Surviving the Academic Progress Petition: A Comprehensive Guide

2. ACADEMIC PROGRESS A Survival Guide

3. Dissecting the Academic Progress Petition ? ? ? ? ? ?

4. Instructions Very Important !!! Dear Student: To be considered for further financial aid, you must complete an Academic Progress Petition. DO NOT submit this petition until Sections I, II, and III are completed, including signatures. Section IV should be completed only by Post Baccalaureate students. Incomplete petitions will be returned by mail, unreviewed. Return completed petitions to the office of Student Financial Affairs. Complete petitions will usually be evaluated within five working days. You will be notified of the outcome of your petition by mail. If you need further assistance completing this form, please visit our office (8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Mon - Fri) or call (352) 392-1275. Yes….We really do return incomplete petitions!

5. Section I - General Information Student should complete this section and sign. Signature This information section is very important. The contact information can be crucial to obtaining a faster ruling when additional information is required.

6. Section II - Statement of Appeal Student needs to specify term. It does make a difference. Student also needs to fully explain progress issues. ****Additional paper can be attached to the petition.

7. Section III - Academic Advising • This section is absolutely necessary to determine department support. We cannot approve a petition if the student’s department does not support it. Are Classes Required? Number of Hours Needed Contact Information Signature

8. Section IV - Post Baccalaureate Students • Must be filled out for post baccalaureate petitions Classification (Must Choose 1) Terms Required Contact Information Signature Post baccalaureate petitions have the least amount of subjectivity to them.

9. Section V - Academic Progress Committee Action • Completed by the Academic Progress Committee Postbac Category Decision Signature Date This section must be completed before the petition is sent to scanning.

10. Academic ProgressIssues • Maximum Hours for Degree • Percent of Hours Completed • GPA Under 2.0 • Postbaccalaureate Status Students can have multiple issues and must address each issue.

11. Maximum Hours for Degree • Federal Regulations state that a student has 150% of his or her program to graduate. That means for a degree requiring 120 credits, a student has 180 credits to complete the program. • This rule applies to Graduate and Professional students, also. • Includes all hours attempted at all schools. • Includes dual enrollment / advanced placement classes • Per federal regulation, all hours are used to calculate the maximum hours, even if the student did not receive aid for the hours. This is specifically mentioned in federal regulations and cannot be ignored.

12. Percent of Hours Completed This is the most common academic progress issue. • Completion Rate = All earned credits /all attempted credits Example: 102 earned credits/140 attempted credits = 72.8% • Includes all attempted UF hours and all attempted transfer hours after admission to UF • Incomplete Grades (I’s), Non-Grades (N’s) Withdrawals (All W’s), Drops (W’s), Failed Classes (E’s, E1’s, E0’s, + U’s), and Repeated Courses (R’s) are counted in attempted hours only and bring the completion rate down.

13. Percent of Hours Completed • A 75% completion rate is the minimum completion rate to receive federal financial aid. • Most students receive a warning the first semester that they fall below 75% and a termination the following semester if they have not corrected the deficit. • All hours are used to calculate the completion rate, even if the student did not receive aid for the hours. • When flagged for academic progress for completion rate, students must explain all deficient classes, not just the one class or one semester that caused them to fall below the standard.

14. GPA Under 2.0 • GPA is calculated using all grade points earned in all classes after a student starts UF. • Transfer hours from other schools never count in UF GPA. • A student can have a 4.0 at a community college, then transfer to UF, get a 1.99 the first semester, and be put on AP Warning for GPA if they have attempted 60 or more hours anywhere. GPA does not transfer in. • GPA = total number of grade points / total number of credits attempted • Drops and withdrawals are not counted in GPA calculations.

15. GPA Under 2.0 • N*’s, NG*’s and I*’s are not calculated in GPA. Grades with asterisks are not counted in GPA. They must be made up the following semester that they were given or the asterisk falls off and the grades become punitive. • I’s, NG’s and N’s are calculated as E’s (0.0) for GPA purposes. • Again, the rule applies to attempted credits, not earned credits and is not declared major specific. • All graduate students and transfer students with AA degrees are considered to have more than 60 hours by default. • All credit hours are used for the calculation even if the student did not receive aid for the hours. A= 4.0; B+= 3.5; B= 3.0; C= 2.5; C= 2.0; D+ = 1.5; D= 1.0; E= 0.0

16. Remarks Notes and AP screen! • All relevant Academic Progress notes are recorded here. Student was also approved for additional hours. Example: This student has a 61% completion rate and must complete 12 hours during the semester and reach 63% rate to meet expectations of the approved petition.

