Students can appeal to the Office of Financial Aid to be placed on Financial Aid Probation and receive aid after their eligibility for aid was terminated.
Appeal & Academic Plans
Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Office of Financial Aid outlining any extenuating circumstance(s) that influenced the student’s academic performance. Extenuating circumstances are those events that are beyond the student’s control (i.e. serious injury, illness or mental health condition, death of an immediate family member, etc.).
The appeal should be typed and include:
- A description of the extenuating circumstance(s)
- Documentation of circumstance(s);
- Copy of Completed Academic Plan signed by a Student Success Advisor (SSA). The purpose of an academic plan is to bring the student’s academic performance back within the required SAP standards by the end of one or more semesters. The plan is devised and approved by the Student Success Advisor (SSA), including a detailed description of how the student plans to address the issue going forward, a signature, and contact information.
The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal within 5-10 business days of its receipt; the time frame for rendering a decision may vary depending on when in the semester it is submitted. Students will be notified by email if there will be a significant delay in review. Each appeal will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Students filing an appeal will be advised in writing of the decision via their student e-mail account. The committee’s decision is final and cannot be appealed to a higher level. If the appeal is approved the student will be placed on probation and receive financial aid for the semester for which the appeal is submitted, their academic performance will be reviewed at the end of that semester to determine if they are meeting SAP standards or the terms of the SAP Academic Plan and are eligible to receive financial aid in the following semester. Students not meeting SAP standards or the terms of their SAP Academic Plan as applicable will have their eligibility for aid terminated until they are meeting SAP standards, or a new appeal is granted.
New Appeals
If the student fails to meet the conditions of their appeal, they will have their eligibility for financial aid terminated. Students may submit a new appeal if their failure to meet the conditions of their previous appeal was due to a new extenuating circumstance. New appeals due to the same circumstance(s) as a prior appeal will not be granted. If the previous appeal required a SAP Academic Plan, a new SAP Academic Plan must be developed by the student and their SSA.
Re-Establishing Eligibility Without an Appeal
If a student does not appeal termination, or their appeal is denied, they will regain eligibility for Federal Student Aid in the first semester after they successfully meet DigiPen’s SAP standards, assuming they still meet all other eligibility criteria to receive aid.