What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?
UMBC is required to monitor its student’s academic progress to ensure that they maintain a minimum standard GPA and make steady progress toward degree completion. Students who do not meet the SAP requirements may lose their financial aid eligibility.
When is progress evaluated?
SAP is evaluated each June for the upcoming academic year. Students with a FAFSA on file will have their progress evaluated by mid-June and are notified by email if not meeting SAP standards. Students who do not have a FAFSA on file in mid-June will have their progress evaluated once their FAFSA is received by the university.
What’s included when determining progress?
Credit hours attempted include all classes where the following grades were earned: A, B, C, D, F, I, P, S, U, W, WX and all grades earned each time a course was repeated. Grades received for remedial, ESL, academic amnesty, and institutional credit courses are included in the number of attempted credits, but are not included in your GPA.
Credit hours attempted in each semester that you enroll will be counted, even the semesters when you do not receive financial aid. Test scores and transfer credits from other institutions accepted by UMBC are included in your total number of credits attempted and completed.
Additional Undergraduate Requirements
As an undergraduate student, to remain eligible for financial aid you may not attempt more than 150% of the credits required to receive an undergraduate degree (i.e.: 120 credits required X 1.5 = a maximum of 180 credits may be attempted). This calculation includes all accepted transfer/test score credits and those that would be attempted for a second major or area of concentration (minor). Your progress will be evaluated using the following standard:
| Total Number of Attempted Credits |
Minimum Cumulative GPA |
Percentage of Attempted Courses Completed |
| 0 – 29 | 2.0 | 50% |
| 30 – 59 | 2.0 | 60% |
| 60+ | 2.0 | 67% |
Undergraduate students remain in good academic standing by earning a minimum GPA of 2.0 (2.0=C) or better on a 4.0 scale. Some financial aid programs may have standards that are more stringent. In those cases the program standards will supersede UMBC’s requirements.
Additional Graduate Requirements
Graduate students remain in good academic standing by maintaining a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and by completing at least 67% of all enrolled courses. In the event that your program of study requires a higher GPA it will supersede the minimum listed in this procedure. Graduate students must also complete their program within the timeframe established in their Degree Requirements as outlined in the Graduate School catalog and may not attempt more than 150% of the credits required to complete their program.
Additional Information