Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy
Students at Parker University are expected to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and to make ongoing progress toward graduation. There are two standards that must be met: a qualitative and a quantitative standard.
Qualitative Requirement
The qualitative standard requires that a student achieve a minimum GPA as defined in the chart below after completing his/her first term of enrollment at Parker University. All students must achieve a minimum GPA defined in the chart below for the second term of enrollment and must maintain a cGPA defined in the chart below in order to graduate from Parker University.
A student whose cGPA falls below the defined GPA is placed on Warning for the next term of enrollment. While on Warning, a student remains eligible for Title IV financial aid funds. A student on Warning who brings his/her cGPA to the required GPA is removed from Warning. A student who earns the required GPA for a term without attaining the required cGPA while on Warning can remain in school. While on Warning, a student not earning the required GPA by the end of the term must appeal to continue enrollment with the status of Financial Probation. A student who fails to appeal or whose appeal is not accepted by the University will have financial aid terminated.
Quantitative Requirement
The quantitative standard requires students to complete their program of study within 150% of the normal timeframe allotted for completion of the program. Transfer credit hours, repeated courses, and all attempted courses that meet degree requirements are considered in the determination of this 150% normal time frame but are not utilized in calculation of GPA. The normal timeframe is measured in credit hours attempted (rather than terms) to accommodate schedules of full-time and part-time students. To ensure completion of a program within the maximum timeframe, Parker University requires students to successfully complete 67% of credit hours attempted the first term of enrollment and each term thereafter.
When a student withdraws from a course, the credit hours of that course are included in determining the quantitative standard of satisfactory academic progress. All students must have completed a minimum of 67% of credit hours attempted to graduate within 150% of the normal timeframe.
Satisfactory Academic Progress for the Texas Tuition Equalization Grant (TEG) Program
Recipients of the Texas Tuition Equalization Grant must earn and maintain a cGPA of 2.5 and complete at least 24 credit hours per year (Graduate students must complete 18 credit hours per year) and be enrolled at least ¾ time. The minimum quantitative completion rate is 75% (and is higher than the Federal minimum completion rate of 67%).
Type of Student Accounts Subject to SAP Policy
These standards apply to all student account types (those receiving veterans’ benefits, state aid, tuition remission, institutional aid, and cash-paying students). The Veterans’ Administration is notified of unsatisfactory progress of a student receiving VA Benefits who is placed on Warning. If a student receiving VA Benefits is placed on Dismissal, VA Benefits can be terminated. A student terminated from VA Benefits due to unsatisfactory progress may be recertified for benefits upon successfully appealing the dismissal and being placed on Probation.
Students enrolled in more than one program of study concurrently, regardless of account status (those receiving veterans’ benefits, those receiving institutional aid and cash-paying students), are subject to the same satisfactory academic progress standards for each enrolled program. Specific programs may have additional standards that deviate from the university Satisfactory Academic Progress policy.