Your Grades Impact Your Aid

by Reese Zulinke · Published July 8, 2020 · Updated November 27, 2023

Did you know that if you receive financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education via FAFSA, you have to maintain certain academic standards in order to keep it?

The Office of Financial Aid helps Eastern Florida students apply for aid, but we also want to make sure you know how to hold onto it. Students are sometimes surprised to find out that they can lose their Federal financial aid eligibility if they get bad grades. This occurs when they fail to meet what we call Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards.

SAP standards include maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.0, passing at least 67% of all your classes and completing your degree within 150% of the hours it takes to earn your degree. Let’s break each of these down:

Maintain a Cumulative GPA of 2.0

This boils down to having at least a “C” average at the end of each term, and hey — we know you can do that!

Pass at Least 67% of All Your Classes

This means that out of all the classes you take at EFSC, you have to pass at least two-thirds of them. (Keep in mind that “D” is considered a passing grade for Federal financial aid purposes.) Grades of “W”, “U” and “F” can negatively impact your completion ratio, so try to stay as far away as possible from those non-passing grades.

Complete Your Degree Within 150% of the Hours It Takes to Earn Your Degree

This means that there is a finite number of hours you need to complete your degree, and the Federal government will help you reach that degree by funding you up to 150%. Here’s an example: It takes 60 credit hours to earn your A.A. degree (100% of the required hours). The U.S. Department of Education knows that sometimes things happen, so they are willing to pay for an additional 30 credit hours (50% of the required hours), for a total of one and a half times the required hours. That said, if you exceed 150% of your program hours and still have courses to finish, there is an appeal process you can elect to pursue.

If you ever dip below the GPA or completion ratio standards, you may be given a warning semester in which you can still receive aid, but you’ll want to ensure that you bring those numbers up by the end of the term (EFSC has a lot of resources that can help). If you’ve met the standards again by that time, your aid will be automatically reinstated, but if you fail to bring up a low GPA or a low ratio, your eligibility for Federal student aid will be suspended. There’s an appeal process you can elect to use for this too, but a positive outcome isn’t guaranteed, so why take the risk when you have a safer option?

The best way to keep your Federal financial aid is to ensure you meet the minimum SAP standards for renewal at the end of each semester. We suggest checking your SAP status after your grades post at the end of each term. You can do so by logging into myEFSC with your B# and password, selecting the Titan Web icon, then clicking “Financial Aid Services,” “Eligibility” and “Academic Progress.”

We know you’re going to do your best to meet these standards, but we also know that sometimes things happen in your life that create circumstances beyond your control. If you ever have questions about Satisfactory Academic Progress standards, please give the Office of Financial Aid a call. Financial Aid Specialists are available Monday through Thursday from 8 AM to 7 PM at 321-433-7339 or via email at finaid@easternflorida.edu — just don’t forget to use your official Titan email address to send the message.

Author
Recent Posts

Reese Zulinke

Reese previously worked in EFSC's Financial Aid Office, in the business of helping students understand the what, when, where and why of paying for college. Some people might say that financial aid is a scary topic, but the more you know about it, the less scary it is! If you're searching for more financial aid information, have a look around the Splash of the Titans blog, where you'll find helpful material and tips.