Policy for Federal Financial Aid Recipients
The academic requirements for the JD, LL.M and SJD degree programs at Harvard Law School include the satisfactory completion of the JD, LL.M and SJD curriculum. The progress of each student working towards a law degree is monitored carefully, and the determination of Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is reviewed annually by the Office of the Registrar. At the end of each academic year, students must have academic standing consistent with HLS’s curricular and graduation requirements.
Students must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress in order to remain eligible for federal student aid consideration. Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) tests three components:
- A qualitative component: academic standing.
- An incremental quantitative component: completion rate of credit hours earned divided by credit hours attempted.
- An overall quantitative component: maximum time for the completion of a student’s academic program.
The Office of the Registrar evaluates SAP on an annual basis and informs Student Financial Services if a student is not meeting the academic requirements as outlined on the Registrar’s websites listed below:
- Rules Relating to Law School Studies
- Requirements for JD Degree, Impact of Incomplete Credits, Minimum Annual Progress for JD Students
- Requirements for Graduate Degrees
- Requirements for SJD Degrees
- Special Considerations including Leaves and Withdrawals
Students who are found to be in violation of the parameters set forth by the SAP policy will be notified that their aid is given on a probationary basis for the period of one semester. After the probationary period, if the student is still in violation of SAP, they will be ineligible to receive federal and institutional financial aid in the subsequent semester. However, once SAP has been achieved and confirmed with the Office of the Registrar, a student may again be eligible for federal and institutional aid. Federal aid which has previously disbursed will not be rescinded. As always, students remain responsible for any charges on their student account.
In cases where a student does not meet SAP more than once, the student may also be sent for an Ad Board review and possible suspension from Harvard Law School.