(Revised for May 2015)

Credit and GPA Requirements

To be in Academic Good Standing at Quinnipiac, undergraduate students must meet both minimum grade point average (GPA) and completed credit requirements.

A student fails to meet Academic Good Standing requirements if their:

  1. cumulative GPA is below 2.0
  2. semester GPA is below 2.0 in any two consecutive semesters

Any first-time, full-time student or first-time, full-time transfer student earning a GPA less than 2.0, but 1.2 or more, will be placed on Academic Warning in their first semester. Any first-time, full-time student or first-time, full-time transfer student earning a GPA less than 1.2 will be placed on Academic Probation. Students on Academic Warning are required to follow the same requirements as those on Academic Probation.

In addition to the GPA requirements, all students must complete coursework over a period no longer than 150 percent of their program length to maintain the satisfactory academic progress standards of the university. For example, a full-time student enrolled in a four-year degree program must successfully complete an average of 10 credits per semester registered.

A part-time student must complete an average of 6 credits per semester registered. Some individual degree programs have higher GPA and credit requirements for students to maintain program eligibility. Consequently, students should consult the program description in the Catalog for the requirements of their individual program.

The Academic Good Standing requirements for transfer students are based on the number of credits accepted for transfer. For example, students who enter Quinnipiac with 20 transfer credits are considered to have completed two semesters and are subject to the requirements of a third-semester student during their first semester at Quinnipiac. However, minimum GPA is based only on courses completed at Quinnipiac.

Students should also know that failure to meet the Academic Good Standing requirements may result in the loss of financial aid and or scholarship, and may affect their eligibility for campus housing. Also, individual programs may have other academic requirements to remain in good standing in their specific program. Students should refer to the program section of the Catalog for information regarding individual program requirements.

Sanctions

Any student who fails to achieve any of the requirements above is subject to one of the following sanctions:

Academic Probation

Probation serves as an official notification of deficiency that requires students to promptly address their deficiency(s). After the close of the previous semester, the Office of Academic Innovation & Effectiveness notifies students of their probation. Prior to the start of each semester, students on probation and their academic advisers are notified about this sanction; advisers and probationary students also are directed toward resources that support the Improvement Plan process. Before the end of the first week of classes, students on probation must submit an electronic copy of their Improvement Plan to their academic adviser and the Learning Commons. In their Improvement Plan, they should reflect on their past semester and indicate how they will improve their academic performance to remedy their academic deficiencies. Probationary students must meet with their adviser within the first two weeks of the next semester to have the adviser approve or amend the plan. Approved plans are forwarded to both their school/college dean’s office and the Learning Commons. Probationary students must meet personally with their adviser a second time during preregistration to discuss their progress in meeting the goals of their Improvement Plan and their course selection for the next semester. Additionally, probationary students must email their adviser with a progress update every two weeks during their semester on probation. The Learning Commons has a variety of programs to support students on probation. Students on probation may register for courses in the usual fashion. However, students on probation must attend and successfully complete an Advanced Learning Tutorial with an academic specialist at the Learning Commons during their probationary semester. These meetings provide students support and strategies to assist them in correcting their deficiencies. Normally, students are not permitted to appeal probationary status. However, students who failed to achieve the completed credits requirement for documented medical reasons may appeal a probation decision.

Students on probation or credit deficient at the close of the semester may use summer or January classes to regain good standing to the degree this action follows existing academic policies. To remediate a deficiency in GPA, students must take a course offered by Quinnipiac University and comply with existing policies regarding summer and J-term courses. To remediate credit deficiency with courses taken at another university, students must comply with the Policy Regarding Transfer Credit from other institutions. If they are able to remediate their deficiency, they must appeal the change of academic status through the office of the Associate Vice President for Retention and Academic Success no later than the Friday of the first week of the subsequent semester. Appeals should be made in person and should include acknowledgement of current status, actions taken to remediate current status and discussion of changes intended for the next semester. A change in academic status will not be made without a successful appeal. A successful appeal will result in a notation to the student’s transcript that indicates a new standing of Academic Warning, which is discussed below. Appeals to reinstate financial aid may also be addressed during this appeal process.

Suspension

Students who have serious or repeated deficiencies are subject to suspension. Suspended students must leave Quinnipiac for a period of one semester. Suspended students are required to use this period of suspension to review their academic goals and to improve their academic skills. To facilitate this review and reflection, suspended students are assigned an academic specialist with whom to work during their suspension. Suspended students are encouraged to work closely with Learning Commons staff and other resources to prepare for their return to Quinnipiac. Additionally, credit will not be given for courses taken during the suspension period. Suspended students may return to Quinnipiac after the completion of the suspension period; in the semester of their return, they will be on Academic Warning and subject to its requirements. Further, suspended students are expected to work with their advisers or their associate deans for course selection prior to their return. Students returning from suspension and intending to enroll in summer or J-term courses that might contribute to their program must meet with their adviser or their associate dean before doing so.

Dismissal

Students with serious or repeated academic deficiencies are subject to dismissal from Quinnipiac. After a period of at least one year, dismissed students who have demonstrated academic achievement elsewhere may file a new application for admission to Quinnipiac. Permission to reapply does not guarantee readmission to Quinnipiac or to the program from which the student was dismissed.

Procedures

Academic records will be formally reviewed at the end of the fall and spring semesters. 

With the exception of the first-time, full-time students and first-time, full-time transfer students as noted above, students are usually placed on probation after their first deficient semester. Individual students may be continued on probation for subsequent semesters if they make progress in addressing their deficiency. However, students who are deficient after a total of three semesters on probation, two semesters after the first-year, or two semesters after transferring to Quinnipiac are suspended or dismissed. Any student who has a GPA below 1.2 after two semesters is dismissed. Suspended and dismissed students may appeal their sanction to the Academic Appeals Committee, consisting of a representative from the Office of Academic Innovation & Effectiveness, undergraduate school and college deans or their designee (an associate dean), and two students appointed by the student government president.

The Appeals Committee may change a suspension or a dismissal to a lesser sanction. All notifications of decisions and of meeting times of the Appeals Committee are sent to the permanent address of affected students by Federal Express or First-Class Mail (probation notices only). It is the responsibility of students to be sure they can be contacted and, if necessary, respond promptly to committee notices. No parents, family members, attorneys or any other third parties are permitted to attend or participate in any academic hearing.

Academic Warning

In an effort to support academic success, the university places under review students whose previous academic performance indicates a risk to academic success. Students whose semester grade point average is less than 2.0 and students who have successfully appealed a change in probationary status, as noted above, will be placed on review. While this review is not an official notification of deficiency and these students are not on probation, both conditions may indicate a challenge to academic success. Like those students on probation, however, students under review are contacted by the Office of Academic Innovation & Effectiveness just after the close of the semester. Prior to the start of the next semester, these students and their academic advisers are reminded of the low semester GPA and directed toward resources. Following a discussion of their academic record with their academic adviser or an academic specialist, students will be asked to develop an Improvement Plan and to meet regularly with an academic specialist. This review semester is intended to help students regain their momentum toward academic success.

Math and English Requirements

Full-time students are expected to have completed EN 101, EN 102 and MA 110 (or their equivalent) by the end of three semesters. Part-time students are expected to have met these requirements by the time they have completed 30 credits. Students may not withdraw from EN 101 or EN 101I. The first time a student fails to complete EN 101 or EN 101I successfully, a grade of “U” is issued. Each additional unsuccessful attempt at EN 101 or EN 101I results in a grade of “F.” For more information, please review the course description.