Academic Program Standing

Students must meet the requirements for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to continue enrollment and eligibility for financial aid. Some academic majors/programs have additional requirements and a higher SAP threshold than the institutional standard for academic progress due to professional accreditation. These programs and divisions regularly meet to assess student progress and academic standing using their program or division’s policies.

If an undergraduate student is not meeting program degree requirements, the Division Chair and/or faculty of the division may take any of the following actions: issue an academic warning, place the student on divisional probation, or dismiss the student from the program. If a graduate student is not meeting program degree requirements, the Division Chair and/or faculty of the division may issue an academic warning, place the student on divisional probation, dismiss the student from the program, and/or recommend that the student be administratively withdrawn from the College.

In the instances where students are dismissed from the program and recommended to be administratively withdrawn from the College, due to no longer meeting requirements of their program, students are immediately withdrawn from all their current courses and may not register for additional courses. Students who have been dismissed may not continue in their current registered coursework and should not attend class until an appeal has been granted. All students can see the requirements of their specific program within the College Catalog. Students are ultimately responsible for satisfying the requirements of their program.

Program Dismissal Appeal Process

Students have the right to appeal a decision to dismiss them from their academic programs. The appeal must be initiated in writing to the appropriate division chair within ten (10) business days from the date of the letter notifying the student of the faculty decision or action. Divisional faculty will review the appeal. The letter of appeal must address all the following elements:

• Those internal and external factors that contributed to the student's inability to meet the program's conditions for remaining in good standing. 
• The specific action(s) the student will take to prevent a recurrence of the difficulties that led to the program faculty's decision and action impacting program standing.

The student will receive a written decision from the Division Chair generally within fifteen (15) business days of the submission of the appeal. If the appeal decision from the Division Chair does not resolve the issue, the student may appeal again to the Provost or designee. The matter will be reviewed by the Provost or designee until a decision is rendered. The appeal decision from the Provost is considered final.

If the appeal is not granted, the student will be dismissed from the College. If the appeal is granted, the student may be given an academic performance contract for the next semester. Failure to agree to the terms of the Academic Contract will lead to immediate dismissal. Any changes to this academic performance contract must be pre-approved by the division’s chair. If the student does not fulfill the contract, the student will be dismissed again.