Both Haverford College and the Federal Government expect students to maintain an acceptable level of academic progress in order to retain eligibility to receive financial aid. This measure is done both quantitatively (to make sure the student will finish their degree in a timely manner), and qualitatively.
To receive Federal financial aid under Title IV, a student must (1) be matriculated at the college, 2) be in good academic standing, and 3) be making satisfactory academic progress. A matriculated student is a person admitted through the regular admission process for the purpose of obtaining a degree in an eligible program.
One full Haverford course or credit is worth four semester hour credits in the standard terminology used by the Federal Government. Students enrolled for at least three Haverford credits in a semester are considered to be full-time for the purposes of receiving Title IV aid. A normal academic year at the College consists of two semesters and is at least thirty weeks in length.
Haverford Funds
Quantitative measure. Haverford College expects students to complete their full-time course of study in 4 years. Consequently, the College limits a student’s eligibility to receive Haverford funding to four years, or a maximum of 8 semesters. Full-time enrollment is defined as a minimum of 3 Haverford credits per semester. Students may register for more or less than this with approval of their advisor, dean, or the Committee on Student Standing and Programs (CSSP). CSSP approval is required for any student who wishes to extend the pursuit of their course of study beyond 4 years.
Students do not have to take a full-time course load to qualify for Haverford Grant; however, any semester a student receives Haverford Grant, even if they are less than full-time, counts toward their minimum of 8 semesters of aid eligibility.
Qualitative measure. For the first two years of study (freshman and sophomore year), the qualitative measure for retaining eligibility for Haverford Grant is determined by the student’s advisor, dean, and CSSP. For the third and fourth years (junior and senior year) the qualitative measure for retaining Haverford Grant is maintenance of a minimum GPA of 2.0. This measure is taken at the end of each semester. Students failing to maintain a 2.0 GPA must appeal to the Financial Aid Office to have their Haverford Grant reinstated. Appeals are reviewed by Committee, and reinstatement of Haverford funds is not guaranteed.
Federal Financial Aid Funds (under Title IV)
To receive Title IV financial aid at Haverford, a student must be matriculated and in good academic standing, and be making satisfactory academic progress toward a recognized degree in an eligible program.
Quantitative measure. Federal regulations limit a student’s eligibility to receive federal aid to a timeframe that is equal to 150% of the normal time needed to receive a degree. For Haverford, this means a student can receive federal aid for a maximum of 6 years as they strive to complete the 32 mandatory credits required to receive a Haverford degree. To ensure that the student can do this within this length of time, a minimum number of completed credits is expected per semester, and this is part of the quantitative measure. At the end of each semester a student must have successfully completed the following number of credits:
- First year, end of fall semester = 2.7 cumulative credits
- First year, end of spring semester = 5.4 cumulative credits
- Second year, end of fall semester = 8.1 cumulative credits
- Second year, end of spring semester = 10.8 cumulative credits
- Third year, end of fall semester = 13.5 cumulative credits
- Third year, end of spring semester = 16.2 cumulative credits
- Fourth year, end of fall semester = 18.9 cumulative credits
- Fourth year, end of spring semester = 21.6 cumulative credits
To attend Haverford beyond four years, the student needs permission from the dean and CSSP. To receive financial aid for additional years, the student must submit a written appeal to the Financial Aid Office for a Committee review. For continued Title IV eligibility, a student must successfully complete the following number of credits per additional term:
- Fifth year, end of fall semester = 24.3 cumulative credits
- Fifth year, end of spring semester = 27 cumulative credits
- Sixth year, end of fall semester = 29.7 cumulative credits
- Sixth year, end of spring semester = 32 cumulative credits
Only completed credits are counted. Incomplete credits are not counted.
Repeat Classes. Students cannot earn credit for the same class twice. If a student repeats a class, the credit earned for the higher grade would replace the credit earned for the lower grade. Both courses will appear on the student’s transcript, but only the credits for the successful second attempt will be counted.
Transfer Credits. Haverford accepts transfer credits as both attempted and completed hours. Transfer students are assigned a prorated timeframe based on the academic level at which they are classified when they matriculate.
Qualitative measure. Because Haverford does not have an established GPA measure for a student’s first year, but rather tracks a student’s progress via monitoring by the student’s advisor, dean, and CSSP, the Financial Aid Office is required to use the federal standard of a 1.7 GPA by the end of the first semester, and a 2.0 GPA for all subsequent semesters. The measure is taken at the end of each semester.
“Warning Semester.” If a student fails to meet the quantitative or qualitative measures described above at the end of a semester, they will be allowed a “warning semester.” This permits the student to use their next semester to raise their academic performance to the acceptable quantitative and qualitative measures. The student will be allowed to receive Federal Title IV financial aid for the warning semester. At the end of the semester, if the student has established that they are making satisfactory progress, they may continue to receive Federal Title IV aid. If the student is still not making satisfactory academic progress at the end of the warning semester, they will not be eligible to receive Federal Title IV aid, and will have to appeal for continued assistance.
Appealing Federal Aid and "Probation." Any student determined to not be making satisfactory academic progress at the end of their “warning semester,” may appeal to the Director of Financial Aid. The appeal must explain why the student failed to make satisfactory academic progress, and what has changed that will allow the student to demonstrate successful academic progress when they are measured again. The appeal must include an academic plan for the student approved by their Dean, which will help the student attain satisfactory progress. Appeals must be based on extenuating circumstances (such as the death of a relative, an injury, or illness of the student), and must be appropriately documented by an authoritative third-party who is not a member of the family or employed by Haverford.
If the appeal is accepted, the student will be on “Probation” for purposes of Federal Title IV financial aid. The probation will last one semester, during which the student may receive Federal Title IV financial aid. At the end of the semester, if the student has established that they are making satisfactory progress, they will be eligible to continue receiving Federal Title IV aid. However, if at the end of probation, the student is still not making satisfactory academic progress, they will no longer be eligible to receive Federal Title IV aid.
Dropping Classes or Withdrawing During a Semester. A student’s satisfactory academic progress can be affected if they start classes but then drop out, or if they withdraw during a semester, because these classes will be considered “attempted” and will count toward the student’s timeline to achieve their degree in accordance with the Federal quantitative measure described above. Students are encouraged to contact the Financial Aid Office for guidance if they are considering dropping classes or withdrawing.
Students who fail to maintain satisfactory progress will be notified by the Financial Aid Office, either by mail to the student’s campus mailbox, or a letter sent to their permanent home address.