Academic Standing

Download as PDF

Jump to Section

Academic Standing Policy 

The Academic Advisory Committee is responsible for evaluation of the academic performance of students. One of its goals is to ensure that students continue to make normal academic progress toward graduation. The committee works closely with students, academic advisers and Academic Support Services in assisting students with the needed skills for academic success. 

The Academic Advisory Committee consists of representatives from the teaching faculty, Student Development, the Director of the Academic Enrichment Center and the Registrar. At the end of each semester, the committee reviews academic records of students to evaluate academic progress.

Normal progress for graduation is defined on the basis of both number of credit hours earned and Grade Point Average (GPA). To fulfill the requirements for the B.A. degree, a student must earn 120 academic credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better. A full-time student is expected to earn 30 credit hours during each of four years. Thus, full-time students are expected to fulfill their course requirements over eight semesters.

Students who withdraw from a course, retake a course, or do not finish an approved Incomplete may find themselves in the position of becoming deficient in credit hours. They must take the responsibility for making up this deficiency. A transfer student’s academic progress at Earlham does not include transfer credits taken before registering at Earlham. Earlham’s August programs and approved courses taken at another college or university after entrance to Earlham are included when considering academic progress. 

The Academic Advisory Committee places students who do not achieve normal progress toward their degree on Academic Caution, Probation, Final Probation or Suspension from the College, according to criteria described below. Committee actions are usually sequential: Academic Caution to Probation, Probation to Final Probation and Final Probation to Suspension. A student may remain in one category for more than one semester. Additionally the Committee may deem it appropriate to move a student to the most severe standing based on one semester of work. 

Note: The Academic Advisory Committee may make exceptions to these policies under extraordinary circumstances. In some cases, students on Final Probation who are not making satisfactory progress at mid-semester, will be asked to leave the College at that time. 

The Committee notifies parents or guardians and advisers when a student is placed on any of these academic categories and when probation is continued or changed. 

Guidelines for Academic Advisory Committee Actions 

  1. CAUTIONARY PROBATION 
    This designation does not appear on a student’s permanent academic record. 
     
      First-year  Upper Class 
    Credit hours 6 credit hours short at the end of either semester.  6 credit hours short in any semester. 6 credit hours short cumulative 
    GPA Semester: Less than or equal to 1.75 in either semester. Cumulative: Less than or equal to 2.0 at the end of the second semester 

    To be removed from Cautionary Probation: 
    The student must pass 14 credit hours with a C average (2.00) or better in the following semester. In addition, the student’s cumulative GPA and cumulative credits must exceed the criteria specified above. 

  2. PROBATION 
    This designation does not appear on a student’s permanent academic record. Students on probation are not eligible to participate in off-campus study programs. 
     

      First-year  Upper Class
    Credit hours  9 credit hours short in any semester  9 credit hours short in any semester; 9 credit hours short within two successive semesters; 12 credit hours short cumulatively. 
    Cumulative GPA  Less than or equal to 1.55 at end of first semester; Less than or equal to 1.65 at end of second semester.  Less than or equal to 1.75 at the end of the third semester; Less than 2.00 at the end of the fourth and fifth semesters. 
    Semester GPA  Less than or equal to 1.55 Less than or equal to 1.55

    To be removed from Probation: 
    The student must pass 14 credit hours with a C average (2.00) or better in the following semester. Moreover, the student’s cumulative GPA and cumulative credits must exceed the criteria specified above. 
    Students who are still deficient in credits are required to submit a Credit Plan form to the Registrar showing how they intend to make up credits for graduation. Students removed from Probation remain on Academic Caution for at least one semester. 

  3. FINAL PROBATION 
    This designation appears on the student’s permanent academic record. Students on Final Probation are not eligible to apply for and participate in off-campus study programs, Epic Advantage experiences, and Faculty/Student Collaborative Research projects, and can not hold leadership positions in campus organizations. 
    A student on Final Probation who is not making normal academic progress or not attending classes may be suspended for the remainder of the semester and asked to leave the campus. 
     

      First-year  Upper Class
    Credit hours 12 credits short at the end of either semester or 15 credits short cumulatively.  12 credit hours short in any semester; 12 credit hours short within two successive semesters; 15 credit hours short cumulatively. 
    Cumulative GPA  Less than or equal to 1.35 at the end of the first semester; Less than or equal to 1.45 at end the second semester.  Less than or equal to 1.55 at the end of the third semester; Less than or equal to 1.65 at the end of the fourth semester; Less than or equal to 1.75 at the end of the fifth semester; Less than 2.00 at the end of the sixth semester and thereafter.
    Semester GPA  Less than or equal to 1.45 Less than or equal to 1.45

    To be removed from Final Probation: 
    Students must pass 14 credit hours with a C average (2.00) or better in the following semester. Students who are still deficient in credits are required to submit a Credit Plan form to the Registrar showing how they intend to make up credits for graduation. Students removed from Final Probation will remain on Probation for at least one semester. 

  4. SUSPENSION
    This category usually applies to students who are on Final Probation and do not complete 14 credit hours with a C average (2.00) or better. The Committee may also suspend a student who did not fulfill the terms of Probation or Academic Caution in instances of serious unsatisfactory academic progress (e.g. passing too few credits in a semester). In cases of extenuating circumstances, however, the Committee may elect to keep the student on Final Probation for another semester instead of suspending them. 
    Enrollment is terminated for the subsequent semester or for a length of time determined by the Academic Advisory Committee. Students who are suspended from the College are not permitted to be on campus nor attend campus events during the suspension period. 
    Students who are suspended from the College twice will be dismissed and cannot be readmitted. 

Appeal

A student may appeal to the Academic Advisory Committee for reconsideration of Final Probation or Suspension status if they believe there are extenuating circumstances that the committee should consider.  The appeal must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the fifth business day after receiving the email notification of Final Probation or Suspension. 

Readmission Process 

A student who wants to return to Earlham following an academic suspension should request an application for Readmission from the Registrar’s Office. Applications should be submitted one month prior to the semester for which the student wants to re-enroll, but the period between suspension and readmission must be one semester and one summer. 

A student must submit a written evaluation of his/her time away. In the evaluation, the student must demonstrate a strong commitment to improving his/her past academic record. In addition, a student who has been suspended and wishes to apply for readmission must meet the criteria found in their letter of Suspension from the College. The criteria normally includes successfully taking courses elsewhere and/or receiving counseling/study skills for an extended period of time in order to demonstrate readiness to return to Earlham. The student must obtain pre-approval for the transfer of credit through the Office of the Registrar before enrolling in the courses at another institution. 

A suspended student who is readmitted is placed on Final Probation during their first semester back at Earlham. Financial aid may be reinstated upon the student’s readmission to the College. For one semester after readmission, students are considered to be making satisfactory progress for aid purposes, although they may initially be below the minimum expectations described as Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid Eligibility.