Section 6

Academic Recovery & Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Status

 

Academic Recovery Policy

Note: This Policy is in the process of being updated in Fall 2025 for the 2026-2027 Catalog

 

The Catalog specifies that there are two regular categories of academic standing. Satisfactory Academic Progress and Probationary Status.

 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

An undergraduate student who maintains a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 (C average) in all courses taken or accepted for credit at Saint Mary’s College is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress.

 

Academic Recovery and Special Academic Recovery Status

At the end of the fall and spring semesters, a student who fails to maintain satisfactory academic progress is considered to have academic recovery status, formerly known as academic probation status. The Academic Success Office will notify undergraduate students, their advisor, and success coach of their academic recovery status at the end of the term (fall or spring).

 

An additional subset of students will be subject to academic disqualification. A student is subject to academic disqualification if:

  • A student is already in academic recovery status and fails to resume satisfactory academic progress by the end of the fall or spring semester following the establishment of academic recovery status.
  • A student who is not in academic recovery status may be subject to disqualification if: The student’s cumulative GPA falls below 1.55 at the end of a Fall or Spring semester for all courses taken or accepted for credit.

Students who are subject to academic disqualification will have the opportunity to submit an appeal within a defined timeframe. The Academic Review Recovery Board will review the information submitted as part of the appeal and the board may seek the advice of the student’s instructors, academic advisor, school dean, and others when appropriate.

If the student’s appeal is accepted, the student will be granted Special Academic Recovery status. As part of this status the student will have to accept conditions specified by the Academic Recovery Review Board, which include strategies to help the student achieve satisfactory academic progress by the close of the next long term.

Tips for advisors supporting students in academic recovery:

  • Become familiar with the conditions of your advisee’s academic recovery
  • Set up regular meetings to check in with your advisee the throughout the semester
  • Help your advisee identify the source(s) of their academic difficulty. Is time management an issue? Is the student attending class regularly? Is the student in communication with their instructors? Does the student experience test anxiety?  Are personal challenges interfering with academic progress? Does the student need additional support from campus partners?
  • Work with your advisee to update their plan to graduation
  • Encourage your advisee to check in with you before dropping a class
  • Be prepared to initiate conversations with your advisee about their intended major. Maybe there is another way for them to accomplish their career goals.
  • Respond to cases submitted through Retention Alert or from the Advising and Academic Success Office (see Retention Alert section for more details)
  • Partner with your advisee’s success coach to brainstorm ways to support your advisee
  • Celebrate improvements or small victories that your student makes throughout the semester

 

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Financial aid recipients must make satisfactory academic progress (SAP) towards a degree in order to receive institutional, federal and/or state aid. 

The SAP process is managed by the Financial Aid Office and differs from the Academic Recovery process described above. For more information about Financial Aid SAP please refer to: Saint Mary’s College of California Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

Students who have had their Financial Aid suspended because of failure to maintain satisfactory academic progress may appeal the suspension. The SAP Appeal includes an academic plan. Students who are submitting an SAP appeal or their Success Coach may be reaching out to you to consult on the student’s academic plan to get the student back on track to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress.

 

 

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