All students who aren't meeting satisfactory academic progress must appeal their status in order to continue receiving financial aid. Students can submit their appeal documents to the Office of Financial Aid via email, fax or in person.
Examples of a possible appeal include:
- a student who exceeds his or her MTF limit due to a change in degree program
- a student with extenuating personal/medical circumstances that have since been resolved
To appeal a financial aid suspension, students are required to submit the following documentation to the Office of Financial Aid:
- A written statement explaining:
- the reason they are not meeting SAP requirements
- how this reason has been resolved
- what has changed that will enable the student to be successful and regain SAP compliance moving forward
- If appropriate, third-party documentation surrounding the reason for the appeal
- An academic plan approved by an academic advisor or the student's designated program representative, charting a course toward regaining SAP compliance by an appropriate milestone (graduation, end of academic year, etc.). The academic plan could include the courses the student will take, when they will take them and the grades they need to earn to regain compliance.
Appeal Submissions
Appeal decisions will be emailed to students within three to five weeks of submission. Students are encouraged to submit appeals as promptly as possible to facilitate on-time disbursement of aid if the appeal is approved. For fall quarter, students are encouraged to submit their appeal by mid-August. If the Office of Financial Aid Appeals Committee needs more information regarding the appeal to make a decision, a financial aid staff member will coordinate this effort and the time frame will be delayed. All appeal decisions are final. Appeals must be submitted prior to the end of the academic year following SAP notification for any aid to be disbursed within that academic year.
Approved Appeals
If the student's appeal is approved by the Office of Financial Aid Appeals Committee, the student may be able to receive federal, institutional or state aid for the following term. All other federal financial aid rules apply. The Office of Financial Aid will monitor the student's progress against the degree completion plan after each subsequent term to determine if the student is making progress congruent with the academic plan.
Denied Appeals
Students must make progress congruent with the academic plan to continue to receive federal, state and institutional financial aid. If the student has not regained compliance with SAP requirements or met the conditions of their academic plan when checked by the Office of Financial Aid, students will be required to submit another appeal citing different reasons for noncompliance than the previous appeal(s). If an appeal is denied, the student is no longer eligible for federal, state or institutional financial aid until SAP compliance is regained.
Students will be suspended from financial aid once they reach the MTF limit, unless an appeal is submitted and approved.
If a student's appeal is denied or a student elects not to appeal an SAP determination and continues enrollment at the University of Denver, students are responsible for paying all bills and charges without federal, state or institutional financial aid until they regain compliance with SAP minimum requirements on their own.
Recalculating SAP Standing
At any time during the year, if a student believes they are back in compliance with SAP requirements, it is the student's responsibility to contact the Office of Financial Aid to recalculate their SAP standing and determine if the student is eligible for financial aid for upcoming terms.