Maintaining SAP
Undergraduate and graduate students must make Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) towards the completion of their degree in order to remain eligible for state and federal financial aid. Review the categories below to learn what it means to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress.
Minimum GPA
To be in good academic standing you must earn a minimum GPA based on attempted credits as follows: for 0.5-12 credits a minimum GPA of 1.5, for 13-24 credits a minimum GPA of 1.75 and over 24 credits at least a GPA of 2.0.
- 4 Year Programs – You must have a GPA of at least “C” or the equivalent at the end of the second academic year. This means that you must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA after being at the school for 4 semesters or 6 quarters without regard to enrollment status.
- Graduate Programs – You must achieve a grade point average of at least 3.00.
Maximum Time Frame
“Attempted credits” are courses you registered for and did not drop before the last official withdrawal date.
- The credits you have attempted must not exceed 150% of the credits normally required for the degree.
For example: if the credits needed for the degree is 120, you can attempt no more than 180 credits.
Pace of Progression
- Graduate Programs — You must complete 2/3 of the credit hours that you attempt.
- Baccalaureate Degree Programs — You must complete a percentage of the total number of credits that you attempt, as follows:
| Attempted Credits | Earned Credits |
|---|---|
| 15 | 0 |
| 30 | 5 |
| 45 | 16 |
| 60 | 27 |
| 75 | 42 |
| 90 | 50 |
| 105 | 63 |
| 120 | 72 |
| 135 | 84 |
| 150 | 95 |
| 165 | 110 |
- Associate Degree Programs — You must complete a percentage of the total number of credits that you attempt, as follows:
| Attempted Credits | Earned Credits |
|---|---|
| 15 | 0 |
| 30 | 5 |
| 45 | 16 |
| 60 | 27 |
| 75 | 42 |
| 90 | 50 |
| 105 | 63 |
| 120 | 72 |
| 135 | 84 |
| 150 | 95 |
| 165 | 110 |
- Attain a minimum GPA as specified in the chart below for each payment requested.
- You are allowed a total of 48 TAP points for your entire undergraduate degree. You use 6 points for every full-time TAP payment. You may receive up to 6 semesters as an associate degree student. For some special program you can earn up to 10 semesters and 60 allowed a total of 60 points.
- You must be enrolled full-time, that is, enrolled for at least 12 credits or equated credits that meet the requirements of your curriculum/major.
- If you repeat a course that you previously passed, you may not count the repeated course towards full-time enrollment for TAP purposes. If you repeat a course that you previously failed, you may include that course towards full-time enrollment for TAP purposes.
- Remedial courses may be counted toward either full-time or part-time enrollment for TAP purposes. However, to qualify for TAP, you must always be registered for a certain number of degree credit courses.
- To receive TAP payments you must make academic progress towards a degree. The minimum academic requirements are indicated in the charts below.
For more information regarding the standard of Satisfactory Academic Progress for the purpose of determining eligibility for New York State student aid, visit the HESC.ny.gov website.
ADA students who received their first state award during the 2010-11 academic year and thereafter, and who are enrolled less than full-time, good academic standing will be determined using new SAP standard which does not modify the requirements for disabled students, but aligns them to be equivalent with those required of full-time students.
Learn More About ADA Part-time SAPIf you are eligible to file an appeal, you will be notified through your Hunter email and on your CUNYfirst account, where you will see a “Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Issue Task” on your Task/To Do list.
Steps to File an Appeal:
- Complete Your FAFSA: Ensure your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is completed.
- Register with Student Forms: Create an account at CUNY Student Forms.
- Gather Supporting Documents: Include any supporting documentation that addresses your extenuating circumstances. Refer to the special circumstance chart for guidance on acceptable documents.
- Create an Academic Plan:
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- Undergraduate students: Contact your Academic Advisor at https://hunter.cuny.edu/navigate/students for assistance with completing your Academic Plan.
- SEEKstudents: You must contact your assigned SEEK Counselor or email seek@hunter.cuny.edu for help with completing your Academic Plan.
- Graduate students: Contact your department’s Advisor for your program of studies.
