Financial Aid Policies & Procedures

Bradley University offers a broad menu of need-based grants, merit scholarships, and special criteria awards. While each program may have unique selection and renewal requirements, the following eligibility criteria apply universally:

All Bradley undergraduate financial assistance programs require continuous full-time enrollment (12 or more hours per semester) through the third week of each regular semester.
All Bradley University undergraduate financial assistance programs are limited to the first Bachelor’s degree. Students in graduate or 2nd degree undergraduate programs are not eligible for these programs.
With the exception of summer school, Bradley-directed off-campus programs, and approved Leaves-of-Absences, eligibility for Bradley-funded undergraduate grants and scholarships generally requires continuous enrollment at Bradley University. Students who reenter the university as classified readmits do not automatically receive their previous eligibility for Bradley grants and scholarships. However, reinstatement may be granted on appeal.
Bradley undergraduate grants and scholarships are not available during summer sessions, January, or May Interim enrollment periods.

The Office of Financial Assistance provides all students who have applied for financial aid the right to pursue an appeal under a recognized procedure. Students covered by this policy are all regular full and part-time students who have applied for financial aid at Bradley University. The appeal process must follow these steps:

A student aid applicant who has cause for appeal shall first meet with the Director of Financial Assistance and/or another member of the financial assistance professional staff.
If the action taken by the Office of Financial Assistance is not satisfactory, the student shall have the right to a final appeal to the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Undergraduate

Grants and scholarships offered to undergraduate students by Bradley University require full-time enrollment of 12 credit hours or more each semester. Financial assistance awards are based on full-time enrollment and are not adjusted to reflect actual enrollment status until the end of the add/drop period each semester. The add/drop period allows students to make changes to their course schedules without financial penalty. Once the add/drop period has ended, Bradley grants and scholarships will be removed for those students who are not enrolled full-time.

At the conclusion of the add/drop period, full-time students will incur the cost of full-time tuition and related fees. Therefore, students dropping below full-time after the add/drop period will not see a reduction in Bradley grants and scholarships unless a full withdrawal is completed. Please keep in mind there is a limit to the number of semesters a student may be eligible for Bradley grants and scholarships.

Graduate

Enrollment requirements for graduate financial assistance are listed on the Graduate Admissions website.

Undergraduate

Pell Grant

Pell Grant is initially offered to eligible undergraduate students assuming enrollment of 12 or more credit hours for each of the fall and spring semesters. Once a student is registered, the Pell Grant amount on the tuition statement will be updated to reflect the actual enrollment. Semester enrollments of less than 12 credit hours will result in a proportionate reduction of award amounts.

Credit Hours	Enrollment Intensity
12 (or more)	100%
11	92%
10	83%
9	75%
8	67%
7	58%
6	50%
5	42%
4	33%
3	25%
2	17%
1	8%

*Pell Grant awards are based on the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculated by the FAFSA

*Partial awards will be made if remaining eligibility is nearing Pell Grant Lifetime Eligibility Used (Pell LEU)

*Dropping or withdrawing from courses before beginning attendance will trigger a mandatory Pell recalculation or withdrawal.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)

The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) is an additional grant for undergraduate students with exceptional financial need. FSEOG award amounts based on full time enrollment can be up to $4,000 subject to funding levels. FSEOG funding is provided to Bradley University by the U.S. Department of Education on a yearly basis. Once all available funding is allocated no additional FSEOG awards can be made for the year.

Federal Work-Study

To be eligible for work-study, students must be enrolled in a Title IV eligible program. Less than full time enrollment may decrease work- study edibility due to changes in cost of attendance. Students participating in work-study who intend to enroll on a less than full time basis should contact the Office of Financial Assistance to confirm award amounts.

Direct Student & Parent Plus Loans

Direct Student & Parent Plus Loans require at least half time enrollment (six or more credit hours) at the time of origination. If a student ceases attendance or the enrollment status drops below half time prior to origination, loans will be removed. If a student withdraws from Bradley University (officially or unofficially), the Direct Student & Parent Plus Loans will be subject to a Federal Title IV withdrawal calculation.

State of Illinois MAP Grant

If your award notification includes State of IL MAP Grant (Est), the amount of the grant is based on a 15 credit hour per semester course load. Once a student is registered, the IL MAP Grant amount on the tuition statement will be updated to reflect the actual enrollment. MAP awards for semester enrollments of less than 15 credit hours will be prorated based on the actual number of credit hours a student is enrolled in. The MAP Estimator can be used to estimate award amounts less than 15 hours.

Students enrolling in semester-long Bradley University affiliated study abroad programs will be registered for OCP 044 section 01 which is a placeholder for full time enrollment. MAP eligible students who register for this course must provide documentation of their actual course registration from their study abroad institution to Bradley University’s Office of Financial Assistance to ensure accurate IL MAP Grant payments. Failure to provide study abroad registration information in a timely manner will result in a full 15 credit hour IL MAP Grant payment. Students whose study abroad transcript does not match the amount of IL MAP Grant paid may need to return a portion of their IL MAP Grant, creating a balance due to the university after the conclusion of the semester.

Graduate

Direct Stafford & Grad Plus Loans

Direct Student & Grad Plus Loans require at least half time enrollment (four or more credit hours) at the time of origination. If a student ceases attendance or the enrollment status drops below half time prior to origination, loans will be removed. If a student withdraws from Bradley University (officially or unofficially), the Direct Student & Grad Plus Loans will be subject to a Federal Title IV withdrawal calculation.”

Federal Work-Study

To be eligible for work-study, students must be enrolled in a Title IV eligible program. Less than full time enrollment may decrease work- study edibility due to changes in cost of attendance. Students participating in work-study who intend to enroll on a less than full time basis should contact the Office of Financial Assistance to confirm award amounts.

Complete Withdrawal – Graduate and Undergraduate

If a student finds it necessary to withdraw from all classes after completing registration but before classes begin, there will be a complete refund of all fees to their original sources – family and/or financial assistance programs. In all cases, the student will be required to pay a registration fee: $50 for first semester first-year and part-time students and $100 for all other full-time students. This fee must be paid from resources other than financial assistance credits.

Students who totally withdraw from the university and/or cease attending all classes after classes begin will have their financial resources adjusted proportional to the duration of their enrollment up to the 60% point in each semester after which full assistance is credited. Charges will be adjusted according to the billing policy.

Recipients of financial assistance are expected to meet the same all-university academic standards (cumulative grade point average) as required of all other students. Recipients of university-funded scholarships are held to higher standards of academic performance.

Evaluation of cumulative grade point average is performed no less than once per year at the conclusion of the spring semester. Depending on individual situations, including “conditional” renewals, the Office of Financial Assistance will evaluate cumulative grade point average more frequently. Students failing to meet the grade point renewal standard may appeal the non-renewal decision to the Financial Assistance Appeal Committee.

The Following are the cumulative grade point average requirements by sources and types of financial assistance:

Federal Title IV Programs (FCWSP, FSEOG, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Pell Grant): 2.0 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of two years of college.
State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP Grant): 2.0 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of two years of college.
Bradley University Grants and Scholarships:
- Bradley Grant, Legacy Scholarship, Bradley-Carus Tuition Benefit: 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
- All merit scholarships (including but not limited to: Presidential Scholarship, Presidential Excellence Scholarship, Dean’s Scholarship, Dean’s Excellence Scholarship, Board of Trustee’s Scholarship, and University Scholarship), Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Out of State Scholarship, Caterpillar Employee Dependents Scholarship, Tuition Exchange Scholarship, Hometown Scholars, and all transfer scholarships: 2.5 cumulative grade point average.
- FIRST Robotics Scholarship, Continuing Student Excellence Scholarship, Endowed and Annual scholarships: 3.0 cumulative grade point average.

