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Financial Aid Web site at: www.utep.edu/faidschl
1.- Office Information
2.- Financial Aid Policy
3.- The Application Process
4.- Satisfactory Academic Progress Criteria
5.- Types of Financial Assistance
4.- Satisfactory Academic Progress Criteria
Federal regulations mandate minimum standards of "satisfactory progress" for students receiving financial assistance. This requirement applies to a student's entire
academic history whether financial aid was received or not; and to all types of aid: grants, loans, and workstudy. The standards for determining progress at The
University of Texas at El Paso are composed of three separate measurements: grade point average, measurable progress, and accumulated hours.
- GRADE POINT AVERAGE: (GPA) is the quantitative measurement
used for academic work at this university. For financial
aid purposes, a student must maintain at least a 2.0 as an
undergraduate or 3.0 as a graduate.
- MEASURABLE PROGRESS: Is the registration in and completion
of a minimum number of hours each academic year at this
university. An academic year is defined as two long
semesters plus the summer session. The Office of Student Financial Aid determines hours you must complete by the end of each academic year based
on the enrollment status confirmed on this university's official census date of each long semester. To determine the hours you must complete at UTEP,
match the number of hours you are enrolled for with the chart below:
Hours Enrolled - 1st Long Semester
|
Hours Enrolled - 2nd Long Semester
|
0 |
6 - 8 |
9 - 11 |
12 or more |
-2 |
12 |
15 |
18 |
9 - 11 |
15 |
18 |
21 |
12 or more |
18 |
21 |
24 |
|
Students who repeat courses to improve their GPA should be cautioned that in some cases, previously earned hours remain on their record but are NOT counted
towards total hours earned and therefore could affect their measurable progress. In addition, the following are NOT considered credit hours completed:
F-Failure N-No Grade P/F-Pass/Fail I-Incomplete
P-In Progress* W-Withdrawal U-Unsatisfactory
*Graduate students working on their Thesis should be aware that P grades usually assigned while completing their Thesis do not provide any credit hours completed
at the end of each semester and therefore will affect measurable progress.
- ACCUMULATED HOURS: Students receiving aid at The University
of Texas at El Paso are allowed 150 completed or 180
attempted undergraduate hours to complete a baccalaureate
degree. Master's candidates are allowed 48 completed or 72 attempted and doctoral candidates 60 completed or 90 attempted graduate hours.
Transfer, as well as all UTEP hours are used in determining accumulated hours. Students are responsible for determining what courses they should
enroll for in order to comply with their requirement. Students reaching the hour limits and not receiving a degree, may be considered for an extension if
they have extenuating circumstances that prevented him/her from the completion of their degree.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION:
- Non-degree seeking - a student must be enrolled in a
degree granting program. Students enrolled in a program required by a state for teacher certification or recertification at the elementary or secondary level may
apply for a Stafford Loan.
2) Second degree seeking - A student who is enrolled in a program which leads to a second undergraduate or graduate degree is only eligible to apply for a
Stafford Loan and subject to satisfactory progress requirements I and II.
- Transfer Students - Students who begin their academic
career at another school, then transfer to U.T. El Paso, must have their transcript evaluated by this institution's Evaluation Office. For these students financial aid
eligibility is identical to that of U.T. El Paso students with comparable credit hours and all accepted transfer hours will be added to UTEP hours whether or not they
are used in the students current degree plan.
- Option II/Academic Fresh Start - Students who take one of these options, should be cautioned that semesters for which they received financial aid will still affect
their measurable progress.
APPEAL PROCESS: An appeal process is available to any student who has been determined to be ineligible for continued aid which may have had extenuating
circumstances that prevented them from making satisfactory progress. Students should make an appointment to see a financial aid counselor in order to determine if
they have grounds for an appeal. If there are grounds for an appeal, completed forms along with a copy of a current transcript, a degree plan for students who have
completed sixty hours or more, and the student's own written explanation of the circumstances which brought about the ineligibility are to be submitted to this office.
All items are to be forwarded to the Financial Aid Internal Review (FAIR) Committee. The committee meets monthly and makes its recommendations to the
Director of the Office of Student Financial Aid who will make the final decision. Any student anticipating the necessity of making an appeal should be prepared to
pay his or her own fees. Results are available and distributed within a week of the committee meeting.
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