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Financial Aid & Scholarship

Contact Information

(209) 667-3336
Financial_Aid@csustan.edu

Mary Stuart Rogers, MSR 100

Division of Academic Affairs

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a set of academic standards students must meet to remain eligible for financial aid at Stanislaus State. Federal, State, and university regulations require students who receive financial aid to make steady progress toward completing an eligible degree or certificate.

Your SAP status is reviewed at the end of each payment period (term). Meeting SAP standards is one of the conditions for continuing to receive financial aid. 

If you do not meet SAP standards, you may lose your financial aid eligibility unless an appeal is approved. 

Important to Know

Being disqualified from financial aid due to SAP is not disciplinary. It is a regulatory requirement based on academic progress and does not affect your academic standing with the university.

How You Are Notified

Students are notified of their SAP status through:

  • Stan State email (@csustan)
  • MyStanState Student Center

Notifications explain your status, why it changed, and your options to appeal or re-establish eligibility, in accordance with AB 789.

General Eligibility Requirements

To receive financial aid, you must:

  • Be admitted to Stanislaus State
  • Remain in good academic standing
  • Not be academically disqualified

Academic disqualification results in automatic cancellation of financial aid. 

What counts as Complete Coursework?

The following grades count as successful completion:

  • A, B, C, D, CR

The following grades do not count as completed units: 

  • F, NC, U, I, SP, W, RD, RP, AU

Academic skills courses taken at Stanislaus State are included in SAP calculations.

Courses Eligible for Financial Aid

Financial aid only covers courses required for your declared major degree program. 

  • Undergraduate students: undergraduate coursework only
  • Graduate students: graduate coursework only (unless approved by the program)

SAP Standards

(All Standards Must Be Met)

 Your pace of progress measures how many of the units  you attempt you successfully complete. It is calculated as:

Units Earned ÷ Units Attempted  

To meet SAP requirements, you must successfully complete at least 67% of all attempted units. 

The following grades count as attempted units with zero units earned.

  • F, NC, U, I, SP, W, RD, RP, AU

Completing zero units in a term may result in financial aid disqualification due to not meeting SAP standards.

Warning Status:

  • First term below pace: financial aid allowed
  • Second consecutive term below pace: disqualification and appeal required

To remain eligible for financial aid, you must meet the University's minimum GPA requirements for graduation. 

  • Academic Probation: You may be placed in Financial aid Warning and remain eligible for financial aid.
  • Academic Disqualification: You are ineligible for financial aid, and aid will be canceled. 

Students who are re-admitted after academic disqualification must submit a SAP appeal to request reinstatement of financial aid. Financial aid is not automatically restored readmission.

Undergraduate Students

  • Maximum eligibility: 
    • Up to 180 attempted units (150% of the standard undergraduate program), including transfer units.
  • Financial Aid Warning (Institutional Policy):
    • Student may be placed on Financial Aid Warning at:
      • 150 attempted units or
      • 130 earned units
  • Important Notes:
    • Second majors or minors do not extend financial aid eligibility.
    • Changing majors may cause you to reach the unit limit sooner

Once you exceed the maximum time frame, you become ineligible for financial aid unless approved SAP appeal is on file. 

Graduate/Post-Baccalaureate Students

  • Financial aid eligibility is limited to 125% of the required units for the approved program.
  • Once the unit limit is exceeded, a SAP appeal is required to request continue financial aid eligibility.

Withdrawals (W), repeated courses, and incompletes (I) count as attempted units and may affect  your pace of progress and maximum time frame.

Accepted transfer units count as attempted units, and if accepted toward your degree, also count as earned units for SAP calculations.

Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) units:

Exceeding 24 CR/NC units may affect your SAP eligibility, depending on how they apply to your degree requirements. 

Student who have completed all degree requirements but have not yet officially graduated are not eligible for additional financial aid. 

SAP is reviewed at the end of each term and may also be reviewed at other times as required. 

Student who receive financial aid for a term in which zero units are successfully completed may be required to repay a portion of their aid, in accordance with federal regulations. 

Special Enrollment Situations Affecting SAP

Federal financial aid regulations allow funding for one repeat of a course that has been previously passed (any grade of D or better).

  • Financial aid may cover one additional attempt of a previously passed course.
  • After the one allowable repeat, financial aid will not cover additional repeats, unless:
    • The course is officially repeatable for credit, or
    • The repeat course is required by your academic program 

All repeated courses count toward SAP calculations, including pace and maximum time frame. 

