Academic Standards

Academic Load

  • Full-Time: A student enrolled in 12 or more hours per semester.
  • Part-Time: A student enrolled for fewer than 12 hours per semester.

Classification of Students

Students are classified on the following basis:

  • Freshman - fulfillment of entrance requirements and less than 30 semester hours earned
  • Sophomore - a minimum of 30 semester hours earned
  • Junior - a minimum of 60 semester hours earned
  • Senior - a minimum of 90 semester hours earned

Withdrawal from the University

A student who finds it necessary to withdraw from all credit courses must apply for formal withdrawal through the Office of the Dean of Students. This process requires the completion of a University withdrawal form, an exit interview and, for students under the age of 18, parental permission. Final approval is subject to clearance from the Office of Student Financial Services. If this procedure is not followed, grades of F will be assigned. After the official last date to withdraw, approval for withdrawal from the University without grade penalty will be given for only one of two reasons: medical or psychological problems. A letter from a doctor and/or psychologist is required.

Failure to complete the term does not cancel the student's obligation to pay tuition and all other charges in full.

Standards of Scholarship

Graduation requires a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in both the major and the total program of study. Additional GPA requirements may be imposed by particular majors. The University reserves the right to dismiss at any time a student whose academic standing or progress is regarded as unsatisfactory.

Academic Good Standing

Good standing refers to the normal academic progress of students who are not on probation or on academic dismissal. Semester and cumulative grade point averages required for good standing:

  • After the first semester - not less than 1.6
  • After completing 30 hours - not less than 1.9
  • After completing 60 hours or more - not less than 2.0

Satisfactory Progress

All students enrolled for credit are expected to make regular and satisfactory progress toward completion of a degree in a reasonable time. This is especially true of those students using financial aid grants or loans to meet the cost of education.

Standards for Satisfactory Academic Progress

  • All students must maintain scholastic averages that place them at or above good academic standing (see above).
  • Full-time students are expected to accumulate an average of 12 hours of credit for each fall or spring semester enrolled.
  • Part-time students are required to accumulate a minimum of 24 hours of credit for each 30 semester hours enrolled.
  • Summer terms are not computed as regular semesters of enrollment; however, credit hours earned during the summer may be applied to degree requirements. Note: Satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid differ from those outlined above. The Office of Student Financial Services should be contacted for those guidelines.

Academic good will be reviewed at the end of each fall and spring semester.

Academic Probation

Students will be placed on academic probation when they fail to maintain good academic standing, which requires semester and cumulative grade point average as follows:

Academic probation chart
Hours of Credit GPA
Less than 30 1.6
30-59.9 1.9
60 or more 2.0

Academic Dismissal

Students who fail to remove probationary status for two consecutive semesters (exclusive of summer terms) may be dismissed automatically from the University.

The University reserves the right to dismiss a student not making satisfactory progress toward a degree at the end of any semester in which minimum academic standards are not met.