To be eligible for federal and New York State aid, a student must be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen who is making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree. Students who have defaulted on a loan or owe a repayment of a federal grant at any post-secondary school must make satisfactory repayment arrangements with that institution before they will be eligible to receive aid at Hunter College.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
All financial aid recipients must be making satisfactory academic progress toward a degree. There are two different formulas used to make this determination, one for New York State aid and another for federal aid.
New York State Program Eligibility
In order to receive assistance from the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and the Aid for Part-time Study (APTS) Program, students must complete a minimum number of credits the prior semester, complete the appropriate number of cumulative credits and have the appropriate grade point average at the beginning of each semester of state-supported study. The charts below outline these requirements. For example, to receive the fifth payment of TAP, a student who received the first TAP award before summer 2006 would have to have completed 9 credits the prior semester for a total of at least 31 cumulative credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.00.
Waiver of Academic Standing Requirements
Students who become academically ineligible to receive assistance from state programs because of an unusual circumstance for which documentation can be provided (e.g., illness) may apply for a onetime waiver of the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements. For further information, contact the Financial Aid Office at (212) 772-4882.
To qualify for a New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award, undergraduate students must meet the applicable New York State Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. Students are evaluated based on when they received their first TAP payment and whether or not they are in a remedial program. The following charts explain the New York State Education Department guidelines which detail the SAP standards a student must meet to be certified for each TAP payment.
The following TAP academic progress and program pursuit charts are for undergraduate students.
To qualify for a New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) award, undergraduate students must meet the applicable New York State Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) standards. Students are evaluated based on when they received their first TAP payment and whether or not they are in a remedial program. The following charts explain the New York State Education Department guidelines which detail the SAP standards a student must meet to be certified for each TAP payment.
The Hunter College traditional academic retention standards remain in effect and supersede any other grade point average (gpa) requirements. The following SAP standards are only used to determine TAP eligibility.
SAP Standards-First TAP Award summer 2010 and thereafter**
2006 SAP Standards-First TAP award summer 2006 through 2010
*SEEK students are eligible for 10 semesters while all other qualified undergraduate students are eligible for 8 semesters.
**SEEK students are considered remedial and will be evaluated against the 2006 SAP Standards chart.
1981 SAP Standards-First TAP award before summer 2006
C Average Requirement for State Funded Student Financial Aid Eligibility Effective Fall 1996
Effective with the 1996-97 academic year, Education Law section 661 requires that a student have at least a cumulative C average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale, or the equivalent) after the student has completed the second academic year of study. In practice, this requirement is interpreted to mean that a student must have a C average or better after the student has accumulated 24 payment points (received 4 semester payments or the equivalent) to be eligible for further awards. In other words, a student seeking a fifth semester award payment must have a C average.
Transfer Students
Institutions generally accept transfer courses in which grades of C or better were earned. Therefore, students with transferable credits who have already received four semester payments are presumed to meet the C average requirement and are eligible for the initial term at the new institution.
To determine the eligibility of transfer students, an institution may elect to include, for financial aid purposes, the grades earned for courses accepted in transfer providing this policy is applied to all financial aid applicants.
Readmitted Students
A student readmitted to an institution attended previously who has received two or more years of award payments must have a C average or better to receive further State student aid. The student’s cumulative grade point average would be based on prior grades earned at the institution.
Course Repeat Rule for NY State Financial Aid
As of May 1987, if a student repeats a course in which a passing grade acceptable to the institution has already been received, the course cannot be included as part of the student’s minimum full time or part-time course load for financial aid purposes. When such courses are included in meeting the minimum requirement, they render the student ineligible for a State award. In the following instances, repeated courses may count toward full-time or part-time study: (1) when a failed course is repeated; (2) when a grade received is passing at the institution but is unacceptable in a particular curriculum; and (3) when a course may be repeated and credit earned each time.
A student who earned a passing grade in a course but wishes to repeat the course in the hopes of improving the grade and overall grade point average cannot count the repeated course as part of the minimum course load.
Notice to students changing their enrollment status or withdrawing from classes:
If you change your enrollment status or withdraw from classes, your financial aid may be affected. Each financial aid program is different. You may officially withdraw from a course by logging into CUNYfirst.
Federal Aid Program Eligibility
The federal Satisfactory Academic Progress standard applies to students seeking assistance from all federal student financial aid programs available at Hunter College. To be eligible for federal aid, an undergraduate student must achieve at least the GPA required for probationary status at Hunter after two years of enrollment at the college; at least a C average or academic standing consistent with the requirements for graduation; and must also accumulate credits toward the degree according to the following standards:
Students will be measured against the satisfactory academic progress standard at the end of the spring term to determine eligibility for receipt of Title IV student financial assistance for the upcoming year.
This chart would be used by a student pursuing a BA degree requiring 126 credits. In this example, if you have attempted 36 credits, you must successfully complete at least 24. To maintain conditional eligibility, you must successfully complete 9 credits.
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