Eligibility for Puget Sound scholarships and grants is limited by the following policies.

  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants are awarded for the entire academic year and will be divided equally between the fall and spring semesters. Scholarships and grants cannot be applied to summer enrollment.
  • Puget Sound academic scholarships, Puget Sound Grant, Puget Sound Scholarship, and Puget Sound Opportunity Grant are available for up to 10 semesters. Named scholarships are available for 8 semesters. A semester of eligibility is counted if any portion of the award is used.
  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants require that you be enrolled each semester as a full-time student for at least three (3.0) units per semester.
  • Puget Sound scholarships and grants may only be applied towards the cost of Puget Sound tuition. If you receive other scholarships, grants, stipends, tuition remission or tuition exchange assistance designated to be used only for tuition and the sum of these awards exceed the cost of tuition, your scholarship or grant will be reduced or withdrawn until the amount of your tuition designed scholarship dollars equal the amount of tuition.
  • The total amount of need-based federal, state, or university scholarship and grant aid received cannot exceed financial need.
  • The total amount of aid received from all sources cannot exceed the cost of attendance.

If a student's financial aid award must be reduced, the reductions occur in the following order: need-based loan assistance, work-study employment, and finally grant assistance.

Eligibility & Award Conditions

In order to remain eligible for federal, state, and university financial aid, students must meet the following criteria.

  • Maintain full-time enrollment of at least 3.0 units.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress by completing at least 75% of the units in which enrolled.
  • Undergraduates must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher; graduate candidates must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 or higher.
  • Maintain the required eligibility criteria for certain scholarships (grade point average, major, performance requirement, etc).
  • Must reapply for need-based financial aid by completing the FAFSA each year.

In order to remain eligible for federal, state, and university need-based financial aid, a student must continue to demonstrate financial need by completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The amount of need-based financial aid a student is eligible to receive each year may vary depending on their level of financial need and/or other scholarship or grant assistance received.

The Co-Operative Education Program allows students to formally link a work experience to their curriculum for academic credit. Students participating in a .50 unit or 1.0 unit co-op program are eligible for federal or state financial aid, excluding work-study, but are not eligible for Puget Sound scholarships or grants.

Unless otherwise specified on the Financial Aid Award, all financial aid and scholarship recipients are required to maintain full-time  enrollment. Enrollment is defined as the number of units registered for at the end of the "drop without record" period (the tenth day of enrollment) for fall and spring terms. If you have not enrolled in the minimum number of units your financial aid award was based on, your financial aid will be subject to change.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Federal and state regulations require that students meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) toward completing a degree in order to receive financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities). Puget Sound applies these same standards for establishing eligibility for institutional scholarships and grants, including any additional criteria specific to a named scholarship. Requirements of satisfactory academic progress apply to the entire period of attendance at Puget Sound, even though students may not have received financial aid for some periods of enrollment.

  1. Grade Point Average
    Undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, reviewed at the end of each semester. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, reviewed at the end of each semester. Courses taken at Credit/No Credit will not be computed in grade point average.
  2. Required Course Completion Rate
    Students must complete at least 75% of the units in which they are enrolled at the end of the drop-without-record period. Courses that earn credit will be counted toward units attempted and successfully completed. All incomplete (I), withdrawals (W or WF), failures (F), and No Credit (NC) are counted as courses attempted but not successfully completed.
  3. Maximum Terms of Eligibility
    Incoming first-year students are eligible for financial aid for a maximum of ten (10) terms of full-time study. Students who attend on a half-time basis are allowed proportionately longer.

    Transfer students are eligible for financial aid in proportion to the number of accepted units at time of matriculation:

    0-6 accepted units = 10 maximum terms of full time eligibility
    7-14 accepted units = 8 maximum terms of full time eligibility
    15-22 accepted units = 6 maximum terms of full time eligibility
    23+ accepted units = 4 maximum terms of full time eligibility

    Master's degree candidates are allowed to receive financial aid up to the following maximums listed by program:

    M.A.T. – two calendar years M.O.T. – three calendar years
    M.Ed. – seven calendar years M.P.T. – four calendar years

The Washington College Grant (formerly State Need Grant), College Bound Scholarship, State Work-Study, and Passport to College Scholarship programs require a review of eligibility at the end of each semester, prior to disbursing funds or paying of employment earnings for the next semester.

Recipients of the above Washington state programs must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher and successfully complete 100% of the units in which they enroll each semester in order to receive continued funding. Students who complete less than 100% but at least 50% of their units will be placed on financial aid warning. Students who do not complete at least 50% of their units are ineligible for future disbursements unless approved through the appeal process.

      Class Grade Grade Point Average (GPA) Course Completion
Withdrawal (W) Not computed in grade point average Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed
Withdrawal Failing (WF) Equivalent to a F letter grade and computed in grade point average accordingly Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed
Credit (CR) Not computed in grade point average Calculated as courses attempted and successfully completed
No Credit (NC) Not computed in grade point average Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed
Pass (P) Not computed in grade point average Calculated as courses attempted and successfully completed
Fail (F) Equivalent to a F letter grade and computed in grade point average accordingly Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed
Incomplete (I) Not computed in grade point average (no grade point assigned until permanent grade) Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed. SAP is recalculated once permanent grade is posted.
In Progress (IP) Not computed in grade point average (no grade point assigned until permanent grade) Calculated as courses attempted but not successfully completed. SAP is recalculated once permanent grade is posted.
Transfer Credits Not computed in grade point average Calculated as courses attempted and successfully completed
Repeated courses (to improve grade or to complete a course for which the student received a W or WF grade. Computed in grade point average based on letter grade (course with the higher grade is included in the grade point average calculation) Courses with grade D- or higher are counted as attempted and successfully completed; courses with F grades count as attempted but not successfully completed.

