Requirements to Maintain Financial Aid

Undergraduates must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA or better by the end of the completion of 6 quarters at WWU or junior level class standing.

Graduates must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher depending on program requirements.

Undergraduates will be placed on financial aid warning for one quarter if the cumulative GPA is less than 2.0 (and they have completed 6 or more quarters or are considered a junior by class level) and are otherwise in good financial aid standing. After two consecutive quarters at less than 2.0, the student will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students who have experienced unusual or extenuating circumstances may appeal for reinstatement.

Undergraduates may remain eligible for financial aid even if the cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 as long as they are meeting the university scholarship standards to rebuild GPA. Review the registrar's records and grading page for more information about the university scholarship standards.

Graduates will be placed on financial aid warning for one quarter if the cumulative GPA is less than 3.0 (or their program requirement) as long as they are otherwise in good financial aid standing. Graduate students after two consecutive quarters at less than a 3.0 will be placed on financial aid suspension. Students who have experienced unusual or extenuating circumstances may appeal for reinstatement.

Complete at least 80% of cumulative attempted credits.

For financial aid eligibility, you must complete 80% of your cumulative attempted credits to be on pace to graduate. All students are monitored for pace at the end of every quarter. If your completed credit rate drops below 80%, you will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for one quarter. If your completion rate remains below 80% after the warning quarter, you will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will have an opportunity to petition to regain eligibility.

Pace

Students must successfully complete at least 80 percent of their cumulative attempted credits to meet financial aid pace requirements. 

The pace requirement is monitored on a quarterly basis. Students failing to meet the pace requirement will be placed on financial aid warning and are allowed one quarter to attain a pace percentage of 80% or higher. Students who fail to meet the pace requirement at the end of the warning quarter will have their financial aid eligibility placed in suspended status. Students may use the pace calculator to calculate their current pace percentage.

The Financial Aid Department reviews Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) at the end of each quarter for all students. To maintain financial aid eligibility, students must successfully complete the minimum number of credits associated with their enrollment level. For example, an undergraduate student must successfully complete 12 or more credits if the enrollment level is full-time.

To establish and maintain financial aid eligibility, all students must successfully complete the minimum number of credits associated with their enrollment level at lock, plus any credits added after lock (see Changes in Enrollment). The following grades do not indicate successful completion of academic credit: F, Z, U, NP, K, W, I, X, NX, SW, audited classes, or absence of a grade.

If a student's coursework does not meet minimum requirements, the student will be placed on financial aid warning or suspension, depending upon the extent of the deficiency.  Students who are placed on suspension who have experienced unusual or extenuating circumstances may appeal for reinstatement.

Students with a corrected grade must first confirm that the Registrar's Office has made the grade change and then notify the Financial Aid Department of the change in writing. Incomplete grades of "K" that are updated to a passing grade are not considered a grade correction. Satisfactory Academic Progress will not be re-calculated until the next evaluation period. Correspondence courses must be completed within the term for which they were registered to count toward completed credits. Credits earned for repeated coursework may count toward current quarter academic progress requirements in some cases. Contact the Financial Aid Department if you plan to repeat a course. In general, you may receive aid for repeating a previously passed course once and receive aid for repeating a failed course that fulfills degree requirements until it has been passed.

Students who fail to meet the minimum credit requirement for a given quarter will be placed on financial aid warning or suspension for the next quarter, depending on the extent of the deficiency. Students whose appeals for financial aid reinstatement have been approved will be placed on aid probation.q

If you previously passed a course, but wish to retake it to earn a better grade, you are allowed to repeat the course one time and have the repeat credits count toward your enrollment status for financial aid eligibility. Should you choose to repeat the course for a second time, the credits will not count toward your enrollment status. The number of credits you enroll in determines your enrollment status (e.g., half-time, three-quarter time, full-time). Your enrollment status affects your financial aid eligibility. An undergraduate student is at a full-time enrollment status if enrolled in 12 or more credits. Information regarding enrollment status requirements is available on the Enrollment & Lock Date page and additional information about Quarterly Credit Completion requirements is available by viewing the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.

