ACADEMIC STANDING REQUIREMENTS

APUS. Failure by the student to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal. • The appeal must be made in writing and forwarded to the provost and vice president of academic affairs (provost/VPAA). An appeal will be awarded given either of the following conditions: • The College’s policies and procedures were not followed by the instructor; or • Significant and new evidence supporting the student’s defense was discovered after the hearing. • The provost/VPAA will assemble an Appeals Committee, consisting of two members of the teaching faculty and one member of the student body. The provost/VPAA will appoint one of the two faculty members to serve as chair of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee has the authority to (a) affirm or reverse the findings and actions of the instructor and the AD, and (b) reduce or moderate the APUS’s decision on suspension or expulsion. The

Appeals Committee does not have the authority to change a grade decision.

Findings will be communicated in writing to the student, instructor, APUS, and provost/VPAA. • The chair of the Appeals Committee will consult with the student and instructor to schedule an appeals hearing. The student and instructor will be given at least two College business days’ notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The student and instructor must be present during the hearing, excluding deliberations. The student may be assisted during the appeals hearing by an advisor of choice from among the current students, faculty, administration, or staff, but may not be assisted during the appeals hearing by anyone else. The selected individual may function in an advisory capacity only.

They may not actively participate in the appeals hearing. • The student will be informed in writing of the committee’s decision within one

College business day following the appeals hearing. • Records related to academic dishonesty will be kept for five years following a student’s last date of attendance at the College, except for records of actions resulting in permanent dismissal, which will be kept permanently.

UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC STANDING REQUIREMENTS

After each fall and spring semester, members of the Academic Affairs Council meet to review the academic performance of all undergraduate students. Also, the academic performance of students in accelerated programs is reviewed at the end of the summer term.

To maintain good academic standing at the College, students must achieve minimum cumulative grade point averages appropriate to progress toward their

degree and must complete coursework at a regular and sustained pace. Minimum cumulative GPAs are as follows:

Credit Hours Completed 1–27 28–55 56 or more

Required Cumulative GPA 1.800 1.900 2.000 A 2.000 cumulative GPA is also required for students to graduate. Students who have not achieved a 2.000 cumulative GPA will be given an Academic Warning, placed on Probation, or Academically Suspended from the College, according to the conditions described below.

Academic Warning. Students who do not achieve a 2.000 cumulative GPA will be given Academic Warning. Academic Warning constitutes a formal notification that a student’s academic performance requires improvement and that they need to devote increased attention to academic work. Students receiving Academic Warning are cautioned that unless they achieve an acceptable cumulative grade point average, they may be placed on Probation and thereby lose the privilege of participating in extracurricular activities (including such activities as intercollegiate sports, student government, campus media, student clubs, and Greek and service organizations). Probation. Students who previously received an Academic Warning (regardless of the semester) and who do not achieve the required cumulative GPA to maintain good academic standing will be placed on Probation. A student on Probation will not be permitted to take part in extracurricular activities, including athletics. Final Probation. Students who were previously placed on Academic Probation (regardless of the semester) and who do not achieve the required cumulative GPA to maintain good academic standing will be placed on Final Probation. A student on Final Probation will not be permitted to take part in extra-curricular activities, and the student will be informed that unless the student restores to good academic standing and maintains that status, the student will be suspended from the College. Academic Suspension. Students will be suspended academically from the College when (1) they were previously placed on Final Probation (regardless of the semester) and did not achieve the required cumulative GPA to maintain good academic standing; (2) they fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 1.000 at the conclusion of any semester, having attempted 6 or more cumulative institutional credit hours; (3) they have not earned by the conclusion of the second and subsequent semesters of full-time enrollment a total of at least 6 credit hours of coursework for each semester completed. Students suspended for academic reasons will not be permitted to return for at least the full subsequent semester (fall or spring). Students who are suspended for the spring semester may apply to return in the summer.

In the event of an academic suspension, a student may appeal the decision and will be assured due process as follows: • No later than 14 calendar days following the date of the letter informing the student that they have been suspended, the student may appeal the decision.

Failure to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal. • The appeal must be made in writing to the assistant dean for student success and retention and student support (ADSSR). An appeal will be awarded given the following conditions: • a change was made to a student’s grade in a course, and this change occurred before the start of the semester for which the student was suspended; • severe mitigating circumstances sufficiently documented by an authority contributed to the student’s poor academic performance. • The ADSSR will assemble an Appeals Committee, consisting of at least two members of the Academic Affairs Council and one member of the faculty.

