Both the federal and state governments require students to meet certain basic standards of scholarship in order to be eligible for financial assistance. While those established by the federal government for students receiving Title IV funds are similar to those established for state award recipients, there are some very important differences. Failure to meet these standards may mean termination of further financial aid, and it is essential that students receiving such aid be familiar with the eligibility requirements appropriate to the type of aid they receive. Further information regarding these regulations may be obtained from the Offices of Academic Advisement or Financial Aid.

FEDERAL ACADEMIC STANDARDS FOR TITLE IV RECIPIENTS

Award Programs Affected By The Federal Standards:

Federal Pell Grants
Federal Perkins Loans
Federal Nursing Loans
Federal College Work Study
Federal Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)
Federal Direct Loan Programs - includes Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized) and the Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)

Federal law requires that students receiving funds under Title IV show evidence of making satisfactory progress towards their degree objectives in order to remain eligible for further funds. For purposes of determining eligibility, satisfactory progress is defined as accumulating a minimum number of credits towards the degree for each academic year of attendance, with a minimum grade point average of 2.0. The minimum number of credits that must be accumulated at the conclusion of each academic year of full-time attendance is shown on the scale below:

* Year = academic year (two full-time semesters)

For students attending on less than a full-time basis, the scale will be adjusted accordingly.

A student receiving aid as a full-time student must have earned 14 credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 after the first full academic year, 32 credits after the second full academic year, and so on. The entire scale is based upon the requirement that the baccalaureate degree be completed within six years of full-time attendance. (For students attending on less than a full-time basis, the above scale will be adjusted accordingly.) Upon completion of a bachelor's degree (and before graduate matriculation), a student may receive two additional semesters of federal aid eligibility; providing that he/she is registered in a teacher certification program. Students who attain the minimum number of credits for a given period, but who fall below the required GPA of 2.0, will be placed on Title IV probation (concurrent with academic probation). Probation for Title IV follows the College's policy on academic probation with students continuing in eligibility for Title IV funds while on probationary status.

Students who fail to accumulate the specified number of credits will be placed on Title IV probation for a maximum of one academic year. Failure to accumulate the minimum number of credits at the end of that probationary period will result in ineligibility for further Title IV funds until such time as the student should regain eligibility by accumulating the required credits. For example, a student who has accumulated 12 credits by the end of his/her first academic year would be placed on Title IV probation for the next year of attendance. If, at the end of his/her probationary period, he/she has failed to accumulate 32 credits, he/she would be declared ineligible for further Title IV funding.

Occasionally students will fail to meet the established standards for reasons beyond their control. Such students may appeal their loss of eligibility, and if the College's designated Appeals Committee deems their performance to have been significantly hampered by such "mitigating circumstances," they will be permitted to continue in good standing under Title IV regulations. Such mitigating circumstances include serious family problems, extended illness, and similar situations. All appeals must be submitted in writing to the Financial Aid Office by the date listed in the student's notice of loss of eligibility for aid.

Students will be notified at the close of each academic year of their probationary status, or of their ineligibility for further Title IV funds. Letters notifying students of ineligibility will include information regarding the procedures for retaining eligibility, and/or appealing the loss of eligibility based upon mitigating circumstances. Further information may be obtained from the Financial Aid Office.

Award Recipients/Award Programs Affected by New York State Standards

1. General Awards:
   Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)
   Regents Award - Child of Veteran (CV)
   Regents Award - Child of Corrections Officer
   Vietnam Veterans Tuition Assistance Program (VVTA)
   State University Supplemental Tuition Assistance Program (SUSTA)
   
2. Academic Awards:
   Scholarships of Excellence
   Lehman Fellowships
   Paul Douglas Scholarships
   Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarships
   Health Service Corps Scholarships and Fellowships
   
   
3. Part-time Awards (special requirements apply in some instances)
   Aid for Part-Time Students (APTS)
   Vietnam Veterans Tuition Assistance Program (VVTA)
   

Pursuit of Program*

State regulations define program pursuit as receiving either a passing or a failing grade in a certain percentage of a full-time course load. The percentage increases from 50 percent of the minimum full-time load in each semester of the first year of award (six credits each semester), to 75 percent each semester of the second award year (nine credits each semester), to 100 percent each semester of the third and fourth award years (12 credits each semester). Students who fail to meet these standards become ineligible to receive an award during the succeeding semester, and remain ineligible until good standing is regained. (For details on regaining eligibility or waiving eligibility standards, see below.)

Generally, the State Education Department will accept any grade that indicates that the student attended the course for the entire semester, and completed all necessary assignments. By these standards, both passing and failing grades are acceptable. However, "W" (Withdrawal) grades are not acceptable. Grades of "I" (Incomplete) are acceptable because they are automatically changed to either a passing or failing grade before the completion of the succeeding semester. Note: Graduate students with grades of "I" may make special arrangements with their instructor for extra time (up to two years) to complete their coursework. In such cases, the "I" grades cannot be counted toward the Pursuit of Program requirement.