Example: Pete Repeat received a C in a four-credit course. During the next quarter, Pete enrolled in the course again to get a better grade and earned a B. When Pete repeated the course, the credits were included in determining the enrollment status and financial aid eligibility. However, Pete is striving to get an A in the course and repeats it again -- a second repeat. This time the credits for this course do not count in determining Pete’s enrollment status. In order to be eligible for financial aid at full-time status, Pete would need to enroll for a minimum of 12 other credits in addition to the four-credit class Pete is repeating for the second time.

Example: Pete enrolled in a course for the first time. Unfortunately, Pete did not pass the course. Pete can repeat the course and have it count for financial aid eligibility. If Pete then successfully completes the course, he can repeat one more time and have the course count in the enrollment status for financial aid eligibility. See the Satisfactory Academic Progress policy for a listing of grades that do not indicate successful completion of academic credit.

Students receiving aid are allowed to attempt a specified number of credits in order to complete their degree or certificate program. As soon as it is clear that a student will not graduate within this period, the student becomes ineligible for aid. Western determines whether students have reached or exceeded their maximum attempted credits limit by totaling the number of credits they have attempted. Attempted credits are defined as all credits that appear on the academic history record. These credits include repeated, failed, incomplete, withdrawals, and accepted transfer credits. If the Financial Aid Department learns that graduation is imminent, aid eligibility must be calculated and limited solely to enrollment in courses required for graduation. Students are expected to notify the Financial Aid Department when they have completed all the coursework required for their degree or certificate program. Failure to do so may result in the student having to repay all or a portion of the aid they received. Second majors and elective minors are not eligible to be funded with financial aid unless they are included in the official university registration record at the point of appealing.

Changes to approved Maximum Attempted Credits appeals due to the addition of additional majors, minors, or certificate programs are discouraged as such revised appeals are generally denied.

Undergraduate Students:

• May attempt up to 125% of the minimum credit requirements for their declared baccalaureate program of study, as defined in the University Catalog. No additional allowance is granted for concurrent completion of a double major or an elective minor, unless it is included in official university records at the point of appealing.

Graduate Students:

• May attempt up to 125% of the number of credits required by their graduate plan of study. Graduate students are advised to limit their enrollment to the courses appearing on their plan of study. Courses not on the plan of study generally are not fundable with financial aid. Also, additional coursework beyond the 125% limitation cannot be funded and may jeopardize continued financial aid eligibility under the maximum attempted credit requirement.
• Thesis credits: Although academic departments may allow a variable number of thesis credits, funding for thesis credits is limited to the first twelve thesis credit attempted.

Postbaccalaureate Students Pursuing a Second Undergraduate Degree or a Certificate Program:

• May attempt up to 125% of the credits required for completion of the degree or certificate program.

There are several financial aid maximums in time and amount that you need to consider while completing your degree.

You may need to repay federal, state, or institutional financial aid that you have already received in certain circumstances:

• You receive a financial aid disbursement, and then reduce your enrollment status on or before the enrollment lock date.
• You receive a financial aid disbursement, and then withdraw from some courses that reduces your enrollment status after the quarterly locked enrollment date. This applies specifically to students who are eligible for the Federal Pell Grant or WA College Grant and College Bound Scholarship program.
• You receive a financial aid disbursement, and then withdraw from all classes. The amount of financial aid repayment depends on the date you completely withdraw.
• You receive a financial aid disbursement of federal Pell Grant, Washington College Grant, or College Bound Scholarship and do not pass any given course. Repayment is based on whether or not our office is unable to confirm that you began attendance in the course.
• You receive a financial aid disbursement and do not pass any courses for the term. The amount of financial aid repayment depends on your last date of participation in your courses.
• Corrections to errors on the FAFSA or WASFA, which result in a loss of eligibility based on verification of information, or other less common eligibility circumstances. Contact the Washington Student Achievement Council with any questions about Washington College Grant or College Bound Scholarship. Also, see the Federal Student Aid site for information regarding federal financial aid. If your repayment has been referred the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), you may contact WSAC’s contracted billing service, University Accounting Service (UAS), at 844-870-8701.
• Students with an overdue unpaid balance on their student account are subject to late fees, interest charges, and course enrollment holds. Contact Western's Student Business Office and the Registrar’s Office for more information.
• Learn more about Western's Repayment Policy and withdrawing from WWU.