The ADSSR will serve as the chair of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals

Committee has the authority to affirm or reverse the decision to suspend the student. • The chair of the Appeals Committee will consult with the student and members of the assembled committee to schedule a hearing. All persons will be given at least two College business days’ notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The student must be present at the hearing to present their case to the committee. • The student may be assisted during the hearing by an advisor of choice from among current full-time students, faculty, administration, or staff, but may not be assisted during the hearing by anyone else. The selected individual may function in an advisory capacity only. They may not actively participate in the appeals hearing. If the student has documentation from an authoritative source, the committee will review that material as well. • Within one College business day following the appeals hearing, the committee’s decision will be communicated in writing to the student, student’s advisor, associate dean of academic success and registrar, associate dean of student affairs. The decision of the Appeals Committee is permanent and final. To request reinstatement following a suspension, students must apply for re-enrollment to the ADSSR. To be considered for re-enrollment following an academic suspension, a student must provide evidence that they are prepared for the rigors of post-secondary education and have addressed whatever difficulties contributed to a poor academic performance. This evidence may include letters of recommendation from employers, counselors, or medical professionals. Suspended students are highly encouraged to complete and earn grades of C or better in at least 6 credits of college-level work. Students may complete coursework at another

college or, if seeking to return in the fall, students may apply to take summer coursework at LVC. On reinstatement to the College following a suspension, a student will have two semesters to bring up their cumulative GPA to the minimum required for good academic standing at the College. Until the student achieves good academic standing, they remain on probationary status and are not eligible to participate in extracurricular activities. A suspended student who returns to the College and is suspended again for academic reasons will be permanently dismissed from the College. A permanent academic dismissal is recorded on a student’s academic transcript.

GRADUATE ACADEMIC STANDING REQUIREMENTS

The following policy applies to students in graduate programs, except for the following programs, whose academic standing policies and procedures can be found in the corresponding department handbook on an internal portal (available to current students) or upon request to the department: • Master of Athletic Training • Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling • Master of Science in School Counseling • Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology • Doctor of Physical Therapy Graduate students must obtain a grade point average of 3.000 with a maximum of two C or F grades in the program (excluding repeated courses in which a grade higher than a C was earned) to be in good academic standing. Every student’s academic progress shall be reviewed at the end of each academic period (end of the fall, spring, and summer semesters). Academic Warning. When a student falls between 3.000 and 3.250 cumulative GPA or earns a C or F in one course, they will receive an Academic Warning. Academic Warning constitutes notification that a student’s academic performance is of concern. Students receiving Academic Warning are cautioned of the parameters that constitute being placed on Academic Probation and are advised of resources that could aid in their success as well as the course repeat policies of their program. Students earning an F in a graduate program core/required course will be required to successfully repeat the course. Students earning an F in an elective course will have the option to repeat the failed course or, if applicable, select a suitable alternative.

Students should be aware of the consequences of poor academic performance on their employer reimbursement and loan eligibility. The Financial Aid Office has established guidelines for maintaining satisfactory academic progress (SAP) as it pertains to federal financial aid. Academic Probation. Students who fall below a 3.000 cumulative GPA or who earn a C or F grade a second time (whether in consecutive or nonconsecutive

semesters, excluding repeated courses in which a grade higher than a C was earned) are placed on Academic Probation. A student on Probation will not be permitted to take part in extracurricular activities, including athletics. Students on Academic Probation must work with their advisor and/or the program director to review their program requirements, develop a course plan for the upcoming semester, and identify resources that can aid in their success. The program director or advisor reserves the right to restrict the number of credits a student may enroll in while on probation and/or may require additional prerequisite work. Through this advisement, the student must submit, in writing, a mutually agreed upon academic plan that clearly outlines the steps and actions necessary to return to good academic standing, including a projected timeline. If the student is unable to take courses due to extenuating circumstances, the student must communicate any changes to the agreed upon academic plan with their advisor and/or program director to allow for a scheduled hiatus.

Once placed on Academic Probation, the student must return to good academic standing within two semesters (in which the student is actively enrolled in one or more courses). If, at the end of two semesters, the student has not returned to good academic standing but has made significant progress toward good standing within the parameters of their mutually agreed upon academic plan, the student may request, in writing, a one-time probation extension. Extension requests will only be granted to students who have the support of the advisor and/or program director and have a high likelihood of successful program completion. Extension requests must be approved by the program director and will be submitted to the registrar’s office and retained in the student’s academic file along with the approved academic plan. The extension request must include a realistic timeline for returning to good standing that is endorsed by the advisor and/or program director. Dismissal. Students will be dismissed from the program when either (1) they fail to return to good academic standing after two semesters (in which the student is actively enrolled in one or more courses) or within the timeline agreed upon within an approved one-time probation extension; or (2) they have earned more than two C or F grades (excluding repeated courses in which a grade higher than a C was earned).

Appeals Process. A student may appeal a dismissal decision to the assistant dean for student success and retention (ADSSR). No later than 14 calendar business days following the date of the letter informing the student that they have been dismissed, the student may appeal the decision. Failure to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal. The appeal must be made in writing. An appeal will be granted if severe mitigating circumstances sufficiently documented by an authority contributed to the student’s poor academic performance. The ADSSR will assemble an appeals committee, consisting of a member of the Academic Affairs Council, a full-time faculty member, and the