As an institute of higher education in the state of Illinois, Bradley offers assistance and resources to any enrolled homeless student* or student in care**. For more information on the role of the University or the HOUSE liaison, please see the Higher Education Housing and Opportunities Act.

If you need assistance in the Peoria area with critical health and human care programs please call 2-1-1 or visit Heart of Illinois United Way 2-1-1. The Home for All Continuum of Care is also available to students. If you need assistance outside of the Peoria area, please visit 211.org to find resources in other parts of the state or country.

In an effort to provide help to students experiencing homelessness and student in care, the following services are provided by the university:

Financial aid assistance. Contact Mhairi Doty at [email protected].
Housing during the school year and during breaks. Please email [email protected].
Students who are in need of additional resources can contact our HOUSE liaison, Nathan Thomas at [email protected].
Reporting will be provided to the State of Illinois regarding services provided to students.
A training slide deck for university and community resources can be found here.

*A homeless student is defined as an individual enrolled in an institution who lacks or is at imminent risk of lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or whose parent or legal guardian is unable or unwilling to provide shelter and care and includes a homeless individual as defined under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. For the purposes of this definition, the term “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” does not include residence in an institution of higher education’s on-campus housing.

**Student in care is defined by the Higher Education Housing and Opportunities Act as any person, regardless of age, who is or was under the care and legal custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, including youth for whom the Department has court-ordered legal responsibility, youth who aged out of care at age 18 or older, or youth formerly under care who have been adopted and were the subject of an adoption assistance agreement or who have been placed in private guardianship and were the subject of a subsidized guardianship agreement.

Pell Grant Recalculation: Pell Recalculation refers to adjustments that are made to Pell Grant eligibility in order to reflect a student’s current enrollment status.

Pell Grant Recalculation Date: The Pell Recalculation Date (PRD) is the final date each semester that Pell Grant eligibility will be adjusted to reflect the current enrollment status. Once the PRD has passed, Pell Grant eligibility will not change even if courses are added or dropped, unless a mandatory Pell recalculation is required.

2024-2025 Pell Grant Recalculation Dates:

Fall 2024 – September 6^th
Spring 2025 – February 7^th
Summer 2025* – No PRD, enrollment status changes will be adjusted throughout the summer term

Mandatory Pell Recalculation: It is mandatory that Pell Grant eligibility be recalculated if:

A student is considered to have withdrawn (officially or unofficially)
A student did not begin attendance in a course or courses included in determining their initial Pell Grant award

If a student withdraws after beginning attendance in classes but prior to the PRD, the enrollment status as of the date of withdrawal will be used to determine Pell Grant eligibility.

Enrollment Post PRD: If a student’s initial enrollment for the semester occurs after the PRD, Pell eligibility will be based on course registration at the time of enrollment.

Pell Grant Eligibility Determined Post PRD: If Pell Grant eligibility is established after the PRD, enrollment on the date of initial Pell Grant calculation will be used to determine the award amount. This could be related to the FAFSA filing date or a result of a special circumstance that warrants professional judgement.

Bradley University attempts to meet the demonstrated financial need of all qualified applicants in an equitable manner. It is the University’s policy to maintain consistency in award packaging through the completion of the student’s program of study. However, changes in federal, state, and institutional assistance may occur due to changes in family circumstances (reported via the FAFSA) or reduction of funding sources.

The amount of total need met and the composition of the total aid award (gift aid versus student loans and employment) is established at the point of initial enrollment by assigning applicants to a packaging model. All applicants meeting the criteria specified by the model receive similar award packages. The criteria used for the packaging assignment include class rank, grade point average, standardized test score results, level of financial need, and geographic origins.

This state-funded grant program is available to qualified Illinois students attending in-state colleges and universities. Application for the MAP Grant is made by completing the FAFSA or the ISAC Alternative Application. Annual MAP Grants can be as large as $8,400. Eligibility is determined using a formula prescribed by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission based on components of the federal methodology calculations. The MAP Grant is restricted to tuition.

By applying for financial aid via the FAFSA and agreeing to share that information with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), students are automatically considered for MAP Grants. Bradley calculates the MAP Grant award during its normal award packaging routine. Eligibility criteria, award determination and quality control checks (inconsistent/missing/conflicting data) are built into PowerFaids “quality control” rules. Inconsistencies in data resulting from receipt of information from other sources is reviewed manually by the office director/designate. FAFSA data is updated/corrected as deemed necessary and resubmitted to CPS via EdConnect. As part of the testing regimen prior to launch of the annual awarding cycle, a sample of PowerFaids generated MAP Grant awards are compared to actual ISAC-generated awards.

To determine eligibility prior to calculating award amounts, the Office of Financial Assistance must (1) conduct a Satisfactory Academic Progress-SAP review using the SAP Policy used for federal Title IV aid programs, (2) conduct a MAP Payment Review, and (3) verify Illinois Residency.

The MAP Payment Review tests the equivalent number of semester credit hours of MAP benefits paid for each applicant. Payment for each term is made according to the equivalent number of credit hours eligible for MAP payment, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of a 15 MAP Paid Credit Hours. The maximum number of MAP Paid Credit Hours that can be received is capped at 135.

Illinois Residency Verification is confirmed by the permanent address reported on Bradley’s Admission application and compared to data reported on the FAFSA. For dependents, Illinois Residency is confirmed by the self-reported parent state of legal residency and date of Illinois residence on the FAFSA. For independent students, Illinois Residency is confirmed by the self-reported student state of legal residency and date of Illinois residence on the FAFSA. If the validity of the student’s claim is questionable, additional documentation may be required. For independent students, the documentation must indicate the student resided in Illinois for 12 continuous months prior to the beginning of the academic year. A list of acceptable documentation (such as Illinois Driver’s License, wage statements, or rent receipts) is available from the Office of Financial Assistance. Conflicting information may include parent and student address mismatch, reported Illinois residency less than one year or student attended high school outside of Illinois.

Awards are presented in Bradley aid packages as an estimate as identified as State of Illinois MAP Grant (Est). (Since MAP grants are limited based on the number of applicants and funding levels appropriated by the Illinois General Assembly in any given year funding constraints can lead to reductions to estimated MAP grants after awarding.) MAP awards also include the following attached message:

“The value of your State of IL MAP Grant (Est) is based upon funding levels as approved by the Illinois Legislature. The value of the award is subject to reduction if adequate funding is not provided. Bradley University resources do not cover reductions in MAP Grant awards resulting from State of Illinois funding shortfalls.”

MAP Grant awards are packaged based on the assumption of 15 credit hour per semester course load. Semester enrollments of less than 15 credit hours result in a proportionate reduction of award amounts. For example, annual MAP Grant for semester enrollments of 12 hours will be 20% less than shown on the notification. Students’ account statements will automatically show the prorated award. The award in PowerFaids is adjusted during “reconciliation”.

Withdrawal = Not completing all the days in the payment period that the student scheduled to complete

A full-time, on-campus student wishing to withdraw from the university must contact Student Support Services ([email protected], 309-677-3910) to initiate the withdrawal process. The Official Student Withdrawal Form will be completed by Student Support Services and distributed to the following offices: Office of the Bursar, Office of the Registrar, and Office of Financial Assistance.

A part-time, on-campus student wishing to withdraw from the university must drop all of their courses through the mybradley.bradley.edu portal to initiate the withdrawal process. Course drops made through this portal are processed by the Office of the Registrar and are then reviewed by the Office of Financial Assistance for possible official part-time withdrawals.

A distance education student wishing to withdraw from the university must drop all of their courses through the myonline.bradley.edu portal to initiate the withdrawal process. When a distance education student drops a course through the myonline.bradley.edu portal, the course drop is processed by the Office of the Registrar and an automated email is sent to the Office of the Bursar and the Office of Financial Assistance notifying both offices of the withdrawal.

