Completion Rate for Financial Aid: How Pace Is Calculated

Your financial aid office just told you that your "pace" or "completion rate" is too low and your aid is in jeopardy. Most students know about the GPA requirement for financial aid — but the completion rate catches people off guard because it counts things that GPA calculations ignore.

How Completion Rate Is Calculated

Your pace of completion is a simple division:

Cumulative earned credits ÷ Cumulative attempted credits = Completion rate

Schools set their pace threshold in their SAP policies; it may be 67%, 66.67%, or a different percentage such as 75%. The calculation is cumulative under your school's policy, not just for the most recent term.

The important word is "cumulative." A bad semester from three years ago is still in the calculation today.

What Counts as Attempted

This is where students get surprised. Your school's written SAP policy explains how grades affect attempted and earned credits. Federal rules require a course with a W (or equivalent) after the add/drop period to count as attempted, and accepted transfer credits that count toward your current program must count as both attempted and earned:

• Passed courses (A through D): Counted as both attempted and earned. This is the only category that helps your pace.
• Failed courses (F, NC, NP): Counted as attempted but not earned. An F hurts your pace and your GPA.
• Withdrawals (W, EW): A W (or equivalent) earned after the add/drop period must count as attempted. It generally adds no earned credits, so it can lower your pace even though it does not affect GPA.
• Incompletes (I, NR): Your school's policy determines how an incomplete affects GPA and pace. Until the final grade posts, an unresolved incomplete may count as attempted but not earned.
• Repeated courses: Your school's SAP policy determines how repeat attempts affect pace and GPA. A grade replacement does not necessarily remove an earlier attempt from the SAP calculation.
• Transfer credits: Credits accepted toward your current program count as both attempted and earned — this typically helps your pace.
• Audited courses: Usually excluded entirely since they are not eligible for financial aid.

Why 67% Is the Common Threshold

The 66.67% figure follows mathematically from the 150% maximum timeframe rule: completing two-thirds of attempted credits corresponds to attempting 150% of the credits needed for a program. Federal rules do not require a 67% pace threshold; schools set their own pace and rounding rules in their SAP policies.

But not every school uses 67%. Some enforce higher standards. Check your school's published SAP policy for its specific pace requirement.

A Worked Example

Suppose you are in a 120-credit bachelor's program. Over six semesters, you have attempted 78 credits and earned 49.

49 ÷ 78 = 62.8%

At a school with a 67% pace requirement, you are below the threshold. The 29 credits you attempted but did not earn include withdrawals, failures, and unresolved incompletes.

To reach 67% from here, every credit you attempt going forward must be earned. If you take 15 credits next term and pass all of them: (49 + 15) ÷ (78 + 15) = 64 ÷ 93 = 68.8%. You are back above 67%.

But if you withdraw from even one 3-credit course: (49 + 12) ÷ (78 + 15) = 61 ÷ 93 = 65.6%. Still below. That single W cost you the recovery.

How to Improve Your Pace

Stop accumulating W grades. This is the single most impactful change. Every withdrawal adds to attempted credits without adding to earned credits. If you are struggling in a course, explore incomplete options or tutoring before dropping.

Resolve outstanding incompletes. An I that has been sitting on your transcript for two semesters is counting against your pace right now. Work with the instructor to submit the remaining work and convert it to a passing grade.

Take a realistic course load. Taking 18 credits and failing two courses is worse for your pace than taking 12 and passing all of them.

Check whether grade replacements are affecting the count. If your school allows grade replacement, the GPA may reflect only the better grade — but both attempts still count in the pace calculation. Knowing this prevents false confidence about your numbers.

If your pace has already dropped you into financial aid suspension, our SAP Appeal Guide explains how to address pace specifically in your appeal and build an academic plan that targets 100% completion each term.

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