17. Additional Assistance in NERDC and/or ISIS/Admin Screens

18. Current Student Record Current Class / College 0= non-Degree 6= Postbac Student must be degree seeking to receive aid. Current Class Load A “ZW” during add/drop does not affect AP. A “W”, however, is a drop or withdrawal after drop/add and is punitive. Current Classes (Make note of dropped classes)

19. Student Transcript Transcript provides a timeline to compare explanation and/or documentation. Semester Grade Class

20. Student Transcript Watch for repeated classes. They lower completion rates.

21. Common Questions

22. Can a Student Petition the Committee’s Ruling? Yes. • A student petitions a Academic Progress Committee ruling simply by submitting a new petition. The committee evaluates the new petition in conjunction with the previous petition. • There is no limit to the number of appeals that a student can submit. • If there is not a satisfactory resolution, a student can also request to meet with an Academic Progress Committee member and address the specifics of his or her case.

23. Are Extenuating Circumstances Always Enough? No • Explanations are only half of the equation. • A petition must also demonstrate a plan to improve or overcome the obstacle(s) presented. It is not enough to state the problem and not offer a solution. • Common examples of solutions are: • Counseling • Study Groups • Changing Majors • Medication Adjustments • Environmental Changes • Reducing Work Hours • Reducing/Eliminating Extracurricular Activities • Many problems have natural solutions such as a broken leg. Many do not.

24. What is an Extenuating Circumstance? • A Serious Documented Health Issue • A Interpersonal Problem • A Documented Death • Financial Hardship • Documented Disabilities • Adjustment Issues (To a Point) • Change of Major (With support of new college and documented progress) • Transfer Hours Not Relevant • Multiple Degrees/Minor(s) • Thesis Taking Longer Than Anticipated (with support of college and demonstrated progress) • Dual Enrollment/Advanced Placement Hours These are only a few examples. This list is not all inclusive.

25. Common Examples of Non-Extenuating Circumstances • Dropping classes to protect GPA • Changed majors and didn’t need the classes anymore • The classes were difficult • “Personal problems” • Reaching too many hours in old department to transfer to new department • Academic advisor told me to drop • I need the money • I didn’t go to class • Restating the problem (Example: “My completion percentage is low due to the fact that I dropped 3 classes and failed 4 others.”) • “I have no extenuating reasons”

26. When is Documentation Required? It is always preferred for a student to provide documentation. • Many situations arise where documentation is a reasonable expectation. Example… Pregnancy, death, birth, divorce, medical emergency, disabilities, etc. • Sometimes, however, documentation is not available or nearly impossible to obtain. Example... A family member’s addiction, an untreated medical problem, a death overseas, etc. Personal statements can suffice in these instances on a case by case basis but may require an outside party to verify. • If a situation continues from one petition to another, documentation may be required even if the first petition was approved without it. • Too often, legitimate academic progress petitions are denied due to lack of supporting documentation.

27. What Sort of Documentation is Valid? These are only a few examples. This list is not complete. • Medical Records • Legal Records • Police Reports • Letters • Birth/Death Certificates • Passports/ Other proofs of travel • Pay Stubs (verifying explanation, ie reduction in work) • Leases (demonstrating new living environment) • Paperwork for Medical Withdrawal From University (Not just the application but the actual paperwork or an approval)

28. When Does A Student Need A PLAN OF WORK? In these cases: • A student will need a Plan of Work completed by his/her Academic Advisor for Max Hours to ensure the student is on track. GPA and Completion Rate also need them to outline courses that will help them to successfully meet the conditions. These are indicated with an opt. doc 29. • A NEW Plan of Work must be completed and submitted if the courses do not match the Petition’s approved load. SFA does not make assumptions that certain courses are the equivalent to the approved course. These usually require second visits to the Academic Advisor.

29. Questions