When a student notifies Student Support Services of their intent to withdraw from all courses during a semester, the date of that notification is the official date of withdrawal from the university. When a part-time or distance education student drops all of their courses for a semester, the date of the last course drop is the official date of withdrawal from the university. If the university becomes aware of a student who ceased attendance during a semester for which they enrolled, but did not officially withdraw (referred to as an unofficial withdrawal), the midpoint of the term or the last date of academic activity as provided by the student’s professor(s) will be the official date of withdrawal from the university.

Academic activity is reviewed at the end of each payment period for all students with federal aid who fail to earn any passing grades during the payment period. These students are treated as unofficial withdrawals. Incomplete course designations do not count as passing grades and must be resolved with a passing grade within 45 days of the university’s review in order to avoid being permanently processed as an unofficial withdrawal. Bradley University must process any unofficial withdrawals (including those with incomplete designations) within 30 days of the review, but may reverse the withdrawal status up to 45 days from the review if an incomplete grade is resolved at a later time.

Federal funding is initially awarded and disbursed based on enrollment for the entire period of enrollment. If a student withdraws before completing the term, the student may no longer be eligible for the full amount of Title IV aid. The Office of Financial Assistance is federally mandated to perform a calculation called “Return of Title IV Aid” to determine the percentage of federal aid a student has “earned,” unless the student meets an exemption requirement for the Return of Title IV Aid calculation. Possible exemptions from the Return of Title IV Aid calculation include:

All requirements for graduation from the student’s program are completed before completing all of the days that the student was originally scheduled to complete for the payment period.
A module or combination of modules are successfully completed for the semester that include 49% or more of the countable days in the payment period. Such modules could include: Fall 1, Fall 2, January Interim, January Study Abroad, Spring 1, Spring 2, May Interim, Summer Study Abroad, Summer 1, and Summer 2.
Coursework applicable to the student’s Title IV-eligible program is completed that is equal to or greater than the coursework required for half-time enrollment for the payment period (6 credit hours for undergraduate students, 4 credit hours for graduate students).
The student has confirmed, in writing, their plans of future attendance for a Title IV-eligible course in a module contained within the payment period that begins within 45 calendar days after the end of the module the student ceased attending/dropped a course from. Please note that if the student does not actually attend the later module, they will be considered a withdrawal as of the original date they ceased attendance or dropped their course(s).

The percentage of earned federal aid is calculated by dividing the total number of calendar days completed by the total number of calendar days in the semester or modules in which the student was enrolled (less any scheduled breaks of five consecutive days or longer).

If a student withdraws after 60% of the period of enrollment is complete, the student is considered to have earned 100% of their Title IV aid. No changes to federal funding will take place.

If the student has withdrawn prior to completing 60% of the period of enrollment, the student has not earned the full semester amount of Title IV funding initially awarded. When a student has received more Title IV aid than they have earned, the university has a responsibility to return the amount of aid that is required by the results of the Return of Title IV Aid calculation. In most cases, the student will be eligible to keep only the portion of aid that they have earned according to the calculation and the school will return the entirety of the unearned aid. However, a student may occasionally be eligible to retain a portion of aid that is considered “unearned aid” dependent on the amount of aid that the institution is required to return on behalf of the student compared to the amount of aid earned. If the student is required to immediately return any of the unearned aid, they will be notified by the institution. Unearned aid is generally in the form of federal loans which will be repaid according to the terms of the Master Promissory Note.

The Return of Title IV Aid regulations require us to return the unearned funds in the following order:

Unsubsidized Federal Direct Loan
Subsidized Federal Direct Loan
Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Grad)
Federal Direct PLUS Loan (Parent)
Federal Pell Grant
Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)
TEACH Grant

Earned Title IV funding will be applied to the charges incurred while enrolled. The reduction in financial assistance caused by the Return of Title IV Aid calculation may result in an additional billing balance due on a student’s account.

If the amount of federal financial assistance disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement (PWD) of the earned aid that was not received. If a student is eligible for a PWD of any aid (including federal loans), they will be notified via email by the Office of Financial Assistance at Bradley University within 30 days of the date the institution determined the student’s withdrawal occurred. Students (or parents for a Parent PLUS loan) will need to confirm, in writing, whether or not they choose to accept or decline the PWD within 14 calendar days of the date of the notification. Bradley University does not accept late responses – if the student or parent fails to respond to the PWD offer by the deadline, no PWD of federal loans will be made. Any PWD of grant funds for which the student is eligible will be disbursed within 45 days of the date the institution determined the student’s withdrawal occurred. Students/parents who accept loan funds via a PWD will be required to repay them. Any amounts accepted will count against lifetime borrowing limits for federal loans or lifetime eligibility used (LEU) for Pell Grant thus reducing the student’s future financial aid eligibility.

Students with official or unofficial withdrawals and with federal financial assistance will be sent notification of the processing of their withdrawal at their permanent residence on file within 30 days of the university’s determination of withdrawal. This notification will include a copy of a revised billing statement to indicate any changes in funding (including direct loan). If an additional refund/credit balance is owed to the student, the billing statement will show this along with what source of aid the refund is from. This credit balance will be disbursed as soon as possible and no later than 14 days following the completion of the Return of Title IV Aid calculation.

If the amount of federal financial assistance disbursed to the student is less than the amount the student earned, and for which the student is otherwise eligible, he or she is eligible to receive a post-withdrawal disbursement (PWD) of the earned aid that was not received. If a student is eligible for a PWD, they will be notified via email by the Office of Financial Assistance at Bradley University. Students will need to confirm, in writing, that they wish to utilize the PWD within 14 calendar days of the date of the notification. Bradley University does not accept late responses – if the student fails to respond to the PWD offer by the deadline, no PWD will be made. Students who accept loan funds via a PWD will be required to repay them. Any amounts accepted will count against lifetime borrowing limits for federal loans or lifetime eligibility used (LEU) for Pell Grant thus reducing the student’s future financial aid eligibility.

Students with official or unofficial withdrawals and with federal financial assistance will be sent notification of the processing of their withdrawal at their permanent residence on file within 30 days of the university’s determination of withdrawal. This notification will include a copy of a revised billing statement to indicate any changes in funding (including direct loan). If an additional refund is owed to the student, the billing statement will show this along with what source of aid the refund is from.

If the billing statement shows a reduction in federal loan funding, this is a result of the Return of Title IV aid calculation indicating that funds needed to be returned by the school. Bradley University must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible to the Department of Education as soon as possible but no later than 45 days after the date the we have determined the student withdrew.

In the event a student withdraws prior to incurring 100% of their tuition charges for the payment period, the institutional financial aid will follow the policy for institutional charges. If a student is being charged 50% of tuition, they will retain 50% of their institutional financial assistance. The aid retained will be applied to the institutional charges incurred while enrolled.

If a student withdraws after the end of the add/drop period (end of the second full week of each semester) the student shall retain their MAP Grant payment, not to exceed the tuition and fees charged as a result of the withdrawal. Student withdrawals before the end of the add/drop period will result in the removal of estimated MAP Grant funds from the student’s aid package for the term of withdrawal.

For information about tuition charges upon withdrawal, please visit the course drops and withdrawal information on the Office of the Bursar’s website.

Kaboom is an undergraduate student who enrolled full-time at Bradley University for the fall semester. Kaboom stopped attending classes on October 1st and contacted Student Support Services to withdraw from the university that day. Kaboom does not meet any of the withdrawal exemptions for the Return of Title IV Aid calculation.

The fall term began on August 21st and is 113 days long. Kaboom has attended 42 days and has earned 37.2% of his federal financial aid (42 days divided by 113 days equals 37.2%). Kaboom’s official withdrawal date is October 1.

