Student-Athlete Eligibility and Financial Aid

Updated: 12/1/15; Reviewed: 7/13/21
Contact: Financial Aid

Hour Completion Requirement for Financial Aid Eligibility
Students are encouraged to plan their course load in order to complete approximately one-fourth of the graduation requirements each academic year. A student enrolled as full-time (12 credit hours or more per semester) must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours or 75% of attempted coursework per year; three-quarter time students (9-11 credit hours) must complete a minimum of 18 credit hours or 75% of attempted coursework per year; half-time students (6-8 credit hours) must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours or 75% of attempted coursework per year.

Federal regulation requires that the maximum timeframe to complete an educational objective (pace of progression) cannot take longer than 150 percent of the published length of the educational program for a full-time student. A program consisting of 124 credit hours, therefore, must be completed within 186 credit hours for financial aid eligibility. The pace of progression is measured at each evaluation to ensure that the student completes degree requirements within the maximum timeframe. The pace is calculated by dividing cumulative hours successfully completed by cumulative hours attempted.

The following table indicates the minimum number of credit hours required at the end of each academic year for financial aid eligibility for full-time students (excluding transfer credits at time of entry to the College unless the student is classified as a transfer student):

  • After first academic year (two semesters) –24 minimum hours or 75% of attempted coursework
  • After second academic year (four semesters) –48 minimum hours or 75% of attempted coursework
  • After third academic year (six semesters) –72 minimum hours or 75% of attempted coursework
  • After fourth academic year (eight semesters) –96 minimum hours or 75% of attempted coursework.

Three-quarter and half-time student credit hour requirements are adjusted proportionately.

Grade Point Average Requirement for Financial Aid Eligibility
All students must maintain a minimum institutional cumulative GPA for financial aid eligibility as follows:

  • After first academic year (two semesters) -1.5
  • After second academic year (four semesters) and beyond -2.0

Federal law specifies that by the end of the second academic year (regardless of how many credits the student has accrued), the student must have an academic standing consistent with the requirement for graduation (i.e., minimum institutional GPA of 2.0).