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2015-2016 Graduate Catalog

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Graduate Students

A student must meet all of the following requirements in order to be making satisfactory academic progress for Title IV aid.

Qualitative Standard (GPA):

  • Graduate students (full or part-time) are required to maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  • In addition to cumulative GPA requirements, graduate students in selected programs will not meet SAP requirements if they do not meet specific departmental standards related to “C” grades earned and/or clinical performance. At the end of each payment period (as identified above) the Graduate College will notify the Office of Student Financial Aid of any student in this circumstance.

Quantitative (Pace) Standard:

  • Graduate students must complete a minimum percentage of attempted credits (PACE). Students must maintain a minimum pace of 66.67%.
  • PACE is calculated by dividing the cumulative credit hours earned by the cumulative credit hours attempted. 

Maximum Time Frame:

  • Graduate students must complete their degree requirements in five calendar years from the date of matriculation. Students will not be eligible to placed on a financial aid warning/probation status if they have reached their maximum time frame.
  • Appeals to the maximum time frame may be requested if a graduate student should matriculate into a different graduate program, they will begin a new five year academic year time frame only if the new program resides in a different college (i.e., student moves from a graduate program within the East Stroudsburg University College of Education into a graduate program within the East Stroudsburg University College of Health Sciences).

Program Completion:

Once the student completes all the academic requirements for their program, the student is considered to have completed the degree program and is no longer eligible for further federal aid for that program.

Students who fail to meet either the cumulative GPA or PACE satisfactory academic progress requirements will be placed on financial aid warning. Financial aid warning lasts for one payment period (semester) only, during which the student may continue to receive federal financial aid. Students who fail to meet the GPA and PACE satisfactory progress after the warning period will lose their aid eligibility unless they successfully appeal and are placed on financial aid probation, with an academic plan. (See details below). Students who have reached the maximum time frame are no longer eligible for federal aid; they are not eligible for financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Categories

Financial Aid Warning:

  • As stated earlier, a student failing to meet SAP standards, at the time of review, will be placed on financial aid warning for one payment period. The student will be eligible for federal aid during the financial aid warning period.
  • A student not meeting SAP standards at the end of the financial aid warning term will not be eligible for federal aid unless they are now meeting SAP standards or if their financial aid appeal has been approved.

Financial Aid Appeal Process/ Financial Aid Probation:

  • If, at the end of the financial aid warning term, a student is still not meeting SAP requirements, the student may submit an appeal based on extenuating circumstances only. Examples of extenuating circumstances are personal illness or injury, a death of a close relative, or other special circumstances. The appeal can be completed on the myESU portal and it must outline the reasons that satisfactory academic  progress was not met, what has changed that will allow the minimum standards to be met at the next evaluation and how the student plans to improve their academic progress (i.e. academic plan).
  • If the appeal is approved by the financial aid office, the student will be placed on academic probation, with an academic plan, and will be eligible for federal financial aid during a financial aid probationary period. The student’s progress will be monitored at the end of one payment period to determine the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan. If the student is meeting the requirements of the academic plan, the student will be eligible to receive federal aid as long as the student continues to meet the requirements and is reviewed according to the requirements specified in the plan.
  • If the appeal is denied, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid until s/he is meeting satisfactory academic progress standards.

Students will be notified, in writing, by the East Stroudsburg University Office of Student Financial Aid if they have been placed on financial aid warning or financial aid probation.

Academic Forgiveness
Graduate students do not qualify for Academic Forgiveness at this time.

Transfer Credits

Transfer credits accepted toward the student’s current program are counted as both attempted and completed credit hours. Grades earned in transfer credits are not included in cumulative GPA.