Eligibility and Policies

To be eligible for graduate financial aid you must be matriculated into a degree-granting program, be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or eligible non-citizen as defined by the FAFSA, be in compliance with various regulatory requirements of federal and state programs and University policies and procedures including making Satisfactory Academic Progress. Only courses towards the degree requirements are eligible for financial aid. In addition, you must be enrolled as least part-time.

• Full-time students are enrolled in 9 or more credits each semester (summer/fall/spring) per the Registrar’s office. Some financial aid programs are limited to full-time students only.
• Part-time students are enrolled in 5 to 8 credits each semester (summer/fall/spring) per the Registrar’s office.
• Less than half-time students are enrolled in 1 to 4 credits each semester per the Registrar’s office. These students are not eligible for any form of Federal or university financial aid. Students can apply for private educational loans.

Students are required to be making a minimum level of academic progress towards their degree completion in order to receive Federal or University funds; this is referred to as Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).

SAP Components

GPA: Students must have a cumulative grade point average each semester of 3.0 or higher

• Pace: This is the percentage of successfully completed credits vs. attempted credits. To be in good academic standing students must pass 67% of the coursework attempted each semester. Successful completion of credits is defined as receiving a passing grade. Grades of F (failure), W (withdrawal), U (Unsatisfactory), I (Incomplete) are not considered successful completion. The only exception is an IP (in Progress) grade.
• Maximum time limit: In addition, regardless of a student’s academic standing, financial aid cannot extend beyond a 150% of the published program length.  Each term you are enrolled in school will count, towards the 150% calculation, even the terms when you do not receive financial aid.
For example, a program that requires 30 credit hours x 1.5 = 45 maximum allowable credits hours attempted to qualify for financial aid.   

Frequently Asked Questions about SAP

When is SAP checked?

SAP is reviewed at the end of each semester including the summer.

What happens if a student is not meeting the SAP requirement?

The first semester a student does not meet the SAP requirements, they will be placed on a “Financial Aid Warning” for one semester (this allows a student to still receive financial aid but warns them of what is required to continue receiving any type of aid in the future).

Failure to meet the requirements for two semesters will result in a loss of their financial aid eligibility for any future semester until the minimum standards for SAP are met.  Students have an opportunity to appeal for reinstatement.

How can I appeal to have my financial aid reinstated?

Students must write a detailed letter explaining the extenuating circumstances (death, divorce, illness, etc.) that hindered them from making satisfactory progress.  The letter should include documentation of the extenuating circumstance(s) (obituary notice, doctor’s note, etc.) and explain what has changed, and how they plan to make satisfactory progress in the future.  Decisions to reinstate eligibility are made based on the information in the letter, the supporting documentation and a review of the academic record. 

What happens after I submit my appeal?

The Graduate Financial Aid Appeals committee is made up of various members within the University, including academic and administrative personnel.  These University officials will review the appeal.  Decisions to reinstate or deny eligibility are made based on the information the student provides in the letter, the supporting documentation and a review of the academic record. If your appeal includes information falling under Title IX of the Higher Education Act of 1972, we are required to disclose it to the university Title IX coordinator. 
View the entire Title IX policy

How do I find out the outcome?

A letter and/or email will be sent to the student with the committee’s outcome.  

• If the appeal is approved, the student will be offered the opportunity to accept the terms of their academic plan.  As long as the plan is followed, the student may receive financial aid.
• If the appeals committee upholds the loss of financial aid, then the student will need to make other payment arrangements.

Verification is a selection process used to confirm certain information you provided on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Verification can be designated either by the U.S. Department of Education or by the university. The following are some common reasons you may be selected for verification.

• Random selection
• Incomplete FAFSA data
• Estimated information
• Inconsistent FAFSA information

If your FAFSA is selected for verification, our office will contact you via e-mail to request the appropriate documentation such as federal income tax transcripts or tax returns with all schedules, W-2 statements and various worksheets to confirm the data submitted on the FAFSA. You cannot receive your financial aid disbursements until the verification process is complete, so it is important to respond quickly.

We encourage students to use the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Data Retrieval Tool that is part of the FAFSA on the web, in order to reduce, or in some cases, eliminate the need for submission of additional documentation.

If you are having difficulty in providing the requested information or have any questions about this process, please do not hesitate to contact our office for assistance.

The Offices of Financial Aid are pleased to provide you with a comprehensive set of standards that guide our financial aid practices. Our goal is simple: to advocate for you with the highest level of professionalism and ethical behavior.

Memberships and Affiliations

Quinnipiac University has been a longtime member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and subscribes to that organization's Statement of Ethical Principals and Code of Conduct for Financial Aid Professionals.
Learn more about NASFAA
Read the statement

Our experienced staff are longtime members of the Eastern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (EASFAA).
Learn more about EASFAA

Our institution also belongs to the Connecticut Association of Professional Financial Aid Administrators (CAPFAA).
Learn more about CAPFAA

Connecticut Code of Conduct

The university adheres to all the standards that are outlined in the Connecticut Code of Conduct. 

On August 27, 2007, the Connecticut Attorney General announced that all Connecticut institutions of higher education had volunteered to adopt the Connecticut Code of Conduct: a clear roadmap that outlines the ethical administration of financial aid. In fact, Quinnipiac University, one of 17 private colleges and universities in the state, had worked closely with the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges (CCIC) in helping to draft this code.