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In order to maintain your eligibility for both federal and state financial aid, you must demonstrate academic progress towards a degree program. We utilize both qualitative and quantitative measures to determine Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

When students accept financial aid, they also accept responsibility for making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This progress is based on the number of credits students enroll in per semester, their term and cumulative grade point average(s) as well as the length of enrollment at Saint Martin's University in additional to any transfer courses accepted by the university.

Please read all this information carefully. You are responsible for understanding these requirements.

  • Students applying for financial assistance must be in compliance with the SAP policies as a condition of initial or continuing eligibility.
  • Financial aid will be denied to students who fail to maintain academic progress as defined by the SAP Policy (GPA, MTF, Credit Hours).
  • At the end of each term, a review will be made to ensure compliance with the grade point average (GPA), maximum time frame limit, and minimum credit hour requirements of the policy.
  • First-time or returning aid applicants who have previously attended Saint Martin's must also be in compliance with the policy even though aid has not been received during periods of prior attendance.

Details

GPA

Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative/term G.P.A.

Maximum Time Frame (MTF)

All terms, including summer, Running Start credits, Advanced Placement (AP), or IB credits in which a student is enrolled count toward the maximum time frame and minimum credit hours completed requirement, even if the student completely withdraws from the University.

Terms of enrollment in which no aid is received will count towards the maximum time frame limit. This includes transfer credit hours for which no aid was received as well as Running Start credits, Advanced Placement (AP), or IB credits.

Undergraduate students are allowed a maximum time of:

  • 180 attempted credit hours
  • 193 attempted credit hours for engineering students
Attempted credit hours

To be eligible for financial aid, you must complete at least 67 percent of your overall attempted credits, which includes any additional credits transferred to Saint Martin's.

Credits enrolled/Credits that must be completed:

  • 12-15 credits: minimum of 12 credits completed
  • 9-11 credits: minimum of nine credits completed
  • 6-8 credits: minimum of six credits completed
  • Five or less credits: minimum of all credits attempted
GPA

Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative/term G.P.A.

Maximum time frame (MTF)

Maximum time frame requirements for individual degree programs are outlined below:

  • Master of Business Administration (MBA): 54 attempted credit hours.
  • Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MAC): 72 attempted credit hours.
  • Master of Education (MED): 60 attempted credit hours.
  • Master in Teaching (MIT)
    • Elementary Education: 92 attempted credit hours.
    • Secondary Education: 76 attempted credit hours.
    • Special Education: 110 attempted credit hours.
  • Master of Engineering Management (MEM): 45 attempted credit hours.
  • Master of Civil Engineering (MCE): 45 attempted credit hours.
Attempted credit hours

Graduate students are required to complete 67 percent of the courses they originally enroll in. See above.

Satisfactory course completion/Pace to Degree (PTD) completion

Passing grades are courses with grades of: "A", "B", "C", "D", "P" are considered passing for PTD requirements.

Unsatisfactory completion: "F", "I", "W", "XF" Audits or no grade are not considered passing for PTD requirements.

Not for credit courses

Not for credit courses will count toward minimum credit hours completed (not for credit and remedial courses will only be counted for one academic year). Remedial credits are monitored by the SAP system.

Repeat courses

Courses count once in the calculation of minimum hours completed. Therefore, a repeat of an "A", "B", "C", or "P" will not count as additional credits unless otherwise noted.

Students repeating a course in which an "I" was previously received will not be funded.

Students repeating previously withdrawn "W" courses are only eligible for funding one additional time for that course.

Warning status

If you do not meet SAP requirements, you will be placed in warning status for the next term of enrollment. If you are in warning status, you will be eligible to receive available financial aid for one term. After your warning term, disbursements may be delayed while your academic progress is reviewed. If you do not achieve good standing by the end of your warning term, you will be placed in suspended eligibility status.

Suspended eligibility status and appeals

Students placed in suspended status are not eligible to receive federal, state or institutional financial aid. In addition, some alternative loan and scholarship programs require students to be in good standing under SAP guidelines.

