SATISFACTORY ACADEMIC PROGRESS

Federal and state financial aid regulations require schools to set minimum standards for satisfactory academic progress and to hold students accountable for meeting the standards. A student receiving Federal Title IV financial aid or other financial aid directly administered or certified by the Utah College of Dental Hygiene must continuously maintain satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of a degree. Because these standards are an important indicator of successful progress towards graduation, they apply to all students, not just to those receiving financial assistance. Satisfactory academic progress is evaluated at the end of each semester. The review will measure both quantitative (time-based/PACE) and qualitative (grade-based) criteria. When evaluating satisfactory progress, a student’s cumulative academic record will also be evaluated, even if the student did not receive financial aid in past semesters.

QUANTITATIVE CRITERIA
Students must complete the appropriate number of credits each semester. Completion of courses is defined as receiving one of the following grades: A– C, P, or C/R. Credit hours having a grade of D, F, W, or those that are incomplete or in progress will not be considered as credits completed. Please see Good Academic Standing for additional information.

PACE
Students must complete at least 67% of all credits attempted. Pace is measured by dividing the cumulative number of earned credit hours by the cumulative number of credit hours the student has attempted at the end of each academic period.  Attempted credits are determined based on a student’s credit load at the end of each semester.

MAXIMUM TIME FRAME TO COMPLETE DEGREE
Bachelor’s degree students must enter the program with a minimum of 33 hours of specific prerequisites completed.  Transfer credits count as both attempted and completed hours. Credit hours attempted cannot exceed 1.5 times the credit hours required to complete the program. Due to the nature of dental hygiene education, it is necessary for students to complete in the time frame specified; however, with a documented appeal, an extension may be approved by the UCDH administration on a space available basis, when the course comes back into rotation.

QUALITATIVE CRITERIA
The cumulative minimum grade point average (GPA) is used to determine the student’s academic standing under the qualitative measurement. A student must maintain a GPA of 2.0 to be making satisfactory academic progress and be eligible to receive or continue to receive financial aid. The C grade or 2.0 GPA is the indication of minimally acceptable work and good standing. Please see Good Academic Standing for additional information.

FINANCIAL AID WARNING
At the end of each semester, if a student receiving federal financial aid fails to complete the required number of credits or has a GPA that is below 2.0, that student will automatically be placed on Financial Aid Warning. The College will notify the student and the Financial Aid Office regarding the warning status. The student will be allowed one additional semester with which to improve the deficiency. A student can continue to receive aid during the warning status semester. If a student fails to achieve the qualitative or quantitative satisfactory progress, the student will be ineligible for financial aid (“suspended”) and dismissed from the College. For example, if a student is placed on warning at the end of semester 1, that student will receive aid for semester 2. If the student’s cumulative GPA and overall pace at the end of semester 2 are not meeting qualitative or quantitative satisfactory progress requirements, the student will be asked to withdraw from the institution at that time, with refunds based on the withdrawal policy. Please see Termination and Suspension for additional information.

INCOMPLETE GRADES
Grades of I (Incomplete) are not considered credits complete. In a course for which a student receives a grade of I (Incomplete), the student must complete all required coursework, by the end of the following semester, to have the credit count as completed and the student will receive a grade of C/R. If this is not achieved, no credit will be awarded, and the student will receive a grade of F. As stated in the College’s Good Academic Standing Policy, if the student does not resolve the incomplete within the specified semester, the student may be terminated from the program. Please see Termination and Suspension for additional information.

REPEATING COURSES
When students receive a grade of an A - C in a UCDH course, they are not permitted to retake the course to raise the grade. If a student receives a grade of D in a course, in order to meet graduation requirements, the student must complete formal remediation with their course instructor to satisfactorily complete the course requirements. Upon successful completion of formal remediation, a student will receive a grade of C/R. Students should be aware that there is an additional charge for remediation or for retaking previously presented coursework.  A grade of F generally requires retaking the course; however, in unique cases as recommended by the course director and with approval by the Program Director, a student with a failing grade may be allowed to complete formal remediation. A repeated course with a passing grade may be used only once to meet graduation requirements and will count as credits completed. There is a $25 fee for retaking any exams.

WITHDRAWALS
Course withdrawals are not used in calculating the GPA; they are, however, considered when calculating maximum time frame to complete a degree. Generally a withdrawal makes a student ineligible to continue in the program. Withdrawal from a course must be before the 2/3 point in the course, otherwise it will be an F.

TERMINATION/SUSPENSION
Any student who fails to meet minimum academic standards due to an I grade resolution may be dismissed from the College and thus from the financial aid programs. The College will communicate the termination status to the student and inform the student of the re-application process. At a minimum, students who reapply and are readmitted into the program must satisfactorily complete courses for which they were deficient. In addition, re-admitted students are generally required to retake all clinical courses beginning in the semester in which they are readmitted.

If a previously dismissed student is readmitted into the program, that student may be able to attend the College at their own expense in order to improve their performance and regain financial aid eligibility. If a financial aid suspension was a result of an extraordinary circumstance which were beyond a student’s control, such as accidents, extreme illness, divorce, or death of an immediate family member, the student may appeal the financial aid suspension to the Program Director. Through the appeals process and supporting documentation, a student must demonstrate that those circumstances have been sufficiently resolved so that the student can return to good standing and successfully complete the program. The student will receive written notification regarding the approval or denial of the appeal within 30 days. If the suspension is approved, the student’s attendance and academic progress will be closely monitored to ensure program completion.