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.) Academic standing is calculated whenever grades are entered or changed. This standing is based on the cumulative 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 | Probation*** or Academic Dismissal/Post-Dismissal 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. Students may however, continue on Probation standing.
Good Standing
All students with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher are considered to be in Good Standing.
Warning
Students with a cumulative GPA within the appropriate Warning range, though making satisfactory academic progress, are placed on Warning. These students receive a 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 relevant Early Intervention range receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is being given an Academic Success Plan and must have a meeting with a counselor in the Center for Career and Academic Planning for a discussion of their academic performance, registration choices/adjustments, and an improvement plan.
The academic standing for these students is Early Intervention. Each student in Early Intervention status designs an individual Success Plan with a counselor. The terms of this plan must be met at the end of the specified semester.
Students enter the Early Intervention category as a result of the cumulative GPA declining from the Good Standing or Warning categories:
- At the end of the semester in Early Intervention status, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises, the student is placed into the appropriate category of either Good Standing or Warning.
- At the end of the semester in Early Intervention status, if the student’s cumulative GPA falls into the Dismissal category, the student is dismissed from the College.
- At the end of the semester in Early Intervention status, if the student’s cumulative GPA remains in the Early Intervention range, the student remains on the Success Plan.
The Committee on Academic Standing reviews students on Early Intervention Success Plans at the end of each semester, evaluating their performances and compliance with the terms of the Success Plan.
Probation
A first semester student (i.e., first semester freshman or first semester transfer) with a cumulative GPA below the appropriate threshold for Probation receives a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is being placed on Probation. The student must schedule a meeting with an advisor in the Center for Career and Academic Planning (CCAP) for a 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 meeting before the end of the first week of classes in the new semester may result in withdrawal from the term.
The academic standing for these students is Probation status and each student designs an individual Success Plan with a CCAP advisor. The student must meet the terms of this plan at the end of the specified semester.
- At the end of the semester on Probation status, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises to or above 2.00, the student is placed into the Good Standing category.
- At the end of the semester on Probation status, if the student has met the terms of the Plan (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), but the cumulative GPA remains below 2.00, the student is placed into the appropriate category according to the Standards of Academic Progress chart or remains on Probation if the cumulative GPA has not risen to another category.
- At the end of the semester on Probation status, if the student has not met the terms of the Plan (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), the student is dismissed.
The Committee on Academic Standing reviews all students on Probation at the end of each semester, evaluating their performances and compliance with the terms of the Success Plan.
On Hold
Students with one or more Incomplete grades at the end of the term have an academic standing of On Hold until the Incomplete grade(s) is resolved. When all Incomplete grades are converted to letter grades, the term and cumulative GPA are recalculated and academic standing is set according to the Standards of Academic Progress.
Academic Dismissal/Post-Dismissal Contract
Students with a cumulative GPA below the appropriate threshold for Academic Dismissal are 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 is sent with the dismissal letter, and is also available from the Center for Career and Academic Planning. How to appeal and the appeal form can be found on the Center for Career and Academic Planning’s website at Center for Career and Academic Planning.
If the appeal is granted, the student receives a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing stating that the student is allowed to return and will be placed on a Post-Dismissal Success Plan once the student has met with an advisor in the Center for Career and Academic Planning (CCAP) for a discussion of his or her academic performance, registration choices/adjustments and an improvement plan.
The academic standing for these students is Post-Dismissal status and each student designs an individual Success Plan with a CCAP advisor. The student must meet the terms of this plan at the end of the specified semester.
Students who enter the Post-Dismissal category as a result of having their appeals for reinstatement granted by the Committee on Academic Standing must adhere to the follow contract requirements:
- At the end of the semester on Post-dismissal status, if the student’s cumulative GPA rises to or above 2.00, the student is placed into the Good Standing category.
- At the end of the semester on Post-dismissal status, if the student has met the terms of the Success Plan (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), but the cumulative GPA remains below 2.00, the student will be placed into the appropriate category according to the Standards of Academic Progress chart.
- At the end of the semester on Post-dismissal status, if the student has not met the terms of the Success Plan (semester GPA of 2.00 or higher), the student is dismissed.
If a student appeals the dismissal and the appeal is denied, the academic standing remains dismissal. Students who have been dismissed for academic reasons and who later reapply for admission to the College are reviewed by the Committee on Academic Standing in order to determine their readiness to return to St. John Fisher College.
Students placed into either type of Academic status receive a letter from the Committee on Academic Standing directing them to arrange a meeting with an advisor in the Center for Career and Academic Planning (CCAP) for a discussion of their academic performance at the College and to finalize the Academic Success Plan. This meeting is mandatory; failure to schedule this 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 reviews all students who have Academic Success Plans at the end of each semester, evaluating their performance and compliance with the terms of the plan.
Academic Standing and Athletic Participation
Students whose academic 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, Probation, or Post-dismissal status 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.