Students who do not meet our published guidelines will be notified by Academic Advisement and/or Financial Aid of their status. Students have the right to appeal any decision of ineligibility of financial assistance. The appeal may not be based upon the need for assistance OR lack of knowledge that a student’s assistance was in jeopardy. An appeal should be based upon some unusual situation or condition which prevented the student from passing more of the courses, or which necessitated that the student withdraw from classes.

Definitions:

Financial Aid Warning – an automatic one-semester status assigned to a student who, for the first time, fails to meet Standards of Academic Progress (SAP) at Marymount Manhattan College.

Appeal - a student who after the Financial Aid Warning semester still does not meet the College’s SAP standards can then submit a petition of appeal for reconsideration of eligibility. Students will be officially notified.

Financial Aid Probation – a status assigned by MMC to a student who fails to make SAP after their warning semester and who has appealed and has had eligibility for aid reinstated. During this probation period, the student could be required to fulfill specific conditions such as taking a reduced course load or enrolling in specific courses. A more detailed academic plan can be developed that, if followed, will ensure that the student is able to meet the College’s SAP standards by a specific point in time.

Request for Review (Appeal):

A student who, after their warning semester, does not meet MMC’s satisfactory academic progress standards will be ineligible to receive any federal financial aid. The student will receive a letter of denial from the SAP Appeal Committee which will describe the appeal process and provide an appeal form. All appeals will be reviewed by the Committee.

In the appeal, the student must explain any special or unusual circumstances that caused the student to not make SAP such as:

• A personal injury or serious illness of the student.
• Serious illness and/or death of an immediate family member.
• Serious and/or unusual personal circumstances.

Documentation in support of the appeal reason must be attached to the appeal form for review. This documentation can be from a doctor, lawyer, and/or clergy member and must be on their letterhead. Other documents are death certificates, hospital records, and doctor’s notes.

The appeal must explain how the special or unusual circumstances have been resolved so that the student will now be able to complete the required number of credit hours or attain the required grade point average.

If the appeal is approved, the student’s financial aid will be reinstated for one semester. By the end of that semester, the student must have successfully completed the required number of credit hours and attained the overall required grade point average. Students who fail to make SAP by the end of that semester will have their future financial aid eligibility terminated. They will be notified in writing of their status by the SAP Appeal Committee.

If the appeal is approved and an academic plan is created the student’s financial aid will be reinstated during the period the plan is being followed. An academic plan is reviewed each semester by the student and an Academic Advisor. Students will be notified by the SAP Appeal Committee if they are found to be non-compliant with their academic plan.

An appeal may be denied if a student does not have grounds for an appeal. A student whose appeal is denied may be able to regain eligibility for future semesters. This is done by enrolling at Marymount Manhattan College at the student’s own expense — without financial assistance until satisfactory academic progress is achieved.