Undergraduate and Graduate students must make satisfactory academic progress towards the completion of your degree in order to remain eligible for both Federal and State financial aid at Queens College.
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Financial Aid Programs (Undergraduate)
- Minimum GPA – To be in good academic standing you must earn a minimum GPA based on attempted credits as follows:
| Credits Attempted | Minimum GPA |
| .5 – 12 credits | 1.50 |
| 13 – 24 credit | 1.75 |
| 25 – upward | 2.00 |
- Minimum GPA for 4 Year Programs – If enrolled in a program of more than two academic years, a student must have a GPA of at least “C” or the equivalent at the end of the second academic year. This means that a student must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA after being at the school for 4 semesters or 6 quarters without regard to enrollment status.
- Maximum Time Frame– The credits a student has attempted* is no more than 150% of the credits normally required for the degree. (For example: if the credits needed for the degree is 120, you can attempt no more than 180 credits)
- Pace of Progression – You must successfully complete a certain percentage of the total number of credits that you attempt according to the following:
Baccalaureate Degree Programs
| Attempted Credits | 15 | 30 | 45 | 60 | 75 | 90 | 105 | 120 | 135 | 150 | 165 | 180 |
| Earned Credits | 0 | 5 | 16 | 27 | 42 | 50 | 63 | 72 | 84 | 95 | 110 | 120 |
* Attempted credits are courses you registered for and did not drop before the last official withdrawal date
Satisfactory Academic Progress for Federal Financial Aid Programs (Graduate)
- Minimum GPA – maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 or better, or have an academic standing consistent with the requirements for graduation.
- Maximum Time Frame – may not attempt more than 150 percent of the credits normally required for completion of the degree.
- Pace of Progression – must accumulate credits towards the degree greater than or equal to two-thirds of the cumulative credits attempted at the institution.
All graduate students will be measured against each of the three Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) components at the end of the Spring term to determine eligibility for receipt of Title IV student financial assistance in the upcoming year.
Satisfactory Academic Progress for New York State Financial Aid Programs (Undergraduate)
State eligibility standards require students to complete a certain percentage of course work, accrue a certain amount of credits and have an appropriate cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) at the beginning of each semester of state supported study. Please refer to the chart below which outlines these requirements.
State Aid and TAP Academic Performance Charts
The New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) Performance Charts apply to all students receiving payments from the TAP program.
Good academic standing requirement for New York State Financial Aid programs consists of both an “Academic Progress” and a “Program Pursuit” component as explained below.
To be eligible for a TAP award, students must be enrolled for at least 12 credits or the equivalent to full-time. Courses may be counted toward full-time study only if they are applicable toward a degree. Electives are acceptable when taken in accordance with published degree requirements. A student may take courses not applicable to a degree in a given semester as long as the coursework is above the minimum full-time requirement of 12 credits. Undergraduate students enrolled in a Bachelor’s Degree program may receive TAP awards for eight semesters; SEEK students may receive TAP awards for 10 semesters.
To receive each TAP payment:
- You must have completed a specific number of credits in the previous TAP semester;
- You must have accumulated a specific number of credits towards your degree;
- You must maintain a specific minimum GPA (Grade Point Average); and
- You must have declared a major by the time you complete 60 credits
In order to receive TAP and scholarships, a student must meet specific academic standards. Students will be evaluated depending on when they received their first TAP payment and whether they are in a remedial program.
| To Receive Payment Number: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| You must have completed at least this many credits in the previous payment semester: | 0 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| You must have accumulated this many credits towards your degree: | 0 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 39 | 51 | 66 | 81 | 96 | 111 |
| You must have a GPA of: | 0 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 |
Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal
For students who fail to meet the qualitative or quantitative standards may appeal to Queens College’s Federal Financial Aid Appeals Committee to have eligibility restored. The appeal procedures enable students to have their federal aid reinstated if they can demonstrate that exceptional or extraordinary circumstances resulted in their failure to satisfy academic requirements.
You can file your appeal using the CUNY Student Forms portal for students that have a Financial Aid Academic Progress To-Do list item on CUNYFirst. For first-time users of CUNY Financial Aid Student Forms, you will be required to complete the registration process and confirm your personal identifying information reported on your FAFSA before you can access the portal. For more information about Student Forms, please visit the CUNY website.
For students who manage to meet their Satisfactory Academic Progress at the end of the Summer 2023 or by the end of the Fall 2023, please contact the Counseling and Resource Center via email at QCTIVTAPAPPEAL@qc.cuny.edu.
If this is your first semester at Queens College and have taken College Now courses prior to your first semester at Queens College but failed the Satisfactory Academic Progress, please reach out the Counseling and Resource Center via email at QCTIVTAPAPPEAL@qc.cuny.edu for instructions of how to clear your SAP issue.
Students who are working on their 2nd BA and have failed their Satisfactory Academic Progress, please reach out to the Counseling and Resource center via email at QCTIVTAPAPPEAL@qc.cuny.edu before submitting your SAP appeal through CUNY Student Forms.
Graduate students who failed their Satisfactory Academic Progress, please reach out to Graduate Admission via email at Grad@qc.cuny.edu before submitting your SAP appeal through CUNY Student Forms.
Note- If you do not have any interest in requesting federal aid (Title IV), no further action is required. If you are interested in receiving federal aid (Title IV), please complete a FAFSA application and SAP appeal.
New York State Aid Waivers
If a student becomes ineligible for a TAP award due to the loss of good academic standing, s/he may apply for a TAP Waiver. There are two types of waivers for your undergraduate studies:
- One, is a one-time Tap Waiver relating to your failure to achieve the Pursuit of Program (POP) standard which is only granted one time.
- The other is a waiver relating to your failure to achieve the “C” average requirement. The ‘C’ Waiver is intended for students who may have difficulty maintaining an average of C (2.0) while receiving NYS TAP.
In order to be eligible for a C waiver, students must have received the equivalent of two or more full years of TAP awards and would have accumulated 24 or more payment points in prior terms. The ‘C’ average waiver is separate from the one-time TAP waiver and may be granted more than once if circumstances warrant. The C waiver is only applicable when there is a reasonable expectation that the student will meet future requirements.
Undergraduates who wish to apply for a waiver should email the Counseling and Resource Center at QCTIVTAPAPPEAL@qc.cuny.edu
ADA (American with Disability Act)
Learn More About ADA Part-time SAP on the HESC Website