Determining Financial Need

When applying for federal student aid, the information provided on the FAFSA is used in a formula, established by the U.S. Congress, that calculates an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The EFC is used in an equation to determine financial need.

* Other financial assistance includes: any scholarships, fee waivers, vocational rehabilitation benefits, veterans benefits, etc.

Cost of Attendance
An estimate of expenses for education such as tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, and other related expenses.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
The amount expected to be available for your educational expenses. The EFC is calculated from income, asset information, household size, and number in college. If you are dependent, the EFC is a student and parent contribution. If you are independent, the EFC is a student (and/or spouse) contribution.

NOTE: Students who are classified as out-of-state for residency purposes, but are charged the eRate for tuition/fees, will have their Cost Of Attendance (COA) revised to reflect the reduced eRate tuition/fee charges.

Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy

** EFFECTIVE FALL 2011 **

All students who receive federal or state financial aid must be enrolled in a program leading to a degree, an eligible non-degree program, or an eligible certificate program. Students must meet federal and institutional standards for academic progress in order to establish and retain aid eligibility. Students receiving athletic or other university administered awards must also meet the satisfactory academic progress standards that have been established by the awarding entity.

Academic progress for federal and state financial aid programs is based on three measures: Cumulative Grade Point Average, Pace of Progression based on credit hours completed compared to attempted, and a Maximum Timeframe for degree completion. While the Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy is a minimum requirement to maintain financial aid eligibility, students are encouraged to work closely with academic advisors and college personnel to achieve their educational goals. Good financial planning includes selecting meaningful coursework, completing all registered classes with satisfactory grades, and seeking your degree in a timely manner.

The following describes the university's standards for each of these three measures, and how these standards are reviewed:

1. Cumulative Grade-Point Average

   The following standards apply to the combined transfer/university cumulative GPA. Students must meet the following minimums which are consistent with the University's standard as published in the respective bulletin. Quality hours are those credits used to compute the grade-point average including grades of A, B, C, D, or F and transfer credits with a grade of incomplete. The first attempt of a course that is repeated is excluded from the quality hour computation.

   1. Undergraduate Students - must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA to receive federal and/or state student aid.
   2. Graduate Students - must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA to receive loans or work-study.
   3. Law Students - must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA to receive loans or work-study.

    

2. Pace of Progression

   All students are required to complete a minimum of 67% of all credit hours attempted. Courses with a grade of "D" or better count as completed. Credit hours attempted include audits, incompletes, withdrawals, and repeated or failed classes.

3. Maximum Timeframe

   1. Undergraduates - The maximum timeframe for the completion of an undergraduate degree is limited by federal regulations to 150% of the published length of the degree program. Most undergraduate programs at The University of Memphis are 120 hours. The maximum number of hours during which a student is eligible to receive financial aid is 180. The 180 hours includes transfer hours and all attempted hours. Credit hours attempted include audits, incompletes, withdrawals, and repeated or failed classes. Up to 30 hours of required remedial/ developmental courses are excluded from the maximum timeframe.
   2. Graduate Students - The maximum timeframe is determined by the degree completion requirements listed for the student's academic program in the Graduate Bulliten.
   3. Law Students - The maximum timeframe is determined by the degree completion requirements listed in the Cecil C. Humphrey's School of Law Bulliten.

    

4. Review of Progress Standards

   1. GPA - is reviewed upon submission of a financial aid application and annually at the end of each spring semester.
   2. Pace of Progression - is reviewed annually at the end of each spring semester.
   3. Timeframe - is reviewed anually at the end of each spring semester.

   NOTE: SAP measurements can be reviewed more frequently if needed.

5. Notification/Appeals

   After the end of each spring semester, the academic records of all students who are receiving or applying for federal financial aid will be reviewed. Students whose financial aid eligibility is suspended as a result of failure to meet one or more of the standards of satisfactory academic progress will be notified by the Student Financial Aid Office.

   Each student must complete a Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal on the basis of: student injury or illness, death of a relative, or other special circumstances. Each student's appeal must: 1) explain why satisfactory academic progress has been failed; 2) include documentation of the aforementioned explanation; and 3)indicated what has changed in the student's situation that will allow the student to make satisfactory academic progress at the student's next evaluation. In addition, if a student is appealing due to maximun timeframe, the student must also submit a Graduation Plan signed by the student's academic advisor.

