Grant, for some individual students, may require a 3.25 cumulative gpa. The statutes of the State of Missouri require a 2.5 cumulative grade point average to renew the Bright Flight scholarship and the Access Missouri grant.

MAXIMUM TIME FRAME: A maximum of 180 attempted cumulative hours is allowed to complete a bachelor’s degree. A master’s degree needs to be attained in 54 attempted hours or less.

PRIOR BACHELOR’S DEGREE/GRADUATE

 If you already have a bachelor's degree and are returning for a second undergraduate degree or teaching certification you are considered an undergraduate for financial aid. You must be fully admitted to a master's program to receive aid as a graduate student. If you are returning for a second degree, the degree you are pursuing must be different from the one you already hold.

 GRADUATE STUDENTS

Graduate students are considered to be making satisfactory progress as long as enrollment is maintained in the degree program. However, the maximum time frame to complete a master’s degree is 54 attempted hours.

STUDY ABROAD

Grades for study abroad programs are normally not received on a timely basis. Therefore, academic progress is considered to be met unless the Financial Aid Office is notified that the student withdrew from the program.

Regaining Eligibility

If you fail to achieve satisfactory academic progress for the term(s) you received aid you must pass enough hours at Truman without financial aid to make up the shortage.  For example, if your aid was based on full-time enrollment for an academic year but you passed only 17 hours, you must pass 3 hours at Truman without financial assistance before your aid would be reinstated. Your academic progress record remains the same at Truman regardless of whether there is a break in your enrollment and/or you take classes at other institutions. Aid will be reinstated when a 2.0 cumulative grade point average is attained. Students must notify the Financial Aid Office if hours and/or grades are made up after a summer and/or fall term.

Appeals Policy and Procedures

The Financial Aid Office will consider appeals that are not prohibited by Federal or State regulations.  The Appeals Petition is available on the Financial Aid web site at http://financialaid.truman.edu and in the Financial Aid Office.  An appeal can be submitted for failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress due to extenuating circumstances such as illness, hospitalization, injury, death or serious illness of immediate family member, accident, or other situations beyond the student’s control.  Documentation of the circumstance should be submitted with the Appeals Petition.  The request needs to clearly state why you failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress and what has changed so that you will be able to maintain satisfactory academic progress standards in future terms.  Results will be sent to your Truman e-mail account.  Additional information, such as an academic plan, may be requested but this will be determined after a full review of your financial aid history, academic record, and Appeals Petition documentation.

Examples of situations that may be appealed are:

  1. Failure to pass the required number of hours due to circumstances beyond your control.

  2. Surpassing the maximum time frame allowed to complete a program.

  3. Failure to meet the 2.00 cumulative grade point average for programs covered by the general policy.

Examples of situations that cannot be appealed are:

  1.  Failure to maintain a 2.5 cumulative grade point average for Bright Flight Scholarship and Access Missouri programs.

  2.  Receiving more than 10 semesters of Missouri state aid.

  3.  Failure to maintain the required progress for the Federal TEACH Grant (if ACT at or above the 75^th percentile was not achieved then the cumulative gpa must be at or above 3.25 after each semester; must remain in a TEACH Grant eligible major).

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

How are interim classes counted?

Interim classes are not counted toward your enrollment during the fall or spring semester. Aid is also not available for December interim with the exception of cultural loans for study abroad. However, hours taken during interims may be counted when making up hours. For example, if you had passed only 18 hours at the end of the academic year (Fall and Spring) and passed a 2-hour interim class at Truman, then your aid would be reinstated for the next term instead of being denied. If at any time you do make up deficiencies in hours at Truman, please notify the Financial Aid Office in writing so your aid can be reinstated promptly. In some cases, summer interim may be combined with regular summer session for awarding of summer aid.

How are the following counted when determining the number of hours passed?

Incompletes/In Progress, Failed Courses, Dropped Courses, Correspondence Work, Audited Courses, Repeated Coursework

Hours are not counted as passed until the final grade is reported to the Registrar. This means that incompletes/in progress hours are not counted as passed until the final passing grade is recorded by the Registrar. Courses failed, courses dropped, and courses taken for audit are never counted as hours passed. Aid is not awarded for audited hours or correspondence classes.  Repeated coursework can be included in enrollment status except when more than one repetition if previously passed or repetition of a previously passed course due to the student failing other coursework.

How are dual credit courses taken in high school counted in the grade point requirement?

Grades for dual credit are counted in the cumulative GPA for renewal of all programs. However, only Truman hours and grades are used in determining Truman academic scholarship renewal.

What happens if I withdraw from all courses after I have received my financial aid for the semester?

A withdrawal from all courses means no hours will be passed for the semester, thus causing a substantial shortage of credit hours at the end of the academic year. Future aid would be denied until the deficient hours are made up. If the withdrawal was beyond the control of the student, an appeal may be justified. If you withdraw before 60% of the term is over, you may owe a partial repayment of aid.

When does the Financial Aid Office check academic progress?

Academic progress is normally reviewed at the end of the spring semester and again after summer session (for summer school students who received aid for that term).

How does a change of major affect the maximum time frame for obtaining a degree?

A change of major will not extend the time frame for receiving student aid. Extra terms were built into the maximum to allow for change of major, double majors, and five-year majors.

How is the maximum time frame for completion of degree calculated for a transfer student?

Cumulative credit hours that are accepted as transfer hours by the Registrar will be used to determine the remaining time frame for degree completion.