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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Financial Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

To remain eligible for financial aid, you must meet certain academic requirements as you work toward your degree. Federal, state, and University regulations require students to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards, which include maintaining a minimum GPA, successfully completing enough attempted credit hours, and finishing your degree within a set time frame. 

You must meet SAP requirements to maintain most types of financial aid and scholarships. If the requirements are not met, A SAP hold is placed on your account, preventing all financial aid disbursement. If you receive departmental awards and you’re not receiving any other federal, state, or University funds, the SAP’s yearly progress and maximum time allowance portion doesn’t apply to you. 

Programs Governed by SAP Requirements

  • Federal programs: 
    • Grants, including Pell and Supplemental Educational Opportunity
    • Loans, including Perkins, PLUS, Direct (subsidized and unsubsidized), and Grad PLUS
    • Federal Work-Study
  • State-sponsored grants and scholarships, such as the Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA) and Tennessee Lottery (HOPE) Scholarships 
  • Agency-sponsored assistance requiring institutional certification of SAP 
  • Some scholarship, grant, and loan programs funded by UT 

SAP Requirements

To maintain your financial aid eligibility, you must meet SAP requirements in three areas: your academic performance, pace of progression toward your degree, and completing your degree within the maximum time frame. The requirements vary based on your student level and program: 

  • Meet a minimum grade point average of:
    • Undergraduate students: 2.0
    • Graduate and professional students: The academic minimum required for your program
  • Earn a minimum number of credit hours each academic year:
    • Undergraduate students: Successfully complete 67% (rounded to the nearest whole percentage) of total attempted hours while enrolled at UT 
    • Graduate and professional students: Successfully complete 67% (rounded to the nearest whole percentage) of total attempted hours while enrolled at UT, while maintaining academic and other standards for continued enrollment as defined by your academic program. 
  • Complete your degree within 150% of the maximum time frame for the published length of your major:
    • For example, most undergraduate degrees require 120 credit hours to complete. 120 credit hours x 150% = 180 maximum attempted credit hours allowed to complete a degree.
    • You are encouraged to refer to your respective undergraduate or graduate academic program for specific credit hour requirements. 

GPA — More Information

At the end of each term, UT evaluates your grades to determine whether they count toward Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Understanding which grades count can help you track your academic progress and plan your next steps if you need support. 

The following grades count toward SAP: A, A-, B+/-, C+/-, D+/-, S, and P. 

The following grades do not count toward SAP: I, F, NC, W, and NR. 

Pace of Progression — More Information

Repeated and transfer courses can affect your progress toward completing your degree and maintaining financial aid eligibility. Understanding how these credits are evaluated can help you plan your coursework and stay on track with SAP requirements. 

If you enroll in a course in which you originally received an A-F, or an S/NC, P/NP, I, W, X, N, or AU, it is considered to be a repeated course. 

You may be funded for a repeated course based upon the UT repeat policy. View the undergraduate or graduate catalog that applies to the year you took the course. All repeated courses (with the exception of the first twenty-four term hours of remedial or developmental hours) are counted as credit hours you attempt toward your maximum time frame. 

If you’ve transferred to UT, you will be evaluated based on the standards for your designated academic level. This includes all transfer credit hours from your previous institution(s).  

Maximum Time Frame — More Information

UT considers your overall attempted coursework when evaluating whether you can finish your degree within the SAP maximum time frame. Understanding how these requirements apply to your academic history can help you plan your path to graduation. 

All terms, credit hours (including those transferred), and course repeats are counted toward the SAP maximum time allowance, regardless of whether you received financial aid. All attempted credit hours are considered toward the maximum time allowance. 

If you are working on a second undergraduate degree, you have an additional 45 hours to complete your necessary coursework. 

For graduate and professional students working on a second study program, you are given 150% of the time allowed for your program. 

Students who withdraw from UT three times while receiving financial aid are no longer eligible to receive it. 

How to Check Your SAP Status

You can review your current Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) status in MyUTK to determine whether you are meeting the requirements to remain eligible for financial aid. 

  1. Log in to MyUTK using your NetID and password 
  1. Select “TN HOPE, SAP & Requirements” from the “My Financial Information” section 
  2. Review your status in the “Current Satisfactory Academic Progress Status” section 

Understanding Your SAP Status

Your SAP status reflects the results of your most recent SAP evaluation. Review the descriptions below to understand the criteria for each status and how your financial aid eligibility is impacted:  

  • Good SAP: You are meeting SAP requirements and remain eligible for financial aid. 
  • Warning SAP: You did not meet the 2.0 GPA and/or 67% completion rate requirement during your most recent evaluation. You remain eligible for financial aid during your warning term, but you must meet SAP requirements by the end of that term to maintain eligibility. 
  • Not Making SAP: You did not meet SAP requirements by the end of your warning term. You may also be placed directly into Disqualified SAP if you can no longer complete your degree within the 150% maximum time frame. Students who reach the maximum time frame do not receive a warning term. 
  • SAP Probation: Your SAP appeal was approved, and you may continue receiving financial aid while meeting the specific terms of your probation. These terms generally require you to successfully complete 100% of attempted coursework, earn at least a 2.0 GPA each term, and follow your approved academic plan. 
  • SAP Continued Probation: You successfully completed a probation term and met its requirements, but you have not yet met the overall SAP requirements or have reached the maximum time frame. 

What to Do If You’re Not Meeting SAP Requirements 

If your SAP status is not satisfactory, your next steps depend on your status. Review the information below to determine how to regain or maintain financial aid eligibility: 

  • Warning SAP: You remain eligible for financial aid during your warning term. Use this term to bring your GPA and/or completion rate back into compliance with SAP requirements. 
  • Not Making SAP: You are not eligible to receive financial aid unless you regain eligibility or have an approved SAP appeal. 
  • SAP Probation: Continue meeting the requirements of your approved academic plan, including any GPA, completion, and enrollment requirements outlined in your probation terms. 
  • SAP Continued Probation: Continue meeting the requirements of your approved academic plan, including any GPA, completion, and enrollment requirements outlined in your probation terms. 

If you fall short of any requirement, you will be granted one warning term, and your SAP status will be set to “Warning SAP”. You will also be notified with a written warning at the end of the term via your UT email and in your MyUTK account.  

This warning term is a grace period to get back on track before any suspension takes effect. If after the warning term you still do not meet all SAP requirements, your financial aid eligibility will be suspended beginning with the next term you attend. 

If your financial aid has been suspended, you may submit a SAP appeal to potentially regain financial aid eligibility.