Academic Standing

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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. The College standards are applied systematically, based solely on the number of credit hours attempted, the GPA earned at the end of a semester, and the previous standing held by the student.

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. ACADEMIC CAUTION 

    This designation does not appear on a student’s permanent academic record. 

     First-year Upper Class 
    Credit hours6 credit hours short at the end of either semester. 6 credit hours short in any semester. 6 credit hours short cumulative 
    GPASemester: 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 Academic Caution: 
    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. WARNING 

    This designation does not appear on a student’s permanent academic record. Students on Warning 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 1.55Less than or equal to 1.55

    To be removed from Warning: 
    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 Warning remain on Academic Caution for at least one semester. 

  3. FINAL WARNING 

    This designation appears on the student’s permanent academic record. Students on Final Warning are not eligible to apply for and participate in off-campus study programs, Epic Advantage experiences, and Faculty/Student Collaborative Research projects. 
    A student on Final Warning 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 hours12 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 1.45Less than or equal to 1.45

    To be removed from Final Warning: 
    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 Warning 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 Warning or Academic Caution in instances of serious unsatisfactory academic progress (e.g. passing too few credits in a semester), or any student who earns a semester GPA of .5 or below. In cases of extenuating circumstances, however, the Committee may elect to keep the student on Final Warning 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 Warning or Suspension status if they believe they have new evidence to share that may have impacted their academic progress.  New evidence includes documentation of medical considerations or extenuating circumstances that prevented them from successfully completing their academic work.

The appeal should include:

  1. A letter that addresses the following points:
    • Explain in detail the circumstances that contributed to your academic challenges.  Include documentation where relevant.
    • Have these circumstances changed such that you can be more successful if your appeal is granted? If so, explain how they have changed.
    • What additional academic and/or social support will you use to help you in your academic progress? What concrete actions will you take and what additional assistance do you think you will need in order to be successful?
    • Is there any additional information that you would like to share with the Committee?
  2. A letter of support from a professor.

All appeal materials must be submitted by the fifth business day after receiving the email notification of Final Warning or Suspension via email. Specific instructions and deadline to submit an appeal are included in the email notification and the letterthe student received from the Registrar’s Office.  

Exceptions will not be granted to this policy.
 

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 their time away. In the evaluation, the student must demonstrate a strong commitment to improving their 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 typically 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 Warning 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.