Satisfactory Academic Progress*

Satisfactory academic progress is defined both in terms of the number of credits completed and the grade point average attained at the end of a given semester. To remain eligible for awards, students must meet the following minimum standards. (Special conditions apply for part-time student awards.)

SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

* These standards apply only to students who received their first TAP award in September, 1981, or later. Students who received their first TAP award prior to September, 1981, can be advised of applicable standards by the Office of Academic Advisement.

(Only students in specially approved five-year programs are eligible for TAP awards beyond eight semesters of undergraduate study.)

As shown in the above table, full-time students are not expected to have earned college credits in order to be eligible for their first award payment. For the second payment, a student must have earned three credits toward graduation with a GPA of .50 or better; for the third, to have completed nine credits with a cumulative GPA of .75; and so on.

Transfer and Readmitted Students

Transfer students and students readmitted to the College after an absence of at least one year will be placed on the above scale either in accordance with the number of credits earned toward graduation or the number of TAP payments previously received, whichever is more beneficial to the student. For example, a transfer student who has received four TAP payments and earned 45 credits would be placed at (payment) semester five, rather than (payment) semester six.

Loss and Reinstatement of Student Eligibility

Students who fail to maintain good academic standing, either through failure in Pursuit of Program or in making Satisfactory Academic Progress, become ineligible for further awards. Eligibility may be regained (and payments restored) by either of the following methods:

1. Achieving the required grade point average and/or number of credits during a semester of attendance in which no state award is paid.

2. Transferring to another institution.

3. Being readmitted to SUNY Brockport after an absence of one calendar year or more. (Acceptance at Brockport or another institution is deemed evidence of a student's ability to successfully complete an approved program.)

4. Waiver of eligibility.
   

Waiver of Eligibility Standards for State Awards

Students who fail to meet state standards for either Pursuit of Program or Satisfactory Academic Progress may request a waiver of these standards that will allow them to continue to receive award payments for the succeeding semester. When such a waiver has been granted for failure to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, the student is expected to use the semester to advance to the level he/she could not achieve without the waiver. The waiver may be used if the student fails in Pursuit of Program, fails to make Satisfactory Academic Progress, or fails by both standards. However, Pursuit of Program and Satisfactory Academic Progress may not be waived separately for different semesters.

Students are eligible for only one waiver as an undergraduate student (not one for each institution attended) and one waiver as a graduate student. However, the granting of such a waiver is not automatic; it is intended only to accommodate extraordinary or unusual situations. The waiver process must include an assessment of the reasons for a student's failure to meet the established requirements for good standing, and the decision to grant the waiver must be based upon a reasonable expectation that the student will meet future requirements.

Notification of Ineligibility for State Financial Awards

Since payment of state awards is made through the Bursar's Office, students who fail to maintain good academic standing and therefore are ineligible for a state award will be notified by the Bursar's Office. Students affected are encouraged to discuss their status with a member of the Academic Advisement staff.

Repeat of "D" Grades and State Financial Aid Eligibility

Repeat of any course in which a passing grade (D- or above) has already been received and which the College does not require the student to repeat may not be considered as part of that student's minimum course load for financial aid purposes. In other words, the student must be registered for 12 or more different credits in order to be considered as a full-time student. In addition, the repeated course may not be considered in determining whether the student has met the Pursuit of Program requirement and is in good academic standing.

Declaration of Major

In order to maintain eligibility for New York state financial aid, the State Education Department requires students to declare an academic major no later than the beginning of the junior year of the baccalaureate program. The College defines a junior as any student who has attained 54 or more credits towards the baccalaureate.

The State University of New York College at Brockport does not discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity/color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran, in admission, employment, and treatment of students and employees. It is, therefore, the policy of SUNY Brockport to provide an academic and work environment free of discriminatory intimidation.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex (gender).

Harassment on the basis of sex is a violation of Section 703 of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

Since sexual harassment is generally recognized as a form of sexual discrimination, employees or students who feel they have been harassed can file a complaint under the University's Grievance Procedures for Review of Allegations of Discrimination.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provide that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability shall, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

The ADA estimates that there are 43 million Americans who have a disability. A "disability" is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of having such an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of having such an impairment, or being regarded as having one. "Disability" covers a wide range of conditions and includes mobility, vision, hearing, or speech impairments, learning disabilities, chronic health conditions, emotional illnesses, AIDS, HIV positive, and a history of drug addiction or alcoholism.

Accessibility for people with disabilities is often viewed solely as architectural or physical access. The ADA, however, goes beyond this concept to require that all of our services, programs, and activities be accessible. To ensure compliance, SUNY Brockport has designated a coordinator for ADA compliance. The coordinator can be contacted directly to discuss the provision of reasonable accommodations. It is important to note that all inquires will be held in the strictest of confidence. For additional information, please contact the coordinator's office at (716) 395-5409.

SECTION 224­A OF THE EDUCATION LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK