Eligibility
Students must meet certain expectations, called Satisfactory Academic Progress, to receive financial awards. Federal regulations require all schools to review financial aid applicants at least once a year before award and payment of federal funds (grants, loans and work study). Students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average, factoring in the number of credit hours attempted.
New York state aid, including grants and scholarships, requires students to meet established criteria for academic progress and pursuit of program. If you do not meet the minimum requirements, you will be ineligible to receive a state award.
A student may appeal the loss of state aid eligibility if the required New York state progress or pursuit standards are not met.​ Only one waiver can be granted during undergraduate studies. The student must document there were extraordinary circumstances such as a family death, crisis or medical situation that prevented them from meeting the standards.​​
Tips to avoid loss of federal financial aid:
- Minimize the number of unsuccessful credits (grades of F, W, U, X or I)
- Know how your GPA compares to federal Financial Aid minimums
- Never withdraw from a class without talking to a Financial Aid advisor
- Become familiar with all federal regulations related to academic pursuit
- Don’t change your major more than four times while attending SUNY Adirondack
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
Chart for Federal Financial Aid Eligibility1
| Total Credits Attempted2 | Academic/FA Warning CGPA | Academic/FA Probation CGPA | Academic Dismissal/FA Warning CGPA4 |
| 0-18 | 1.51-1.99 | 0.00-1.5 | — |
| 19-36 | 1.76-1.99 | 1.26-1.75 | 0.00-1.25 |
| 37-54 | 1.91-1.99 | 1.51.-1.9 | 0.00-1.50 |
| 54-963 | — | 1.8-1.99 | 0.00-1.8 |
| Total Credits Attempted | Minimum percentage of earned credits required5 |
| 0-18 | 50 percent |
| 19-54 | 60 percent |
| 55-96 | 67 percent |
Students falling below the percentage required and/or a 2.0 CGPA will receive a warning letter from Financial Aid, and maintain eligibility for the upcoming semester.
1Students may appeal if one or more conditions are not being met. Please see below for detailed information.
2Attempted credits include all transcript credits (transfer, failures, withdrawals — official and unofficial).
3Per federal regulation, total attempted credits may not exceed 150 percent of the program length.
4CGPA = cumulative grade point average
5Total credits earned divided by attempted credits must always be greater than or equal to the percent indicated above
Appealing the loss of financial aid
A student who receives a loss of eligibility notice from the SUNY Adirondack Financial Aid Office may appeal to possibly regain eligibility for aid.
The appeal must be in writing and received by the end of the term in which you're appealing. Your letter should fully explain why you did not succeed and what you will change to improve your academic performance going forward. You may be asked to document your circumstances, and can appeal more than once in an academic year. Per regulation, we are required to use the chart put forth by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) to determine eligibility for NYS awards.
