To keep receiving US Federal Student Aid, you need to make satisfactory academic progress. We check your progress at the end of every semester against two standards: your academic standing and your maximum timeframe to complete your program.
If you don't meet them, we'll place you on financial aid warning, and your aid can then be suspended. You can appeal a suspension if you have mitigating circumstances.
The University of Sydney is required by United States (U.S.) Federal Regulations (34CFR 668.34) to define and enforce standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for students receiving U.S. Federal Student Aid. The U.S. Federal Student Aid – Satisfactory Academic Progression policy is stricter than the University of Sydney’s progression policies.
All students in receipt of U.S. Federal Student Aid need to achieve Satisfactory Academic Progress to be eligible to continue receiving U.S. Federal Student Aid throughout their studies. The University of Sydney has policies and procedures for identifying and supporting students at risk of not meeting progression requirements and failing academic progression requirements, this process is contained within the University’s Coursework Policy 2021 and University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule 2011. Students in receipt of U.S Federal Student Aid will be evaluated at the end of every semester. This evaluation process will consider the students’ progress under the following criteria:
To receive U.S. Federal Student Aid, students must meet minimum standards for both the above-mentioned components, while simultaneously adhering to the University’s academic progress rules and to Australian Immigration legislation.
This policy applies to all students receiving U.S. Federal Student Aid, completing an eligible program at The University of Sydney.
A student enrolled in an award program must meet the progression requirements and all the program requirements for an award program within the time limits for the program.
At the end of each semester, each faculty will identify the students in a program offered by the faculty who are not meeting academic progression requirements.
We use different triggers to identify coursework and Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students who aren’t meeting academic progression requirements.
If a student is enrolled in a program of more than two academic years, at the end of the second year the student must be meeting academic standards consistent with the University’s requirements for graduation.
U.S. Federal Regulation (34 CF 668.34) requires students to complete their educational program within 150 percent of the minimum full-time duration for their award program. This is considered the maximum timeframe for completion for both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. This is a measure of the number of credit points attempted, including transfer credits. As a general guideline, this will equate to:
In a review at the end of each semester, a calculation will be made where the completed credit points to date will be divided by the total credit points attempted to date to determine if the student has completed enough credit points to complete the program within the maximum timeframe.
A student becomes ineligible via the maximum timeframe criteria component when it becomes mathematically impossible for them to complete the program within 150% of its published minimum full-time duration.
All periods of enrolment are included in this calculation, including periods where a student did not receive U.S. Federal Aid, repeats a unit of study or receives incomplete and fail grades including grades of FA, AF, CN, DC, DF, NE and FR, as defined in Schedule 1 of the University’s Coursework Policy.
Periods where students are not enrolled, for example, a leave of absence, will not be included in the calculation.
Pursuit of a second program resets the maximum timeframe for completion to the length of the new program, taking into account any credit as per the next clause.
Where a student has been awarded credit for previous study, U.S. Federal Regulation (34 CF 668.34) requires the credit to be counted as both credit attempted and credit completed.
Where a student pursues two separate programs concurrently, each degree will be assessed individually based on the criteria in this policy. This could mean a student may become ineligible for U.S. Federal Student Aid in one program yet remain eligible for the other program.
Students who receive approval from the University to reduce their study load in one or more semesters are required to complete their program within 150 percent of the published full-time duration of their program to remain eligible to receive US Federal Student Aid.
A student may appeal a determination they have reached the maximum timeframe requirement per the appeals section of this policy.
A student identified as not meeting academic progression requirements will be subject to the following procedure.
Recipients of U.S. Federal Student Aid, enrolled in a coursework program, who have been identified by the University in accordance with the Coursework Policy and University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule (as amended) as failing progression will be placed on a financial aid warning status in the first instance.
Recipients of U.S. Federal Student Aid, enrolled in a HDR program, who have received a progress evaluation meeting outcome of ‘unsatisfactory progress’ for the first time will be placed on a financial aid warning status.
Eligible students who are placed on a financial aid warning status will continue to receive U.S. Federal Student Aid as long as they meet satisfactory academic progress in all future studies.
If a coursework student is identified as not meeting academic progression in a subsequent semester in accordance with the Coursework Policy and University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule, they will lose their eligibility for U.S. Federal Student Aid and their aid will be suspended.
If a research student receives a subsequent progress evaluation meeting outcome of ‘unsatisfactory progress’ or a first outcome of ‘show good cause’, they will lose their eligibility for U.S. Federal Student Aid and their aid will be suspended.
A suspension may be appealed under the appeals section of this policy.
Non-credit courses will not be counted in assessing full-time hours.
A student is required to achieve a grade on any deferred or supplementary assessment within 6 months of completing a class.
Students failing a third semester will lose eligibility for Federal Student Aid immediately, and there is no appeal process. Access to U.S. Federal Student Aid will be reinstated as per the following criteria.
For students who have decided not to appeal a suspension, had their appeal denied or who have lost access to funding by not meeting the progression criteria of probation, they can re-establish eligibility by passing academic progression, as per the University's Coursework Policy or University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule in the subsequent semester.
Students may appeal a loan suspension or maximum timeframe requirement if the appeal is based on illness, medical, compelling, compassionate and/or other mitigating circumstances. Students will need to appeal in writing, explaining the circumstances and addressing what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow the student to meet satisfactory academic progression in the next semester or research period. All relevant and supporting documentation, such as medical and police reports, need to be included in the appeal application.
The appeal needs to be addressed to the International Loans Manager and submitted via email to the International Loans Team. The appeal will be assessed and the outcome will be provided to the student, in writing, within 10 days of the lodgement of the appeal.
If the appeal is successful, the student will be placed on financial aid probation. A student may remain on financial aid probation and receive U.S. Federal Student Aid for one semester only or one research period only for research students. After the financial aid probation period, a student must meet one of the following criteria to regain eligibility for U.S. Federal Student Aid:
If the appeal is unsuccessful or a student chooses not to appeal the U.S. Federal Student Aid suspension, financial aid eligibility will be reinstated once the student meets satisfactory academic progress in a subsequent semester, as per the University’s Coursework Policy or University of Sydney (Higher Degree by Research) Rule.
The University of Sydney's 2022 Three Year Cohort Default Rate is 0.
