Financial Aid Warning is a status assigned if you were previously meeting SAP policy standards, however at the last SAP review, you failed to make satisfactory academic progress. This is an alert to inform you that if the SAP policy standards are not met during the warning semester, you will no longer be eligible for future financial aid.

You are placed on Financial Aid Warning for failing to meet at least one of the SAP policy standards listed below:

• GPA: Failure to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA based on the number of completed credits.
  
• Completion Rate: Failure to pass a minimum of 67% of the cumulative course work attempted

Yes, during the Financial Aid Warning semester you can be awarded financial aid (if otherwise eligible). You can only be granted a ‘warning’ status for one semester. You are not allowed to receive consecutive “warning” semesters of financial aid.

It is very important to meet with your Academic Advisor to review your semester place to get back on track and to review your academic status.  You are not required to submit a SAP Appeal during your warning semester.  If you failed to bring yourself back on track during the warning period, you will be placed Financial Aid Suspension.

The SAP status is checked at the end of each semester, including summer. At the end of your Financial Aid Warning semester, your SAP status will be re-evaluated to determine if the requirements of the SAP policy have been met. You must be meeting the SAP policy requirements to continue to receive financial aid. Otherwise, you will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will not be eligible to receive financial aid.

Good Standing – eligible to receive financial aid
If the overall SAP Policy requirements are met at the end of the probationary semester, your SAP status will be updated to ‘good standing’ (making satisfactory academic progress) beginning with the next semester. You will be eligible to receive federal aid.

Financial Aid Suspension – not eligible to receive financial aid if the overall SAP Policy requirements are not met at the end of the Financial Aid Warning semester, then you be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and you will be suspended from receiving any federal financial aid 
with the next semester and for future semesters until the SAP Policy requirements have once again been met. Any federal student aid previously awarded for the upcoming semester will be cancelled. You may submit a SAP Appeal to request to have you financial aid reinstated

This means you will be ineligible for Federal financial aid funds while you are attempting SUNY Orange until you are either back on track or if you had extenuating circumstance and successfully file an appeal.  You will need to self pay, or seek out a private alternative loan.

If you had an extenuating circumstance, during the semester, you should file an appeal. 

A SAP appeal may be based on undue hardship when the failure to make satisfactory academic program is caused by the death of a relative of the student, severe personal injury or illness of the student, or other special circumstances determined by the school. 

Just having a hard time adjusting to college life, or not liking remote learning, are not extenuating circumstances. 

Major disruptions such as illness, death, abuse, etc, all examples of extenuating circumstances.  You must provide proof with our SAP Appeal Statement. Not submitting proof with our appeal will automatically deny your SAP appeal. 

If you are not able to complete your degree within the 150% of the program length or it is mathematically impossible for you to complete your degree with 150% of the program length, you are automatically placed on SAP SUSPENSION and will no longer be eligible for federal financial aid at SUNY Orange.  

You may appeal Maximum Timeframe suspension.  A degree audit and anticipated graduation date may be requested.

This is very simple. Let's look at an example:

Your current degree program requires 60 credits to graduate.  60 credits x 150% = 90 credits.  A student must complete their degree, or be mathematically able to complete their degree within 90 or less credits. 

The 90 credits represents the number of "attempted" credits.  If student attempts 90.5 credits or more and have not earned their degree, they are ineligible to receive federal financial aid funds.

Other examples:

60 x 150% = 90 (max number of attempted credits)
61 x 150% = 91.5 (max number of attempted credits)
62 x 150% = 93 (max number of attempted credits)
63 x 150% = 94.5 (max number of attempted credits)
64 x 150% = 96 (max number of attempted credits)

Student A started attending SUNY Orange in 2010.  Could not figure out what program they wanted to complete and changed their majors multiple times.  Before switching to an AAS Degree in Nursing in 2022, cumulatively, the student has attempted and earned 55 credits.  When transferred into AAS Degree in Nursing, only 10 of those previously earned credit counted towards this new degree program.   

The AAA Degree in Nursing requires 63 credits to graduate.  Out of 63 credits, only 10 previously earned credits applied towards the students new degree. This means the student needs 53 credits to complete their degree.  Based on the maximum time frame rules (150%), the student has up to94.5 credits (attempted) to complete their degree. 

Student has already (cumulatively) attempted 55 credits.  Now, they need 53 credits to complete their nursing degree. 55 credits attempted + 53 credits = 108 attempted credits which is greater than the 94.5 maximum time frame limit.   Therefore, the student mathematically can not complete their degree within the maximum time (150%), they are now ineligible for Federal Financial Aid.

If you have further questions, contact our office, we are happy to do a review for you! 

Yes.  If you have not paid your balance by the due date, you run the risk of being dropped form your courses.  Submitting an appeal does not automatically hold your classes.  You must either pay your balance in full or be registered in the payment plan.  Submitting an appeal does not guarantee approval of eligibility.

You are responsible for your balance due to SUNY Orange.  

If you have been placed on Financial Aid Suspension as a result of your failure to meet SAP, you may regain financial aid eligibility by:

1. Submitting a successful Financial Aid Suspension Appeal.
2. Reestablishing Good Standing for Financial Aid by:
   • Bringing your cumulative GPA back up to 2.0 or higher
   • Bringing your completion rate back to 67% or higher

A school must have a SAP policy at least as strict or stricter than the federal guidelines and SUNY Orange's academic policy.

Students must report any grade changes that impact their aid eligibility directly to the Financial Aid Office.

Students must resolve all incomplete grades before the Financial Aid Office can make a final determination of the satisfactory academic progress guidelines. 

If you have lost eligibility to participate in federal student aid programs for reasons of academic progress you may regain eligibility by enrolling at SUNY Orange at your own expense, and making up the deficiency of Progress or GPA. The mere passage of time will not restore eligibility to a student who has failed to make satisfactory academic progress policy.

If you have been academically dismissed from SUNY Orange but are subsequently given permission to re-enroll, you are not automatically eligible to continue to participate in Federal Financial Aid programs. Admissions decisions are totally separate from funding decisions.

All federal aid programs, such as Pell Grant, FSEOG Grant, Federal Work Study, Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, require you meet the Federal guidelines.  If you do not meet the guidelines, you are ineligible for federal aid.

All NYS State aid programs, such TAP, Excelsior, Part Time TAP, APTS, require you meet the State guidelines. If you do not meet the guidelines, you are ineligible for federal aid. 

If you lose federal and/or state eligibility, your options would be to:

• Pay your balance out of pocket, in full.
• Sign up for a payment plan and pay your balance out of pocket
• Seek out a private alternative loan with an outside company.

Some private loan companies are now requiring students to be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress guidelines.

It is strongly encouraged that you meet with your Academic Advisor and the Financial Aid Office.