Academic Actions and Exceptions

Good Academic Standing

A graduate student in good academic standing is making adequate progress toward the completion of degree requirements both in terms of time and quality of work. Students in good standing will maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in their coursework (with at least six credit hours attempted). Individual graduate programs may adopt stricter requirements for good academic standing, which need to be formally approved and included in their section of the University Graduate Catalog. 

Graduate students should periodically discuss their academic progress with their advisors to learn whether they are performing satisfactorily and making sufficient progress toward the degree.

Probation & Dismissal Process

If a graduate student is deemed not to be in good academic standing in a given term or half term, the graduate program will decide to place the student on academic probation in the following term or half term for at least the duration of that entire term or require the student to withdraw from the University.  Graduate programs will notify students in writing when their performance falls below acceptable levels. Students should be notified of their probationary status ahead of the add/drop deadline of the subsequent semester, otherwise they will be granted an additional full semester of probation.

During the probationary status, the student will not be awarded a graduate degree or certificate or be advanced to candidacy. For students on probation, individual graduate programs may also create policies requiring students to achieve minimum grades in the overall program of study and/or in particular courses, provided such stipulations are applied fairly, transparently, and consistently among the graduate student population in the program. A longer probationary period may be granted at the discretion of the program. Whenever an extended probationary period is granted, a list of clear expectations and milestones shall be shared with the student in writing, and progress shall be tracked.

A student on probation when last enrolled in a graduate program who wishes to be readmitted to that program, or change programs, or degree level, must submit a petition along with the Request for readmission form or application to a new program. The petition should provide reasons for the poor academic record, explain how conditions that produced the poor performance have changed, and present specific plans for improvement. The admitting graduate program reviews the documents and makes a determination on admission/readmission as well as any conditions of academic probation.

A student whose cumulative GPA falls below a B (3.0 on a 4.0 point scale), or who is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree, may be denied permission to register, required to withdraw from the term, or be dismissed from the program. Immediate dismissal without a probationary period should only be used in the most extreme situations, where student success support efforts are highly unlikely to succeed. The decision to dismiss a student without a probationary period should be reviewed by the college academic standards committee or an equivalent committee. Programs must provide the student with written notification of the grounds for dismissal.

See also your program's time to degree policy and the Code of Conduct.