Kaboom received the following aid for the fall term:

AID	AMOUNT
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan	$2,557
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan	$1,000
Federal Pell Grant	$2,000
State of Illinois MAP Grant	$4,000
Institutional Financial Aid	$10,000
Total aid fall term	$19,557

The amount of federal aid Kaboom received is: $2,557 Subsidized Loan + $1,000 Parent PLUS Loan + $2,000 Federal Pell Grant = $5,557.
The total amount of federal aid earned by Kaboom is 37.2% x $5,557 = $2,067.20.
The total unearned federal aid that must be returned to the Department of Education is $5,557 – $2,067.20 = $3,489.80.
The second calculation determines the unearned amount based on the unearned percentage of a student’s institutional charges for tuition, fees, housing, and meals. Kaboom was charged $21,080 in tuition and fees and did not live on campus. If Kaboom lived on campus, his housing and meal plan would be added into the institutional charges used for this step. The percentage of unearned aid for this second calculation is 100% – 37.2% = 62.8% . Therefore, based on the tuition charges for the term, $21,080 x 62.8% = $13,238.24.
The amount of Kaboom’s federal aid that must be returned is the lesser of step 3 or 4 ($3,489.80 in our example which will be rounded to $3,490).
Federal guidelines determine the order of aid types to be reduced: Direct Subsidized Loan, Parent PLUS Loan, and then Pell Grant until $3,490 has been repaid. Therefore, Kaboom’s federal aid will be reduced to:

FEDERAL AID	ORIGINAL AMOUNT	AMOUNT RETURNED	TOTAL AMOUNT AFTER WITHDRAWAL
Federal Direct Subsidized Loan	$2,557	$2,557	= $0
Federal Direct Parent PLUS Loan	$1,000	$933	= $67
Federal Pell Grant	$2,000	$0	= $2,000
Total Federal Aid Returned		$3,490

Given Kaboom’s withdrawal took place after the fall add/drop period the total amount of his State of Illinois MAP Grant can be applied to his charges as long as it does not exceed the adjusted tuition and fees. Kaboom’s adjusted tuition will be $21,080 * 50% = $10,540 based on the date of withdrawal and the institutional fall tuition proration schedule. Because $10,540 > $4,000 there is no reduction to MAP Grant.
The percentage applied to the tuition charges via the tuition proration schedule is also applied to the institutional financial aid. $10,000 * 50% = $5,000

STATE & INSTITUTIONAL AID	ORIGINAL AMOUNT	AMOUNT REDUCED	TOTAL AMOUNT AFTER WITHDRAWAL
State of IL MAP Grant	$4,000	$0	= $4,000
Institutional Financial Aid	$10,000	$5,000	= $5,000

Total State & Institutional Aid Retained After Withdrawal = $9,000

Steps 1-6 demonstrate the effects of the Return of Title IV Aid calculation. Steps 7 and 8 demonstrate what happens to Kaboom’s state and institutional financial assistance. Once the Office of Financial Aid has fully processed these calculations, Kaboom will be sent a notification within 30 days alerting him to the fact that the Return of Title IV Aid calculation has been performed. An updated billing statement showing Kaboom’s prorated charges and reduced financial aid will be sent with this notification. The billing statement will show if Kaboom is due a refund or if he owes a balance to the university.

Federal and state regulations require educational institutions to determine that all students who receive state and federal financial aid are in good academic standing and are making reasonable progress toward completion of their academic programs often referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In accordance with federal regulations, the SAP standards that Title IV aid recipients are required to meet are at least as strict as the standards that students not receiving Title IV are held to. For all enrolled undergraduate students at Bradley University, SAP is reviewed no less than once per academic year at the conclusion of the spring semester. Bradley University’s SAP policy requires that undergraduate recipients of financial aid must meet the following quantitative and qualitative standards at each official SAP review point.

The minimum pace requirement ensures that students stay on track to finish their degree program within the maximum time frame for financial aid eligibility.

Pace

Students who enroll full-time (12 or more credit hours per semester) must have a minimum number of earned credit hours which, when totaled, amount to at least twelve earned credit hours per enrolled semester less six credit hours (termed ‘leeway’). For example, at the conclusion of two semesters, a full-time student must have earned at least 18 hours: 12+12-6. Students enrolling for less than a full-time credit hour load (i.e less than 12 credit hours per semester) must complete at least 67% of credit hours attempted during each enrolled semester.

The percentage-based quantitative SAP calculation is computed as follows: earned credit hours divided by attempted credit hours = completion rate (result will be rounded to closest whole number with standard rounding rules). Courses with grades of “W”, “F”, “IN”, “IP”, and repeated courses for which credit hours have previously been earned (i.e. grade of “D” or better) are included in attempted credit hours but are not included in earned credit hours. Transfer credit hours from another institution that are accepted toward the student’s educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion (Duration)

Federal regulations limit financial aid eligibility to a duration of no more than 150% of the published length of an undergraduate program offered in credit hours. As such, Bradley’s SAP policy permits financial aid eligibility for full-time students in four-year undergraduate programs up to a maximum of six years of enrollment. For part-time students, the maximum time frame will be evaluated based on the total number of credit hours required for the completion of one baccalaureate degree program. For example, if a student’s program requires 120 credit hours to complete, a part-time student would be permitted financial aid eligibility for up to a maximum of 180 attempted credit hours.

Students who are meeting the required pace standards for their enrollment status will complete degree objectives within the expected time frame. Note that a student fails to meet the maximum time frame standard at the point which it is determined to be mathematically impossible for a student to complete their program within the maximum time frame. This will likely be before the maximum time frame is actually reached.

Summer or interim sessions of six hours or less will not count toward the six-year time frame for full-time students. Enrollment at other schools will be counted toward the required time frame based on a full-time equivalency of twelve hours. However, the Office of Financial Assistance may use discretion when determining the countable semesters of enrollment.

A separate statute limits the receipt of the Illinois MAP Grant to 135 credit hours. In accordance with federal and state regulations, once a student meets the requirements for a baccalaureate degree, eligibility for federal and state of Illinois grant funding ceases.

Recipients of federal and state of Illinois financial assistance are expected to meet the same all-university academic standards (cumulative grade point average) as required of all other students. Evaluation of cumulative grade point average is performed no less than once per year at the conclusion of the spring semester. Students failing to meet the grade point standard are not eligible for Federal Title IV or state of Illinois financial assistance unless they have successfully appealed to the Vice President of Student Affairs and Director of Financial Assistance as detailed in the appeal procedures below. The cumulative grade point average measurement will be calculated by the Office of the Registrar in accordance with the established university Grade Point System.

After the completion of at least two years of college, all students must maintain a minimum cumulative Bradley University grade point average of a 2.0 or better (at least a “C” average) in order to remain eligible for Federal Title IV Programs (FCWSP, FSEOG, Perkins Loan, Stafford Loans, PLUS Loans, Pell Grant) and the State of Illinois Monetary Award Program (MAP Grant). A student’s Bradley grade point average is not impacted by courses for which the student enrolls at another institution (i.e. transfer credits). However, the measure of completing two full years of college does include semesters of enrollment at Bradley University and other institutions.

Those failing to meet SAP for the first time will be notified in writing at the conclusion of spring semester when the official SAP review is performed. Students already on financial aid probation will be reviewed at the conclusion of each semester and notified of any changes to their eligibility at that time. Written notification includes the reason for failure to meet SAP, the impact on eligibility for all sources of financial assistance (including Title IV), and the process for appeal. All written notifications will be sent to the student’s Bradley email address.

Students who have failed to meet one or more of the SAP standards at an official SAP review point will lose their eligibility for all forms of financial assistance including Federal Title IV and State of Illinois aid. A student who has failed to meet SAP standards may regain eligibility for financial aid in one of two ways:

Students may appeal to have their eligibility reinstated via the appeal procedures detailed below, or
Students who have had an appeal denied or choose not to appeal may reestablish their eligibility by attending Bradley courses and achieving the overall SAP standards without the use of financial assistance.

