Occasionally, a student’s academic progress may be impacted by unusual circumstances that are beyond the student’s control. A student may appeal for an extension of financial aid after a period of financial aid warning if the student successfully completes the warning term and if the student can document that unexpected, unusual, and temporary circumstances affected the student’s ability to progress at the required rate. Examples of such mitigating circumstances are a death in the immediate family, illness, or other significant life change.
Students may appeal to the Office of Financial Aid no later than 15 calendar days following the end of the financial aid warning period. Students who wish to appeal must complete the Financial Aid Academic Progress Appeal form and provide the Office of Financial Aid with supporting documentation for review. Failure to provide supporting documentation will result in an automatic denial. If the appeal is accepted, the student must meet the requirements outlined in the written approval of the appeal. A pre-existing condition (a condition or illness that a student had before beginning any Walden University program) is not cause for appeal unless there was an unexpected change in that condition. Students may not use the same circumstances in a subsequent appeal, although a student may submit an appeal for a future period of difficulty for different mitigating circumstances.
Courses that adversely impact financial aid academic progress cannot be removed from the student’s academic transcript.