In order to maintain eligibility for financial aid, a student must maintain satisfactory academic progress, which is measured quantitatively and qualitatively each academic term. For a student to be making satisfactory academic progress, the student must meet the following cumulative grade point average (GPA), completion rate, and pace of completion standards. View this video to learn more. Students who change majors will only have their previously completed classes that count as credits toward their new major included in their Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) calculation.
Minimum GPA–Undergraduate
| First semester of freshman year | 1.75 |
| All subsequent semesters (associate and bachelor's levels) | 2.0 |
| Certificate program—all semesters | 2.0 |
Minimum Cumulative GPA—Graduate
| All semesters | 3.0 |
Completion Rate—Undergraduate and Graduate
Students must maintain a 67% completion rate. This rate is determined by the following calculation:
Credits completed with a passing grade
÷ Credits attempted
= Completion rate of at least 67%
Pace of Completion—Undergraduate
A student may attempt no more than 150% of the credit hours required by the program:
Students who started in an undergraduate degree program prior to July 1, 2019:
Associate Degree Programs—Maximum Credits Attempted
Baking and Pastry Arts—104
Culinary Arts—104
Bachelor's Degree Programs—Maximum Credits Attempted
Applied Food Studies—180
Baking and Pastry Arts—189
Culinary Arts—189
Culinary Science—198
Food Business Management—198
Hospitality Management—185
Hospitality Management, Beverage Production and Service Concentration—221
Hospitality Management, Intrapreneurship: Driving Innovation from Within an Organization Concentration—221
Organization Concentration—225
Applied Food Studies and Culinary Science double major—234
Students who started in an undergraduate degree program after July 1, 2019:
Associate Degree Programs—Maximum Credits Attempted
Baking and Pastry Arts—101
Culinary Arts—101
Bachelor's Degree Programs—Maximum Credits Attempted
Applied Food Studies—191
Baking and Pastry Arts—189
Culinary Arts—189
Culinary Science—196
Food Business Leadership—196
Food Business Management—196
Hospitality Management—183
Hospitality Management, Intrapreneurship: Driving Innovation from Within an Organization Concentration—207
Applied Food Studies and Culinary Science double major—232
Certificate Programs—Maximum Credits Attempted
Accelerated Culinary Arts—45
Pace of Completion—Graduate
The number of credit hours for which a student may receive federal financial aid may not exceed 150 percent of the credit hours required to complete the academic program's published length.
Food Business —45
Wine Management—45
Financial Aid Status
Students not meeting satisfactory academic standards for a given academic term, as outlined above, are notified in writing via the students' CIA e-mail and portal accounts and will be placed on financial aid warning for one semester for which they may receive their federal, state, and institutional aid, excluding the CIA Merit-based Scholarship. At the end of the warning semester, satisfactory academic progress will be reviewed. If the student meets the minimum standards as outlined, the warning status will be lifted. If minimum standards are not met, the student will forfeit future eligibility for financial aid and will be notified in writing via the students' CIA e-mail and portal accounts. Students who have not maintained eligibility to receive financial aid due to unsatisfactory academic progress may appeal for one additional semester of probationary eligibility. The student must include an academic improvement plan outlining the steps that will be followed to improve the student's GPA and/or completion rate. This plan must be signed by the director of the Center for Career and Academic Advising for students attending the New York campus, the manager of the Learning Strategies Center for students attending the California campus, or the learning strategist for students attending the Texas campus. Appeals must be submitted to Student Financial and Registration Services at the New York campus within 30 days after receiving the notice of action taken for the committee to review. The decision of the committee is final. Late or incomplete appeals will not be accepted or reviewed.
Reinstatement of Aid
If a student is readmitted or subsequently meets SAP requirements after losing aid eligibility, the college will consider the student's application for financial aid and institutional need-based aid. Reinstatement of aid is not automatic, and the student must submit a letter to SFRS requesting a reinstatement of institutional need-based aid. The CIA Merit-Based Scholarship will not be reinstated. In order to remain eligible for aid, the student must meet the minimum academic progress standards as outlined or lose eligibility for the following semester.
Aid Suspension Due to Drug Conviction
The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, suspends aid eligibility for students who have been convicted under federal or state law of the sale or possession of drugs, if the offense occurred during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving federal student aid. Students who have a conviction for this offense should call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 or go to studentaid.gov click "Before Beginning a FAFSA" in the left column, and submit the Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet to find out how this law may apply.
Students who have lost federal student aid eligibility because of a drug conviction can regain eligibility by successfully completing a qualified drug rehabilitation program or passing two unannounced drug tests administered by such a program. Students may also regain their eligibility if their conviction is reversed, set aside, or removed from their record so that fewer than two convictions for sale or three convictions for possession remain on their record.