- Submit the SAP Appeal Form: Ensure that the SAP appeal form is filed by the relevant deadline (posted above):
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- Full Academic Year (Summer/Fall & Spring Semester) Students: Students who are enrolled for both the Summer/Fall and Spring semesters must adhere to the Fall submission posted deadline. Submitted SAP appeals for Full Academic Year Students will be reviewed once for the entire academic year, and cannot submit an appeal on a per semester basis. Students who fail to submit an appeal by the Fall deadline will not be able to submit a Spring SAP appeal, even if the student is enrolled for both the Summer/Fall and Spring Semesters.
- Summer/Fall Semesters Only (Not Enrolled in Spring): Students who are enrolled in the Summer or Fall semesters must adhere to the Fall submission posted deadline. Students who fail to submit an appeal by the deadline may not be considered for review.
- Spring Semester Only (Not Enrolled in Summer or Fall Semesters): Students who are enrolled in the Spring semester only must adhere to the Spring submission posted deadline. Students who fail to submit an appeal by the deadline may not be considered for review.
Make sure to adhere to the specific deadlines based on your enrollment status to ensure your appeal is considered. Students who submit a SAP appeal by the deadline, but who require additional documentation for submission will be contacted by the Office of Financial Aid for additional submission through their StudentForms portal.
If you have questions, please email our office at rtiv@hunter.cuny.edu.
Access the SAP Appeal Form| Special Circumstances | Explanation | Required Documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Death | Death of an immediate family member (spouse, parent, or dependent). | Attach a copy of the obituary or death certificate and include the name of the deceased and the relationship to you in your signed statement. |
| Serious illness | You, a family member, or a significant person in your life has had a serious illness (mental and/or physical), accident, disability, or injury | Attach a signed statement from a doctor or other professional third party, and/or a police report, and/or a hospital bill. |
| Divorce | You or your parent separated or divorced | Attach a copy of the divorce decree. If not legally separated, proof of different addresses (utility bill, lease indicating period of separation). |
| Employment change/ unavoidable Work conflict | If you have reduced your work schedule to allow for more time to study and to attend your classes. | Attach a letter from your employer on official letter head. Date of conflicted work schedule, copy of schedule change and copy of schedule/work hours. |
| Natural Disasters | Events such as fire, hurricane, earthquake, flood that caused any damage, injury, illness and/or loss of life that impacted you or an immediate family member (spouse, parent, or dependent). | Documentation such as insurance claims, Red Cross, or FEMA application, death certificate include name of deceased and relationship to you in your signed statement. Signed statement from a doctor or other professional third party. |
| Significant trauma | Traumatic life altering events that impaired your emotion and/or physical health. | Attach signed statement from a Physician, and/or Social worker, and/or Psychiatrist, and/or police, and/or pastor or other professional third party. |
| Military | Deployment, Stationed, Assignments, Reassignments | Attach a Statement of Service signed by direction of the adjutant, personnel office, or commander of your unit, of higher headquarter that shows your date of entry on your current active duty period and the duration of time. |
| Required Court Date | Housing Court, Custody Cases, hearings, Lawsuit, family Court | Attach a copy of court date, Subpoena, Order of Protection, police report, Affidavit. Signed statement from a Physician, and/or Lawyer, and o/or Social worker, and/or Police or other Professional third party. |
| Child Care | If you have child care issues in regards to having someone care for your child/children while attending school. Conflict in caretakers. | Attach a signed statement from a Child Care Agency, Daycare and/or third party. |
| Personal Problems | If you experience personal problems or issues with your spouse, family, or roommate. | Attach a statement from a doctor, counselor, lawyer, or other professional third party. |
| Coronavirus (COVID-19) | If you, your parent or immediate family member were affected by COVID-19 (i.e. experienced illness/ death, loss of income, eviction) or any other circumstance related to COVID-19. | Attach a copy of the obituary/ death certificate or a signed statement from a doctor or other professional third party, and/or a hospital bill or eviction notice or letter from employer or termination letter on official letterhead or unemployment benefits statement and include the name of the affected individual and the relationship to you in your signed statement. |
If your special circumstance(s) are not included in the above categories please provide a detailed signed personal statement and supporting document(s). Your submitted SAP Appeal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, supporting document(s) must support the information provided in your appeal and must be signed and on official letterhead. SAP appeals submitted without supporting document(s) can be denied.