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Students are expected to maintain satisfactory academic progress toward a stated educational goal in order to receive and retain financial aid. Our institutional policy and federal regulations require a specified level of academic achievement and the completion of a set number of credits within a given time frame. You may take courses on a pass/fail or credit/no-credit basis, but audited courses do not count toward the minimum credit requirement. Also, exercise and sport activities and ROTC classes that do not apply to graduation requirements do not count. Academic advisors, who are sometimes unaware of financial aid regulations, may suggest that you register for, or drop to, less than a full-time course of study. As this could jeopardize your aid, check with our office before considering less than full-time study. Listed here are the kinds of aid offered by The George Washington University and general rules and policies that pertain to them.
*Please Note
The University limits the duration of aid to ten semesters.
The semester in which a student is studying abroad will be considered as one of the ten semesters in which he/she is eligible to receive financial assistance.
Federal Requirements
In general, Federal regulations require a minimum 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) and 12 credit hours per semester for full-time attendance. In addition, these regulations now mandate that federal financial aid may not be extended to any undergraduate student who exceeds 150% of the published length of his or her program. Death of a family member, illness or injury to you, and other special circumstances can be considered as exceptions to these requirements. Falling grades (F) are included in the GPA calculation. Withdrawals (W or Z) are not used in the GPA calculation. Incomplete grades (I) are not factored into the GPA until a letter grade is recorded.
Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and Federal Work Study Program (FWSP)
Recipients must achieve a C (2.0) or better GPA and register for and complete the number of credit hours on which their budget and award were based. For example, full-time undergraduates must complete 12 credits.
Federal Pell Grant
Recipients must achieve a C (2.0) or better GPA in the number of credits on which their payment was based:
- Full time: at least 12 credit hours per semester
- Three-quarter time: 9-11 credit hours per semester
- Half-time: 6-8 credit hours per semester
- Less then half-time: 1-5 credit hours per semester
Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and SMART Grant
The Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG) and SMART Grant are two federal programs which require that the student be eligible for a Pell Grant. The ACG also requires a student to earn a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to receive a second year of eligibility. The SMART grant is for the third and fourth years of study. The student must have a 3.0 or higher GPA, be Pell eligible, and major in an area of study approved by the US Department of Education. Current majors are Science, Math, Computer Science, Technology, and certain designated foreign languages. Reference the Financial Aid Source Book for more details on these two programs.
Federal Stafford Loans, PLUS, and LEAPP
For Federal Stafford Loans, Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS), and the Leveraging Education Assistance Partnership Program (LEAPP), you are considered to be in good standing and making satisfactory academic progress if you meet all of the following criteria: grade level progression, satisfactory completion of course work, and eligibility for continued registration.
Grade level progression is the completion of at least two semesters of full-time work and/or progression from one grade level to another. If you are enrolled in an undergraduate program, full-time is 12 credits per semester. Grade levels for undergraduates are defined as follows: freshman (0-26 credits), sophomore (27-56 credits), junior (57-86 credits), and senior (87 or more credits). Courses taken at another accredited institution that have been approved by the Office of Admissions or by your Dean may be counted toward the number of credits necessary for progression. Grades of F, W, or Z and audited courses will not be counted toward the total number of credits. Exercise and sport activities, ROTC classes, and freshman advising workshops that do not apply to graduation requirements do not count toward the minimum credit requirements or toward grade-level progression.
Required remedial courses (for example, English as a Foreign Language) taken for credit may be included in the total number of credits required for progression.
If you are enrolled in a graduate division of the University, you progress from one grade level to the next by completing two semesters of full-time work or the equivalent number of credits. Full-time for graduates means 9 credits per semester. For graduate students doing thesis/dissertation, the determination of full-time/half-time status is made by the Registrar’s Office in conjunction with the Dean of the individual school. Grades of F, W, or Z and audited courses do not count toward the total number of credits necessary for progression.
