NAU Personalized Learning Policies

New students, for whom a financial aid file is complete and aid has been awarded, will receive their disbursement on the seventh day of the subscription.

Continuing students, for whom a financial aid file is complete and aid has been awarded, will receive their disbursement as soon as the subscription begins and they become active in that subscription.

All students are required to complete at least one assignment or discussion, in addition to passing an essay and a pre-test/post-test/post-project, to close a lesson. Students may select any assignment or discussion in the lesson to fulfill this requirement.

This applies to all students (not just those who are receiving financial aid) and ensures compliance with the U.S. Department of Education’s guidelines on “regular and substantive interaction.” All completed lessons are considered “earned” and eligible for financial aid.

Questions regarding the assignment of credit and how to complete lessons should be directed to your faculty mentor. Questions regarding financial aid should be sent to PL.FinAid@nau.edu.

The payment period is a concept used by the U.S. Department of Education to define the period for which students receive federal financial aid. In the NAU Personalized Learning program, it is the student’s responsibility to maintain weekly academic activity and to successfully complete the credit hours for which they have received funding and a minimum of 26 weeks of instruction. Students are encouraged to work with their Personalized Learning mentor to ensure they complete their credit requirements and remain in good financial aid standing.

For subscriptions starting on or before June 27, 2018, you must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours and 26 weeks of instruction within each payment period. You received aid on the expectation that you will complete 12 hours and subsequent aid depends on completion of 12 credits.

For subscriptions starting on or after July 4, 2018, you may receive aid based on full-or-part-time enrollment and must meet the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive aid for subsequent subscriptions.

Students’ financial aid will disburse and pay any university charges on their LOUIE account. If the student receives more aid than there are charges to pay, a refund will be processed by Student and Departmental Account Services (SDAS). Students are encouraged to set up a Direct Deposit account through LOUIE for faster delivery of the refund.

Subscription fees must be paid by the tenth day after a student begins a subscription to avoid being dropped for non-payment.
Students dropped for non-payment will not be responsible for the subscription charge; it will be removed from the student’s account. Any financial aid awarded to the student will be cancelled and any course work completed during the first 10 days of the subscription will be removed. Any fees paid out-of-pocket by the student will be refunded.

This Federal Student Aid policy requires students to demonstrate Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) toward degree completion. Students must meet the following three measurements, or standards, to maintain federal aid eligibility. Financial aid will not be awarded or disbursed until OSFA confirms all three standards are met.

Students in the Personalized Learning program will be evaluated for SAP between each subscription.

1.Pace of progress
All NAU students must maintain a minimum 67% pace of progress, which is calculated by the total sum of successfully completed credit hours divided by the total attempted credit hours, i.e., Completed / Attempted = Pace of Progress

Transfer hours count as both completed and attempted.

Personalized Learning students may also be suspended for failing to earn any credits in a single subscription.

NOTE: Opened, uncompleted lessons can negatively impact your pace.

2. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
Only NAU course grades are included in the cumulative GPA. Transfer credits or other non-qualifying credit hours are not included in the calculation.

• Undergraduate students must maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
• Graduate students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

3. Maximum timeframe
Students must complete a degree within a certain number of credits and are allowed funding for up to 150% of the number of credits required. Personalized Learning degrees require at least 120 credit hours; you will be suspended from aid if you exceed 180 total attempted credit hours.

Satisfactory academic progress statuses:

These definitions will help you understand your status and necessary action you might need to take to maintain your financial aid eligibility. Log in to LOUIE to view your current SAP status.

Meets SAP: You meet all three SAP standards and are eligible to receive financial aid.

You will be placed on SAP suspension if you do not meet all SAP standards by the end of the payment period and/or subscription. This applies only to GPA and pace of progress. Students not meeting the maximum timeframe standard are immediately placed on SAP suspension.

Suspension: You are ineligible to receive financial aid based on SAP evaluation but you may appeal for reconsideration. Visit the Satisfactory Academic Progress page for details on the appeal process.

Students who complete zero (0) lessons in a subscription will be placed on SAP suspension.

Suspension does not automatically withdraw you from the university.  Please contact Personalized Learning for more information.

NOTE: Submitting an appeal is not a guarantee of approval and/or reinstatement of financial aid eligibility.

Probation: You are on SAP probation because you have successfully appealed your suspension. You are required to meet specific probation conditions by the end of each subscription period. You will no longer be eligible for financial aid if these conditions are not met.

For students in the CIT (undergraduate and graduate), SBA, LA, and Management programs, the cost of a six-month subscription is $3,000.

For students in the Nursing (undergraduate and graduate) programs, the cost of a six-month subscription is $3,750.

Subscriptions begin every Wednesday. You must contact their Academic Advisor to select a start date. During the advising appointment, your Advisor will ask if you intend to use financial aid to pay for your subscription; this determines the earliest date you may begin a subscription. Students may begin a subscription without having been awarded financial aid, however OSFA strongly encourages students wait until the appropriate year’s FAFSA has been filed.

New students must wait two weeks to start a subscription to allow OSFA adequate time to award and process financial aid. Continuing students who have received aid in the past must wait one week to allow OSFA adequate time to award and process financial aid.

Student not eligible for financial aid or those who wish to begin a subscription before they can be awarded must make alternative arrangements to pay their subscription charge on LOUIE.

If you are a registered student and wish to withdraw from classes, you may do so on LOUIE. If you are unable to complete the withdrawal process online, you may submit your request in writing using a form available on the Registrar’s website.

Students who officially withdraw from the Personalized Learning program will be subject to a federal withdrawal evaluation known as Return of Title IV. If the amount disbursed to you is great than the amount you earned, the university must return any unearned funds to the U.S. Department of Education, which may result in a balance on your LOUIE account.

Visit Student and Departmental Account Services for payment options if your Return to Title IV evaluation results in charges due back to NAU.

For NAU’s official Return of Title IV policy, visit OSFA’s withdrawal policy page.