Maintaining Eligibility

Receiving financial aid is just the first step—keeping it is just as important. To continue receiving aid, you must meet enrollment requirements each semester, maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) from year to year, and be mindful of maximum timeframes or funding limits for certain aid programs. Understanding these requirements ensures you can make the most of your financial aid and stay on track for graduation.

To be eligible for aid, students must:

Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) designating Savannah State University (school code 001590) to receive FAFSA results.
Be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
Be registered with Selective Service (males, 18 years or older only) for Georgia state grant and scholarships.
Be admitted to or enrolled in an eligible degree program.
Enroll for coursework that is accepted for credit by your degree
Be making Satisfactory Academic Progress as defined by the Savannah State University Office of Financial Aid.
Not owe a refund on a student grant or be in default on a student loan.
Be in good standing on current or previous federal student loans.
Attend all classes for which you enroll. If you fail a class, fail to establish attendance or do not participate, your financial aid might be adjusted.
Not have any registration or financial holds.

Other factors may affect a student’s continued eligibility for financial aid.

The number of times you repeat a course may affect your eligibility for federal aid. Review the SSU Repeated Courses Policy for additional information.
The amount of Federal Pell Grant funds a student may receive over their lifetime is limited by federal law to be the equivalent of six years of Pell Grant funding. The Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) is the sum of the percentages of your Federal Pell Grant awards that you received for each award year. Students can receive the Federal Pell Grant for no more than 12 semesters or the equivalent (roughly six years = 600%). You’ll receive an email notification if you are getting close to your limit. If your Pell Lifetime Eligibility Used (LEU) equals or exceeds 600%, you will no longer receive Pell Grant funding.
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has established new regulations to prevent fraud and abuse of the federal financial aid programs (Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loans) by identifying students with unusual enrollment histories. Savannah State University is required by ED to verify whether or not academic credit was received at each institution you were enrolled during the past few years. Review the SSU Unusual Enrollment History Policy for additional information.
The federal Aggregate Lifetime Loan Limit puts a cap on the total amount of subsidized and/or unsubsidized loans that you may borrow for undergraduate and graduate study.

Release of Information Authorization (FERPA)

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To be eligible to receive financial aid, which includes funds from federal, state and institutional programs, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP).

Federal regulations, HEA Sec. 484(c), §668.16, 668.34, require all schools participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs to establish a policy of minimum standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) that conforms to the requirements detailed below. These requirements apply to all students as one determinant of eligibility for financial aid.

SAP is calculated each semester after grades have been posted to academic history.
SAP is calculated each semester and includes all periods of the student’s enrollment, including periods in which the student does not receive financial aid funds.
If, after the first term of attendance you are not making SAP, you will be put on a Warning status and allowed to keep aid for one term. Your continued eligibility will be determined after the next term checkpoint. Please note: when exceeding the maximum time frame for your degree you will not receive a warning term.
If your SAP status is Failure after the check is performed, you will not qualify for financial aid for the following term.
If your SAP status is Failure and you cannot mathematically attain SAP requirements, an appeal will not be permissible. Documented mitigating circumstances may allow continued eligibility on a case-by-case basis and will require an academic plan.

Visit the Satisfactory Academic Progress Webpage

Students who are not making SAP must complete an appeal. To appeal, log into the Student Forms portal by clicking the button below prior to the first day of the semester and complete that semester’s appeal to be eligible for review. Note: First time users will need to create an account.

