Financial Aid Appeals

According to federal regulations, a student must show Satisfactory Academic Progress to continue to receive financial aid. At the most basic level, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) means passing enough classes to show that you are making progress toward earning a college degree. You must maintain a passing rate of at least 67% overall and must pass at least some of the hours you attempt each semester to meet SAP requirements.

(Please visit our Satisfactory Academic Progress website for information about other SAP requirements which cannot be appealed.)

Students who are passing less than 67% of all attempted hours at the end of a semester, will be placed in a Warning status for the following semester. Students who fail to earn a 67% overall passing rate by the end of the Warning semester will be placed on Financial Aid Suspension and will lose eligibility for financial aid until they either successfully appeal or take enough classes at their own expense to reach the 67% overall passing requirement. Students are notified of their Warning or Suspension status via their MTSU email account shortly after grades are issued for a semester.

Who Can Submit an Appeal

A student who was unable to pass classes because of extenuating circumstances but who is now able to meet the requirements may file an appeal. If you lost eligibility for financial aid because you didn't pass enough classes, and if you didn't pass enough classes because of extenuating circumstances (such as severe illness or extreme financial hardship), you may file an appeal to request that your financial aid be reinstated. If your appeal is approved, you may be eligible to receive your financial aid for the current or upcoming semester.

What an Appeal Must Include

Your appeal must include the following paperwork:

• A completed and signed Satisfactory Academic Appeal Form
• A detailed letter regarding your situation, including a description of why you were unable to meet the SAP requirements and a statement regarding what has changed to now allow you to meet the requirements
• Documentation to support the appeal, such as statements from doctors, counselors, or other professionals (See the FAQs webpage for tips on determining what documentation you should submit.)

Please Note: If you have failed to meet federal SAP requirements for multiple semesters, you must provide information and documentation for all of the affected semesters, not just for the most recent term.

How to Submit An Appeal

Please submit your appeal to the Financial Aid Office (mail or hand-deliver to 218 Cope Administration Building or fax to 615-898-5167). You will receive a response via your MTSU email account approximately three to four weeks after you submit your appeal.

We strongly recommend that you submit your entire appeal at one time, including all supporting documentation. If you choose to submit documentation separately from the rest of your appeal, you must include your name and M#, along with a note that it is to be added to the appeal you already submitted. Please Note: Documentation that is received after an appeal is reviewed will not be considered; for this reason, if you choose to submit documentation separately from your appeal, we cannot guarantee that the documentation will be reviewed.

Who to Contact for More Information

Still have questions? Visit our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) webpage!

After reading all of the information on the FAQs page, if you have additional questions about the appeal process or the documentation you need to provide, you should speak with your financial aid counselor. You can find your assigned counselor on our Office Staff webpage, in the Administrative Staff section.

If you have a question about an appeal you have submitted but for which you have not received a decision yet, you should send an email to the Financial Aid Appeal Committee.