Reinstatement Without an Appeal
If you meet one of the following requirements, contact Big E Central to have your financial aid reinstated:
- You were denied financial aid because you did not meet the minimum GPA standard but have taken additional courses to bring your GPA up to the minimum.
- You were denied financial aid because you did not meet the 67% completion rate but have taken additional courses to bring your pace back to 67% or better.
Reinstatement With An Appeal
You may appeal to regain your eligibility for financial aid if you had extenuating circumstances which prevented you from making Satisfactory Academic Progress. Extenuating circumstances are considered to be significant life experiences that impacted your emotional and/or physical health so much that you were unable to make good academic progress. You may not base your appeal on:
- Your need for financial aid or
- Your lack of knowledge that your financial aid was in jeopardy.
Appeals must include:
- The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form.
- A letter from the student explaining the circumstances which prevented satisfactory academic progress in the past and how/why those circumstances affected the student.
- An explanation from the student as to how the circumstances have been resolved so that you can make satisfactory academic progress in the future. Include the steps/resources you plan to take to improve your academic record.
- Documentation to support/verify the circumstances cited in your letter. For example, illness and/or injury can be documented with hospital or insurance records, a death can be documented with an obituary or funeral card, divorce can be documented with a signed letter from a lawyer or a copy of the divorce decree, etc. Letters must be signed and must contain contact information (the phone number, email address, etc. of the person who wrote and signed the letter). Documentation cannot be from family members, significant others, roommates, etc.
- If a student is appealing due to the maximum time frame (150%), the appeal must include a list of student’s remaining degree requirements signed by the student’s advisor or an academic specialist in the student’s college of study.
More Information about the Appeal Process
- Big E Central will review appeals but may refer them to the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee if appropriate. You will be emailed the appeal decision and all appeals and relevant documents will be kept in your student file.
- The Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee
- Consists of faculty and/or staff members not in Big E Central.
- Meets as needed to review appeals.
- Notifies students of meeting schedule. Students whose appeals will be heard by the committee are notified in writing of the date, time and place of the meeting and are invited to attend.
- Communicates with Big E Central. The Associate Director of Big E Central prepares and presents the appeals to the committee, but does not vote on the appeal decision except in the case of a tie vote.
- Makes a final decision. All Financial Aid Appeal decisions are final.
- Federal regulations are clear that students may not make subsequent appeals for the same reason as a previous appeal.
- Appeals may be approved, denied or approved with stipulations. For example, a student may be approved for aid for one semester during which they will be required to earn all credit hours (no withdrawals and no grades of “F”, “I”, “FN”, or “U”) and earn a certain GPA. If the student meets those stipulations, aid would be granted for the next term. If the stipulations are not met, future aid would be denied.
- If an appeal is approved, the student is considered to be on Probation and may receive financial aid for only one payment period. At the end of that probationary payment period, the student must meet EKU’s SAP standards or meet the requirements of an academic plan to qualify for future financial aid. Academic plans may be developed by staff in Big E Central, academic advisors, members of the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Committee and/or the student as deemed appropriate.
- Appeals must be received before or during the term for which the student is requesting aid. Any appeal received after the published deadline for the term will be considered for the next term for which the student enrolls. Appeal decisions are not retroactive.
- All appeal documentation submitted becomes the property of Big E Central for their discretionary use.
Notification
If you are denied financial aid for failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress, you will be notified via email by Big E Central. Students are also notified of all decisions regarding financial aid appeals.