Students who are denied financial aid because they failed to make measurable progress (pace) or have failed the maximum time frame standard may appeal the decision. All appeals must be made in writing to the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Petition & Scholarship Appeal Form. A link to the appeal form will be provided to the student with the notice of failure to meet SAP. All appeals must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards. These circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. The appeal must include a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

All appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee within 15 business days of submission, and the student will be contacted via email if additional information is needed. A student who appeals will be notified via their Bradley email address of the outcome of the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the Committee will determine a set of stipulations that the student must meet each semester going forward that will ensure they reestablish SAP within a set period of time. The student will be sent an approval contract (also known as an academic plan) detailing these stipulations via email. This contract will need to be hand-signed and returned to the Office of Financial Assistance via email, mail, or in person. Once the signed contract is returned, the student will be considered to be on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan for one semester. Provided the student continues to meet the conditions laid forth in the appeal approval contract at the conclusion of each enrolled semester, the Financial Aid Probation status will continue to be in effect and the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

Students who failed to meet the conditions set forth in their appeal approval contract or do not meet the GPA standard may appeal in writing via email to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Financial Assistance who can grant an extension of their Financial Aid Probation for an additional semester. Again, the appeal must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards and a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation. Extraordinary circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. Subsequent appeals that are based on the same rationale as a previous appeal will likely not be granted. Appeal decisions will be communicated with the student in writing via the student’s Bradley email.

“Probation” is the status assigned to a student who fails to meet SAP standards, has appealed, and has had the appeal granted. A student on financial aid “probation” may receive financial aid for one enrollment period. At that point, the student must meet SAP standards and/or the conditions specified in the appeal approval contract.

A course with a grade of Incomplete “IN” or In Progress “IP” will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours therefore impacting a student’s pace. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. Once a grade is assigned for the course, that grade will be included in the next official SAP review for pace, duration, and GPA which could impact a student’s aid eligibility either positively or negatively.

Repeated courses will be included in the pace calculation. If a student has previously earned credit for the course, the repeat will count towards attempted hours but will not count towards earned hours. If a student has not previously earned credit for the repeated course, a successful course attempt will count as both attempted and earned hours while an unsuccessful attempt will only count for attempted hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Courses that receive pass/fail (P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades (S/U) should be few and far between for most students. These courses will always be included in pace calculations as attempted hours. However, only those with a grade of “P” or “S” will be counted as earned hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

If a student drops some but not all of their courses during the officially recognized add/drop period (i.e. through the conclusion of the second full week of classes each semester), the dropped courses will not be included in pace calculations. However, if a student completes a full withdrawal from all classes after beginning attendance but before the end of the add/drop period, those courses will be considered for SAP measurements. In pace calculations, these courses will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours. Similarly, all classes for which a student receives a grade of “W” will count as attempted but not earned. For duration calculations, semesters in which the student performs a full withdrawal after establishing attendance will be counted as a semester of enrollment. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Remedial coursework will be counted in both attempted and earned hours for the quantitative SAP evaluation as applicable based on the grade received. Even if remedial coursework will not impact a student’s official university grade point average, it will be included in the qualitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation as required by federal regulations.

Evaluation of SAP standards is based on the initial final grades that have been posted for the most recently concluded semester. If a grade change for a prior term occurs after the start of a subsequent semester, that grade change will not be considered for SAP eligibility that semester. Therefore, a student would need to submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid if SAP standards were not being met based on the initial grade that was posted. The revised grade would be considered in subsequent SAP evaluations.

In rare circumstances, students can have prior grades forgiven on their academic record via the university’s Academic Forgiveness Policy so that they do not factor into the cumulative grade point average. However, the Academic Forgiveness Policy does not exempt courses from being included in a SAP evaluation. All courses that the student has taken at Bradley University will be included in both the quantitative and qualitative components of each official SAP evaluation. A student may choose to discuss the academic forgiveness as part of an appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

The academic year at Bradley University consists of fall, spring, and summer enrollment periods. The measurement of academic progress is made at the end of each spring semester, and the status is effective with the summer enrollment period.
Students enrolled at Bradley University who are first-time aid applicants and other first-time (including transfer) students are subject to a SAP review prior to receiving aid. Students who have been academically suspended from and who are readmitted to Bradley are not eligible for financial aid unless meeting the SAP standards or successfully appealing.
Students may change majors/programs, but all attempted credit hours and all earned grades will be considered part of the evaluation of SAP (pace, duration, and GPA) for financial aid. Change of major may be considered as part of an appeal.
All periods of enrollment will be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Terms in which the student enrolled but did not receive financial aid and/or terms in which the student completely withdrew or ceased attending after classes began are included in the measurement.
All SAP measurements will be based on cumulative Bradley University hours and GPA.

To receive federal funds administered by the Office of Financial Assistance at Bradley University, students must be making measurable academic progress toward completion of an eligible degree program often referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In accordance with federal regulations, the SAP standards that Title IV aid recipients are required to meet are at least as strict as the standards that students not receiving Title IV aid are held to.

For all enrolled students at Bradley University, SAP is reviewed no less than once per academic year at the conclusion of the spring semester. Bradley University’s SAP policy requires that on-campus graduate recipients of financial aid must meet the following quantitative and qualitative standards at each official SAP review point.

Students must meet a qualitative standard of academic progress measured through cumulative grade point average (GPA). Graduate students are considered in “good standing” for academic and federal financial aid purposes if they maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Graduate students who do not maintain at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA are placed on academic probation but retain federal aid eligibility for two additional semesters so long as they have a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA (at least a “C” average). Note that a student’s Bradley GPA is not impacted by courses for which the student enrolls at another institution (i.e. transfer credits).

The minimum pace requirement ensures that students stay on track to finish their degree program within the maximum time frame for financial aid eligibility.

Pace

Students must meet a quantitative standard of academic progress known as pace. Pace is measured by a percentage completion rate. To meet the SAP pace standard, students must successfully complete at least 70% of all attempted credit hours. The calculation is made as follows: earned credit hours divided by attempted credit hours = completion rate (result will be rounded to closest whole number using standard rounding rules). Courses with grades of “W”, “F”, “IN”, “IP”, and repeated courses for which credit hours have previously been earned (i.e. grade of “D” or better) are included in attempted credit hours but are not included in earned credit hours. Transfer credit hours from another institution that are accepted toward the student’s educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion (Duration)

Federal regulations require institutions to develop a maximum time frame for degree completion that serves as a limit to the duration of financial aid eligibility. At Bradley, the maximum timeframe for completion of a graduate program is 150% of the credit hours required for the program. For example, if a graduate program requires 40 credit hours to complete, a student would be permitted financial aid eligibility for up to 60 attempted credit hours (40 times 150%). Note that a student fails to meet the maximum time frame standard at the point which it is determined to be mathematically impossible for a student to complete their program within the maximum time frame. This will likely be before the maximum time frame is actually reached.

The total number of credits required for degree completion will vary by program. The University catalog provides information on the number of required credits for program completion. In instances where additional research hours are required, the student’s academic advisor/department chair can indicate if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree objective. Students who are meeting the required 70% of attempted credits will complete degree objective within 150% of the expected time frame. Students who are pursuing a course of study with greater credit hour requirements than what is listed in the University catalog need to notify the Financial Aid Office in order to have a review done on a case-by-case basis.

Those failing to meet SAP for the first time will be notified in writing at the conclusion of spring semester when the official SAP review is performed. Students already on financial aid probation will be reviewed at the conclusion of each semester and notified of any changes at that time. Written notification includes the reason for failure to meet SAP, the impact on eligibility for all sources of financial assistance (including Title IV), and the process for appeal. All written notifications will be sent to the student’s Bradley email address.