If you are in suspended status, you may submit an appeal to the Office of Student Financial Services, which documents special or unforeseen circumstances that interfered with the completion of your coursework or in meeting any other part of the policy.

Submitting an appeal

Appeals must be submitted by the mid-point of the term. Appeals submitted after the deadline will be reviewed but late petitions may result in the loss of funding for the term. If an appeal is approved, you will be placed in Probation status and will be eligible to receive financial aid.

You may be required to submit an academic plan for each term of probation status until you reach good standing. If you do not pass the credits an/or earn the GPA given in the academic plan, you will be placed in suspended status again.

All decisions by the Satisfactory Academic Progress Committee are final.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal »
Academic Plan and Eligibility Contract »

For additional information please see SAP policy.

Withdrawing from all classes

Financial aid (Federal/State/Institutional/Private) is awarded to the student with the assumption that they will attend school for the entire term. When the student withdraws, they may no longer be eligible for the full amount of funds that were originally awarded.

If a student withdraws before completing 60% of the term, the amount of financial aid earned must be determined. All unearned federal aid must be returned (cancelled from the student's account). The student will be notified in writing if any federal aid must be returned and their total amount owed to the university.

The amount of unearned aid is determined by a daily prorated ratio. Once the student has completed more than 60% of the term, they are considered to have earned all of their federal assistance they were scheduled to receive.

If you are considering withdrawal from the University, please contact Student Financial Services prior to completing the withdrawal process. Download the Saint Martin's Official Unofficial Withdrawal Policy.

To officially cease enrollment at Saint Martin’s University either during or at the end of a semester/enrollment period, the student must notify the registrar’s office of their departure via the online Withdrawal/Leave of Absence form. If you withdraw from courses before the Add/Drop deadline, the courses will not appear on your transcript. After the Add/Drop deadline, you may withdraw from courses until the Withdrawal deadline, and your transcript will indicate a "W" for each course. After this date, you will receive a letter grade. Only approved Medical Withdrawals are allowed after the Withdrawal deadline.

An unofficial withdrawal is when a student stops attending school and does not notify the school of his or her withdrawal. The following circumstances are classified as unofficial withdrawals:

  1. The student did not initiate attendance or academic activity in any of their registered courses.
  2. Student ceased attendance after initiating their course and is issued an "XF" grade.
  3. The student did not begin the withdrawal process or otherwise notify the school of the intent to withdraw due to illness, accident, grievous, personal loss, or other circumstances beyond the student's control.

In the event the university determines the student has unofficially withdrawn, the withdrawal date will be the last date of academic activity or if no consensus can be met it will be the midpoint of the payment period. In the event a student is considered to be an unofficial withdrawal, the student could be subject to a 50% or higher loss of aid eligibility that could result in an outstanding balance due.

Student Financial Services has 30 days in which to determine the amount of a student's federal aid was 'earned'* and 'unearned' as defined in federal regulations, and then return aid in the following order:

  • Federal Direct Graduate PLUS loan
  • Federal Direct PLUS loan
  • Federal Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loan
  • Federal Subsidized Direct Stafford Loan
  • Perkins Loan
  • Federal Pell Grant
  • Federal SEOG Grant
  • Federal TEACH Grant
  • Federal Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
  • Other Title IV Programs

For additional information please see R2T4 policy.

*Work-study wages earned are not included in the return of federal financial aid calculations.

If the student received grant aid from the State of Washington in the term they withdrew from, the amount that must be returned to the state is based on percentage of the term remaining.

If the last date of attendance occurs after 50% of the term, the state grant award is considered 100% earned and no state grant repayment is due.

Saint Martin's University State Grant Repayment Policy »
Additional information on Saint Martin's refund policy »

Student Financial Services will return institutionally funded aid based on the amount of tuition costs refunded to the student.

Download state grant repayment policy >>