Understanding the SIUE Meridian Scholarship Requirements

Financing a college education can be a significant undertaking. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) offers various scholarships, awards, and grants to help students cover college costs, including tuition, fees, and living expenses. Upon admission to SIUE and after evaluation of your FAFSA application, the Office of Student Financial Aid will award, to eligible students, numerous types of scholarships and grants. It's crucial to understand the eligibility requirements and terms and conditions associated with these financial aid opportunities. Please note that many of these awards are available to new students and will not be awarded to continuing students. Students should beware of scholarship scams.

Types of Awards

SIUE provides financial aid in the form of scholarships, awards, and grants. These funds can significantly reduce the financial burden of college expenses such as tuition, fees, and living costs. For first-year students, scholarships can range up to $16,000 over 4 years or up to $8,000 over 4 years.

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

A key requirement for maintaining eligibility for Federal, State, and University financial assistance is maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). United States Department of Education regulations, Illinois Student Assistance Commission rules, and University policy require a student applying for and/or receiving Federal, State, and University financial assistance to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to receive these funds. Students must be making Satisfactory Academic Progress regardless of whether the student has previously received aid. The standards must be cumulative, and as such, all prior terms of attendance are included in the evaluation, per Federal, State, and University regulations. SAP is evaluated at the end of each academic term. This means students must meet specific standards related to GPA and completion rate to continue receiving aid.

Key Definitions Related to SAP

To fully understand the SAP policy, it's important to define some key terms:

Attempted course: A course which remains on the student's record after Census.
Completed course/earned credit: A course in which a grade of A, B, C, D, or P was received.
Financial Aid Warning: A status assigned to a student who has been identified as not meeting one or more standards in this policy but who can continue to receive financial aid.
Financial Aid Termination: The point at which a student is no longer eligible to receive financial aid as defined in this policy; normally, this is following an unsuccessful term of Warning or Probation.
Financial Aid Probation: A status assigned to a student who fails to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, has successfully appealed that decision, and has eligibility for financial aid restored.
Incomplete: A grade of "I" received for an attempted course in which a student did not complete all work required for the course during the term and has permission of the instructor to do so within a specified time period. The student receives no credit until the course is completed. Incomplete hours, as defined by Registrar policy, are included as 'not earned' hours in completion rate calculations.
Maximum timeframe: Time limit set for receipt of financial aid that is specific to a student's program of study. Federal law defines this limit as 150 percent of published program length.
Repeat Course: A course that has been previously attempted. Only the most current grade is included in the GPA calculations. All attempts are included in the completion rate calculations. Per Registrar policy, you may only repeat a course 3 times. After the fourth course attempt, you will be restricted from registering for the class again.
Satisfactory Academic Progress/Satisfactory Progress: Completion of courses and achieving a cumulative GPA which meet the standards defined in this policy.
Transfer credit: Course accepted for credit at SIUE from another institution.

GPA Requirements

Students must meet the University's policy on academic standing, grades, and grade point average as defined by the Registrar. Maintaining a minimum GPA is crucial for SAP. The specific GPA required can vary, but generally, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.

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Completion Rate

Students must also complete a certain percentage of the courses they attempt. Overall Cumulative Completion Rate - Completion rates reflect the rate at which students earn credit for courses attempted (for example, a student earning credit for 9 of 12 attempted hours would have a 75 percent completion rate). A student must complete at least 67 percent of the attempted hours. This percent is not rounded up or down. A student's attempted hours are determined by the official enrollment status at Census for a given term or class. Accepted transfer hours are included in the cumulative completion rate calculations as both earned and attempted hours. Failing to meet the minimum completion rate can lead to a financial aid warning or termination.

Maximum Timeframe

To retain financial aid eligibility, a student must complete the degree program within 150 percent of the published program length. Attempted hours for this purpose include regular course hours, as well as accepted transfer credit. Once the maximum timeframe has been reached, the student is ineligible for financial aid unless additional time to complete the degree is approved through appeal. Developmental hours are eliminated from the timeframe limit; while they may be required, they do not contribute to the hours required for a degree. Federal law defines this limit as 150 percent of published program length. This means that students who take longer than this timeframe to complete their degree may lose eligibility for financial aid.

Developmental Courses

Students taking developmental courses are eligible to receive financial aid for the first thirty hours of developmental classes attempted. Developmental courses are not included in GPA calculations, but must be included in the same 67 percent cumulative completion rate as other courses. While these courses can help students prepare for college-level work, there are limits to how many developmental hours can be covered by financial aid.

Financial Aid Warning and Termination

The Office of Student Financial Aid will post on CougarNet the status of any student who is placed on financial aid Warning or financial aid Termination. Students who fail to meet SAP standards may be placed on financial aid warning or financial aid termination.

Financial Aid Warning

A student who does not meet the undergraduate or graduate overall completion rates and GPA specified in this policy will be put on Warning for one term following identification of unsatisfactory progress. During this period, students are notified that they are not meeting SAP requirements but can continue to receive financial aid for one more term. If at the end of the Warning term, a student has achieved a cumulative completion rate greater than or equal to 67 percent and the cumulative GPA is greater than or equal to 2.00, the student will be considered to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress for financial aid purposes. If at the end of the Warning term, a student has not achieved a cumulative completion rate of greater than or equal to 67 percent and/or the cumulative GPA is not greater than or equal to 2.00, the student will be placed on Financial Aid Termination.

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Financial Aid Termination

If a student fails to meet SAP requirements after the warning period, they may face financial aid termination. This means they are no longer eligible to receive financial aid.

Reinstatement of Financial Aid Eligibility

A student may have their financial aid eligibility reinstate by the appropriate process listed below:

Reinstatement Through Appeal

Students who have had their financial aid terminated have the option to appeal the decision.

Grounds for Appeal

The student may appeal termination of financial aid eligibility on the basis of: personal injury or illness, the death of a relative, or other special circumstance (see Appeal form).

Appeal Process

Once all of the documentation has been received, the appeal is forwarded to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee for review. The committee is comprised of at least three faculty and/or staff members familiar with SIUE academic policy. The committee considers appeals in a timely manner and reviews only the written record. If the appeal is approved, financial aid is reinstated for one semester on a probationary basis. If the appeal is denied, a student may request a review of the decision. This request must include additional information/documentation that was not included in the original appeal. If the request is denied by the committee, the student may request a second review of denied appeal to be evaluated by the Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management.

Reinstatement Through Appeal of Termination Related to Maximum TimeFrame

If a student reaches the 150 percent maximum timeframe but has not received a degree, the student must appeal on the appropriate form and provide a transcript and graduation plan that have been completed by the academic advisor. The advisor will mark classes the student has completed that are not applicable to the current major. The applicable hours are recalculated, and if the new total is below the 150 percent maximum hours allowed by Federal law, the student will be allowed to receive financial aid on probation for one or more specified terms until the degree is completed.

Reinstatement with Grade Changes

The student must notify the Office of Student Financial Aid of any grade changes, including grades posted for incomplete courses. The student may regain eligibility should these changes result in satisfactory progress. If a student's grades change, they should notify the Office of Student Financial Aid, as this may impact their SAP status.

Reinstatement by Achievement

Students who have been suspended from financial aid (including students who have lost financial aid eligibility due to academic suspension) may seek reinstatement by achieving, without the benefit of the aid from which the student has been suspended, both the cumulative 67 percent completion rate and cumulative 2.00 GPA required. Students can regain eligibility by improving their academic performance to meet SAP standards.

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