N.J. Admin. Code § 9A:11-2.13

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 9A:11-2.13 - Academic progress

(a) Before payment of an Article III undergraduate student grant may be made to an eligible continuing student, the institution shall have satisfactory evidence that the student is meeting minimum standards for academic progress and class standing according to the institution's established policy for satisfactory academic progress of EOF students, as outlined in (b) below.

(b) For purposes of determining continued eligibility for an Article III undergraduate student grant, the Board shall recognize the same standards of academic performance and progress that an institution adopts to determine eligibility for Federal student financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and its implementing rules and regulations, as well as the following provisions.

1. Due to the special nature of the EOF mission, an institution's satisfactory progress standards for EOF students shall take into consideration the maximum semesters of payment for which an EOF student is eligible under N.J.A.C. 9A:11-2.8. Other factors that shall be considered include the time an EOF student needs to adjust to college life, with the help of the program's supportive services, and the institution's remedial/developmental and ESL policies and programs for EOF students.

2. The summer and winter programs are critical components of the EOF program. Courses that an EOF student schedules and completes using EOF Article III undergraduate summer or winter funds, respectively, as well as academic year courses, shall be considered in determining the student's academic progress. However, as stipulated at N.J.A.C. 9A:11-2.8(i), Article III undergraduate summer and winter grants are not considered a semester of payment.

3. EOF students have the first four semesters of payment to complete all courses that the institution designates as remedial/developmental. The EOF Executive Director may approve additional remedial/developmental work (beyond the four semesters) upon formal written request and approval by the institution.

i. The institution's formal request to the EOF Executive Director shall detail reasons for the request. If there are extenuating circumstances, such as prolonged illness or a death in the family, the student shall provide suitable evidence in the form of one or more of the following documents: letter from the attending physician, obituary notice, and/or death certificate. The request shall also indicate how many remedial/developmental courses the student must complete to fulfill the institution's requirement and the number of additional semesters needed to do so; the student's most recent academic transcript, which shall reflect all remedial/developmental courses and grades earned to date; a copy of the institution's Federal Title IV standards of academic progress policy for EOF students; and why the institutional administrator believes the student can complete the requirement successfully if given additional semester(s) of funding.

ii. The request shall be approved if the institution demonstrates that with the additional semesters the student is highly likely to complete the remedial/developmental requirement, the student has not otherwise exhausted their eligibility for EOF funding, and the student is in compliance with all of the institution's other academic progress requirements.

(c) The class standing and academic progress of all students receiving Article III undergraduate financial assistance shall be monitored by institutions at least once a year before the fall semester.

(d) Students who fail to achieve the standards set forth in this section shall be ineligible to receive academic year Article III undergraduate financial assistance until the institution certifies that they are in good academic standing and are achieving satisfactory academic progress.

(e) The institution shall share with the EOF Central Office any material findings or audit exceptions related to the determination of academic progress at any time that they are revealed in the course of an audit or program review.

(f) Students and institutions shall have the right to appeal, through the procedures at N.J.A.C. 9A:11-6.7, a denial under this section of Article III undergraduate financial assistance. The EOF Executive Director may, at their discretion, consider individual cases and shall have the authority to make such exceptions as unusual circumstances may warrant.

N.J. Admin. Code § 9A:11-2.13

Amended by 48 N.J.R. 2356(a), effective 11/7/2016

Amended by 49 N.J.R. 2796(b), effective 8/21/2017

Amended by 55 N.J.R. 2341(a), effective 11/20/2023