Make An Appeal

Financial Aid Provisions

Students are awarded financial aid based on FULL-TIME enrollment status (12 hours) unless the student informs the Office of Financial Aid otherwise. Please note: HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships are awarded at the maximum amount based on enrolling in 15 hours. Financial aid packages for students enrolled less than full-time may require adjustments. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the Office of Financial Aid of his or her less than full-time enrollment status. Eligibility for awards varies with enrollment status. Students must be enrolled in an eligible program of study to receive (a degree-seeking program) any financial aid.
If you receive any financial assistance from any source other than what is shown on your award notification, your financial aid package must be adjusted. Savannah State University reserves the right to change the content and amount of any student’s financial aid package based on additional financial assistance received by the student at any point in the academic year.
Your financial aid award is subject to change or may be adjusted at any point in the academic year due to Savannah State University’s correction(s) and/or change(s) in federal/state appropriations. We routinely audit our financial aid files throughout the academic year to check for accuracy. SSU reserves the right to make corrections to a student’s financial aid information as needed and these changes may alter a student’s Student Aid Index (SAI) or award eligibility and subsequently the financial aid package. In addition, please remember that changes in your SAI due to student’s/parent’s failure to report accurate information on the FAFSA will result in award revision(s) as well. SSU reserves the right to adjust the content and/or the amount of the student’s financial aid package based on the above conditions at any point in the academic year.
If you correct your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) after you have been awarded, your financial aid package may be adjusted in accordance with federal regulations at any point in the academic year. SSU reserves the right to adjust the content and/or the amount of the student’s financial aid package based on the above conditions at any point in the academic year.
If you withdraw after the term begins, your financial aid package is subject to proration as set forth in the federal regulations. If, after the federally prescribed proration is calculated, we have to reduce your financial aid package, you may owe a balance on your account. This balance is your responsibility to pay, not SSU’s responsibility. Institutional aid (including scholarships) may be prorated if tuition charges are adjusted.
Contents of the student’s financial aid file are the property of the Savannah State University Office of Financial Aid. These files are considered confidential information. Requests by the student to review his or her file must be made in writing. Requests by the dependent student’s parent(s) to review the student’s file must be made in writing, and the student must give his or her written consent to release the information. Once a request is received, SSU has 45 days to make the requested information available for review. This review will take place in the Office of Financial Aid at a time convenient for the student, dependent student’s parent(s) and the Office of Financial Aid. This review will NOT take place the same day the written request for review is received by the Office of Financial Aid. Requests by anyone other than the student and/or the parent(s) must be approved by the student. A Consent to Release Information must be completed by the student and submitted to the Office of the Registrar. This policy is in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974, 20 USC § 1232g and 34 CFR § 99.
In the case of a divorced/separated student, the ex-spouse is not privileged to any financial aid information on the student.
In the case of a divorced/separated parent of a dependent student, the non-custodial parent is not privileged to any financial aid information regarding the student unless that non-custodial parent’s financial information was used to calculate the student’s eligibility for financial aid.
Students must apply for need-based financial aid each year; financial aid awards are NOT automatically renewable. We cannot guarantee that the same level of funding will be available each academic year. Funding levels from the federal government, the state, and the University change each year. As a result, need-based financial aid packages may vary annually in content as well as total amounts from year to year. The Office of Financial Aid at SSU reserves the right to change packaging policies annually.
If your permanent home address changes at any time, it is your responsibility to notify the University of your change of address immediately.
Because the Office of Financial Aid communicates with you via your SSU email address, it is your responsibility to ensure you are reviewing your email for any communications from our office.
Students who leave the University through transfer, graduation, or any other form of leave are not entitled to the remaining eligibility of institutional aid/scholarships and will forfeit such remaining eligibility.
Students attending the Summer term are eligible for financial aid based on remaining eligibility for the academic year. Federal funds, i.e., student Loans, are based on an annual limit. If the annual amount has been utilized for previous terms (whether at SSU or at other post-secondary schools), the student is not eligible for additional funding for the Summer term. The student must be enrolled in at least 6 hours during the Summer term to receive a student loan.
Current year financial aid may not be used to pay prior year balances.
Students who have student loans and withdraw from school must complete an Exit Counseling Interview before returning – even if the student returns the next term.
Students and/or parents who report “No Income” on the FAFSA, or report an income that appears to be exceptionally low, are required to provide additional documentation. The student and/or parent will be contacted by the Office of Financial Aid regarding this need.
Annual student loan eligible amounts will not be awarded for one term.
The Office of Financial Aid reserves the right to deny a student a loan – federal, alternative or Student Access Loan – based on specific federal guidelines and/or institutional polices. Students who have previously defaulted on a student loan may be denied on a case-by-case basis.
Financial Aid will disburse to a student’s account in the Bursar’s Office following the completion of the “Drop/Add Period.”
A student may NOT receive financial aid at two schools simultaneously. It is not allowed by federal law. Should this be discovered, aid may be removed at SSU and the student will have a balance due to the Bursar’s Office.
A student with a bachelor’s degree who wishes to return to SSU and receive an additional bachelor’s degree must be in a degree program other than the one previously completed.
This list is not intended to cover all provisions that can impact a student’s eligibility for financial aid. Students should consult with the OFA regarding specific eligibility requirements.

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Maintaining Eligibility

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To be eligible to receive financial aid, which includes funds from federal, state and institutional programs, students must maintain satisfactory academic progress (SAP).

Financial Aid Provisions