Carnegie Mellon University
Office of Enrollment Management  ›  Student Financial Services  ›  Financial Aid  ›  Financial Aid Policies  ›  Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan

Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan

Students who have failed to meet the minimum standards for Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress must appeal to have their financial aid reinstated. Appeals for reinstatement of financial aid are reviewed on an individual student basis. A student can have the appeal approved for one semester on a probationary basis at which time they must have earned a cumulative 2.0 QPA (3.0 for graduate students) and complete 80% of accumulated attempted units, to continue to receive financial aid funding. Students that are unable to meet the minimum Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements after one semester are also required to design and submit a Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan (pdf) as part of the appeal to have their financial aid eligibility reinstated.

The goal of the Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan is to give the student a final opportunity to get on track towards successful completion of his or her degree at Carnegie Mellon. The student’s unique Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan must be developed with either:

  • Academic Advisory Center advisor (for undeclared students)
  • Major advisor (for declared students)

The Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan must include (at a minimum):

  • Specific steps that the student will take throughout the semester to address academic difficulties that they encountered in previous semesters.
  • Referrals to any other on-campus department to address any other problems that have impacted the student’s ability to succeed academically.
  • Regular meetings scheduled throughout the semester with an academic advisor to address issues that impact progress.

The Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan must be submitted to the HUB (Attn: Financial Aid Academic Progress Appeal Committee) prior to the disbursement of any financial aid for the probationary semester. If the Financial Aid Academic Progress Appeal Committee accepts the student’s Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan, financial aid eligibility will be reinstated for the upcoming semester. The committee reserves the right to add additional requirements to the Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan.

The goal of the Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan is to make sure the student makes documented steady progress towards meeting Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards and graduates within the university’s normal time frame to complete a degree. Standard academic progress for financial aid includes completing coursework on a minimum established pace (80% completion of units attempted) and a cumulative 2.0 QPA (3.0 for graduate students).

The Financial Aid Academic Progress Appeal Committee will review the academic records of all students whose aid was reinstated on a conditional basis at the end of the semester to verify that the student met all the conditions defined in their Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan.

Potential Outcomes

Students who now meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will have their financial aid eligibility fully reinstated.
Students who fail to meet all conditions set in their Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan will forfeit their eligibility to receive further financial aid funding. Students who have been given a second chance to receive financial aid are expected to meet all the requirements set forth in the Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan. Appeals will only be accepted from students who experience a one-time, unexpected, serious event that precluded them from meeting the conditions of their Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan.
Students who meet all the conditions of their Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan but who still do not meet the Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards may be permitted to continue to receive financial aid on a semester by semester basis. The Financial Aid Academic Progress Appeal Committee in consultation with the student’s academic department may make changes to the original Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan based on changes in the student’s situation. Students who meet all the conditions of the revised Financial Aid Academic Progress Improvement Plan will be permitted to continue to receive financial aid on a semester by semester basis.