In compliance with the Department of Education regulations for federal student aid, the academic performance of law students will be reviewed annually to determine whether they are maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). This review will occur during the month following the end of the spring term each year. All students eligible to apply for federal financial aid will be reviewed and evaluated. This requirement applies to all continuing graduate degree-seeking University of Pittsburgh students. Components of the SAP requirement include a measure of cumulative GPA, Total Attempted Credits, and Pace of Completion.
- GPA Requirement: Graduate students must achieve a 2.00 cumulative GPA to meet SAP standards. Transfer credits will not be considered when calculating cumulative GPA.
- Attempted Credits/Program Length: Credits attempted by a student cannot exceed 150% of the credits required as defined by the University's published length of program. All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted. All courses with grades designated as G, I, or W will be counted as credits attempted. Credits on all repeated courses will be counted as credits attempted. Transfer credits from another school will be counted based on hours attempted and completed in the SAP evaluation.
- Pace of Completion: Pace of completion will be based on cumulative credits attempted and cumulative credits completed. The pace of completion will be measured annually at the end of the evaluation period. The cumulative student course completion rate cannot be less than 67%. All courses with a passing or failing grade will be counted as credits attempted. All courses with a grade designation as G,l, or W will be counted as credits attempted. Credits on all repeat courses will be counted as credits attempted. Transfer credits from another school will be counted for hours that were attempted and completed in the SAP evaluation.
- Satisfactory Academic Progress Designation: All students who meet the GPA, pace of completion, and maximum program length requirements will be assigned a Satisfactory Academic Progress indicator for the upcoming academic year. The Financial Aid Office will assign a No Progress status to students who do not meet these standards. Students are not eligible for Title IV federal financial aid if their SAP designation is No Progress.
Appeal Process
The University of Pittsburgh provides an appeals process for students determined to be No Progress. Appeals will be limited to students who experienced personal illness or personal accident, death of a member of the student's immediate family, or other extraordinary circumstances that prevented the student from attending classes and completing the coursework. Requests for appeal of a No Progress status must be initiated in the Dean's or Associate Dean's Office for the school where the student is enrolled. The Appeal must be supported by documentation as requested by the Financial Aid Office.
The appeal will be reviewed by the Dean's Office and forwarded to the Financial Aid Office. After review by the Financial Aid Office, if an appeal is reviewed favorably, the student will be granted one term of Probation for financial aid, and eligibility will be reinstated for one payment period. Students must demonstrate that they will be able to meet SAP standards at the end of the following payment period. In cases where a student can't meet the minimum pace of progression and GPA requirements in one term, financial aid eligibility will not be reinstated, and the appeal will be denied.
Students not meeting SAP may enroll without the benefit of federal or institutional financial aid. Students not meeting SAP may wish to consider the PittPAY Payment PLAN or certain alternative loans that do not require SAP.