Satisfactory completion of course work is the completion of attempted course work without being placed on academic probation or suspension. Your record may not reflect more than 9 credits of Incompletes. Students who have been admitted or readmitted on probation due to poor academic performance at GW are not considered to have satisfactorily completed their course work.
University Grants/Awards
Recipients of University Grants (including the Family Grant, the GW Guaranteed Grant, and The Board of Trustees Scholarship) must register for and complete at least 12 credit hours per semester and achieve a C (2.0) or better GPA.
University Scholarships
All University Scholarship recipients must register for and complete at least 12 credit hours per semester unless otherwise stipulated in their award notification. The GPA required for each award is at least a B (3.0).
- Presidential Academic Scholarship
- Engineering Honor Scholarship
- Francine Zorn Trachtenberg Scholar
- Presidential Scholarship
- Presidential Arts Scholarship*
- Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholar
- Scottish Rite Scholarship
- Presidential International Scholarship
- SEAS Scholarship*
*Some of the programs listed above have special departmental requirements in addition to GPA.
EXCEPTION:
If you are in your last semester at the University and need fewer credits than required by your award, you may apply in writing to retain a portion of aid by indicating the required number of credits remaining toward graduation.
Treatment of Grade Changes, Zs, Incompletes, and Withdrawals
Grade Changes will be recognized when they occur. No retroactive reinstatement of aid will be considered unless the grade change is officially posted by the last day of classes and funds are still available.
A grade of Z does not count in the required number of credits for your award and is not factored into the GPA.
Incompletes- No action will be taken if you receive one or two grades of “I” in one semester and your academic record justifies the assumption that incompletes will be satisfactorily completed. If you receive more than two grades of “I” and have a past unsatisfactory academic record, we will review your case for possible warning or cancellation of aid. If you receive all “I”s and did not previously provide an explanation to our office, aid already awarded may be cancelled until you present a written appeal.
A grade of W does not count in the required number of credits. Future financial aid will depend on the nature and the timing of your withdrawal.
SAP Review Policy
Academic progress is reviewed each year after the Spring semester; however, you may receive a warning at any time during the academic year if:
- You do not complete the required number of credit hours on which your award was based; or
- You fail to achieve the required GPA. A recurrence of either event in any subsequent semester is cause for cancellation of the applicable award.
Cancellation Policy
If you fail to meet your award requirements for any two semesters at GW, you may no longer be eligible for your award in the following semester. In cases of SAP failures, applications currently pending will not be processed. In an appeal situation, you may be awarded a one semester award only, with the understanding that aid will not be renewed for the following semester unless the academic requirements for the particular award are met. Freshman aid recipients have until the end of the academic year to meet the required satisfactory progress.
NOTE: Student records are reviewed periodically throughout the semester. When the review shows that the student is no longer registered full-time, applicable awards will be rescinded retroactively to the start of the semester. If you are contemplating dropping credits, contact the Office of Student Financial Assistance.
Reinstatement of Aid Eligibility
If you lose eligibility for aid for any of the reasons mentioned, you may reestablish eligibility after completing one full-time semester on The George Washington University campus at or above the renewal standards required for the award in question. Note that these are the terms for reinstatement of aid previously granted. Reinstatement is based on availability of funds.
Financial aid, once lost, cannot be reinstated retroactively for previous semesters.
Summer grades, while eventually counting in the GPA, will not reinstate aid eligibility unless a full semester’s worth of credits (12 credits) is achieved in the summer on the George Washington University campus with the appropriate GPA.
PLEASE NOTE: A student will not necessarily receive a warning. A student could go directly to withdrawal of aid depending on the severity of the SAP failure.
Appeals Procedure
We recognize that each student has individual circumstances. You may appeal the denial of financial aid by writing to the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Appeals Committee, Office of Student Financial Assistance, and present any pertinent evidence. Be specific as to how you can rectify your situation. Our committee will consult with deans, professors, or physicians (as appropriate) to permit one additional semester of financial aid if the circumstances and regulations so warrant.
Future changes in federal or institutional policies may change the application requirements or program guidelines.
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