Satisfactory Academic Progress - Graduate Division

Federal law and regulations require that all students receiving financial assistance maintain satisfactory academic progress according to both qualitative and quantitative measures. The following policy presents the standards adopted by the UCSF Graduate Division and the Student Financial Aid Office and applies to all students receiving financial aid, including Federal Direct (Stafford) Student Loans.

The academic requirements for graduate degrees include the satisfactory completion of the curriculum designated by the faculty. At the conclusion of each academic year, the graduate advisor reviews the qualitative performance of each student. Students must maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.00 and are subject to dismissal by the Dean of Graduate Studies for failure to do so. The Graduate Division will notify the Student Financial Aid Office of student(s) who does not receive satisfactory report from the degree committee. A student shall be placed on financial aid probation if his/her cumulative GPA falls below 3.00. Students on financial aid probation may receive financial aid for one quarter. The student shall be removed from financial aid probation if the cumulative GPA reaches 3.00 at the end of the probationary quarter. If the cumulative GPA does not reach 3.00 at the end of the probationary quarter, the student will be suspended from financial aid eligibility until the cumulative GPA returns to 3.00.

Graduate degrees are awarded for scholarship and contributions to the discipline, and are not quantified in terms of courses completed and units earned. Students take varying numbers of units, depending on their year in the program. During the first two to four years of graduate study, a student normally takes from eight to 12 units per quarter. To be considered full-time for financial aid purposes, students who have not advanced to candidacy must complete at least eight units per quarter (24 per year). Students who attend at least half-time but take fewer than eight units per quarter are eligible for Federal Direct (Stafford) Loans but not for other types of need-based financial aid. Once the student has advanced to candidacy, fewer than eight units per quarter are customary, depending on the kind of activity the student is engaged in. Students who have advanced to candidacy are considered to be enrolled full-time regardless of the number of units they are taking. Occasionally, students receive an incomplete grade for one or more classes. Any incomplete grades must be removed within one calendar year or, if the course is not given yearly, by the end of the quarter in which the course is next offered.

Each student must have an evaluation conference with his/her graduate advisor at least once a year. To maintain satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes, students must receive an evaluation of "satisfactory" or "more than satisfactory." Those who receive the evaluation "improvement is needed" will be placed on financial aid probation. Such students may receive financial aid for one quarter. They may not receive additional funding until another academic review report has been completed with a rating of satisfactory or above. When students apply for financial aid, the Student Financial Aid Office will obtain the report results from the student's Graduate Program.

Students will be viewed as making satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes if they meet the following conditions:

1. Maintain a grade point average of 3.00 or above.
2. Receive an annual evaluation of satisfactory or better.
3. Complete at least eight units per quarter (24 per year) until they have advanced to candidacy.
4. Pass the qualifying exam and advance to candidacy by the end of the fourth year of study.

Students who do not maintain a 3.00 grade point average or receive a satisfactory rating on their annual evaluation will be placed on financial aid probation as already indicated. Those who do not complete the necessary units or advance to candidacy as indicated above must be reviewed by the Director of Student Financial Aid and the Graduate Dean or his designee to determine whether or not they are making satisfactory academic progress and should continue to be eligible for financial aid.

The normative time for completion of the PhD degree is five years, and a student may receive financial aid to cover five years of enrollment, excluding time spent on approved leaves of absence. This limit includes any quarter in which the student was enrolled, whether or not the student received financial aid. Students may require longer than five years of enrollment for a variety of legitimate reasons. Students may receive financial aid for more than five years of enrollment if the Dean of the Graduate Division and the Student Financial Aid Office determines that additional support is warranted. Normally, the student will not receive financial aid to cover more than six years of enrollment, regardless of the time he or she is permitted to maintain enrollment. If a student temporarily withdraws from school, the quarter in which (or after which) the student withdraws will be considered a quarter of enrollment if the student attended long enough to keep his or her financial aid. If the student was not enrolled long enough to keep his or her financial aid, it will not be considered a quarter of enrollment.

When students pursue a professional degree concurrently with the doctoral degree, the maximum time period will be the sum of enrollment periods established by the school for the professional degree and the Graduate Division for the PhD degree.

A student may be granted a leave of absence for a variety of reasons. The time period of an approved leave shall be excluded from the maximum time frame in which an individual student will be expected to complete the program.

The Graduate Division is ready to respond to mitigating circumstances which may arise in individual situations. Students may appeal loss of eligibility for financial aid to the Director of Student Financial Aid. The Director, in consultation with the Dean of Graduate Studies or his/her designee, will determine whether or not the mitigating circumstances offer justification for altering customary standards of academic progress.

Filing Fee 

Master's or doctoral degree candidates may apply to the Graduate Division to be on filing fee status during the last quarter before they obtain the degree.

The Director of Student Financial Aid and the Graduate Division will have joint responsibility for implementation and enforcement of the satisfactory academic progress policy. The Director shall notify each student of the policy at the time of initial enrollment. The Director shall notify a student of implementation of probationary status and suspension from financial aid eligibility.