Overview of SAP Calculations

The SAP online or batch process determines a student's SAP status by comparing calculated values with established setup or student-specific rules. The process calculates up to eight separate tests. The institution chooses whether or not to use each of the following tests and sets the rules for each:

  • Academic Standing

  • Maximum Attempted Units

  • Maximum Attempted Terms

  • Minimum Current GPA

  • Minimum Cumulative GPA

  • Current Earned Units

  • Cumulative Earned Units

  • Two Year GPA

The process uses the user-defined rules to calculate a status code for each individual test and then calculates an overall status code. The overall status code is determined by the highest severity code for each test used. All calculated statistics and status codes are populated on the Student SAP page, which has a Packaging Status Summary link to the updated Satisfactory Academic Progress field on the Packaging Status Summary page.

The calculated code or override status code determines the Satisfactory Academic Progress value on the Packaging Status Summary page. This value is used for other Financial Aid processes and is only updated when the SAP process is run. Further change to the SAP status value can be made only on the Student SAP page, which automatically updates the Satisfactory Academic Progress field on other pages.

SAP calculation can be performed two ways:

  • Term processing, which is based on a single term.

  • Aid Year processing, which is based on multiple terms within an aid year.

When updating the Satisfactory Academic Progress field on the Packaging Status Summary page:

  • Term processing looks up the term being processed on FA Term and uses that FA Term aid year to update the Packaging Status Summary page.

  • Aid Year processing uses the aid year being processed to update the Packaging Status Summary page.

The calculation and evaluation of the rules of the eight tests uses a student's data from Student Career Term and Student Enrollment, which are both term-based tables. Consequently, you must define which terms are evaluated for the calculation based on each of the two processing types (term and aid year). Here is how the two process types differ:

  • For term processing, you define a specific term in which to determine SAP eligibility. This setup step associates all the terms to be used for evaluating the eight tests when calculating for this specific term. For example, SAP eligibility for spring 2008 term is based on data from the fall 2007 and summer 2007 terms.

  • For aid year processing, you define a specific aid year in which to determine SAP eligibility. This setup step associates all the terms to be used for evaluating the eight tests when calculating for this specific aid year. For example, SAP eligibility for Aid Year 2008 is based on data from the fall 2006, spring 2007, and summer 2007 terms.

The SAP process selects the group of students to be updated based on selection entered on the run control page or established criteria for a single student when running online. The following table lists the hierarchy used by the process to determine which exception rule or setup rule to apply for each of the eight tests.

Rule Consequence

Aid Year or Term Exceptions

If an override exists on the Aid Year Exceptions page or Term Exceptions page (Financial Aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Maintain Student SAP Data), the student-specific aid year or term exception rule is evaluated. If the student fails, the exception failure default is assigned and the exception and fail flags are set to Yes. If the student does not fail, then the next type of rule in this hierarchy is reviewed.

Career Exceptions

If an override exists on the Career Exceptions page (Financial Aid, Satisfactory Academic Progress, Maintain Student SAP Data, Career Exceptions), the student-specific career exception rule is evaluated. If the student fails, the exception failure default is assigned and the exception and fail flags for that test are set to Yes. If the student does not fail, then the next type of rule in this hierarchy is reviewed.

Academic Plan, Academic Program, Academic Career

The academic plan, academic program, and academic career rule (Set Up SACR, and then Product Related, and then Financial Aid, and then Satisfactory Academic Progress, and then Define Setup Criteria) is applied if the student is active in a matching academic plan, academic program, and academic career. If a match is found, the corresponding status is assigned and the fail flag for the test is set to Yes. Otherwise, the Career Pass Default Status code is assigned.

Academic Program, Academic Career

The academic program and academic career rule (Set Up SACR, and then Product Related, and then Financial Aid, and then Satisfactory Academic Progress, and then Define Setup Criteria) is applied if the student is active in a matching academic program and academic career. If a match is found, the corresponding status is assigned and the fail flag for the test is set to Yes. Otherwise, the Career Pass Default Status code is assigned.

Academic Career

The academic career rule (Set Up SACR, and then Product Related, and then Financial Aid, and then Satisfactory Academic Progress, and then Define Setup Criteria) is applied if the student is active in a matching academic career. If a match is found, the corresponding status is assigned and the fail flag for the test is set to Yes. Otherwise, the Career Pass Default Status code is assigned.