You must be registered for a minimum of half the full-time hours for a particular programme. In order to meet the quantitative standard, you must complete and pass exams and coursework or carry out research for your degree programme. You can find programme requirements in your Programme Handbooks, and wider guidelines as set out in the attendance policies for taught and research students.
In order to maintain eligibility for funds the maximum timeframe for completion of a degree programme may not exceed 150% of the published length of a programme.
UWS programmes are based on Credit Hours – each programme of study (Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Programmes) is fully described in the Programme Specification and Module Database and students will be advised on the number of modules that they are enrolled on. For the majority of taught programmes, students would normally complete six 20 point modules in the SCQF framework per annum. This means that their Quantitative element of their registration would expires when they had attempted 9 modules (150%) at any level.
At research level, students must complete their studies within 150% of the published timeframe. Students should be aware then that they will be bound by the shorter of the UWS maximum or FAFSA maximum, as outlined below:
Research Degree Type (normal registration / maximum UWS registration / maximum FAFSA registration)
- MRes (12 months / 24 months / 18 months)
- MPhil (24 months / 36 months / 36 months)
- MPhil/PhD (36 months / 48 months / 54 months)
- PhD Direct (36 months / 48 months / 54 months)
- DBA (36 months / 48 months / 54 months)
Please also note:
- Periods when a student does not receive funds will be included in the maximum timeframe.
- Students who transfer from another institution will have the time spent at the first institution included in the maximum timeframe measured in Credit Hours. Credit Hours from another institution that are accepted towards the student’s educational programme at UWS must count as both attempted and completed hours.
- Periods of formal interruption to study from a course will not be included in the maximum timeframe for the purposes of the academic programme but may result in withdrawal of loan funds. Students will not be permitted an interruption or Leave of Absence of more than 180 days for the purposes of their Loan Programme.
The student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress is determined by a combination of Programme Assessment Board decisions along with the pace of completion which can be affected by module incompletes, withdrawals, repetitions or transfer credits.
The UWS FSA Funding Team will monitor each loan funded student’s performance at every disbursement point, ensuring that both qualitative and quantitative expectations are being met.
Students will normally be expected to complete their studies at a rate of 67% Minimum Pace of Completion Calculation). If a student withdraws from a module or fails to complete it in an assessment period, this will count as a zero towards their quantitative assessment. Transfers in will carry the normal credit hour in any calculation. Resits will gain credit in the period they have been passed.
At UWS, there is a maximum module mark of 40% for resits in levels 10 and 11 in the SCQF framework, and so resit marks are capped for the purposes of degree classification.
The UWS FSA Funding Team will monitor the maximum timeframe, the minimum pace of completion, and the academic marks for each module in parallel with the Programme Assessment Boards on a Semester basis. The assessment used for Satisfactory Academic Progress will be identical to that used for the official grade.
A student who fails either measure of SAP will become ineligible for aid, but may receive a Financial Aid Warning initially. This is a temporary one payment period status, which allows the student to continue receiving aid.
A student may also be placed on Financial Aid Probation - a status under which a student can remain Title IV-eligible after being found not to be making Satisfactory Academic Progress. The student placed on probation must either be on-track to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements by the end of the subsequent payment period (no academic plan required, based on the financial aid appeal), or, if the student will require more than one payment period to meet SAP requirements, UWS will require the student to develop an academic plan to meet the SAP requirements. Students cannot be placed on Financial Assistance probation unless they submit an appeal and appeal had been approved.