Pace

At each SAP evaluation point the institution divides total completed credits by total attempted credits. If the result meets or exceeds the published percentage, the student satisfies the quantitative component. If not, the student is placed on warning or becomes ineligible, depending on institutional policy and whether an appeal is later approved. Transfer credits accepted toward the program count in both the attempted and completed totals.

Example: a student has attempted 45 credits and completed 27. Pace is 27 ÷ 45 = 60 percent. The institution’s standard is 67 percent, so the student is not making satisfactory progress on the quantitative measure even if the GPA is acceptable.

GPA is the qualitative SAP component. Maximum timeframe is the absolute credit or time limit. Graduation rate is an institutional cohort statistic, not an individual pace calculation. Completion rate sometimes refers to the same concept as pace but can also mean a program-level outcome measure.

Excluding withdrawn courses from attempted credits. Calculating pace on a single term rather than cumulatively when the policy requires a cumulative measure. Assuming that earning a passing grade in current courses automatically cures a prior pace deficit.