NASFAAs Webinar Series Academic Competitiveness Grant ACG and National SMART Grants April 12: Academ

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NASFAAs Webinar Series Academic Competitiveness
Grant (ACG)and National SMART Grants April 12
Academic Year Progression and GPA Calculations
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Periods of Eligibility

• Award year July through June 30
• Encompasses a students Pell Grant eligibility
• Schools academic calendar
• Traditionally, Fall through Spring terms
• Basis for awarding campus-based aid
• Title IV academic year
• Measure of credit or clock hours earned over a
  specified number of weeks of instruction
• Defines students ACG/SMART Grant eligibility

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Academic Year Reference

• Law establishes grants for a student in
• the first academic year of a program of
  undergraduate education at a two- or four-year
  degree-granting institution of higher education
• the second academic year of a program of
  undergraduate education at a two- or four-year
  degree-granting institution of higher education
• the third or fourth academic year of a program
  of undergraduate education at a four-year
  degree-granting institution of higher education.

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Academic Year

• Definition of Title IV Academic Year for
  credit-hour programs requires a minimum of
• 24 semester, 24 trimester, or 36 quarter credits
• 30 weeks of instruction
• Definition of Title IV Academic Year for
  clock-hour programs requires a minimum of
• 900 clock hours
• 26 weeks of instruction

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Academic Year

• Proration of loan limits for short remaining
  periods of enrollment in two- or four-year
  programs

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Academic Year
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Academic Year

• ACG and SMART limits are lifetime
• No more than one grant per academic year level
• Student must complete academic year before
  progressing to next level
• Students eligibility for one grant level ends
  with the completion of the corresponding academic
  year
• Student cannot go backwards to lesser grant level

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Example Beth

• Completes 30 semester credits over 30 weeks at
  School A
• Was paid full first-year ACG award
• Transfers to School B, which accepts 21 credits
• In her first term at School B, how may credits
  (21 or 30) are used to define the academic year
  she is in?
• Can she get any ACG for her first term at School
  B?

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Example Jim
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Academic Year Credits

• Credits earned through courses taken at your
  institution and applicable towards the students
  current degree
• Credits earned at previous institutions if your
  school has accepted them for transfer towards the
  students program
• Advanced Placement (AP) or International
  Baccalaureate (IB) credits
• Credits awarded as a result of other testing out
  or life experience, if the credit is used to meet
  any of the students program requirements

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Academic Year Credits

• Student earned 30 semester credits and all are
  accepted
• School then determines only 18 apply to degree
• Effect on ACG?
• Student earned 60 semester credits and all are
  accepted
• School then determines only 45 apply to degree
• Effect on SMART?

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Academic Year Weeks

• Actual count method
• Requires review of students academic record
• Cannot associate weeks with credits from
• AP or IB exams
• Other testing out (e.g., CLEP) or life experience
• Courses not at postsecondary level (remedial)
• Courses taken while not a regular student or not
  in an eligible program

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Academic Year Weeks

• If
• All summer sessions are combined into one term,
• Payment is calculated under formula 1 or 2, and
• At least 12 credits are provided
• Then
• Summer semester equals half the weeks in the
  academic year, or
• Summer quarter equals one-third of the weeks in
  the academic year

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Academic Year Weeks

• Assumption method
• Assume that each increment of credits in the
  academic year definition equates to the increment
  of weeks
• Example Academic Year 24 credits and 30 weeks
• Student has earned 45 credits
• 45/24 1.875
• School assumes student is in second academic
  year
• May be used only if schools academic calendar
  includes 30 weeks offered in standard terms

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Academic Year Weeks

• School that can use both methods can choose
• On a student-by-student basis
• For a given student, on a term-by-term basis
• One method to assess transfer credits and the
  other to track work after entry
• Any school can use assumption method to classify
  incoming transfer students

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Example Sarah
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Example Pete
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Agenda

• ? GPA calculations for ACG
• ? GPA calculations for SMART
• ? Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

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Agenda-contd

• ? Special issues
• Transfer students
• Grades included in calculation
• AP and IB credits
• Incomplete and missing grades
• Changed grades
• Removed or repeated courses
• Consortium agreements

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GPA Calculations for ACG

• ? Minimum requirement
• 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
• ? Timing of calculation
• Once, at the end of the students first academic
  year

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GPA Calculations for ACG-Example

• ? Academic year is 30 credits over 30 weeks
• ? Student completes 12 credits fall and 12
  credits spring
• If student completes 6 credits over summer,
  completes academic year at end of summer
• If student does not take summer courses,
  completes academic at end of next fall semester
  by completing 12 credits

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GPA Calculations for SMART

• ? Minimum requirement
• 3.0 on 4.0 scale
• ? Timing of calculation
• Before each payment period

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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

• ? GPA requirement for ACG and SMART does not
  change SAP requirement
• ? If student is not making SAP, not eligible for
  any type of Title IV aid
• ? GPA calculation requirement does not affect
  increments in which institution checks SAP

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Special Issues Transfer Students

• ? For first payment period only, calculate GPA
  using credits accepted towards students degree
  program
• ? If no transfer credits accepted, student not
  eligible until at least one payment period
  completed with qualifying GPA

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Special Issues Transfer Students

• ? Information received after calculation
• Resolve any conflicting information
• Recalculate GPA including any additional credits
• For ACG, include credits only if part of first
  academic year

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Special Issues-Included Grades

• ? ACG
• All grades that count towards students program
  of study
• For transfer students completing first academic
  year, use all credits included in first academic
  year
• For students in second academic year, include all
  credits accepted towards degree

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Special Issues-Included Grades

• ? SMART
• All grades that count towards the students
  program of study
• For transfer students, include transfer credits
  in calculation for first payment period only

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AP and IB Credits

• ? AP and IB credits are never assigned grades
  for any purpose for ACG and SMART

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Interim Disbursements

• ? Regulations allow one interim disbursement if
  GPA is incomplete
• ? ACG
• One disbursement for first payment period of
  second academic year
• ? SMART
• One disbursement for next payment period

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Interim Disbursements

• ? Institution assumes liability for any
  overpayment if student is not eligible for
  disbursement once final GPA is calculated

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Special Issues-Changed Grades

• ? 3.0 requirement
• Minimum requirement cannot be waived for
  mitigating circumstances
• ? Institutional error
• Must be corrected
• Recalculate GPA with correct grade(s)
• ? Use new GPA for current and subsequent payment
  periods

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Special Issues Removed/Repeated Courses

• ? Follow institutional policies for the inclusion
  or exclusion of removed and repeated coursework
• ? Use a new GPA for current and subsequent
  payment periods

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Special Issues Consortium Agreements

• ? Consortium agreement implies that home school
  treats credits from host school as equivalent
• ? Follow institutional policies for acceptance of
  courses and inclusion of grades in GPA calculation