Academic Standing/Academic Review/Notice/Leave/Program Change/Dismissal – Undergraduate
Last Revised: August 29, 2005
I. Scope
This regulation establishes the criteria for determining academic standing for undergraduate students, and includes Academic Review, Academic Notice, Academic Leave, Academic Program Change, and Academic Dismissal. Any exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Office of the Provost and posted in the University Catalog.
The University of Pittsburgh is committed to the success of its students and has guidelines in place to connect students with the appropriate resources at the earliest sign of academic difficulty. Students’ academic standing is maintained and monitored each term by the school or regional campus where the student is enrolled.
Note: While different from academic standing, Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) may impact the financial aid eligibility of students.
II. Overview
While enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, students are expected to meet certain cumulative GPA standards and maintain progress towards their degree. The University of Pittsburgh makes use of multiple levels of academic standing to identify students at risk of jeopardizing successful completion of their degree and to provide multiple opportunities for intervention and coaching towards successful completion. An overview of the levels of academic standing for undergraduate students is as follows:
- Good Academic Standing is used to denote students maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 and making satisfactory progress towards their degree.
- Academic Review is used to identify students at risk of jeopardizing successful completion of their degree. Students on Academic Review are encouraged to work with their advisors and faculty to develop a plan for ensuring academic success.
- Academic Notice identifies students who are not meeting University standards for successful progress towards their degree. Students in academic notice may be subject to certain enrollment restrictions and will be provided with an academic improvement plan by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office that documents the requirements necessary to return to Good Academic Standing and a deadline for completion.
- Academic Program Change is a mechanism by which students on Academic Notice may change their program of study rather than being placed on Academic Leave or Academic Dismissal.
- Academic Leave standing identifies students who have failed to satisfy the terms of their academic improvement plan after being placed on Academic Notice. Students on Academic Leave are not eligible to re-enroll for a time period determined by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office, not to exceed one calendar year.
- Academic Dismissal is a final action. Dismissed students are not eligible for reinstatement in the School or Regional Campus from which they were dismissed.
Students are required to be in Good Academic Standing in order to graduate. Definitions of these levels of academic standing and the criteria for movement between them are described in the policy below.
III. Regulation
Good Academic Standing
Academic standing is maintained and monitored each term by the Dean’s or Campus President’s Office in conjunction with its various departments and programs. A student’s academic standing is comprised of three factors: term GPA, cumulative GPA, and progress toward a degree.
To be in Good Academic Standing, students are expected to maintain a cumulative GPA and term GPA of 2.0 or above during each term of enrollment. Any student not on Academic Notice, Academic Leave, or Academic Dismissal will be in Good Academic Standing. All students will be notified in writing (e.g., e-mail) if they are no longer in Good Academic Standing or are on Academic Review.
Academic Review
Academic Review is a marker designed to identify and notify students who show signs of jeopardizing successful progress toward the completion of their undergraduate degree. A student on Academic Review maintains Good Academic Standing.
A student with a term GPA below 2.0, or more than one unresolved incomplete grade, or who fails to fulfill a specific academic program requirement will receive an Academic Review.
Academic Notice
Students are placed on Academic Notice for the following reasons.
- GPA: After receiving one Academic Review, if a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 2.0, the student is not in Good Academic Standing and will be placed on Academic Notice. To return to Good Academic Standing, a student must achieve a cumulative GPA of greater than 2.0. Only grades from courses with grade option LG will be used to compute and determine Academic Notice status.
- Academic program requirement: After receiving one Academic Review, if a student fails to complete academic program requirements—as determined by University standards and/or School, Department, or Program requirements—they will be placed on Academic Notice.
In extreme circumstances, students may be placed on Academic Notice without a prior Academic Review at the discretion of their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office.
Students on Academic Notice will be required to meet with a designee of their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office and will be provided with an academic improvement plan that documents the requirements necessary to return to Good Academic Standing and a deadline for completion. Satisfaction of the academic improvement plan by the stated deadline will result in a return to Good Academic Standing.
While on Academic Notice, students may be subject to enrollment restrictions and/or required meetings with academic advisors or other success professionals as deemed appropriate by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office. These constraints/requirements must be documented in writing along with notification of the student’s Academic Notice status.
A student on Academic Notice who does not make progress towards Good Academic Standing will be subject to either Academic Program Change, Academic Leave, or Academic Dismissal under the conditions described below.
Academic Program Change
Typically, students on Academic Notice who earn a term GPA below 2.0 or fail to satisfy their academic improvement plan by the specified deadline will be placed on Academic Leave. However, at the discretion of the Dean or Campus President, a student whose academic record suggests a path to success through the pursuit of another academic program may be offered by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office the option to change programs rather than being placed on Academic Leave.
In these cases, the student may apply to programs in their existing school or campus or another school or campus of the University. If admitted, the student will remain on Academic Notice after the program change. These students will be provided with an academic improvement plan by the Dean or Campus President’s Office for their new program that documents the requirements necessary to return to Good Academic Standing and a deadline for completion.
Academic Leave
Students on Academic Notice who earn a term GPA below 2.0 or fail to satisfy their academic improvement plan by the specified deadline will be subject to Academic Leave. Upon being placed on Academic Leave, students are not eligible to re-enroll for a time period determined by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office, not to exceed one calendar year.
Students on Academic Leave will work with their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office to develop an academic improvement plan. This plan may place restrictions on coursework that can be completed while on Academic Leave and will specify any criteria that must be met to be reinstated from Academic Leave.
Following Academic Leave, students are required to apply for reinstatement.
The time of the Academic Leave shall not count against the total time allowed for completion of the degree sought by the student. At the Dean's or Campus President’s discretion, additional time may be provided to complete grades that were incomplete at the time that the student was placed on Academic Leave.
Students approved for reinstatement enter Final Notice status and must develop an academic improvement plan and earn a GPA of at least a 2.0 for each term that they are enrolled until a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or above is earned and the student returns to Good Academic Standing. If the student fails to earn a 2.0 GPA in any term during which they are on Final Notice, they are subject to Academic Dismissal.
Students returning from Academic Leave may apply to another school or campus of the University. If admitted, a student must achieve a 2.0 term GPA in each subsequent term until they regain Good Academic Standing.
Academic Dismissal
Students who have been reinstated from Academic Leave must earn a GPA of at least 2.0 for each term that they enroll until they have achieved a cumulative GPA of 2.0. If a student fails to earn a 2.0 term GPA, they are subject to Academic Dismissal by their Dean’s or Campus President’s Office. Academic Dismissal is a final action. A student who receives Academic Dismissal is ineligible for reinstatement or readmission to the school or regional campus that placed them on Academic Dismissal.
A student receiving Academic Dismissal may apply to another school or campus of the University. If admitted, the student will enter Final Notice status and must achieve a 2.0 cumulative GPA to regain Good Academic Standing. If the student fails to earn a 2.0 in any term during which they are on Final Notice they are subject to Academic Dismissal.
Once any appeal process at the school level is exhausted, a student may appeal their Academic Dismissal to the University of Pittsburgh’s Office of the Provost.
Academic Standing/Academic Review/Notice/Leave/Program Change/Dismissal – Undergraduate (PDF)