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Academic Standards Policy

Goal and standards

The Goal of the Policy

The main goal of any academic standards policy is to provide assistance to those students who are experiencing academic difficulty. An early warning to students experiencing academic problems often results in their seeking academic support through a variety of options that help students achieve academic success. An early warning may limit the number of credits a student may take in a semester. They may also be required to select special courses or other student support options, which provide special academic assistance. The goal for the College and its students is to improve academic performance so that students may attain their academic and career goals.

WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS?

The following chart details the measures that will be used to determine your academic standing. The standards have a quality component (GPA) measured against a quantitative component (number of credits attempted).

ATTEMPTED CREDITS CUM GPA REQUIRED WARNING PROBATION PROGRAM DISMISSAL*
0-15 1.25 Below 1.25 - -
16-30 1.50 Below 1.50† Previous Warning,
GPA below 1.50†
-
31-45 1.75 Below 1.75† Previous Warning,
GPA below 1.75†
Previous Probation, GPA below 1.75†
46-90 2.00 Below 2.00† Previous Warning,
GPA below 2.00†
Previous Probation, GPA below 2.00†

*Students who are dismissed from a degree program are not permitted to enroll for courses as a non-degree student until they have consulted with an advisor to develop an academic plan of study.

†Students receiving financial aid must remain in good academic standing and are required to successfully complete a minimum of 67% of all courses attempted.

WHAT DO THE CATEGORIES MEAN?

If a student fails to successfully complete enough courses in a semester and/or does not meet a required grade point average, the student may be placed under one of the following academic restrictions:

Academic Warning:

Students are restricted to 13 semester credits and may be required to take 3 credits of developmental courses . Students must see an academic advisor.

Academic Probation:

Students are restricted to 10 semester credits. Students are required to see an academic advisor who may require at least 6 of the 10 credits to be developmental courses.

Program Dismissal:

Students will be dismissed from their program of study. These non-matriculating students must see an academic advisor to review various academic and developmental options to regain good academic standing. When the student is readmitted to their program of study, that student will remain on probation for one academic semester. The academic advisor will determine the number of credits allowed for study. The developmental interventions and academic options may include: a variety of skill development course work, career skills/goals assessment, and program change or course load reduction.

CAN I APPEAL?

Students may appeal Program Dismissal status to the Committee on Academic Standards. The committee is composed of the Dean of Student Development or designee, Associate Dean of Enrollment Services, Admissions and Financial Aid, the Assistant Dean of Enrollment Services, three faculty members, and an Academic Dean who shall chair the committee.

Appeals Process: If a student feels that there are serious extenuating circumstances that contributed to poor academic performance, the student has an opportunity to appeal the academic sanction of “Program Dismissal.” Students, who wish to appeal the sanction of dismissal, must meet with a counselor in the Advising and Counseling Department to discuss the merits and procedures of the appeal. If it is decided that the student has grounds for an appeal, the following procedures will apply:

  1. Students must present their appeal of Academic Dismissal in writing and state the specific circumstances which merit consideration of an appeal.
  2. The letter of appeal will be addressed to the Academic Appeals Committee and mailed to the Office of the Dean of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, 400 East Avenue, Warwick, RI 02886.
  3. The Academic Appeals Committee will review the request for appeal and will render the decision of the Committee. The student will be notified in writing of the Committee’s decision.

DO I HAVE ANY OTHER OPTIONS? (Academic Renewal/Forgiveness Policy)

CCRI students may request Academic Renewal (Forgiveness) to allow removal of poor grades from the calculation of their overall GPA based upon past academic performance and/or based upon a change of curriculum.

The Academic Renewal (Forgiveness) Policy contains two options:

Option 1: Academic Renewal based upon past academic performance
Option 2: Academic Renewal based upon change of curriculum

General Provisions that apply to both Option 1 and Option 2

  1. A student may request Academic Renewal once under the academic performance option and once under the change of curriculum option.
  2. If a student requests forgiveness for a course or courses in which he or she has earned a grade of “D” or “F”, the credits earned in any such course or courses will be removed from the total credits earned, and the student will receive no credit for the course. However, courses including grades will remain on the student’s official transcript designated with a special code for Academic Renewal.
  3. All requests are to be submitted using the Academic Appeal Form and forwarded to the Academic Appeals Committee. Waiver Forms are available from any advisor/counselor in the Advising and Counseling office on any campus.

Specific Provisions for Option 1* – Academic Renewal based upon past academic performance

  1. After three consecutive years of non-attendance at CCRI, a student may request Academic Renewal based upon past academic performance.
  2. After the student completes 12 credits with a GPA of 2.5, the request will be reviewed by the Academic Appeals Committee for the request to be considered.
  3. When the student’s request is approved by the Academic Appeals Committee, grades of “D” or “F” for the courses from the prior attendance period will be excluded from the calculation of the student’s Grade Point Average. However, the courses and grades will remain on the student’s official transcript designated with a special code for Academic Renewal.

Specific Provisions for Option 2* – Academic Renewal based upon change of curriculum

  1. A student may request Academic Renewal based upon a change of Program of Study/Major any time after matriculation and after completion of 12 or more credits with a GPA of 2.5 in his or her new program of study.
  2. If a student’s request is approved by the Academic Appeals Committee, grades of “D” or “F” in courses that were required by the previous program but are not required by the new program will be excluded from the calculation of the student’s Grade Point Average. However, courses including grades will remain on the student’s official transcript designated with a special code for Academic Renewal.

POLICY APPLIES TO: CCRI matriculated students having completed 12 credits with a GPA of 2.5 or better.

EXCEPTIONS: * For financial aid purposes, all attempted credits and grades from all courses (GPA) including those that were forgiven must be included when determining financial aid eligibility. For details on the Standards required for financial aid go to our website at:www/oes/fa/academic_progress.html

NOTE: All past academic work will remain part of the official transcript but will not be averaged into the Cumulative Grade Point Average.

Note to Health Students: Students enrolled in any of the Health & Rehabilitative Sciences programs must be aware of the following:

Academic standards specified by the Health & Rehabilitative Sciences programs supersede the college-wide academic standards. Students in these programs must follow the established academic standards policies for the specific department/program. Please refer to the college catalog or the respective department for specific policies and standards.