Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

Purpose and Scope

This policy describes how Yale Divinity School evaluates Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for all degree‑seeking students receiving financial aid. SAP refers to a student’s successful completion of program requirements as measured by qualitative and quantitative standards and by a maximum timeframe standard. Failure to maintain SAP affects eligibility for university and federal financial aid and may also affect a student’s ability to receive external funding, such as private scholarships, grants, or educational loans. SAP standards apply to all students receiving financial aid, regardless of their Title IV status.

Evaluation Schedule and Payment Period

SAP is evaluated at the end of each payment period. For Yale Divinity School, the payment period is the academic term as defined by the School’s academic calendar, including summer terms when the student enrolls. SAP measurements are cumulative across the student’s entire academic history at the School, including all periods of enrollment and program changes. The School offers standard‑term, credit‑hour programs.

Qualitative Measure (Academic Standing)

The qualitative measure is cumulative and reflects the student’s overall academic record in relation to the School’s graduation requirements. Students must maintain a cumulative average of at least a “Pass” at each evaluation point to meet this standard. Because the School does not calculate grade point averages, academic progress is evaluated using the grading system and academic standing policies of the School.

Grading and Academic Standing

Grades of Honors (H), Honors Minus‑ (H–), High Pass Plus (HP+), High Pass (HP), High Pass Minus (HP–), and CR (Credit) represent performance that is satisfactory or better and are consistent with graduation requirements. A grade of Low Pass (LP) is marginally passable; LP grades count toward graduation and are treated as completed credits that meet qualitative SAP requirements, though they may indicate academic difficulty. Grades of Fail (F) and No Credit (NC) represent unsatisfactory work.

Integration with Academic Standing

SAP qualitative evaluations incorporate the School’s academic standing determinations, i.e., academic warning and academic probation (see the section on Academic Deficiencies in the Divinity School Bulletin):

• Students placed on Academic Probation are not meeting the qualitative SAP standard. Probation is normally assigned when a student earns two LP grades, two Incompletes, two Fs or NCs, or any combination of two or more deficient outcomes in a single term. A pattern of repeated Academic Warnings in multiple terms may also result in probation.
• Students on Academic Warning are not automatically considered to have failed SAP; however, warning status is reviewed at each SAP evaluation and may lead to probation if deficiencies persist.

Second Academic Year Requirement

For programs longer than two academic years, students must, by the end of their second academic year, demonstrate academic standing consistent with the School’s graduation requirements.

Quantitative Measure (Pace of Completion)

Students must progress through their program at a pace that allows completion within the maximum timeframe. Pace is calculated cumulatively as the total number of credit hours successfully completed divided by the total number of credit hours attempted. A minimum pace of 67 percent is required at each evaluation point. Courses with grades of W, F, or NC count as attempted but not completed for pace. If a student fails a course and repeats it, the failed attempt remains an attempted but not completed course for pace; the repeated enrollment is a separate attempt. Incompletes are not included in the quantitative SAP assessment until a final grade is posted, at which time the credits are included in the calculation at the next SAP evaluation. However, any course that remains Incomplete for two consecutive SAP evaluations will be treated as attempted but not completed for pace until resolved.

Maximum Timeframe

Students must complete their program within the School’s maximum timeframe for each degree. The maximum timeframes are six years for the Master of Divinity, four years for the Master of Arts in Religion, and two years for the Master of Sacred Theology. Accepted transfer credits count toward a student’s progression and toward the maximum timeframe. Approved leaves of absence and periods of reduced enrollment do not extend the maximum timeframe unless otherwise stated in the program’s academic policies.

Treatment of Specific Grades and Credits

Grades recorded as Incomplete are not included in the qualitative or quantitative SAP assessment until the Incomplete is resolved and a final grade is posted. When the final grade is recorded, it is included in the assessment at the next SAP evaluation. Withdrawals, failures, and no‑credit grades count as attempted but not completed credits for pace. Transfer credits that are accepted toward the student’s program count as both attempted and completed credits for pace and maximum timeframe purposes; transfer grades are not included in the qualitative measure. Following a change of concentration or degree program within the Divinity School, all courses taken at the School continue to be assessed for SAP purposes and remain in the cumulative calculations for pace and maximum timeframe. The School does not offer remedial coursework.

Financial Aid Statuses and Notifications

A student who fails SAP at an evaluation point is placed on Financial Aid Warning for one payment period. Financial Aid Warning may be assigned without any action by the student, and the student remains eligible for financial assistance during the warning term.

After a warning term, a student who still fails SAP may only receive financial assistance for an additional payment period if placed on Financial Aid Probation following a successful appeal and the creation of an academic plan with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. While on probation, a student must either meet SAP by the end of the probation term or satisfy all academic plan benchmarks as scheduled. The Financial Aid Office notifies students in writing of any SAP determination that affects Title IV eligibility, including placement on financial aid warning or probation and the loss or restoration of eligibility. Notification is sent within five business days of the evaluation.

Appeals

A student who is determined not to be making SAP after a warning term may appeal in writing to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The student will receive the School’s official SAP appeal form with the notification of SAP failure after the warning term. The student then has ten business days from the notification date to submit the appeal form to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs explaining why SAP was not met and what has changed that will permit the student to meet SAP at the next evaluation. Acceptable bases for appeal include the death of a relative, the student’s injury or illness, or other special circumstances beyond the student’s control. The Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs will review the appeal, and the Financial Aid Office will notify the student of the outcome in writing.

Academic Plans

When it is not feasible for a student to regain SAP in one term due to documented circumstances, the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the student will establish a written multiterm academic plan to be submitted with the SAP appeal form. At a minimum, the plan will specify the courses to be attempted, required enrollment intensity, grade expectations, and a timeline for returning to SAP. Academic performance against the plan is evaluated at the next SAP checkpoint. Continued eligibility beyond the probation term requires that the student meet SAP or satisfy all plan benchmarks on time. A student on probation may request a one‑time change to the academic plan due to unusual circumstances; the request must be submitted in writing to the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and will be reviewed under the same criteria as the original appeal.

Re‑establishing Eligibility without an Appeal

A student who loses Title IV eligibility for failing SAP and who does not have an approved appeal may re‑establish eligibility by enrolling without Title IV assistance and completing coursework until SAP standards are met at a subsequent evaluation point.