How to Avoid Losing Your Financial Aid

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How to Avoid Losing Your Financial AidStudents will lose financial aid eligibility if they don't make satisfactory academic progress.

By US News Emma Kerr, Reporter Aug. 7, 2019, at 2:06 p.m.

Getting financial aid for college is tough to begin with, but in order to keep it, students need to maintain satisfactory academic progress. This measure, which includes a student's GPA and the number of credits they've successfully completed, is used by the U.S. Department of Education to ensure students who rely on financial aid are making progress toward their degree. But for those who fail to make academic progress, the financial and personal ramifications can be devastating.

This is a reality all too familiar for Anh-Vy Phan, a rising sophomore at the University of California—Berkeley, who failed a course after sustaining a concussion from a fall and ended up losing her federal financial aid eligibility, leaving her $24,000 indebt and unable to enroll in courses.

"I felt robbed," Phan says. "It's really hard to navigate these systems and to know what to do, especially when you're first gen and dealing with a lot of health problems."

After working her way through a series of different offices, multiple appeals and various student resources, including legal help, her financial aid was reinstated. For other students who face losing aid eligibility, Phan says it takes an enormous amount of effort to overcome this roadblock, and students must be strong self-advocates.

"I know that a lot of students who are going through this feel a lot of self-doubt, and I have so many friends who are going through the same thing and they're like, 'Well, maybe I didn't deserve this opportunity because I messed up,'" Phan says. "A lot of them don't follow up because of that. But even if (the financial aid office) doesn't respond to you, leave 18 voicemails. Follow up 20 times. Because that's what it takes to get them to take action."

It's not uncommon for students using financial aid to never have heard of satisfactory academic progress before an issue arises, as was the case for Phan. To avoid losing federal aid, experts say students should first familiarize themselves with the standards unique to their institution. To maintain eligibility, students should communicate with financial aid officers, academic advisers and professors as soon as possible.

What Is Satisfactory Academic Progress?

Satisfactory academic progress is different at each institution, but broadly speaking, it's a policy outlining the academic standards students must meet to keep their federal financial aid eligibility. Those who fail to do so may lose their aid.

An example of typical satisfactory academic progress standards might be maintaining a 2.0GPA and completing at least two-thirds of all attempted credit hours. It's standard for colleges to also require that students stay within a maximum amount of credit hours, which might amount to about 150% of the credit hours required for graduation, depending on the college, and that the student be working toward a degree.

Marty Somero, financial aid director at the University of Northern Colorado, says it's common for students to have issues with the satisfactory academic progress policy if they are receiving D's or F's in courses. But there are a few other mistakes to avoid as well, Somero says, such as withdrawing from courses frequently or changing majors too many times.

"Each year thousands of students may find themselves not making satisfactory academic progress for various reasons," Somero wrote in an email. Examples of these include "students who aren't prepared for the demand of their courses or who are working too many hours outside of the classroom, have competing family obligations or they simply haven't developed good study and time-management habits," he says.

Students should receive information about the standards they must uphold to keep their financial aid when it is first awarded to them freshman year, and that information is federally required to be available on the college's website. Frequently, colleges will also notify students if they appear to be in danger of failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Once a student is notified of an impending issue or is experiencing an issue making satisfactory academic progress, Paula Luff, interim vice president for enrollment management and marketing atDePaul University in Chicago, says students may be put on a probationary period and encouraged to speak with an academic adviser. Students should then seek to be connected with the college's tutoring center or other resources available at the specific institution.

"The thing people don't realize is, No. 1, you need to reach out as soon as possible. Two, if you feel you're struggling, try to decide on a major sooner than later," she says. "Sometimes people run into trouble when they've stopped and started programs a lot or changed majors." While Luff says financial aid policies do allow for some subject exploration, too much can cause eligibility problems.

She also advises students to talk with their dean or professor about the situation to see if any adjustments can be made, such as receiving an incomplete and making an academic plan to ensure students are making academic progress and can keep their aid eligibility.

As a student with first-hand experience going through the process, Pham says the best strategy is finding an on-campus group of student advocates who can explain the university's policies, and taking advantage of student legal services.
How to Appeal Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students have the opportunity to appeal the loss of satisfactory academic progress due to unusual or extenuating circumstances. A successful appeal will typically require some form of documentation proving the student experienced a medical issue or went through a death in the family, for example.

Most importantly, students must act quickly and take note of appeals deadlines. Each college typically includes its unique process for receiving appeals on its website. Deadlines vary by institution and semester. For example, the University of Texas—Austin requires that appeals for fall 2019 be submitted by Sept. 11, while appeals at the University of Iowa for fall and spring must be submitted by the first Friday of classes. Luff says financial aid officers want to help students going through difficult life circumstances, but deadlines for appeal are firm.

If an appeal is denied, students might consider private student loans to pay for the cost of college, or attend without financial aid and possibly re-establish eligibility.

"Our hands are tied in the timing of things. If a whole year has gone by, we can't necessarily reinstate aid after that year has passed," Luff says. Ultimately, she says students have more options than they may realize, but "ignoring it is never going to make it better."