Students who have failed to meet one or more of the SAP standards at an official SAP review point will lose their eligibility for Federal Title IV financial assistance. A student who has failed to meet SAP standards may regain eligibility for financial aid in one of two ways:

Students may appeal to have their eligibility reinstated via the appeal procedures detailed below, or
Students who have had an appeal denied or choose not to appeal may reestablish their eligibility by attending Bradley courses and achieving the overall SAP standards without the use of financial assistance.

Students who are denied financial aid because they failed to make measurable progress (pace) or have failed the maximum time frame standard may appeal the decision. All appeals must be made in writing to the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Petition & Scholarship Appeal Form. A link to the appeal form will be provided to the student with the notice of failure to meet SAP. All appeals must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards. These circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. The appeal must include a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

All appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee within 15 business days of submission, and the student will be contacted via email if additional information is needed. A student who appeals will be notified via their Bradley email address of the outcome of the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the Committee will determine a set of stipulations that the student must meet each semester going forward that will ensure they reestablish SAP within a set period of time. The student will be sent an approval contract (also known as an academic plan) detailing these stipulations via email. This contract will need to be hand-signed and returned to the Office of Financial Assistance via email, mail, or in person. Once the signed contract is returned, the student will be considered to be on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan for one semester. Provided the student continues to meet the conditions laid forth in the appeal approval contract at the conclusion of each enrolled semester, the Financial Aid Probation status will continue to be in effect and the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

Students who failed to meet the conditions set forth in their appeal approval contract or do not meet the GPA standard may appeal in writing via email to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Financial Assistance who can grant an extension of their Financial Aid Probation for an additional semester. Again, the appeal must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards and a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation. Extraordinary circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. Subsequent appeals that are based on the same rationale as a previous appeal will likely not be granted. Appeal decisions will be communicated with the student in writing via the student’s Bradley email.

“Probation” is the status assigned to a student who fails to meet SAP standards and who has appealed and had the appeal granted. A student on financial aid “probation” may receive financial aid for one enrollment period. At that point, the student must meet SAP standards and/or the conditions specified in the appeal approval contract to retain their financial assistance.

A course with a grade of Incomplete “IN” or In Progress “IP” will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours therefore impacting a student’s pace. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. Once a grade is assigned for the course, that grade will be included in the next official SAP review for pace, duration, and GPA which could impact a student’s aid eligibility either positively or negatively.

Repeated courses will be included in the pace calculation. If a student has previously earned credit hours for the course (i.e. grade of “D” or better), the repeat will count towards attempted hours but will not count towards earned hours. If a student has not previously earned credit for the repeated course, a successful course attempt will count as both attempted and earned hours while an unsuccessful attempt will only count for attempted hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Courses that receive pass/fail (P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades (S/U) should be few and far between for most students. These courses will always be included in pace calculations as attempted hours. However, only those with a grade of “P” or “S” will be counted as earned hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

If a student drops some but not all of their courses during the officially recognized add/drop period (i.e. through the second full week of classes each semester), the dropped courses will not be included in pace calculations. However, if a student completes a full withdrawal from all classes after beginning attendance but before the end of the add/drop period, those courses will be considered for SAP measurements. In pace calculations, these courses will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours. Similarly, all classes for which a student receives a grade of “W” will count as attempted but not earned. For duration calculations, semesters in which the student performs a full withdrawal after establishing attendance will be counted as a semester of enrollment. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Remedial coursework will be counted in both attempted and earned hours for the quantitative SAP evaluation as applicable based on the grade received. Even if remedial coursework will not impact a student’s official university grade point average, it will be included in the qualitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation as required by federal regulations.

Evaluation of SAP standards is based on the initial final grades that have been posted for the most recently concluded semester. If a grade change for a prior term occurs after the start of a subsequent semester, that grade change will not be considered for SAP eligibility that semester. Therefore, a student would need to submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid if SAP standards were not being met based on the initial grade that was posted. The revised grade would be considered in subsequent SAP evaluations.

In rare circumstances, students can have prior grades forgiven on their academic record via the university’s Academic Forgiveness Policy so that they do not factor into the cumulative grade point average. However, the Academic Forgiveness Policy does not exempt courses from being included in a SAP evaluation. All courses that the student has taken at Bradley University will be included in both the quantitative and qualitative components of each official SAP evaluation. A student may choose to discuss the academic forgiveness as part of an appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

The academic year at Bradley University consists of fall, spring, and summer enrollment periods. An official measurement of SAP is made at the end of each spring semester for all students, and the status is effective with the summer enrollment period. For students who are already on Financial Aid Probation, a SAP review will take place at the end of each enrolled semester.

Students enrolling at Bradley University for the first time (including those who transfer coursework that is applicable to their degree) are considered initially to be meeting SAP. Students who have been academically suspended from a Bradley graduate program and who are readmitted are not eligible for financial aid unless meeting the SAP policy. Students who are readmitted and are not meeting SAP standards may follow the appeal procedures detailed in this policy if consideration for financial aid is desired.

Students may change majors/programs, but all attempted credit hours and all earned grades will be considered as part of the evaluation of academic progress for financial aid. Change of major may be considered as part of an appeal.

All periods of enrollment will be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Terms in which the student enrolled but did not receive financial aid and/or terms in which the student completely withdrew or ceased attending after classes began are included in the measurement.

All SAP measurements will be based on cumulative Bradley University hours and GPA.

Federal regulations require educational institutions to determine students receiving federal financial aid remain in good academic standing and make reasonable progress toward completion of their academic program often referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). In accordance with federal regulations, the SAP standards that Title IV aid recipients are required to meet are at least as strict as the standards that students not receiving Title IV aid are held to.

For all students enrolled at Bradley University in distance education graduate programs, SAP is reviewed at the conclusion of each semester that a student is enrolled. Bradley University’s SAP policy requires that distance education graduate students who receive financial aid must meet the following quantitative and qualitative standards at each official SAP review point.

Students must meet a qualitative standard for academic progress measured through cumulative grade point average (GPA). Graduate students are considered in “good standing” for academic and federal aid purposes if they maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. Graduate students with a cumulative GPA below 3.0 are placed on academic probation. Eligibility for federal aid continues for two additional terms so long as a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 (at least a “C” average) is maintained. Review of GPA is conducted at the conclusion of each term. Note that a student’s Bradley GPA is not impacted by courses for which the student enrolls at another institution (i.e. transfer credits).

The minimum pace requirement ensures that students stay on track to finish their degree program within the maximum time frame for financial aid eligibility.

Pace

Distance education graduate students must meet a quantitative standard of academic progress known as pace. Pace is measured by a percentage completion rate. To meet the SAP pace standard, students must successfully complete at least 70% of all attempted credit hours. The calculation is made as follows: earned credit hours divided by attempted credit hours = completion rate (result will be rounded to the closest whole number using standard rounding rules). Courses with grades of “W”, “F”, “IN”, “IP”, and repeated courses for which credit hours have previously been earned (i.e. grade of “D” or better) are included in hours attempted but are not included in hours earned. Transfer credit hours from another institution that are accepted toward the student’s educational program will count as both attempted and completed hours.

Maximum Time Frame for Degree Completion (Duration)

Federal regulations require institutions to develop a maximum time frame for degree completion that serves as a limit to the duration of financial aid eligibility. At Bradley, the maximum timeframe for completion of a graduate program is 150% of the credit hours required for the program. For example, if a graduate program requires 40 credit hours to complete, a student would be permitted financial aid eligibility for up to 60 attempted credit hours (40 times 150%). Note that a student fails to meet the maximum time frame standard at the point which it is determined to be mathematically impossible for a student to complete their program within the maximum time frame. This will likely be before the maximum time frame is actually reached.

