Academic Standings - Undergraduate

Academic Standings - Undergraduate

Policy Statement

Academic standing is a measurement of the quality of an undergraduate student's academic performance at a given point in time.  Academic standings are assigned at the conclusion of every semester (fall, spring, summer) and only at the conclusion of every semester.  Except for Reinstated from Academic Separation, which is assigned only by the Academic Standards Committee, academic standing is a function of semester GPA and cumulative GPA.  Every student will have exactly one of the following academic standings:

Good Standing: A student is on Good Standing if the most recent semester GPA is at or above 2.00 and the cumulative GPA is at or above 2.00 ORthe student is in the initial semester of enrollment after academic renewal.

Academic Warning: A student is on Academic Warning if and only if (a) the most recent semester GPA is below a 2.00 and (b) the cumulative GPA is at or above 2.00.

Academic Care Alert: A student is on Academic Care Alert if and only if (a) the student has fewer than 60 attempted hours at Fort Lewis College, (b) the most recent semester GPA is below 2.00, (c) the cumulative GPA is below 2.00, and (d) the student was in Good Standing or on Academic Warning the previous semester.

Academic Intervention: A student is on Academic Intervention if and only if (a) the cumulative GPA is below a 2.00, (b) the most recent semester GPA is below a 2.00, and the student was in Good Standing or on Academic Warning the previous semester with 60 or more attempted hours at Fort Lewis College OR the student was on Academic Care Alert the previous semester OR the most recent semester GPA is above a 2.00, and the student was on Academic Care Alert, Academic Intervention, or Reinstated from Academic Separation the previous semester.

Academic Separation: A student is on Academic Separation if and only if the semester GPA is below a 2.00 while on Academic Intervention OR the semester GPA is below 2.00 while on Reinstated from Academic Separation.

Reinstated from Academic Separation: A student is on Reinstated from Academic Separation if and only if the Academic Standards Committee assigns the student this standing.

The only academic standing that is appealable is Academic Separation. A student who is Academically Separated can appeal this status to the Academic Standards Committee. The decision of the Academic Standards Committee may be appealed to the Provost or designee.

Responsibilities 

For following policy:  All undergraduate students

For enforcement of policy:  Academic Standards Committee

For oversight of policy:  Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

For notification:  Policy Librarian

For procedures implementing policy:  Registrar

Consequences of Non-Compliance

1. Below are the sanctions for each level of academic standing
   1. Good Standing:  A student on Good Standing incurs no sanction.
   2. Academic Warning: A student on Academic Warning receives a written warning via email that continued performance at the most recent term level may bring her cumulative GPA (2.0) below the threshold required for graduation.
   3. Academic Care Alert: A student on Academic Care Alert receives a written warning via email that (a) their Cumulative GPA is below the threshold for graduation (2.00) and, (b) their next semester GPA must be higher than 2.00 in order to avoid intervention, and (c) they will be referred to the Academic Care Team to determine services that will address specific needs  and (d) if they receive financial aid, they may be at jeopardy for losing financial aid and will need to meet with their financial aid advisor. 
   4. Academic Intervention: A student on Academic Intervention receives a written warning via email that (a) their cumulative GPA is below the threshold for graduation (b) they will be referred to the Academic Care Team to determine services that will address specific needs (c) their Semester GPA while on Academic Intervention needs to be 2.00 (d) if (c) is not satisfied, they will be academically separated.
   5. Academic Separation: A student on Academic Separation receives a written notice via email on the day final grades become viewable to students.  Unless the student successfully appeals the separation, they are dropped from any scheduled courses and prohibited from registering for classes as a degree-seeking student on the day of the first Academic Standards Appeals Hearing following the notification.  A student who is academically separated has only two possible ways to return as a degree-seeking student: (a) successfully appeal the separation or (b) forgo attending Fort Lewis College for a period dictated by the Academic Renewal Policy and apply for Academic Renewal. A student who is separated from Fort Lewis College must contact the Circle Back Coordinator to create a plan for returning to the College.
   6. Reinstated from Separation: A student on Reinstated from Separation receives a written notice via email that (a) they are no longer academically separated but that (b) their cumulative GPA remains below the threshold for graduation and (c) if their semester GPA is below a 2.00 after the next semester in which they take classes, they will be academically separated and (d) they must contact the Circle Back Coordinator to arrange appropriate support services.

Consumer Information

The policy should be advertised in the course catalog as follows:

Academic Standing

A student is assigned an academic standing at the conclusion of every semester in which they finish at least one course.  This means that grade changes that happen mid-semester or after grades are posted do not affect academic standing until the next semester concludes.  A cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher is needed to stay in good academic standing.  A student whose cumulative GPA is less than 2.00 is no longer in good standing. They are allowed to continue as students, so long as they continue to achieve 2.00 or higher semester GPAs. The purpose of this system is to allow students time to incrementally repair low cumulative GPAs by achieving higher semester GPAs. Students not in good standing for consecutive semesters OR after having earned more than 60 GPA hours must achieve a semester GPA of 2.00 or higher or they will be academically separated.

Options for Students who are Academically Disqualified

There are only two options for students who have been academically disqualified to return to the college as degree-seeking students.  These options are (a) successfully appeal the academic separation (details below) or (b) request Academic Renewal when reapplying to Fort Lewis College.

Appeal of Academic Separation

At the conclusion of every semester (fall, spring, summer), all students will receive an email informing them of their updated academic standing.  The only academic standing that may be appealed is Academic Separation. 

To appeal Academic Separation, a student must submit the appropriate paperwork to the Academic Standards Committee.  To do this, see instructions here. The Academic Standing Appeal form, along with substantiating documents, should be emailed to academicstanding@fortlewis.edu by the advertised deadline.

The Academic Standards Committee reviews appeals five times per year (as explained here).  Students who submit an appeal will be notified by email as soon as possible after the committee makes a decision. 

Successful appeals usually meet the following two conditions:

1. There are compelling and unforeseen reasons for the poor academic performance, and
2. there is high probability that the student’s cumulative GPA can be raised to 2.00 or higher in no more than one additional semester of coursework.

Any student may appeal a decision of the Academic Standards Committee.  Such an appeal must be in writing to the Provost or designee within seven (7) days of the emailed decision of the Academic Standards Committee.