Satisfactory academic progress is reviewed at the end of each semester. While students will be notified if they have not maintained satisfactory academic progress, it is the student’s responsibility to monitor their own progress.

Step 1: Financial Aid SAP Warning

The first time a student fails to meet satisfactory academic progress requirements they will be placed on financial aid warning. These students will receive an email from our SFS office notifying them of their financial aid warning status for the following term. Students on financial aid warning will continue to receive financial aid (example: student does not meet SAP requirements for Fall term, they are placed on financial aid warning for Spring term and will continue to receive their financial aid)

Step 2: Financial Aid SAP Not Met 

Students who do not meet the satisfactory academic progress requirements again while on financial aid warning (for the Spring term in the example listed above), will become ineligible to receive further financial aid (in the following Fall term if they did not enroll in Summer classes in the example). Students who are not meeting SAP again will receive a second email from SFS to their Puget Sound email address notifying them of their SAP financial aid not met status for the following term.

Step 3: Appeal Process

Students may appeal for reinstatement of their financial aid if they believe that they had extenuating circumstances that led to their unsatisfactory academic progress. Examples of acceptable reasons for appealing may include death in the family, serious medical illness or injury, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control. An appeal can be submitted by completing this web form. The due date for the completed online appeal form will be highlighted in the SAP not met email. Financial aid will be cancelled for the following term if an appeal is not received by SFS by the due date.

When submitting an appeal, students should provide a full explanation regarding why they failed to meet satisfactory academic requirements. It is important that, as part of the appeal, students demonstrate what has changed in their situation that would allow them to meet satisfactory academic progress at the next evaluation.

Step 4: Financial Aid Probation

Students with successful appeals will be placed on financial aid probation. Students on financial aid probation will continue to receive financial aid. During the probationary period, students must meet the requirements of satisfactory academic progress. Failure to meet the requirements will result in financial aid cancellation for the next semester.

Some students who have their appeal approved and are on financial aid probation will also need to complete a financial aid SAP academic plan with the SFS office. A financial aid SAP academic plan is necessary when a student cannot meet SAP requirements on their own in one semester. A personalized academic plan will be created with our financial aid office in order to avoid submitting an appeal each semester.

Step 5: Financial Aid Cancellation

Students must comply with all terms of satisfactory academic progress in order to continue receiving financial aid. If students fail to make satisfactory academic progress while on probation their financial aid will be cancelled and they will no longer be eligible for financial aid (with the exception of private loans). Students may appeal the reinstatement of their financial aid if they can demonstrate extenuating circumstances that prevented them from meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements. Eligibility for financial aid will be reinstated upon a successful appeal or when the student meets satisfactory academic progress requirements.

Financial Aid Satisfactory Academic Progress Records

Financial aid satisfactory academic progress records are kept in the student’s financial aid file. These records do not appear on the student’s permanent academic record (transcript) in the registrar’s office.

Rights & Responsibilities

It's important to know your rights and responsibilities as they relate to applying for and receiving financial aid.

You have the right to ask a school:

  • What it costs to attend, and what its refund policies are if you drop out
  • What financial help is available, including information on federal, state, and school financial aid programs.
  • What the deadlines are for submitting applications for each of the financial aid programs available; and what criteria are used to select financial aid recipients.
  • How individual financial need is determined. This process includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, transportation, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in your budget.
  • What resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, personal assets, etc.) are considered in the need calculation; and how much of your financial need, as determined by the school, has been met;
  • To explain the various programs in your financial aid package and how and when you will receive your aid.
  • What portion of your financial aid must be repaid, and what portion is grant aid. If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount that must be repaid, payback procedures, the length of time you have to repay the loan, and when repayment is to begin.
  • How to apply for additional financial aid if your financial circumstances change resulting in increased need.
  • About the effect outside scholarships may have on your financial aid award.
  • How the school determines whether you are making satisfactory academic progress and what happens if you are not.

It is your responsibility to:

  • Review and consider all information about a school's program before enrolling.
  • Know and comply with the deadlines for application or reapplication for aid, and with the school's refund procedures.
  • Respond promptly and return all requested additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information to Student Financial Services or the appropriate agency.
  • Read, understand, accept responsibility for and keep copies of all forms and agreements you sign.
  • Notify the school of changes in your name, permanent mailing address, marital or enrollment status. If you have a loan, you must also notify your lender of these changes.
  • Perform in a satisfactory manner the work that is agreed upon in accepting a Work Study award.
  • Maintain satisfactory academic progress according to the school's policies and standards.
  • Repay any student loans you have. When you sign a promissory note, you are agreeing to repay your loan.
  • Complete loan entrance counseling before you receive your first loan disbursement - and exit counseling before you leave school.
  • Know the financial aid penalties for drug sale and possession convictions.