I think the important thing is that NEU will not reduce their institutional need based aid in subsequent years, and that is the large aid received by most.
I find it hard to believe that Northeastern has two different SAP standards - a 2.0 for non-institutional (federal) money and a 3.0 for institutional money. A 2.0 is reasonable for any need-based money. Requiring a B average for institutional need-based money turns the grant into a hybrid award. It’s no longer based strictly on need; it’s now also based on getting grades that are higher than required to satisfactorily pass a class. A kid with high financial need who is a straight C student (plenty good enough to get a degree) gets no “need-based” aid from Northeastern? That’s a really bad concept.
Edited to add that clearly the Northeastern website, being relied upon by students entering the school in less than a month, states that the SAP needed to maintain Northeastern grants is a 1.8 GPA for first year students and a 2.0 GPA therefater.
I glanced at the Common Data Set info for Northeastern from last year. 100% of freshmen’s need was met 86.9% of upperclassmen’s. A variety of reasons for this but the fact of the matter is that despite freshman year college grants remaining at least the same, even increased grants for COLA, there is that difference in freshman and upper classmen’s % of successful
Perhaps some people may have looked at merit or merit+need money offered by the school where a college GPA higher than the SAP threshold is needed to renew that merit or merit+need money.