In order to meet the requirements for graduation, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 and a GPA of at least 2.00 in each major and minor. As students who are not maintaining a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher are not making satisfactory progress towards graduation, they are subject to the following rules.
Please see the Academic Bulletin for the formal Academic Standing policies.
Please see here for guidance in preparing an appeal of suspension or dismissal.
Please see here for a flow chart laying out the various Academic Standing categories.
Academic Sanctions
Academic Warning is assigned to students who have two consecutive semesters with a semester average below 2.0, but whose cumulative grade point average remains above 2.0. Students remain on Academic Warning until they achieve a semester grade point average over 2.0. Students on Academic Warning are NOT subject to suspension or dismissal. These students remain in good standing with the College.
Academic Probation is assigned to students at the conclusion of the first semester in which the cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0. Students remain on Academic Probation for one semester, at the end of which the student may be subject to suspension or dismissal or placed on Poor Academic Standing if the cumulative average remains below 2.0. A student placed on Academic Probation is NOT immediately eligible for suspension or dismissal. These students remain in good standing with the College.
Students are placed on Poor Academic Standing if they have two or more consecutive semesters with a cumulative grade point average below 2.0 and if they have not been suspended or dismissed by the College. Students on Poor Academic Standing may not participate in varsity athletics or in the Greek system.
Academic Suspension
Students placed on Academic Probation or Poor Academic Standing will be Suspended from the College at the conclusion of their second consecutive semester with a cumulative GPA of below 2.0 UNLESS in that semester they meet the following criteria. Students meeting those criteria will continue on Poor Academic Standing but will not be suspended.
- complete at least 12 credits,
- pass all of their courses,
- earn a semester GPA of at least 2.0.
For the purposes of satisfying the above criteria, grades of Incomplete (IN) and No Credit (NC) are not considered passing grades. Withdrawals from a course (grades of “X” and “W”) are not considered in determining whether students have passed all of their classes, but any courses from which a student has withdrawn do not count towards the 12 credit minimum that students must complete to avoid suspension.
Academic Dismissal
If a student who has returned to the College after an academic suspension fails a second time to achieve the minimum GPA standard, the student may be Dismissed from the College for poor academic performance. The final dismissal may occur at the conclusion of any semester subsequent to the return from an academic suspension, provided the cumulative average does not rise above 2.0. Academic dismissals take effect immediately following the completion of the Academic Standards and Awards Committee’s review of appeals (see “Appeals” below). Academic dismissals are final, and a student who has been dismissed may not apply for readmission.
Students in Their First Semester
A student who in their first semester at Allegheny College earns a GPA of 1.0 or below is placed on Poor Academic Standing and will be Suspended. If the student successfully appeals, they are placed on Poor Academic Standing and are subject to the following requirements: 1) to meet with a representative from the Learning Commons; and 2) to work with that representative to create a plan to improve their academic performance. Students may also be required to enroll in no more than 12 credits during the next semester. Please note that students on Poor Academic Standing cannot participate in varsity athletics until their cumulative G.P.A. rises to a 2.0 and are not permitted to become members of the College Greek system until their G.P.A. meets the requirements outlined for Greek chapters.
Grade Calculations and Grade Point Average
For the purposes of meeting these requirements, grades of Incomplete (“IN”) and No Credit (“NC”) are NOT considered passing grades. A student who successfully completes an Incomplete grade may find themselves having satisfied these criteria after the fact. Withdrawals from a course (grades of “X” or “W”) are not considered in determining GPA but also do not count towards the successful completion of the minimum 12 credits in a given semester.
The cumulative grade point average includes all graded Allegheny courses, but does not include courses taken under the Credit/No Credit option or courses in which the student opted to withdraw (“X”) or received an Incomplete or a “W.” When a course is repeated, the credits and grade for the most recent attempt will be counted in the current cumulative average. However, for those courses that can be repeated for credit—for example, music ensembles—the credits and grades for each enrollment are included in computing the academic average.
Appeals
Academic Warning, Academic Probation, and Poor Academic Standing are determined by grade point average and are not subject to appeal.
Academic suspensions and dismissals from the College are subject to appeal and will not take effect until after the Academic Standards and Awards Committee has completed its review of appeals. Dismissals after the first semester of attendance at Allegheny College are for a minimum of six months; all other dismissals are for a minimum of one year.
Please see here for guidance in preparing an appeal of dismissal.
Dismissed students seeking readmission should submit a written request to the Registrar’s Office by May 1 for a fall term readmission and November 1 for a spring term readmission. These requests for readmission will be reviewed by the Academic Standards and Awards Committee.
Students approved to return will be placed on Poor Academic Standing upon their return and will be subject to the rules for that status. Students dismissed a second time may appeal, but if the dismissal is upheld they may not apply for readmission. i.e., a student dismissed a second time will not be allowed to return.
Transcript Notation
Academic Suspension and Academic Dismissal are noted on the transcript; Academic Warning, Academic Probation, and Poor Academic Standing are not.
Academic Awards and Standards Committee
The Academic Awards and Standards Committee is responsible for reviewing the academic records of Allegheny students and hearing appeals of Academic Dismissal cases.. By matriculating at Allegheny, students recognize the right of the Committee to determine their Academic Standing.
The membership of the Academic Awards and Standards Committee includes Allegheny faculty, students, and those administrators who assist students experiencing difficulty in their college work. All actions concerning academic standing are taken after careful analysis of the individual student’s level of achievement, aptitudes, study efficiency, and sense of purpose. At the end of each semester the Committee reviews the records of all students whose semester or cumulative grade point averages render them subject to one of the following Academic Standing Categories. Decisions regarding appeals of academic dismissal are made by majority vote of the faculty members of the Committee.
Leaves and withdrawals
Information about Leaves of Absence from the College (taken when a student intends to return) and Withdrawal from the College (permanent withdrawal). Forms may be found via the Maytum Center for Student Success or here.
Tuition Refunds
Information about tuition refunds for students who do not complete the semester is available from Student Financial Services.
Financial Aid Academic Progress Policy
Students should be aware that there are separate rules applying to satisfactory academic progress and various forms of financial aid. Please see the Academic Progress Policy.