[Students] Financial Aid Topic: Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress

Thu Dec 1 16:56:21 CST 2011

The Fall 2011 semester is coming to a close shortly even though in some
ways it seems like it was just yesterday when we were scrambling to get
everyone settled in for the fall. Soon grades for the fall semester will
post and our office will start the process of reviewing the achievements
our students receiving financial aid. Thus, I would like to address the
topic at hand, Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress. The review
will entail 4 different areas at the end of the fall 2011 summarized
below. 

The Term GPA and the Institutional Cumulative GPA: Undergraduate
Students

Freshmen students will need complete the term with no less than a 1.88
GPA

Sophomore, Junior and Senior students will need to complete the term
with no less than a 2.0 GPA

The Term GPA and the Institutional Cumulative GPA: Graduate Students
will need to complete the term with no less than a 3.0 GPA

The Completion Rate for the term:

This is a comparison between the hours attempted for the term and the
hours completed for the term

The 150% Rule: Undergraduate students

This looks at all the courses the student has taken throughout their
academic life cycle, regardless of whether the student received
financial aid or not, regardless of how long ago the courses were taken.

*(Side comment: This rule is one that did not made sense since it
started and continues to not make sense. One that we have to live with.)

You may be wondering why this email. 

When the review occurs for each financial aid recipient a notice will be
sent to their myLEO account. If the minimums have not been met and it is
the 1st time for the student a Warning notice will be sent.

A Warning means exactly that. Financial aid offered for the new semester
will be applicable, provided the student meets enrollment hours, etc. It
is an alert that if any of the minimums or combinations of the minimums
are not met for the 2nd time in a row then a suspension will occur. The
student does not need to take any steps. Just enroll for the new
semester, and try very hard in the next round. 

If in the review it is found that it is the 2nd semester the student has
not met the minimums then a Suspension notice will be sent out and there
will be no financial aid for the new semester. The notice will also
address the process to appeal the Suspension. 

Students who submitted an appeal of their suspension and the appeal was
approved for this fall, received financial aid on a probation basis with
certain conditions to be met by the end of the fall. If those conditions
are met, the student will clear their suspension status, go back on a
Warning and receive financial aid. If those conditions are not met, then
the student will go on suspension again. 

Students who were on a Warning Status and meet the minimums will clear
their status. No further action on their part will be required. 

We are alerting the A&M-Commerce student community of the process which
occurs at the end of every semester to minimize the surprise factor. For
full information on the Financial Aid Standards of Academic Progress
<http://web.tamu-commerce.edu/admissions/tuitionCosts/financialAidandSch
olarships/financialAid/awardingAid/satisfactoryAcademicProgress.aspx> ,
please visit our web site. The link is provided for your convenience; 
http://web.tamu-commerce.edu/admissions/tuitionCosts/financialAidandScho
larships/financialAid/awardingAid/satisfactoryAcademicProgress.aspx

The Financial Aid Office Representatives and I wish all of you the best
as final exams draw near. Have a great end of fall semester.

Maria del C. Ramos

Director, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
Texas A&M University-Commerce

PO Box 3011

Commerce, TX 75249-3011

Phone: 903-886-5091

Fax: 903-886-5098
http://web.tamu-commerce.edu/
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