Grades and Academic Standing

Good Academic Standing
Academic W arning & Suspension
Re-admission to Graduate Degree Programs

6.1 Grades

Graduate students admitted fall 2016 and forward:

MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENTS — A course listed on a Program of Study must receive a grade of “C” or higher to be counted. If a student receives a grade lower than a “C,” the student must retake the course and earn a grade of “C” or better.

Note: Specific departments may have additional minimum grade requirements.

Another course may be substituted on the Program of Study if the original course is not offered in either of the two (2) subsequent terms. The original course will remain on the Program of Study and the new course will be noted as a substitution by The Graduate School. A letter from the department head to The Graduate School will be sufficient to support a course substitution.

Note: A student must still maintain a program GPA of 3.00 or higher.

Graduate students admitted prior to fall 2016:

MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENTS — A course listed on a Program of Study must receive a grade of “C-“ or higher to be counted. If a student receives a grade lower than a “C-,“ the student must retake the course and earn a “C-“ or better.

Note: The department may have additional minimum grade requirements.

Students must maintain a minimum program GPA of 3.00 or higher.

6.2 Academic Standing

A. GOOD ACADEMIC STANDING — Degree-seeking graduate students are expected to maintain a 3.00 Grade Point Average (GPA) to be in Good Academic Standing. This includes maintaining:

A minimum term GPA of 3.00,
A minimum 3.00 GPA in the entire Program of Study, and
A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00.

Any student whose cumulative or term GPA is less than 3.00 at the end of any term may be placed on academic warning or suspended from their degree program. See Academic Warning & Suspension.

Information on GPA calculation, Pass/Fail grades, N grades, and I grade eligibility may be found at Grade-point average (GPA), Pass/Fail grades, N grades, “I” Grade Eligibility, and “W” Grade Eligibility. Students should be aware that all “I” grades must be replaced with a standard letter grade no later than the term of graduation.

B. ACADEMIC WARNING AND SUSPENSION FROM AN ACADEMIC DEGREE PROGRAM

1. Academic Notice and Academic Warning

Students may be placed on Academic Notice if their term GPA falls below 3.00 and cumulative GPA remains at 3.00 or above. Students in their first semester whose term GPA falls below 3.00 will be placed on Academic Notice.

Students beyond their first semester may be placed on Academic Warning for either of the following reasons: 1) their cumulative GPA or Program of Study GPA has fallen below 3.00; or 2) the Graduate School or academic department provisions of admission have not been met.

Students can remain on Academic Warning if their cumulative GPA remains below 3.00 and their term GPA is above 3.00, i.e., they are making progress on improving their GPA. When placed on Academic Warning the student will be sent a Plan of Action template from the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School. The student should work with their committee chair to complete the Plan of Action. The plan must enumerate the items to be completed for the student to return to good standing and will be signed by the student, the student’s committee chair, department head, and the graduate school.

2. Academic Suspension

Students may be academically suspended from a degree program if any of the following reasons apply: 1) their cumulative or program of study GPA stays below a 3.00 after being placed on Academic Warning and their term GPA is below 3.00; 2) the provisions of the student’s admission are not satisfied; or 3) unsatisfactory progress in a degree program as determined by a majority of the student’s graduate committee. This is summarized below. Note, comprehensive exams (section 5.3.5), thesis (section 5.2.9) and dissertation defenses (section 5.3.6) are handled separately and are described in separate sections of graduate school policy.

Academic Standing for Graduate Students

Good Standing: A graduate student has a term and cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 or better or is a new student

Academic Notice: A student's cumulative GPA remains at 3.00 or better and their term GPA is below 3.00. Or students in their first semester whose term GPA falls below 3.00.

Academic Warning: A student beyond their first semester and whose cumulative GPA is below 3.00. Student will remain on Academic Warning if their cumulative GPA remains below 3.00, if their term GPA is above 3.00.

Academic Suspension: A student was placed on Academic Warning in the prior term and their term GPA is below 3.00; OR Provisions of admission are not satisfied; OR Unsatisfactory progress in a degree program.

In deciding whether to suspend a student from their program or change their program from a doctoral to a master’s program, the student’s graduate committee should consider all the following factors: 1) the student’s overall progress towards degree; 2) course and examination grades; 3) research performance; and 4) any other information relevant to whether the student should be allowed to complete their program of study. Committees should weigh the student’s overall performance and come to a consensus before making their decision.

Degree programs are required to notify a student in writing of a suspension due to unsatisfactory progress or not meeting the provisions of admission and provide the reasons for the suspension. This notice must be signed by the student’s committee chair, a majority of the committee (if a committee is in place), and the graduate program coordinator or department head. A copy of the notice shall be provided by the program to The Graduate School. Suspension notices due to GPA thresholds will be sent by the Graduate School.

Students may appeal an academic suspension by following the appeal process.

A suspended student has a path to re-apply, as detailed in this policy and re-admission policy (section 4.1 Enrollment).

The final decision on a suspension appeal resides with The Graduate School.

C. RE-ADMISSION TO GRADUATE DEGREE STANDING — Students considering applying to the same program they were suspended from should consult with the program before applying for re-admission.

To be considered for re-admission to degree-seeking status for another program within The Graduate School, a student must:

Submit a regular graduate application to that program.
Demonstrate academic strength after suspension by e.g.
- Completing a minimum of nine (9) credits at the 4XX-level and higher courses, and
- Achieving a minimum 3.00 GPA in these courses.

See Re-admission.