Probation: Rate of Completion FAQ

Q. My GPA is above a 2.0, why am I on financial aid probation?

A. Acadmic progress is more than just having a good GPA. You must also maintain a satisfactory rate of completion by earning enough passing grades in the courses you attempt. Every course you register for is considered an attempted course. Courses graded "D" or better are considered earned courses. If you fail, withdraw from a course, repeat courses, or get an incomplete in a class, it is still considered attempted and remains on your transcript. Students who fail to earn passing grades in 70 percent of their courses are put on financial aid probation and risk losing financial aid eligibility. Students who fail to earn passing grades in 70 percent of their courses are at risk of not graduating.

Q. What happens if I drop or withdraw from a course?

A. It depends. Classes you drop during the refund period, generally the first three weeks of classes except in summer, do not count as attempted credits. Classes you drop after the refund period are considered attempted and are given a "W" or "WF" notation on your transcript depending on how late in the term you drop them. All withdrawn classes count as attempted credits on your transcript. Any USU course on your transcript with a "W" or "WF" grade is an attempted course and will disqualify you from financial aid if you do it too often.

Please note: If you drop a course during the refund period it will not count against your rate of completion, however you may be required to repay some or all of your grant monies.

Q. How do complete withdrawals affect rate of completion?

A. It depends, if you completely withdraw during the refund period, there is no affect other than having to repay unearned financial aid. If you completely withdraw after the refund period, you are given a "W" or "WF" notation on your transcript depending on how late in the term you drop them. All withdrawn classes count as attempted credits on your transcript. The more classes you withdraw from, the more your rate of completion is negatively affected. Also, you must repay any unearned funds when you completely withdraw from all of your classes. More detail.

Q. Why am I on probation? My transfer grades are all in good standing?

A. Transfer grades from other schools are not used to calculate attempted or earned credits unless the total number of attempted credits exceeds the maximum credits allowed:

● First Bachelors Degree: 165 credits
● Additional Bachelors Degree: 60 credits

Q. How do "F" grades hurt my GPA and my rate of completion?

A. Failing grades are considered attempted credit only with no earned value. This is why an "F" grade can affect your GPA so much. Failing courses hurts your grade point average as well as your rate of completion. Failing all of your classes can put you at risk of repaying some of your financial aid immediately.

Q. I repeated some classes with poor grades, why am I on financial aid probation?

A. Students who repeat too many classes are at risk of losing their financial aid. Every time you repeat a course (that you didn't fail the first time) you are accumulating attempted credits which might put you below the minimum requirement.

Q. I qualified for Academic Renewal, why am I on financial aid probation?

A. The renewal procedure allows the student's academic record to be reviewed for the purpose of eliminating from a student's GPA all grades of D+ or below that were entered on the academic transcript five or more calendar years prior to admission. However, these eliminated courses remain on your transcript and are considered attempted courses.

Q. How many courses can I drop in a term and still be okay?

A. The table below illustrates how many credtis you must pass in a term based on the number of credits enrolled or attempted:

If you register for:
You must earn passing grades in:
1 credit
all courses
2 credits
all courses
3 credits
all courses
4 credits
3 credits
5 credits
4 credits
6 credits
5 credits
7 credits
5 credits
8 credits
6 credits
9 credits
7 credits
10 credits
7 credits
11 credits
8 credits
12 credits
9 credits
13 credits
10 credits
14 credits
10 credits
15 credits
11 credits
16 credits
12 credits
17 credits
12 credits
18 credits
13 credits

Q. How do I get off probation?

A. By earning enough passing grades in subsequent semesters and earning a 2.0 cumulative GPA at USU. The table below illustrates the minimum number of courses requiring passing grades for the total number of courses you attempt in order to be in good standing. Please note that students who fail to earn passing grades in 70 percent of their courses tend to be suspended for too many credits before they graduate.

Total credits attempted:
Minimum credits earned to be ok:
10
7
20
14
30
21
40
28
50
35
60
42
70
49
80
56
90
63
100
70
110
77
120
84
130
91
140
98
150
105
160
112
170
119

Please note that it generally takes 120 earned credits to graduate. We cut off financial aid right after a first bachlelor's candidate attempts 165 credits. As you can see above, a student who is close to or under the 70 percent completion rate risks not being able to use financial aid for his or her final semesters. Second Bachelors' students must finish their program in 60 attempted credits.