Undergraduate Student Financial Aid Statement of Satisfactory Academic Progress

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All students must maintain certain requirements to receive financial aid. Credit hours attempted, credit hours completed and TCU cumulative GPA are reviewed in June at the conclusion of each academic year to determine whether satisfactory progress is being maintained. Additionally, a student on academic warning or academic probation will be reviewed at the conclusion of each academic semester. (See Sections I, II, III.)

The following statement outlines the requirements for satisfactory progress and how those requirements are monitored. Enrollment status is determined on the final day of the 100 percent refund period.

Section I: Full-Time Undergraduate Student (12+ hours/semester)

Complete and receive academic credit for at least 24 hours annually. (See Section V.)
Maintain a TCU cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on hours completed.
Not be on academic probation.

Section II: 3/4-Time Undergraduate Student (9-11 hours/semester)

Complete and receive academic credit for at least six hours per semester.
Maintain a TCU cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on hours completed.
Not be on academic probation.

Section III: 1/2-Time Undergraduate Student (6-8 hours/semester)

Complete and receive academic credit for 50 percent of the hours enrolled. (See Section V.)
Maintain a TCU cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on hours completed.
Not be on academic probation.

Section IV: Less Than Half-Time Undergraduate Student (1-5 hours/semester)

Complete and receive academic credit for all courses for which enrolled. (See Section V.)
Maintain a TCU cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 on the hours completed.
Not be on academic probation.

Section V: Criteria Used to Evaluate Grades

Grades are reviewed at the end of the spring term. Students who do not obtain a minimum TCU cumulative GPA of 2.00 will be placed on financial aid warning for the following fall semester. During the probation, students must work to achieve the scores needed to bring the cumulative GPA to 2.00 by the end of that semester Failure to do so will result in loss of financial aid.

The following will be counted as credits completed: "A" through "D" grades and "P".

The following will not be considered as credits completed: "F" grade, "W" or "Q", "I", and "AU"; Advanced Placement (AP); College Level Examination (CLEP); College Board Achievement Tests in Foreign Language (ACH).

Repeated courses will be counted as credits completed. However, University academic policy limits the number of repeated classes allowed by major. Students should contact their academic adviser for additional information. Incomplete classes will not be counted until a grade is posted.

Section VI: Schedule of Completion of Degree Requirements— Full-Time Student

Satisfactory completion of academic work for receipt of financial aid is also measured in annual increments beginning with the fall semester.:

A student who completes fewer than the required number of hours for any increment may attend summer school to re-establish eligibility for financial aid for the following semester. Aid may then be awarded on a funds-available basis. If intending to transfer work to TCU, the individual's academic dean must approve the coursework as applicable toward a TCU degree. Full-time students may receive financial aid up to 186 attempted hours. An extension of this time limit may be requested. Decisions will be based on an individual review. It is the student's responsibility to notify The Office of Financial Aid when additional hours are completed.

Section VII: Schedule of Completion of Degree Requirements—Part-Time Student

A student who has registered as a part-time student (11 semester hours or fewer) in at least two of the last four semesters, excluding summer school, may receive financial aid up to 186 attempted hours. An extension of this limit may be requested. Decisions will be based on an individual review.

Section VIII: 150 Percent Completion Rule

Federal regulation stipulates a maximum timeframe for federal aid eligibility. Students may receive federal funding for a maximum of 150% of the published length of their degree. This includes attempted and transferred hours even if the credit received is not applicable to the degree. The rule applies to credits for which the student personally paid as well as credits covered by financial aid. Therefore, for a standard 125 hour degree, students may receive financial aid for a maximum of 186 attempted credit hours. For those students whose degree requires more than 125 hours, please contact our office for individual review.

Section IX: Financial Assistance Probation

A student is expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress as defined in Section(s) I, II and III while in attendance. If a student does not progress at the required rate, he/she will be placed on financial aid probation. Should the student not obtain the required elements to remove himself/herself from probation or if the student is placed on academic probation or continued on academic probation a second time, the student will then be placed on financial assistance suspension (see Section X).

Section X: Financial Assistance Suspension

Financial assistance suspension is the loss of aid for a specific period. The student will not allowed to participate in any University, state or federal programs, including all educational loan programs. A student will remain on financial aid suspension until he/she is removed from academic probation.

Section XI: Appeals Procedure

If a student is denied financial aid because of lack of satisfactory academic progress, he/she may appeal the denial of assistance. The student must make the appeal in writing to the Scholarship Advisory Committee. The committee will meet in mid-July and mid-August to review appeals for the fall semester. Appeals and supporting documents not received by July 1 and August 1 will not be accepted. The committee will meet in early January to review appeals for the spring semester. Appeals and supporting documents not received by January 6 will not be accepted. The student will be notified of the decision as soon as possible after the committee meets.

Students who receive a grade change are not required to submit a formal appeal. Please notify the Office of Financial Aid of the change, and the office will review for satisfactory progress using the updated grade.

In general, the appeals committee is interested in knowing what, if any, mitigating circumstances interfered with your ability to make academic progress. Examples include, but are not limited to, medical conditions, family emergencies and emotional issues. In all cases, proper documentation is required for consideration.

Section XII: Reinstatement of Aid

Appeals may result in one of three outcomes:

Approval -- Aid is reinstated without conditions.
Denied -- If the appeal is not approved or if a student does not appeal, one of the following conditions must be satisfied before the student is eligible to receive aid again:
- A student must attend TCU without the benefit of financial aid for two full semesters during the regular academic year. In addition to maintaining the GPA, the student must also satisfy the requirement of the "Schedule of Degree Requirements" (see Sections VI and VII) before aid is reinstated; or
- A student can cease enrollment at TCU for two full semesters during the regular academic year. Assistance will be reinstated for one semester upon the student's re-entrance. Renewal of aid for the next semester will be based upon compliance with Sections I, II, and III with the exception of subsection A on each section.
Provisionally approved -- The committee may decide to temporarily reinstate aid, with conditions. For example, a student may have aid reinstated for fall semester, but be required to obtain a certain GPA prior to reinstating for spring.

Section: XIII

If an appeal or summer school work makes a student eligible for aid for the following year, the student will be considered for all aid for which he/she is eligible and for which funds are still available on the date eligibility is reinstated.