The total number of credits required for degree completion varies by program. The University catalog provides specific information on the number of required credits for program completion. In instances where additional research hours are required, the student’s academic advisor/department chair can indicate if the student is making satisfactory progress toward the degree objective. Students meeting the required 70% of attempted credits will complete degree objectives within 150% of the expected time frame. Those pursuing a course of study with greater credit hour requirements than what is listed in the University catalog should notify the Office of Financial Assistance for a case-by-case review.

Bradley University will review SAP for all distance education graduate students at the conclusion of every semester of enrollment. Students who are failing to meet SAP standards or the conditions of a pre-approved SAP appeal contract will be notified at the time of the SAP review. Written notification includes the reason for failure to meet SAP, the impact on eligibility for all sources of financial assistance (including Title IV), and the process for appeal (if one is necessary). All written notifications will be sent to the student’s Bradley email address.

Students who have failed to meet one or more of the SAP standards at an official SAP review point will lose their eligibility for Federal Title IV financial assistance unless placed on financial aid warning as described below. A student who has failed to meet SAP standards may regain eligibility for financial aid in one of two ways:

Students may appeal to have their eligibility reinstated via the appeal procedures detailed below, or
Students who have had an appeal denied or choose not to appeal may reestablish their eligibility by attending Bradley courses and achieving the overall SAP standards without the use of financial assistance.

A financial aid warning status will be assigned to distance education graduate students who were previously meeting all SAP standards, but have failed to meet the pace component at the most recent SAP review. The financial aid warning status will be in effect for the next academic term that the student enrolls in. If placed on financial aid warning, notification will be sent to the student via their Bradley email address informing them of the warning status, future financial aid eligibility, and the importance of seeking guidance/advising/counseling from Bradley staff (academic advisors, professors, and/or support coaches).

Once placed on financial aid warning, appeal for reinstatement of federal aid is not required for the semester in which the warning is in effect. Eligibility will continue at the conclusion of the financial aid warning term provided the student is once again meeting SAP standards. Students not meeting SAP standards at the conclusion of a financial aid warning term will be placed on “financial aid suspension”. Students will be notified of this via an email to their Bradley email address. Financial aid suspension results in the discontinuation of federal aid until once again meeting SAP standards or approval of a SAP appeal via the appeal procedures detailed below.

More than one period of financial aid warning during a student’s academic career is possible, but financial aid warning periods cannot be consecutive. Financial aid warning periods will not be assigned to students who are failing the qualitative (GPA) component or who fail to meet the maximum time frame standard. Students who fail the GPA or duration components are required to file an appeal immediately via the appeal procedures detailed below if they would like to use financial assistance.

Students who are denied financial aid because they failed to make measurable progress (pace) after a period of financial aid warning or have failed the maximum time frame standard may appeal the decision. All appeals must be made in writing to the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee using the Satisfactory Academic Progress Petition & Scholarship Appeal Form. A link to the appeal form will be provided to the student with the notice of failure to meet SAP. All appeals must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards. These circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. The appeal must include a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation.

All appeals will be reviewed by the Office of Financial Assistance Progress Review Committee within 15 business days of submission, and the student will be contacted via email if additional information is needed. A student who appeals will be notified via their Bradley email address of the outcome of the appeal. If the appeal is granted, the Committee will determine a set of stipulations that the student must meet each semester going forward that will ensure they reestablish SAP within a set period of time. The student will be sent an approval contract (also known as an academic plan) detailing these stipulations via email. This contract will need to be signed and returned to the Office of Financial Assistance via email, mail, or in person. Once the signed contract is returned, the student will be considered to be on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan for one semester. Provided the student continues to meet the conditions laid forth in the appeal approval contract at the conclusion of each enrolled semester, the Financial Aid Probation status will continue to be in effect and the student will remain eligible for financial aid.

Students who failed to meet the conditions set forth in their appeal approval contract or do not meet the GPA standard may appeal in writing via email to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Financial Assistance who can grant an extension of their Financial Aid Probation for an additional semester. Again, the appeal must fully explain the extraordinary circumstances which prevented the student from achieving SAP standards and a detailed plan explaining how the student will reestablish SAP including what has changed in the student’s situation that will allow them to meet SAP requirements at the next evaluation. Extraordinary circumstances may include personal injury or illness which occurs during an enrollment period, death of an immediate family member or legal guardian during an enrollment period, or other documented circumstances that were unexpected in nature and beyond control of the student. Subsequent appeals that are based on the same rationale as a previous appeal will likely not be granted. Appeal decisions will be communicated with the student in writing via the student’s Bradley email.

Distance education graduate students who submit a SAP appeal form that is approved will be placed on financial aid probation. The duration of probationary status is determined on a case-by-case basis and will be based on length of time and/or course load necessary to meet SAP standards. Progression will be monitored during probation to ensure the prescribed academic plan is being followed and the student is on track with degree completion.

Financial aid suspension is assigned when a student fails to meet SAP standards while on financial aid warning or financial aid probation. A student on suspension will be notified of their status and is no longer eligible for federal aid. Federal aid will be reinstated once the student is again meeting SAP standards or with the approval of a SAP appeal.

Suspension may be assigned to a readmitted student who does not meet SAP standards. The Office of Financial Assistance reserves the right to suspend distance education graduate students who completely withdraw. Complete withdrawal or failure to complete all courses in a term may result in financial aid suspension and require appeal.

A course with a grade of Incomplete “IN” or In Progress “IP” will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours therefore impacting a student’s pace. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. Once a grade is assigned for the course, that grade will be included in the next official SAP review for pace, duration, and GPA which could impact a student’s aid eligibility either positively or negatively.

Repeated courses will be included in the pace calculation. If a student has previously earned credit hours for the course (i.e. grade of “D” or better), the repeat will count towards attempted hours but will not count towards earned hours. If a student has not previously earned credit for the repeated course, a successful course attempt will count as both attempted and earned hours while an unsuccessful attempt will only count for attempted hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Courses that receive pass/fail (P/F) or satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades (S/U) should be few and far between for most students. These courses will always be included in pace calculations as attempted hours. However, only those with a grade of “P” or “S” will be counted as earned hours. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

If a student drops some but not all of their courses during the officially recognized add/drop period (i.e. through the second full week of classes each semester), the dropped courses will not be included in pace calculations. However, if a student completes a full withdrawal from all classes after beginning attendance but before the end of the add/drop period, those courses will be considered for SAP measurements. In pace calculations, these courses will count as attempted hours but will not count as earned hours. Similarly, all classes for which a student receives a grade of “W” will count as attempted but not earned. For duration calculations, semesters in which the student performs a full withdrawal after establishing attendance will be counted as a semester of enrollment. The impact on a student’s cumulative grade point average will be determined by the official university Grade Point System. The cumulative grade point average will then be evaluated in accordance with the qualitative SAP standards listed above.

Remedial coursework will be counted in both attempted and earned hours for the quantitative SAP evaluation as applicable based on the grade received. Even if remedial coursework will not impact a student’s official university grade point average, it will be included in the qualitative component of a student’s SAP evaluation as required by federal regulations.

Evaluation of SAP standards is based on the initial final grades that have been posted for the most recently concluded semester. If a grade change for a prior term occurs after the start of a subsequent semester, that grade change will not be considered for SAP eligibility that semester. Therefore, a student would need to submit a SAP appeal to be considered for financial aid if SAP standards were not being met based on the initial grade that was posted. The revised grade would be considered in subsequent SAP evaluations.

In rare circumstances, students can have prior grades forgiven on their academic record via the university’s Academic Forgiveness Policy so that they do not factor into the cumulative grade point average. However, the Academic Forgiveness Policy does not exempt courses from being included in a SAP evaluation. All courses that the student has taken at Bradley University will be included in both the quantitative and qualitative components of each official SAP evaluation. A student may choose to discuss the academic forgiveness as part of an appeal for reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

The academic year for distance education is 3 terms: fall, spring, and summer. Qualitative and quantitative satisfactory academic progress is assessed for all enrolled distance education graduate students at the completion of each term (once grades are posted).