   If the appeal is approved, the student must accept an academic plan as instructed and developed by the Student Financial Aid Office. Students with approved appeals will be placed on financial aid probation. This probation will last for one semester. If the student is not meeting satisfactory academic progress at the end of one semester, the student's probation will continue as long as the student is following their academic plan. Should the student fail to meet the satisfactory academic progress standards after one semester and fail to follow their academic plan, the student will no longer be eligible to receive any financial aid funds. The student is then responsible for paying his or her own fees and cannot be considered for aid eligibility until the standards of satisfactory progress are met.

   Students have the following options to maintain and restore financial aid eligibility:

   • Improve academic performance enough to meet the standards,
   • Successfully follow the academic plan as instructed and developed by the Student Financial Aid Office, or
   • Submit additional satisfactory academic progress appeals for different extenuating circumstances.

   A student may have a maximum of three (3) satisfactory academic progress appeals during their academic career at the University of Memphis.

6. Financial Aid Fresh Start

   Students accepted under the Academic Fresh Start Program will have their academic progress reviewed based upon all standards listed above, including all transfer coursework.

7. Aid Affected by SAP

   The following is a list of financial aid programs affected when a student is not meeting the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy:

   Federal Pell Grant
   Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
   Federal TEACH Grant
   Federal Work Study
   Federal Perkins Loan
   Federal Direct Loans (subsidized & unsubsidized)
   Federal Direct PLUS Loan
   Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan
   Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA)
   Other aid as may be determined by the Financial Aid Office

   Aid Adjustments

   Your financial aid award, particularly Pell Grants, will be adjusted for the following reasons:

   • Enrollment status is verified on that last day of the drop/add period for each semester. If you drop or add classes by this date, your Pell Grant and TSAA grants will be adjusted accordingly.
   • Professors report non-attendance for any classes, so your aid will be adjusted if you do not attend any one of your classes (assuming the hours adjustment actually changes your grant eligibility.)
   • Receiving Pell Grant or Loans at two different colleges during the same academic year, which exceeds the total maximum limit for that year.
   • Any aid may be adjusted, if you totally withdraw before the federal deadline to withdraw and you may have to repay the aid you did not earn. See more detailed information under the Refund Section.
   • Lottery awards are adjusted based on hours enrolled on the census date for each semester.
   • Direct Student loans and/or other student financial aid awards may be adjusted to prevent over award situations due to the receipt of either a fee discount, tuition aid, outside scholarship, change in residency classification, or similar assistance.

   Return of Funds and Refunds

   REFUND:

   1. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 established the concept that financial aid must be earned through class attendance. A student has not earned 100% of their financial aid until he/she has attended more than 60% of the term. If a financial aid recipient totally withdraws on or before the 60% point of the term, there is a portion of the aid that has not been earned. The unearned portion is repaid by both the student and the school based on a federal formula. The school can use any refund generated by the withdrawal to pay the portion it owes back. However, depending on the time of withdrawal, the student may also be responsible for repaying a portion of his/her fees that had been previously paid by the financial aid.
   2. The amount each student owes must be calculated based on the date of withdrawal, the amount of financial aid received, and the programs of financial aid received.
   3. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 specify the following order in which any unearned amounts are to be returned to Title IV financial aid programs: Federal Direct Student Loan Programs (unsubsidized then subsidized); Federal Perkins Loan Program; Federal Direct PLUS loans; Federal Pell Grant Program; Federal SEOG Program; any other programs funded by Title IV including the Tennessee Student Assistance Program; other federal, state, private or institutional aid programs. Any amount remaining after the applicable programs have been fully repaid is returned to the student.
   4. Refund applicable to non-Title IV funds will be distributed to the respective aid accounts in the same proportion as the aid awarded.
   5. A 100% refund will be given in the event of death.

   REPAYMENT:

   1. When a student receives financial aid and one of the following situations occur: (a) the student is issued a contingency fee assessment that is not honored by the fund agency involved; (b) the student receives an overpayment due to non-eligibility or administrative error; (c) the student withdraws before the start of classes or fails to pay tuition/maintenance fees, the student must repay the total amount of aid received or overpaid.