Skip to main content

Academic

Academic Progress

Academic Probation Policy Link to section

All graduate students are expected to maintain high standards of academic performance in their coursework and their research. The minimum acceptable grades for courses or research work carrying graduate credit are C or S. However, only one C grade is allowed in a student’s graduate program of study. Please note that individual departments may have a higher minimum grade requirement that supersedes this policy.

Academic Probation Link to section

A student who receives the grade of C in one or more courses or the grade of E in one or more courses will be considered to have an unsatisfactory record and will be automatically placed on academic probation*. A student on academic probation cannot be awarded a graduate degree. Students in extenuating circumstances may appeal to the dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs.

*Students who receive their first and only C in their final semester are not subject to academic probation.

When a student is placed on probation by the GEPA office, the student will be notified in writing and will be reviewed at the end of the following semester to determine if their probationary status should continue. During the probationary period, students will remain eligible to receive federal and institutional assistance (except when they have exceeded their degree deadline). If a student does not re-establish satisfactory academic standing after attempting a full-time courseload, the student will become ineligible to receive financial aid and will be subject to exclusion (dismissal) by the GEPA office.

A student will be removed from academic probation if the student completes a full-time courseload of graduate credit with no grade lower than B-. If the student receives a grade below B-, the student is subject to removal from the program.

Academic Department or Program Probation

As noted above, programs may have additional standards beyond the GEPA office’s set of criteria for determining a student’s academic standing. All programs must make clear and direct reference in their handbook or program materials to any additional criteria for determining a student’s academic standing and to the consequences of failing to meet program-specific requirements.

When a program determines that a student is not making adequate academic progress, the program may place the student on an internal departmental probation in accordance with the probation process outlined in the program’s handbook or in direct written communication to a student. Programs determine the length of the probationary period in accordance with their handbook or previous communication to a student. When a decision to place a student on probation is made by the program, the student and the GEPA office must be notified in writing.

Exclusion (Dismissal)

A student who fails to resume satisfactory academic standing during the probationary period after being notified of placement on probation will be excluded (dismissed). The exclusion decision is made when a student does not meet the criteria for satisfactory academic progress and has failed to remediate within the GEPA office’s probationary period. In such cases, there is typically no process for appeal, and the exclusion will take effect immediately. In cases in which there were extenuating circumstances that affected the student’s academic performance (e.g, documented health concerns, death in the family), the student may appeal the exclusion decision. A petition to appeal must be made in writing within 10 calendar days of notification of the decision and should include the reasons for academic performance and a plan for improvement. The dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (or the dean’s designee) will review the appeal and may uphold or amend the exclusion decision.

As noted above, programs may have additional criteria beyond the GEPA office’s criteria for determining a student’s academic standing and may have their own internal probation process. A student who has failed to make satisfactory academic progress according to the program-specific criteria or failed to remediate during a program-specific probation period will be excluded (dismissed) by the program. A student can be excluded (dismissed) by a program when the:

  • Criteria for exclusion (dismissal) have been stated clearly by the program, either in a handbook or via direct written communication to a student, and have been disseminated to the students effectively
  • Decision to exclude is made by the program faculty or a subset of faculty that includes the director of graduate study; no individual faculty member can exclude a student

Funding will cease on the effective date of the exclusion unless other arrangements are made. When a student is excluded (dismissed) by the program, the student has an opportunity to appeal the exclusion decision to the GEPA office. When a student appeals the program’s exclusion decision, the exclusion becomes effective after the appeal process has concluded if the appeal is denied.

Notification of Exclusion (Dismissal)

When the GEPA office determines that a student is to be excluded, both the program and the student will be informed in writing (email communication is considered to be “in writing”) within 10 business days of the determination. Similarly, when a decision to exclude a student is made by the program, both the student and the GEPA office must be informed in writing within 10 business days of the decision.

The exclusion (dismissal) notification must include the effective date of the exclusion and a clear statement of the reason(s) for exclusion.

Appeal Process for Exclusions by Program

Students wishing to appeal a program’s exclusion decision may appeal the final program exclusion decision to the GEPA office. To appeal a program decision, students should submit a request in writing to the attention of the graduate registrar within 10 calendar days of the date of the program’s final written determination of exclusion to the student and include any supporting materials at that time.

If no appeal is filed within the 10-day appeal period, the program’s decision becomes final and not subject to appeal.

Grounds for appeal of a program’s exclusion decision are as follows:

  • Procedural errors in the exclusion process
  • New information discovered after the exclusion that was not available at the time of the exclusion and could impact the outcome
  • Program’s decision to exclude was manifestly contrary to the weight of the information available at the time of the decision (i.e., exclusion is obviously unreasonable and unsupported by the great weight of information)

Appeals of program exclusions are reviewed by the dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (or the dean’s designee) who may request additional information from, or a meeting with, the student and/or program before making a final decision.

If the dean (or the dean’s designee) does not find that any of the aforementioned grounds for appeal are present, the dean will uphold the outcome of the program. If the dean (or the dean’s designee) finds that grounds for appeal are valid, they may amend the decision of the program.