Financial Aid Policies

Code of Conduct and Federal Trade Commission

Johns Hopkins University sets high ethical standards for all administrators, faculty, and staff. Practices are governed by the University's Financial Aid Code of Conduct and Policy on Education Loans and Federal Trade Commission's Red Flag Rule.

Return of Title IV Funds

The Office of Student Financial Services is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students who withdraw, drop out, are dismissed, or take a leave of absence prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term. The federal Title IV financial aid programs must be recalculated in these situations.

If a student leaves the institution prior to completing 60% of a payment period or term, the financial aid office recalculates eligibility for Title IV funds. Recalculation is based on the percentage of earned aid using the following Federal Return of Title IV funds formula:

Percentage of payment period or term completed = the number of days completed up to the withdrawal date divided by the total days in the payment period or term. (Any break of five days or more is not counted as part of the days in the term.) This percentage is also the percentage of earned aid.

Funds are returned to the appropriate federal program based on the percentage of unearned aid using the following formula:
Aid to be returned = (100% of the aid that could be disbursed minus the percentage of earned aid) multiplied by the total amount of aid that could have been disbursed during the payment period or term.

If a student earned less aid than was disbursed, the institution would be required to return a portion of the funds and the student would be required to return a portion of the funds. Keep in mind that when Title IV funds are returned, the student borrower may owe a debit balance to the institution.

If a student earned more aid than was disbursed to him/her, the institution would owe the student a post-withdrawal disbursement which must be paid within 120 days of the student's withdrawal.

The institution must return the amount of Title IV funds for which it is responsible no later than 30 days after the date of the determination of the date of the student's withdrawal.

Refunds are allocated in the following order:

• Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Subsidized Federal Stafford Loans
• Unsubsidized Direct Stafford Loans (other than PLUS loans)
• Subsidized Direct Stafford Loans
• Federal Perkins Loans
• Federal Parent (PLUS) Loans
• Direct PLUS Loans
• Federal Pell Grants for which a Return of funds is required
• Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants for which a Return of funds is required
• Other assistance under this Title for which a Return of funds is required (e.g., LEAP)

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

What is Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)?

Students who receive Federal Student Aid (FSA) must, in accordance with federal regulations, be in good standing and maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward obtaining their degree or certificate. Under Federal Title IV law, the school’s SAP requirements must meet certain minimum requirements, and be at least as strict as the standards for Good Academic Standing.   The policy applies to students receiving Federal Student Aid for semesters/periods of enrollment that begin on or after July 1, 2012.

The federal regulations require that an institution use three measurements to determine SAP:

• Qualitative - student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average or equivalent
• Quantitative – student must maintain a minimum cumulative completion rate of credits attempted
• Maximum time frame – student must complete their degree or certificate within a maximum time frame

The standards used to evaluate academic progress are cumulative and, therefore include all periods of the student's enrollment, including periods during which the student did not receive FSA funds.

What is our Financial Aid SAP Policy?

Pre-Licensure Students

1. Minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) - Qualitatively, on a scale of 4.0, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. 
2. Minimum cumulative completion rate - Quantitatively, financial aid recipients must maintain a cumulative completion rate equal to or exceeding 67% of the credits attempted.
3. MSN Entry into Nursing students must complete the program within 5 years of matriculation.

Masters Specialty, Certificate, and Doctorate Students

1. Minimum cumulative grade-point average (GPA) - Qualitatively, on a scale of 4.0, graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. 
2. Minimum cumulative completion rate - Quantitatively, financial aid recipients must maintain a cumulative completion rate equal to or exceeding 67% of the credits attempted.
3. Students must complete the required course work within the time periods specified below:

• MSN, Specialty Students - 6 years from matriculation
• MSN, Specialty/MBA Students - 7 years from matriculation
• Certificate Students - 3 years from matriculation
• DNP/Advanced Practice Students - 6 years from matriculation
• DNP, Executive Students - 6 years from matriculation
• DNP, Executive/MBA Students - 7 years from matriculation
• PhD Students - 7 years from matriculation
• DNP/PhD Students - 8 years from matriculation

Treatment of Grades and Repeated Coursework

How do classes taken at another institution and transferred to our school affect a student's SAP? 

All credits accepted for transfer to the student’s program of study are taken into consideration as both attempted and earned credits. Grades earned at other institutions are not, however, counted when computing the student's GPA.

How often is a student's SAP reviewed and how are students notified?

Financial aid recipients are reviewed for SAP at the end of each semester of enrollment (Summer, Fall, or Spring).  Letters are sent to students who do not meet the SAP standards and are placed either in a warning status or who lose eligibility.

Financial Aid Warning Status

Students who fail to meet the minimum financial aid Satisfactory Academic Progress standards will be placed on Financial Aid Warning for the subsequent semester/period of enrollment.  Students are still eligible for financial aid during the "Warning" semester. 

Students applying for financial aid will be placed immediately into Financial Aid Warning status if they did not meet SAP standards in the previous period of enrollment prior to applying for aid. 

