Satisfactory Academic Progress Requirements

In order to be academically eligible to receive financial assistance from federal, state, or College programs, students must be degree seeking and making satisfactory academic progress in their course of study. All entering students at Roanoke College, including those returning after a period of academic suspension, are admitted with the confidence that they will make satisfactory progress.

Student recipients of the RC Grant, Commonwealth Award, Bolton Award, Area Award, Kizer Award, RC Lutheran Grant, Transfer Grant, Achievement Award, RC Supplemental Grant/Award, Tuition Exchange Program, RC Loan, GATE Loan, and/or any other College/federal/state grants/loans must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average based on their official academic grade level, as follows:

Recipients of the following programs will have two full years to achieve the minimum cumulative grade point average requirements. At the end of the sophomore year, and each year thereafter, recipients must have attained the following cumulative grade point average, as indicated:

Oberley Scholarship recipients are required to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 and can maintain eligibility for a maximum of two years.

The Roanoke College Honors Scholarship is reinstated for each semester of continued participation in the Honors Program as determined by the Director of the Honors Program. The Roanoke College Music Scholarship is reinstated for each semester of continued participation in the music/choral program as determined by the Fine Arts Department. Eligibility for the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant, the Virginia College Scholarship Assistance Program, Tuition Exchange, and all College funded aid is limited to four years, or 8 semesters. With the exception of the Beard Scholarship, College dollars and the Virginia Tuition Assistance Grant are limited to the cost of tuition. The Beard Scholarship covers tuition and standard room and board charges. Fees including any non-standard room fees are the student's responsibility.

If a student does not attain the minimum required grade point average by the end of the academic year, and is academically eligible to re-enroll (as determined by the Associate Dean/Registrar of the College), financial aid programs are automatically reduced on a percentage basis and re-instated. Please consult the Financial Aid Office for further information. Federal and state aid programs are automatically reinstated for students placed on academic warning, assuming financial eligibility is maintained. Students enrolling in the summer session(s) to improve unsatisfactory progress should consult with the Financial Aid Office concerning program eligibility.

Students are reviewed for satisfactory academic progress at the end of Spring term. In cases of unsatisfactory progress, affected programs will be reduced. Any reduction in assistance may be appealed through the Financial Aid Office. Only compelling non-academic reasons will be considered. In cases of less than satisfactory academic progress, reinstatement of aid in full is exceptional and is based on unusual circumstances that must be outlined clearly in a letter from the student. Letters from parents will not be accepted. New or returning students entering in January are reviewed for satisfactory academic progress at the end of the Spring term. Further information on this policy and on the appeal procedure is available in the Financial Aid Office.

The maximum time frame during which a student may complete the degree and retain academic eligibility for federally regulated programs is six years for a full-time student and 12 years for a half-time student. This period is proportionately altered for a student who changes her/his enrollment status from term to term. A student must have earned at least enough units to complete the proportionate percentage of the time frame at the end of a year of enrollment - 1/6 at the end of the first year, 2/6 at the end of the second year, and so forth for a full-time student.