Chapter Six – C

Minimum GPA

 

1. Minimum GPA. To uphold high academic standards, the Graduate School has established a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 GPA for all coursework on the student’s Program of Study in order for a graduate student to be considered in good academic standing.Individual academic programs may have requirements that are more stringent than those listed here.

No graded courses of “B-”or below may be dropped from a Program of Study for an advanced degree nor can a course be repeated for a higher grade if the final grade is “C” or higher. Any course listed on the Program of Study for which a grade of “C-” or below is earned must be repeated for a letter grade, not on a Pass/Fail basis.

All grades earned by a graduate student in courses listed on the Program of Study, except for the first grade for a repeated course, will be averaged into the student’s GPA.

The student is expected to earn an S (Satisfactory)grade for all research credits (702,701,700, 800). One U (Unsatisfactory)grade for research credits indicates that the student is not making satisfactory progress. The student will be subject to dismissal from the program if a U (Unsatisfactory) grade is earned for research credit for two terms (summer term included). Research credits for which a U has been earned shall not count toward degree requirements.

2. Probationary Continuing Enrollment. A graduate student who has completed the first semester of graduate study and earns a GPA between 2.75 and 2.99 is eligible for one additional semester of continued enrollment on a probationary status.Upon completion of the probationary semester, and thereafter until graduation, a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative GPA is required to continue in Graduate School. Probationary status is only available to students immediately following their first semester of graduate study and is not available to students who have been provisionally admitted.

3. Termination of Enrollment. The enrollment of a graduate student will be terminated under any one of the following conditions:

• The student has a cumulative GPA below 2.75at the end of the first semester of study.
• The student has been provisionally admitted and has a cumulative GPA below 3.0 at the end of the first semester of study.
• The student fails to establish and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 after more than one semester of study.
• The student has failed a preliminary or final exam for a second time.
• The student has failed a preliminary or final exam for the first time with a Graduate School representative present, and a second examination is not recommended by the advisory committee, program chair, or representative; in such cases, the dean of the Graduate School will review the case and make the final determination.
• The student has earned a U (Unsatisfactory) grade for research credits (700, 701, 702, 800) for two semesters (including the summer term).

Other reasons for termination might include failure to make normal progress toward degree completion (such as failure to complete coursework on time or multiple incompletes), failure to maintain continuous enrollment, failure to assemble and maintain an approved advisory committee, issues related to academic integrity or student conduct, etc. Only the dean of the Graduate School or the University Conduct Board has the authority to terminate a student’s enrollment.

4. Reinstatement. Reinstatement of a provisionally admitted graduate student who falls below a 3.0 GPA following completion of one semester or one summer session, or of a graduate student who falls below 2.75 GPA following completion of one semester or one summer session will be considered only through a petition from the graduate student to the program chair/director.Following a meeting between the graduate student and the program chair/director, the chair/director may favorably recommend reinstatement for that student by submitting a memo, via the GRM, to the dean of the Graduate School,who has final approval.

Reinstatement procedure for a graduate student who has completed two semesters, one semester and one summer session, or two summer sessions and whose GPA is below 3.0follows the same procedure. The student must meet with the program chair/director who, upon favorable recommendation, may petition the dean of the Graduate School (routed through the GRM) for approval to reinstate the student. If approval to continue is granted, the student will have one semester or summer session to increase the cumulative GPA to 3.0. Failure to do so requires termination of enrollment in the program and in the Graduate School.

If the student becomes academically deficient because of two U(Unsatisfactory)grades for research credits, the student must meet with the program chair/director, who upon favorable recommendation, may petition the dean of the Graduate School(routed through the GRM) for approval to reinstate the student.The program chair/director must identify the conditions for continuation of study in the petition request.If approval to continue is granted, the student will have one semester or summer session to improve research progress.

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