All students who apply for Federal financial aid (including Pell grants, Stafford loans, Parent PLUS loans, SEOG grants, Perkins loans) by filing the FAFSA must satisfy the academic progress requirement which has two parts:

1. Earned New Credit Requirements
   Progress is measured for the academic year (which consists of two terms and a total of 30 weeks of instructional time) based on the student's prior two semesters of enrollment. The total number of new credits you are required to earn is determined by your enrollment on the last day of Drop/Add. A typical full-time undergraduate student must earn a minimum of 24 new credits per academic year. (If a student repeats a course for which he/she received a passing grade, the repeated course will not count towards the number of new credits needed.) Withdrawing (W) from a class after Drop/Add may mean that a student will be short the number of credits needed for satisfactory academic progress. You may make up credits during the summer if you have not earned the required number by the end of the spring, but you will have to pay for summer classes on your own. (There are a variety of alternative loan programs to help you cover the costs of summer enrollment and the regular academic year if you do not qualify for federal or state aid.) Also, only credits earned from a course in which the student was actually enrolled will count for progress. CLEP credits and credits received by challenge exam may not be used for progress.

2. QPA Requirement
   Upon entering the fifth semester of attendance, an additional requirement goes into effect. The student must have an overall Quality Point Average (QPA) of at least 2.0 and not be on Academic Warning or Probation. The QPA is measured annually at the end of the academic year for the upcoming year.

NOTE: By federal regulations, an undergraduate student's federal financial aid may not exceed 150% of his/her degree program length. This equates to a maximum of 6 years or 12 semesters of full-time enrollment.

Insufficient Progress for Financial Aid

A student may make up credits during the summer at Kutztown or at another institution. However, courses taken elsewhere will NOT affect the QPA and will count towards the credits needed only if they are accepted by Kutztown University. The student is responsible to ensure acceptance of transfer credits by completing a Permission to Study at Another College form through the Registrar's Office and to submit an official academic transcript to the Registrar's Office upon completion of the course. (Only credits earned from a course in which the student was actually enrolled will count for progress. CLEP credits and credits received by challenge exam will not be used for progress.)

Appeals to Academic Progress Policy

A student who has been denied federal financial aid for failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress may appeal the denial in writing to: Financial Aid Office Appeals Committee, Kutztown University, PO Box 730, Kutztown, PA 19530. Appeal letters must be written by the student. We strongly encourage documentation (doctor's note, hospital bills, copy of death certificate, etc.) to support the reason for the appeal to be included.

NOTE: The University appeal process does not apply to the Pennsylvania State Grant program. Appeals regarding insufficient credits earned for Pennsylvania State Grants must be submitted to PHEAA.  (Contact the Financial Aid Office for instructions.)

Pennsylvania State Grant Academic Progress Policy

Pennsylvania State Grant progress is measured based on the last academic year (Summer, Fall, Spring) a state grant was received. For every term a full-time grant was received, 12 new credits must be earned during or after the term. A part-time grant recipient (taking 6 credits) must earn 6 new credits during or after the term.

NOTE: If a student repeats a course for which he/she received a passing grade, the repeated course will not count towards the number of new credits needed to satisfy the above progress requirement.

Academic Forgiveness

A student who has been out of school for at least four years may apply for Academic Forgiveness through the Registrar's Office. If a student is granted, and later rescinds his/her request for Academic Forgiveness for a semester for which he/she has already received financial aid, it may cause the student to become academically ineligible for aid, aid may need to be returned to the financial aid programs, and the student may owe a bill to the university. It is recommended that a student who is considering rescinding Academic Forgiveness to check with Financial Aid Services to find out the impact on current and future aid eligibility.

Responsibility for Monitoring Academic Progress

Please be advised that your academic advisor has no responsibility to monitor your progress requirements for financial aid eligibility. As an aid recipient, you must ensure that you will have earned enough credits and have the minimum overall QPA to continue to qualify for financial aid. Please direct any questions you have regarding academic progress for financial aid to the Financial Aid Office.