Standards of Academic Progress
In order to graduate from St. John Fisher College, a student must earn a 2.00 cumulative grade point average for all courses at the College. In addition, the student must earn a 2.00 cumulative GPA in the major and minor department in courses completed in residence. (See Degree Requirements.) End-of-term academic standing is calculated after the fall and spring terms. This standing is based on the cumulative end-of-term grade point average (cumulative GPA) and falls into one of the categories listed below.
Cumulative Grade Point Average* For:
| Semester Credit Hours Earned Toward Degree** | Minimum Satisfactory Academic Performance | Unsatisfactory Academic Performance | ||
| Good Standing | Warning | Early Intervention Contract | Probation*** or Academic Dismissal/ Post-Dismissal Contract with GPA Below: | |
| 0–35 | 2.00 | 1.80–1.99 | 1.50–1.79 | 1.50 |
| 36–50 | 2.00 | 1.85–1.99 | 1.65–1.84 | 1.65 |
| 51–65 | 2.00 | 1.90–1.99 | 1.80–1.89 | 1.80 |
| 66–80 | 2.00 | 1.95–1.99 | 1.90–1.94 | 1.90 |
| 81–92 | 2.00 | — | 1.95–1.99 | 1.95 |
| 93 and over | 2.00 | — | — | 2.00 |
*Averages will not be “rounded.” For example, 1.49 will not be rounded to 1.50. Therefore, 1.49 will be within the academic disqualification range.
**Includes all hours (Fisher and transfer hours) applied toward the St. John Fisher College bachelor’s degree. However, only Fisher credits are used in calculating the grade point average.
***Students may only be placed on Probation standing after their first semester at the College, whether as freshmen or transfers. First semester students will not be academically dismissed.
Note: If a continuing full-time student receives three failing grades (e.g., “F,” “FA,” “U,” and/or “UA”) in a semester or a continuing part-time student receives all failing grades in a semester, the student will be dismissed from the College.
Good Standing
All students with cumulative GPAs of 2.00 or higher are considered to be in Good Standing.
Students with a cumulative GPA that falls within the 2.19 to 2.00 range will be sent a letter focusing attention on their borderline academic performance.
Warning
Students with a cumulative GPA within the appropriate Warning range, though making satisfactory academic progress, are placed on Warning. These students receive a personal letter from the Committee on Academic Standing cautioning them that their academic performance is not completely acceptable.
Early Intervention Academic Contract
Students with a cumulative GPA within the appropriate Early Intervention Contract range will receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is being placed on Academic Contract and must have a meeting with a counselor in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services for a serious discussion of their academic performance, registration choices/adjustments, and an improvement plan.
The end-of-term standing for these students will be Early Intervention Contract. Each student on an Early Intervention Contract will design an individual Academic Contract with a counselor. The terms of this Contract must be met at the end of the specified semester.
Students enter the Early Intervention Contract category as a result of the cumulative GPA declining from the Good Standing or Warning categories:
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises, the student will be placed into the appropriate category of either Good Standing or Warning.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student’s cumulative GPA falls into the Dismissal category, the student will be dismissed from the College.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student’s cumulative GPA remains in the Early Intervention Contract range, the student remains on Contract.
The Committee on Academic Standing will review students on an Early Intervention Contract at the end of each semester, evaluating their performance and compliance with the terms of the Contract.
Probation Contract
A first semester student (i.e., first semester freshman or first semester transfer) with a cumulative GPA below the appropriate threshold for Probation will receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is being placed on Probation Contract. The student must schedule a meeting with a counselor in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services for a serious discussion of the student’s academic performance, registration choices/adjustments, and an improvement plan. This meeting is mandatory; the student’s account is not active until this meeting takes place and failure to schedule this Contract meeting before the end of the first week of classes in the new semester may result in withdrawal from the term.
The end of term standing for these students will be Probation Contract and each student will design an individual Academic Contract with a counselor. The student must meet the terms of this contract at the end of the specified semester. The Contract specifies that:
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises to or above 2.00, the student will be placed into the Good Standing category.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student has met the terms of the Contract (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), but the cumulative GPA remains below 2.00, the student remains on Probation Contract.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student has not met the terms of the Contract (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), the student will be dismissed.
The Committee on Academic Standing will review all students on Probation Contract at the end of each semester, evaluating their performance and compliance with the terms of the Contract.
Academic Dismissal/Post-Dismissal Contract
Students with a cumulative GPA below the appropriate threshold for Academic Dismissal will be sent a letter informing them of their dismissal from the College.
A student who is academically dismissed may appeal this decision to the Committee on Academic Standing. Information concerning such appeals will be sent with the dismissal letter, and is also available from the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services and the Registrar’s Office, along with the appropriate appeal forms.
If the appeal is granted, the student will receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is allowed to return and will be placed on a Post-Dismissal Contract once the student has met with a counselor in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services for a serious discussion of his or her academic performance, registration choices/adjustments and an improvement plan.
The end-of-term standing for these students will be Post-Dismissal Contract and each student will design an individual Academic Contract with a counselor. The student must meet the terms of this contract at the end of the specified semester.
Students enter the Post-Dismissal Contract category as a result of having their appeal for reinstatement granted by the Committee on Academic Standing after dismissal from the College:
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises to or above 2.00, the student will be placed into the Good Standing category.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student has met the terms of the Contract (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), but the cumulative GPA remains below 2.00, the student remains on Contract.
- At the end of the semester on Contract, if the student has not met the terms of the Contract (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), the student will be dismissed.
If the appeal is denied, the end-of-term standing remains dismissal. Students who have been dismissed for academic reasons and who later reapply for admission to the College will be reviewed by the Committee on Academic Standing in order to determine their readiness to return to St. John Fisher.
Students placed on either type of Academic Contract will receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing directing them to arrange a meeting with a counselor in the Center for Academic Advising and Support Services for a serious discussion of their academic performance at the College and to finalize the Academic Contract. This meeting is mandatory; failure to schedule this Contract meeting before the end of the first week of classes in the new semester may result in withdrawal from the term.
The Committee on Academic Standing will review all students on Contract at the end of each semester, evaluating their performance and compliance with the terms of the Contract.
Academic Standing and Athletic Participation
Students whose end-of-term standing is Good Standing or Warning are considered to be making satisfactory academic progress and are eligible to continue competing on the College’s NCAA athletic teams. However, students who are placed on either Early Intervention Academic Contract, Probation Contract or Post-Dismissal Academic Contract are not considered to be in Good Academic Standing and are therefore ineligible to engage in NCAA athletic competition as defined by NCAA Bylaw 14.02.5. They may, however, continue to practice with their athletic teams at the discretion of the institution’s athletic director and individual coaches.