Financial Aid Suspension – Losing Title IV Eligibility

Students on Financial Aid Warning, who fail to maintain the minimum SAP standard during the Warning semester, will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension status for subsequent semesters/periods of enrollment.  No financial aid will be disbursed during subsequent semesters/periods of enrollment until the student regains financial aid eligibility.

Students applying for financial aid will not be eligible for assistance and will immediately be placed on Financial Aid Suspension status if they did not meet the minimum financial aid SAP standards, based on the two previous periods of enrollment prior to applying for financial aid.

Students who do not complete their program within the maximum time frame lose eligibility for financial aid and are placed on Financial Aid Suspension status.

Reinstatement of Aid after Financial Aid Suspension Status

A student may regain eligibility for financial aid after Financial Aid Suspension status only by in one of the following ways:

1. The student submits a written letter of appeal and the Financial Aid Appeals Committee grants the appeal. The student is placed on Financial Aid Probation for the next semester/period of enrollment and is eligible for Title IV aid during their Financial Aid Probation status.   If the appeal is approved but the Committee has determined that the student will not be able to meet the SAP standards within one semester/period of enrollment, then the student will be placed on Financial Aid Probation with an Academic Plan which if followed will ensure the student is able to meet the SAP standards by a specific point in time. 
2. The student registers for coursework while on Financial Aid Suspension status, pays for tuition and fees without the help of student financial aid, and does well enough in the coursework to satisfy all the satisfactory academic progress standards at the end of the subsequent semester(s)/period(s) of enrollment.

Appeal Process

Students who wish to appeal Financial Aid Suspension status must submit an appeal of Financial Aid Suspended status in writing to the Financial Aid Appeals Committee by the date specified in the Financial Aid Suspended notification letter. The committee will review the appeal and notify the student in writing of their decision within 14 working days after the Appeals Committee meets and makes its determination. Appeals should include:

·         The grounds for appeal (i.e., working too many hours, etc.)

·         Demonstration that the student understands the reason behind failure to meet the SAP requirements

·         Specific plans to rectify the student's current academic status

The Financial Aid Appeals Committee will review the appeal and consult with academic advisers and other involved parties as warranted. If it is determined that the student will not be able to meet the SAP standards by the end of the next semester/period of enrollment but the Committee is in agreement that the student’s grounds for appeal are reasonable and the student has a reasonable chance to succeed and graduate, then if the appeal is approved the student will also be placed on an Academic Plan.   Students will receive written notification of the decision. All decisions on such appeals are final. 

Students who lose eligibility for financial aid due to not meeting the minimum SAP standards more than one time during their program may submit an appeal each time.

Academic Plan

Students who lose eligibility and submit an appeal may be placed on an Academic Plan if the appeal is approved.  The purpose of an academic plan is to support the student in bringing himself or herself back into compliance with the financial aid SAP standards by a specific point in time in order to ensure that the student will be able to successfully complete the degree or certificate program.  The academic plan will be specifically tailored to the student and may include milestones and specific requirements such as a reduced course load, specific courses or tutoring.   Students on an academic plan are still responsible to meet the SAP requirements in the subsequent semester/period of enrollment and will lose eligibility if the SAP standards are not met, and need to go through the appeal process in order to regain eligibility.  The student’s progress in their academic plan will be taken into account in any subsequent appeal process of financial aid eligibility.

Is financial aid warning or suspension the same as academic probation?  

No. Financial aid recipients must meet the financial aid satisfactory academic progress standards, which is at least as stringent as the schools' academic policy standards, in accordance with federal Title IV regulations. Students should consult the Standards for Good Academic Standing for more information on that standard. Students on academic probation may also be on Financial Aid Suspension, or they may be on Financial Aid Warning status.  

Where Can Students Get More Information?

Contact the Financial Aid Office at 410-955-9840.

Understanding the Verification Process

Verification is a process used to check the accuracy of certain information entered on the FAFSA and to resolve any errors. Some students are selected by the Department of Education and some are selected by the School of Nursing. Selected students will need to provide additional documentation to the School of Nursing before we can finalize and disburse federal financial aid.

If you are selected for verification, you will need to complete and submit a verification worksheet.  We ask that students and parents use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool on the FAFSA to provide income information from your federal tax return.  If you are not able to use the Data Retrieval Tool, you must submit an official IRS transcript of your federal income tax return, which you can obtain from the IRS by calling 1-800-908-9946 or visiting www.IRS.gov.

Verification worksheets can be found by logging in to SIS and referring to your To Do List. We may also email the document to you directly. Once all documents have been received, our office will review the data and compare it to the information on your FAFSA. Our office will make corrections (if necessary) and transmit them to the federal processor. You will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR) if corrections are required. If the corrections impact your federal aid award, we will notify you by email or letter. Verification may take several weeks to complete, so we ask that all students supply the requested materials as soon as possible.

If your documents have not been turned in by the start of each term's respective date, your federal aid will be cancelled. Please see below for each term's deadline:

• Summer 2022 - May 23, 2022
• Fall 2022 - August 29, 2022
• Spring 2023- January 23, 2023

Your financial aid will not be disbursed until the verification process is complete. Students can track the completion of verification documents on the "To Do List" tab on Net Partner in SIS at http://www.sis.jhu.edu.