Academic Standing
Academic standing describes the state of a student’s academic progress towards program completion. It encompasses both the positive status of good standing and the negative status of probation, suspension, provisional readmission and dismissal. Students in “No Intended Degree” status do not have academic standing calculated since they are not in a specific program.
In determining academic standing, the UW notation (Unofficial Withdrawal) acts as a punitive grade, indicating that the student is not making academic progress. The notations I (Incomplete), W (Withdrawal), X (Audit), Y (placeholder for a course of more than one term in length), and Z (course interrupted by military service assignment) are not punitive.
Good Standing
Undergraduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 throughout their enrollment at CityU to maintain good standing at the university. Masters and doctoral students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. Students must be in good standing in order to graduate from any program in the university. Students in “No Intended Degree” status do not have academic standing calculated since they are not in a specific program.
Probation
After any term in which an undergraduate student’s cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 or a graduate or doctoral student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0, the student is placed on probation. Students are notified in writing by the university when they are placed on probation after one or more terms in good standing, and this status also appears on the student’s transcript. A status of probation does not interfere with a student’s ability to enroll for new courses.
Any student who receives a UW for any course in three consecutive terms is placed on probation after the third term, regardless of cumulative GPA. In addition, any student without a cumulative GPA (for example, a new student) who receives UWs for all courses taken in a term is placed on probation. If the pattern is repeated for a second consecutive term, the student is again placed on probation.
Suspension
If a student’s cumulative GPA remains below the required level (2.0 for undergraduates, 3.0 for graduates/doctoral students) for three consecutive terms, the student is suspended from enrollment in the academic program. The status “Suspended” appears on the student’s transcript after the third term. In addition, any student without a cumulative GPA who receives UWs for all courses for three consecutive terms is suspended after the third term.
A student who has been suspended is blocked from further enrollment. Once a student has been suspended, he or she must request and be granted provisional readmission in order to re-enroll at CityU.
Provisional Readmission
To be readmitted following suspension, a student must submit a written, signed petition to the Readmission Committee, Office of the Registrar, within the next four terms (one year). The committee then considers the request, and if it decides to grant it, the student is sent a letter outlining the conditions under which studies may resume. The status “Provisionally Readmitted” appears on the student’s transcript. A student who has been provisionally readmitted is still on suspension, and if academic performance does not improve during the next term, and/or if the student does not follow the conditions outlined by the Readmissions Committee, he or she may be dismissed, at the discretion of the Registrar.
Dismissal from program
If the student does not request provisional readmission within four terms of suspension (one year), or is not granted provisional readmission after petitioning the Readmission Committee, he or she is dismissed from the academic program. Additionally, if the student is granted provisional readmission, but does not follow the Readmission Committee’s guidelines and/or does not improve his or her academic performance during the next term, the student may be dismissed from the academic program. The status of dismissal appears on the student’s transcript.
A student who has been dismissed from a program may apply for readmission to the program after one year by sending a written request to the Readmissions Committee.
Dismissal from the University
On rare occasions, students may be dismissed from the University and prohibited from further study due to violations in student conduct, or prolonged negative academic performance in which other options have been exhausted. The status of the dismissal will show on the student transcript under the final term of study, and a note regarding the dismissal will be noted in the Student Comments. Students will receive an official letter from the Provost if this status is utilized.
Student’s Right to Appeal after Dismissal
If the student wishes to appeal a dismissal, a letter of appeal may be submitted at the end of one year. It must be sent to the Readmission Committee, which then forwards it to the dean of the appropriate school. The dean’s decision is final and is not subject to further appeal.