Distance education graduate students enrolled in their first term at Bradley University (including those who transfer coursework that is applicable to their degree) are considered to be meeting SAP. Students who have been academically suspended from a Bradley graduate program and/or who are readmitted are not eligible for financial aid unless meeting the SAP policy. Students who are readmitted and are not meeting SAP standards may follow the appeal procedures detailed in this policy if consideration for financial aid is desired.

Students may change majors/programs, but evaluation of academic progress for federal aid will include all attempted credit hours and grades earned. Change of major may be considered as part of an appeal.

All periods of enrollment will be included in the measurement of satisfactory academic progress. Terms in which the student enrolled but did not receive financial aid and/or terms in which the student completely withdrew or ceased attending after classes began are included in the measurement.

All SAP measurements will be based on cumulative Bradley University hours and GPA.

Consistent with Title IV regulations, in cases where federal aid recipients receive additional assistance from sources outside of the university after an initial award has been made, the external aid will be packaged in the following manner:

When unmet need exists, external assistance will be used to fill the unmet need. This may result in loss of subsidized loan eligibility.
If no unmet need exists, but the student’s total aid has not yet met the cost of attendance, external assistance will be applied.
If the addition of external assistance exceeds the cost of attendance (COA), other sources of aid will be reduced by the amount of the overage.
The other sources of aid will be reduced by the amount that the student’s aid exceeds the COA. Aid sources are reduced in the following order: Parent Plus Loans, Federal Direct Stafford Loans, Federal College Work Study (if not utilized), or FSEOG.
Some external assistance is accompanied by documentation indicating which educational expenses the funds may cover. If those expenses are already covered via other sources of financial assistance, in rare cases, excess funds may be returned to the issuer.
If the scholarship or stipend is reported on an IRS 1099 or W-2, it will be considered taxable income and not a resource against other assistance.
If a “scholarship” has a repayment or employment obligation, it will be considered a replacement of expected family contribution.

Federal regulations require all universities to make available to prospective and current students and employees information including but not limited to financial assistance opportunities, graduation rates, student loan default rates, crime statistics, campus safety programs, policies related to alcohol and illegal drugs, average student indebtedness, and data pertaining to NCAA athletic participation. All of the required disclosure information specific to Bradley University is available at consumer information.

A Bradley University financial aid professional is expected to maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct in all aspects of carrying out his or her responsibilities, specifically including all dealings with any entities involved in any manner in student financial aid, regardless of whether such entities are involved in a government sponsored, subsidized, or regulated activity. In doing so, a Bradley University financial aid professional should:

Refrain from taking any action for his or her personal benefit.
Refrain from taking any action he or she believes is contrary to law, regulation, or the best interest of the students and parents he or she serves.
Ensure that the information he or she provides is accurate, unbiased, and does not reflect any preference arising from actual or potential personal gain.
Be objective in making decisions and advising his or her institution regarding relationships with any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.
Refrain from soliciting or accepting anything of other than nominal value from any entity (other than an institution of higher education or a governmental entity such as the U.S. Department of Education) involved in the making, holding, consolidating, or processing of any student loans, including anything of value (including reimbursement of expenses) for serving on an advisory body or a part of a training activity of or sponsored by any such entity.
Disclose to his or her institution, in such manner as his or her institution may prescribe, any involvement with or interest in any entity involved in any aspect of student financial aid.

This Statement of Ethical Principles provides that the primary goal of Bradley University’s financial aid professionals is to help students achieve their educational potential by providing appropriate financial resources. To this end, this Statement provides that Bradley University financial aid professionals shall:

Be committed to removing financial barriers for those who wish to pursue postsecondary learning. Make every effort to assist students with financial need.
Be aware of the issues affecting students and advocate their interests at the institutional, state, and federal levels.
Support efforts to encourage students, as early as the elementary grades, to aspire to and plan for education beyond high school.
Educate students and families through quality consumer information.
Respect the dignity and protect the privacy of students and ensure the confidentiality of student records and personal circumstances.
Ensure equity by applying all need analysis formulas consistently across the institution’s full population of student financial aid applicants.
Provide services that do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, or economic status.
Recognize the need for professional development and continuing education opportunities.
Promote the free expression of ideas and opinions and foster respect for diverse viewpoints within the profession.
Commit to the highest level of ethical behavior and refrain from conflict of interest or the perception thereof.
Maintain the highest level of professionalism reflecting a commitment to the goals of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.

The FSA (Federal Student Aid) Regulations administered by the U.S. Department of Education allow a school to apply all Title IV financial aid directly to a student’s institutional charges (student fee account). Bradley University requires all financial aid to be applied to a student’s account. If a student has more financial assistance than the amount of their institutional charges this creates what is referred to as a credit balance. FSA regulations require a school to process the credit balance directly to the student or parent in the form of a refund. However, the U.S. Department of Education does not specify how a school must determine which FSA funds create the credit balance to be refunded.

Bradley University has instituted the following procedures for applying student aid to a student fee account. Keep in mind that a student’s individual financial assistance package will vary and may not contain all types of awards listed.

Order of Application of Student Aid Against Tuition, Fees, Room and Board Charges:

Federal Title IV Aid- Pell Grant, PLUS Loan/Federal Grad PLUS Loan, Stafford Loans, Perkins and Nursing Loans
All other Title IV grants
State of Illinois MAP Grant
Private Loans
External Scholarships
Bradley Financial Aid

Based on this application of aid, refunds will generally be processed in the student’s name and per the student’s request will be mailed to the permanent home address, applied to the QuickCash account or deposited directly to a bank account.

Also, all federal loan documents must be electronically signed and private loan funds received before a refund can be processed.

Refunds of $1.00 or less will not be processed.

The Bradley University Office of Financial Assistance is committed to safeguarding the confidential information of financial aid applicants and current and past aid recipients. Confidential information is considered to be any non-public information belonging to a student, or in some cases parent(s), that if disclosed could place the student or parent(s) at risk of damaging their financial standing, privacy, or reputation. The University is bound by law to protect many types of confidential information. While inclusive of those protections, the Office of Financial Assistance operational policy is particularly sensitive to information related to:

Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, state identification card numbers, passport numbers, other documents related to immigration status
Credit and debit card information, financial account information
Student records, including but not limited to student education records within the meaning of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Information on federal and state income tax returns and associated schedules and forms

Guidelines and Procedures

All employees of the Office of Financial Assistance must safeguard confidential information and use it and disclose it only as authorized or required in the course of performing job duties.
The Office of Financial Assistance will gather and retain confidential information only to the extent required by federal and state regulations pertaining to the administration of student financial assistance.
Confidential information will be disposed of in a secure and safe manner at the conclusion of mandatory retention periods as dictated by federal and state regulations.
The Office of Financial Assistance will safeguard confidential data on paper documents by securing the information in individual files locked in restricted storage. Confidential information that has been digitized or otherwise presented in electronic media will be stored in secure and encrypted formats.
Access to the Office of Financial Assistance data management system will be limited to employees who have direct responsibility for the administration of student aid as determined by the Director of Financial Assistance. Individuals given access to electronic records will be given unique access credentials and will be required to regularly update passwords.
Employees who have any reason to believe or suspect that someone else is using their personal access codes must immediately notify the Director of Financial Assistance.
Student education records are governed by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable university policy. FERPA-protected student education records must not be disclosed under any circumstances without the written consent of the student (or former student) or as authorized by the university’s Registrar.
Employees who have access to confidential information will be trained to know and understand associated security requirements and take measures to protect the information.
Any employee of the Office of Financial Assistance who is willfully negligent in the handling of confidential information is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

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