To encourage times degree progress, Stanislaus State has established unit limits for students who are Pre-Nursing or Undeclared.

  • 60-69.9 units:
    • Students may be placed on Financial Aid Warning.
  • 70 units or more:
    • Students may be ineligible for financial aid under SAP guidelines.

To regain eligibility, students must be:

  • Officially admitted to the Nursing program, or
  • Have a declared major on file

In some cases, once a major is officially declared, a SAP appeal may not be required. Students will be notified if additional steps are needed. 

Students must be admitted to Nursing or declare a major to regain eligibility. In some cases, appeal may not be required once a major is officially declared.

Financial aid is intended to support completion of a student's first undergraduate degree. Changing your major, adding a minor, or pursuing a second major may increase the number of credits you attempt and could cause you to reach the SAP maximum timeframe sooner.

All units you attempt count toward SAP, even if they do not apply to your primary degree. Changing or adding an academic program does reset your SAP status or extend the maximum timeframe. 

Once you reach the maximum timeframe, financial aid can only be used for courses required to complete your first major. Courses taken solely to complete a minor or second major are not eligible for financial aid beyond that point.

If you exceed the maximum timeframe or do not meet SAP standards, you may submit a SAP appeal according to institutional policy. Students are encouraged to speak with Academic Advising and the Financial Aid Office before making changes to their academic program. 

SAP Appeals: What You Need to Know

If you do not meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards or exceed maximum unit limits, you will be notified and may be eligible to submit a SAP appeal to request continued financial aid.

SAP appeals are reviewed by the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office in accordance with federal, state, and university guidelines.

You may need to submit an appeal if: 

  • You are disqualified form financial aid due to SAP, or
  • You have exceeded maximum unit limits

If you are on a SAP warning, you do not need to submit an appeal. Warning status is an early alert to help you take action before losing financial aid eligibility.

Your right To Appeal & Get Support (AB 789)

If you lose financial aid eligibility due to SAP, you have the right to appeal and are encouraged to seek academic and personal support. Campus resources are available to help you understand your options and create a plan for success. 

SAP appeals are submitted online only though Financial Aid Online Forms portal. 

Once your SAP appeal item is available, you will:

  1. Complete the appeal form
  2. Upload your personal statement and supporting documents
  3. Submit everything electronically

Paper or in-person submissions are not accepted.

Appeals are reviewed in the order they are received, so submitting a complete appeal as soon as possible is important.

FA Online Forms Portal

 

 

 

Your SAP appeal must include:

  • An explanation of the circumstances that prevented you from meeting SAP standards
  • An explanation of what has changed and how you will now be able to meet the academic requirements
  • A realistic plan for success outlining the steps you will take moving forward

Supporting documentation is required to verify your circumstances.

If you are unable to provide documentation, contact the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office to discuss your options and meet with a financial aid advisor during walk-in hours.

Please note: The same reason cannot be used for multiple SAP appeals.

  • If your appeal is approved, you will be placed on Financial Aid Probation for one term.
  • If you need more than one term to meet SAP standards, you may be placed on an academic plan.
  • Academic plans are monitored each term.
  • Failure to follow your approved academic plan will result in loss of financial aid eligibility.

If  your SAP Appeal is Denied

If your appeal is denied, you may continue to enroll without receiving financial aid. You may re-establish financial aid eligibility by meeting the SAP cumulative GPA and pace of progression standards. Financial aid eligibility is reviewed once these standards are met.

You may also contact the Financial Aid Office to inquire about any additional appeal options that may be available.

Impact on your Financial Aid and Payment Responsibilities

If your appeal is denied, we are unable to apply financial aid toward your tuition, fees, or on-campus housing charges. If you are enrolled in classes or have signed a housing contract with the expectation that financial aid would cover these costs, you may need to make alternative payment arrangements.

We encourage you to review your options promptly, as delays could affect your enrollment, housing, or access to other campus resources.

For details about payment options and deadlines, please review the Payment Methods section of the Cashiers & Payment Information page. Taking timely action is important, as failure to do so may impact your enrollment plans or housing status.

  1. Review your SAP status in MyStanState
  2. Read your Stan State (@csustan.edu) email
  3. Meet with your financial aid and/or academic advisor
  4. Submit a complete SAP appeal (if eligible) through Financial Aid Online Forms
  5. Monitor your email for updates

Student are encouraged to connect with campus support services, including:

Stan State SAP Workshop (Recorded Session)

Questions?

Contact the Financial Aid & Scholarship Office —  we're here to help you stay on track.

Updated: January 12, 2026