Satisfactory Academic Progress - Medicine

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 School of Medicine and the Student Financial Aid Office and applies to all students receiving financial aid.

The academic requirements for the MD degree include the satisfactory completion of the curriculum designated by the faculty. The progress of each student working toward an MD degree is monitored carefully. At the conclusion of each academic quarter, the School of Medicine Screening and Promotions Committees review the performance of each student in all courses for which the student has enrolled. The review includes an assessment of any failing or incomplete grades or any classes from which the student has withdrawn and their impact upon the student's progress. At the end of the second and subsequent academic years, students must have academic standing consistent with the School of Medicine's graduation requirements.

A student who does not satisfactorily complete all course requirements or who does not have academic standing consistent with graduation requirements may be permitted to remediate. In this case, a student is assigned a schedule that deviates from the norm. Those who earn satisfactory qualitative assessment in all courses for which they are enrolled will be deemed to be making satisfactory academic progress. Since the School of Medicine does not offer noncredit remedial courses, students who require remedial course work must make independent study arrangements with the School.

The normal time frame for completion of required course work for the MD degree is four academic years or up to fourteen quarters. Students are occasionally required to repeat all or part of a year of study (subsequent to incomplete or unsatisfactory course work or an approved leave). To be considered as making satisfactory academic progress, students must complete the first two years of the curriculum by the end of the third year after initial enrollment and the balance of the curriculum by the end of the fifth year after initial enrollment. The progress of each medical student will be monitored quarterly, and at the conclusion of each academic year, to determine that the student is making sufficient progress to meet the time limits as specified. A student not making sufficient progress will be deemed not to be making satisfactory academic progress.

Financial Aid Probation
A student who fails to meet one or more of the standards of progress shall be placed on financial aid probation, and the School of Medicine will so notify the Student Financial Aid Office. While on financial aid probation, the student may receive financial aid for one quarter. At the end of the quarter, the student must have met the satisfactory academic progress standards. A student who does not comply with each standard by the end of the financial aid probationary period is suspended from financial aid eligibility. A student shall be reinstated for financial aid eligibility when he/she has satisfactorily completed sufficient course work to meet the standards of progress.

Full-Time Status
The normal course load in the MD curriculum constitutes a full-time program. When students are required to repeat work, the School of Medicine will determine, on an individual basis, what constitutes full-time attendance. Students who receive only Federal Direct (Stafford) Student Loans and "minimum" grant awards are required to take at least six units per quarter. Students who receive a "Full Funding" package are generally required to take at least 12 units per quarter. Exceptions to the 12-unit rule are made during specified quarters for students who take core clerkships of less than 12 units, or when student standing precludes adding additional elective courses.

Maximum Time
A student is eligible for financial aid for a maximum of five years or eighteen quarters of enrollment, excluding time spent on approved leave of absence. This limit includes any quarter in which the student was enrolled, whether or not the student received financial aid. The required number of units to be completed at the end of each enrollment period will vary in cases where the student is repeating work according to the portion of the curriculum that must be repeated. Students approved to repeat course work are meeting the school's standards for satisfactory academic progress as long as they are meeting the terms established by the Screening and Promotions Committees. Students who voluntarily extend their program beyond four years (e.g., to do research) might receive only loans for their fifth year, depending on availability of funds.

Students are granted leaves 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.

Appeals
The school is ready to respond to mitigating circumstances that may arise in individual situations. Students may appeal loss of eligibility for financial aid to the Director of Student Financial Aid. The Associate Deans or the Director of Student and Curricular Affairs may advise the Director of Student Financial Aid of mitigating circumstances that offer justification for altering customary standards of academic progress.

UCB/UCSF Joint Health and Medical Sciences Program
This is an approved five-year program in which students take the first three years on the Berkeley campus and their final two years at UCSF. During the two years at UCSF they are evaluated and monitored by the screening and promotions committees in the same manner as other medical students. Occasional academic or personal problems may cause a student to take an additional year to complete the curriculum. In such cases, funding for a maximum of three years at UCSF (12 quarters if the student attends summer quarter each year) will be allowed and the student will be monitored as described above.

Concurrent Degree Programs
For students who pursue the MD and PhD degrees concurrently, the maximum time period will be the sum of enrollment periods established by the School of Medicine for the MD degree and the Graduate Studies Office for the PhD degree.

Students who pursue the MD-Master of Public Health degree may receive UCSF financial aid for the enrollment periods established by the School of Medicine for the MD degree.

Implementation
The Director of Student Financial Aid and the School of Medicine shall have joint responsibility for implementation and enforcement of this policy. The Director shall provide each student at the time of initial enrollment with a written copy of this policy. The School of Medicine will monitor the student's qualitative and quantitative performance and will notify the Student Financial Aid Director in writing if any students are not making satisfactory academic progress according to the requirements described above. The Director shall notify students of implementation of financial aid probationary status or suspension from financial aid eligibility.