Academic Progress - Graduate
This Institutional Academic Progress Policy applies to both full-time and part-time matriculated graduate students enrolled in the School of Arts and Sciences (ARCS); the School of Physical Education, Performance and Sport Leadership (PEPL); the School of Health Sciences (HLSC); and the School of Social Work and Behavioral Sciences(SWBS). A student is matriculated if he or she received official acceptance into Springfield College through the admissions process as a graduate degree-seeking student.
Academic Review
Following the close of each full semester/term (Spring, Summer, Fall), a systematic graduate academic records review is conducted by the Registrar to determine student academic standing status classifications. Graduate students will not be subject to institutional review until they have attempted the completion of nine (9) graduate credits at Springfield College.
For the purpose of determining academic progress:
- Attempted hours are defined as credits for courses graded “A” through “C-“, “F”, “P”, “W”, “NR”, “I”,”IC”, “IE”, “PI”,”CP” and accepted transfer credits.
- Credit for pass/fail courses counts toward attempted hours for both the GPA and completion ratio. A grade of “P” (pass), will not affect a student’s GPA; however, a grade of “F” (fail) will affect the GPA.
- Consortium courses count as attempted credits for both the GPA and completion ratio.
- Courses with a grade of “WC” (Withdrawn - COVID) do not count as attempted courses for either the GPA and completion ratio.
A graduate student’s institutional academic standing status is assessed according to the Good Academic Standing cumulative grade point average criterion (CGPA) of 3.00. As a result of academic standing review, graduate students are assigned the appropriate institutional academic standing status actions (listed below). Graduate students must have a CGPA of 3.00 or better to be eligible for graduation with master’s and doctoral degrees or a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. Academic departments or schools may have higher standards for entrance into or continuation in their graduate programs and students are responsible for reviewing program standards and requirements that are found in the official department, school, or institutional publications.
Academic Standing Status Categories
Following determination of status by the graduate academic records review process, academic standing status actions (Good Academic Standing, Academic Probation, Continued Academic Probation, and Academic Dismissal) go into effect at the start of the successive semester (Fall, Spring, or Summer).
A graduate student whose CGPA is at or above the minimum standard of 3.00 is classified as a graduate student in good academic standing at the College.
The graduate student who at any academic review point fails to meet the 3.00 CGPA academic standing criterion on or after attempting the completion of nine (9) credit hours is placed on institutional academic probation. A graduate student who is placed on academic probation will maintain matriculation status but will only be eligible for financial aid, including research fellowships if they are granted an appeal through the Office of Financial Aid.
The graduate student who is placed on academic probation will be notified of this academic standing by letter. Following this notice from the Office of Academic Affairs, an academic plan for the graduate student on academic probation will be designed by the academic advisor and the academic program. This plan may require the graduate student to take certain courses, limit the number of courses taken, or fulfill other conditions as specified.
Academic probation status will be recorded on the student’s academic transcript.
A graduate student will be removed from academic probation when he or she meets or exceeds the criterion 3.00 CGPA.
A graduate student who was on academic probation during the semester of review will be continued on academic probation if his/her CGPA is below 3.00 and the student has attempted the completion of fewer than 18 credits at Springfield College or the student’s CGPA is above 2.8 but below 3.00 following the completion of 18 credits at Springfield College. If continued on academic probation, the graduate student will be subject to the conditions specified under Academic Probation.
Continued academic probation status will be recorded on the student’s academic transcript.
Note that a student on academic probation or continued academic probation is not considered to be in good academic standing.
A graduate student on academic probation will be dismissed from candidacy for the graduate degree if his/her CGPA is below 2.8 at the end of the semester in which he/she has attempted 18 s.h. of graduate credit at Springfield College. Additionally, a student whose CGPA is below 3.00 following the completion of the required number of semester hours in his/her program plus six credits is subject to dismissal.
Academic dismissal status will be recorded on the student’s academic transcript.
The Office of Academic Affairs will send the student notification letters of all decisions concerning probation and dismissal. The student may appeal the institutional academic dismissal and is required to submit the request for an appeal in writing to the Graduate Appeals Committee via the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
A student who is dismissed may not take courses at Springfield College for one academic year following dismissal, but may reapply for admission thereafter. When the student is readmitted to the College, his or her academic standing will be reviewed. The appropriate academic standing category will be determined at that time.
A graduate student who has been academically dismissed from the College may appeal the academic dismissal to the Graduate Appeals Committee by submitting a letter to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs to request a hearing. The timeline for the appeal will be specified in the dismissal notification letter.
The student’s appeal should contain information about circumstances affecting his or her academic performance and the student’s plans to remedy the situation. Students may bring one Springfield College employee to the appeal meeting for emotional support or to present brief information on the student’s behalf. A lawyer may not be present at the appeal meeting, either as a legal representative or as one of the above college personnel. A College employee who is invited to attend is under no obligation to do so. Any College personnel speaking on behalf of the student will not be in the room during the student’s presentation but will be invited to speak following the student’s appeal presentation. The student may also bring letters of support written by any individual.
The Graduate Appeals Committee will review the appeal. If the committee recommends that the appeal be supported, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs concurs, the student will be allowed to seek readmission for return on continued probation. Readmission of the graduate student will be contingent upon his/her meeting one of the two conditions of Dismissal Appeal Readmission. The graduate student who is re-admitted will be required to follow the requirements stated in the section on Academic Probation and to adhere to all academic standing policies.
The Office of Academic Affairs will inform the student of the decision by letter.
A graduate student whose academic dismissal appeal is supported by the Graduate Appeals Committee and the Vice President for Academic Affairs will be allowed to seek readmission for return on continued academic probation. In order to be readmitted, the graduate student must meet one of the following two conditions:
a) the program of matriculation officially readmits the student, contingent on all program standards being met; and the final readmission is approved by the School Dean.
b) the student is officially granted admission to another Springfield College graduate program and the final readmission is approved by the School Dean.
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