Satisfactory Progress Policy – UC Tuition Remission

Tuition remission under Board Rule 30-13-07 provides university employees as well as their spouse, domestic partner, and dependents with specific parameters regarding educational tuition assistance. Tuition remission is a UC employment benefit administered by the Human Resources Department.

In addition to the employment requirements for receiving said benefit and the limitations outlined, the rule stipulates that continued eligibility is contingent upon maintaining satisfactory progress based on criteria established by the Student Financial Aid Office. The standards for satisfactory progress are outlined as follows:

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT STANDARDS
The Standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress for undergraduate degree or non-degree students have three components.

1. Qualitative Measure: After the first year of enrollment (three quarters/two semesters of full- or part-time attendance), a minimum of a 2.0 university GPA must be maintained. 
2. Quantitative Measure: To ensure that tuition remission recipients are completing coursework at a rate consistent with achieving a degree, progress will be monitored annually, and students may have no more than 18 undergraduate or graduate hours of non-satisfactory grades.
3. Maximum Number of Attempted Hours: Spouses, domestic partners, and dependents are limited to 216 total hours of undergraduate credit hours attempted.  Students in associate degree programs are encouraged to complete their degree within 120 hours in order to have eligibility consideration to complete their bachelor’s degree within the remaining maximum hours. 

GRADUATE STUDENT STANDARDS
Graduate students in both degree and non-degree programs must meet the following two components to maintain progress.

1. Qualitative Measure: A minimum of a 2.0 graduate GPA must be maintained.
2. Quantitative Measure: To ensure that tuition remission recipients are completing coursework at a rate consistent with achieving a degree, progress will be monitored annually. Students may have no more than 6 hours of non-satisfactory grades during their graduate studies.         

Notes:

• Non-satisfactory grades include I’s (incomplete), Y’s or UW’s (unofficial withdrawal), W’s (official withdrawal), X’s or WX’s (non-attendance/participation), N’s, NG’s or blanks (no grade reported), U’s (unsatisfactory), NP’s (not proficient), IP’s (in progress), UP’s (unsatisfactory progress), I/F’s (failed incomplete), IP/F’s (failed in progress), and F’s (failing grade) and do not count toward meeting satisfactory academic progress requirements.
• T’s (audit) grades (except for AAUP faculty members taking courses) are also considered non-satisfactory and do not count toward meeting progress.
• All terms of attendance beginning with autumn 2008 are reviewed including terms in which no tuition remission was received. If students fail to meet progress standards, they will lose their eligibility for tuition remission assistance.
• Eligibility is not recalculated when a student changes major or completes a degree.
• Eligibility for federal aid and tuition remission have separate progress measures and processes. Students receiving federal aid and tuition remission are subject to the appropriate standards and reinstatement processes of each program.

TUITION REMISSION SATISFACTORY PROGRESS REINSTATEMENT PROCEDURES
At the end of spring term each year, the academic records of all employees, spouses, domestic partners and dependents who are receiving or applying for tuition remission will be reviewed. Those students who fail to meet the qualitative and quantitative components of academic progress will be notified by Human Resources that they are no longer eligible to receive tuition remission assistance. This notification will also outline steps students can take to restore their eligibility. 

Students have the following options available:

1. Complete 12 credit hours (in a single term or over multiple terms) with a 2.0 GPA without the use of tuition remission.
   -or-
2. Make up any deficient hours and/or bring up university GPA to a 2.0 without the use of tuition remission.
   -or-
3. Submit a written appeal if the failure to maintain satisfactory progress was due to extenuating circumstances.

Notification of completing one of the first two options or an appeal is submitted by the student to the Human Resources Department. The academic record will then be reviewed to determine if tuition remission eligibility will or will not be reinstated for future terms.

Upon any reinstatement of tuition remission eligibility, the student’s record will be reviewed each term to ensure the following revised quantitative and qualitative measures are maintained:

1. Successful completion of 100% of coursework if hours at or exceeding non-satisfactory hour limits remain on the academic record.
2. Term GPA is a 2.0 or better.

Failure to meet these revised standards will result in loss of tuition remission eligibility until such time that eligibility is once again established.