Good Academic Standing Policy (A.02.10)

Scope

All Undergraduate Students.

Purpose

To establish a standard of Good Academic Standing for undergraduate students.

Policy

A student is in Good Academic Standing as long as he/she maintains a minimum GPA, as specified below. To remain in Good Academic Standing and avoid Academic Probation, a student must have the following minimum cumulative grade point average on course work completed at the University of St. Thomas relative to the number of completed regular fall/spring semesters. Students placed on Academic Probation will not be in Good Academic Standing. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is the minimum standard for graduation.

Note: All coursework completed at UST outside of the regular fall/spring terms, will be counted toward cumulative grade point average and will effect Good Academic Standing.

Academic Probation and Dismissal

Academic Probation is intended to warn students that they have dropped below the level of performance necessary for Good Academic Standing (listed above). Students shall be placed on Academic Probation if their cumulative GPA does not meet the required minimum relative to the number of regular fall/spring semesters completed at UST. Academic Probation will remain until the student meets the required cumulative GPA. Once the cumulative GPA meets or exceeds the minimum GPA requirement, the student will be removed from Academic Probation and be in Good Academic Standing.

Only course work taken at UST will be applied toward the grade point average. Academic Probation will be posted to the fall/spring semester in which the cumulative GPA falls below the level of Good Academic Standing. The cumulative GPA will be recalculated at the start of each semester (fall, spring and summer), and all coursework completed at UST between the fall and spring semesters will be used toward the GPA re-calculation. Academic Probation will be noted permanently on the student’s academic record. Students on Academic Probation may be required to carry a restricted course load and/or repeat courses as well as perform other activities prescribed by the Registrar or designee. Students unwilling to accept the conditions of their probation will be dismissed.

Academic Dismissal is incurred when a student's cumulative GPA drops below the level of performance necessary for Good Academic Standing (listed above) and his/her semester GPA continues to post below the requirement for Good Academic Standing. During the academic dismissal, students may not enroll, audit or visit classes at UST. Academic dismissal will be noted permanently on students' academic records.

Students may also be dismissed if they are on probation and are unwilling to accept the conditions of their probation or do not conscientiously fulfill the conditions of their probation. On these matters, the student's academic advisor or dean of students will make the recommendations to the Registrar.

Other reasons may justify dismissal, including academic dishonesty and violating certain norms of conduct expected of students as outlined in the Code of Student Conduct.

A student who has been dismissed for academic reasons may apply for readmission to the University after one year. The University's Admissions Committee reviews readmission applications and sets the conditions for readmission. These may involve the student taking only prescribed courses or a limited course load. In all cases, the student will be readmitted on a conditional basis. The student's academic advisor will monitor the student's progress in meeting the conditions of readmission set by the Admissions Committee.

Academic Fresh Start

Students who have not completed coursework at UST for ten or more years are eligible for the academic “fresh start” program. Essentially, if a student elects this option and is re-admitted to UST under current application requirements, all courses taken ten or more years ago will be counted toward degree completion; however, they will not be counted in the new GPA calculations. Students utilizing the Academic Fresh Start program are required to complete a minimum of 36 hours counted toward their GPA, in order to graduate from the University of St. Thomas. With this option, a student who left the University on probation could return ten years later with good academic standing.

The provisions of the “fresh start” program cannot be reversed once initiated, and it may only be invoked once.

In order to be considered for the “fresh start” program, students must select the “fresh start” option on the application and submit all official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.

Note: Academic Fresh Start clears only a student’s academic record. When deciding eligibility for financial aid, the University must count all prior credits earned. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize the Academic Fresh Start program. Students cannot be certified for courses they have successfully completed.

APPROVED: Dr. Richard Ludwick
Date of Original Formation: 9/1/2010
Revision Date: 8/1/2019
Effective Date: 8/1/2019