Unsatisfactory Academic Progress

Students who fail to make satisfactory progress in completing their prescribed course of study are placed on academic warning, academic probation, extended program, academic leave of absence, or may be dismissed. The Student Academic Review Committee or the CHS Promotion and Graduation Committee may recommend any of the options listed among the usual actions described for each academic situation under review. All recommended academic actions will be dependent on, any may be limited by, the curriculum and accreditation requirements of the individual programs.

Students will be notified by the CHS Dean when they are placed on academic warning as a result of their failure to achieve the required minimum cumulative GPA established by their program. Students with academic deficiencies to be addressed by the Student Academic Review Committee shall be notified in writing with a delivery confirmation (i.e., next-day express mail, e-mail or hand-delivery) by the chair of the Student Academic Review Committee at least two business days in advance of the scheduled meeting in which the student's case will be heard. Students shall be permitted to appear before the Student Academic Review Committee (in person or via telephone or virtual meeting) to present their case. In such instances, students shall inform the chair of the Student Academic Review Committee, in writing, of their desire to appear before the committee or their intent to waive this right. If a student chooses to appear before the committee, this prerogative extends to only the involved student and not to any other individuals. A student whose academic progress will be subject to review by their Student Academic Review Committee and who wishes to appeal a course grade must do so in an expedited manner prior to the scheduled meeting of the Committee. An appeal of a didactic course grade must be submitted within one business day following posting of the grade and within two business days for a failing clinical course grade. The appeal must be based on one of the following premises: factual errors in course assessment tools; mathematical error in calculating the final grade; or bias. Please refer to the Midwestern University Catalog Academic Policies section for a complete description of the Grade Appeals Policy.

Within two business days following the committee meeting, the chair of the Student Academic Review Committee is responsible for providing notification in writing with a delivery confirmation (i.e., next-day express mail, e-mail, or hand-delivery) to the involved student, informing the student of the committee's recommendation. In all instances, the chair of the Student Academic Review Committee shall be responsible for informing the CHS Dean and chair of the CHS Student Promotion and Graduation Committee of each recommendation made by the committee. Following notification of a recommendation by the Student Academic Review Committee, a student may appeal the recommendation to the CHS Student Promotion and Graduation Committee (see Appeal Process description). The CHS Student Promotion and Graduation Committee will review the student's appeal and make a recommendation to the CHS Dean. The Dean is responsible for reviewing all recommendations for consistency with stated College academic policies and practices. The Dean is responsible for providing written notification of the final decision to the student and to all appropriate academic support offices (i.e., Registrar, Student Financial Services, etc).

Academic Warning
Academic warning is a formal notification of substandard academic performance and cautions the student that continued performance at this level might result in academic probation. An academic warning is issued by the Dean's Office when a student earns a cumulative GPA below the minimum GPA required by their respective program for one quarter. An academic warning can be issued by the Program Student Academic Review Committee when the student fails to meet any other established program academic requirements. An academic warning is in effect for one quarter. Academic warning is not noted on the student's transcript but is noted in the student's academic file that is kept in the program office. If the student achieves the minimum standard of academic performance required by the program during the quarter of academic warning, the student is returned to good academic standing. This is also noted in the student's file.

Academic Probation
Academic probation represents notice of unsatisfactory academic progress. Academic probation typically occurs when the student fails a class during their academic program and/or earns a cumulative GPA below the minimum required by their respective program for two quarters (which do not have to be consecutive) and/or when the student fails to meet any other established program academic requirements. Academic probation is not noted on the student's transcript but is noted in the student's academic file in the program office. The student remains on academic probation until the failure is successfully repeated and/or the cumulative GPA is at or above the program's required minimum and all deficiencies have been corrected. Subsequently, when the student is returned to good academic standing, this is also noted in the student's file.

Extended Program
When a student is not allowed to progress in the standard program curriculum due to course failure, failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA for two or more quarters, and/or failure to meet any other established program academic requirement, the Student Academic Review Committee may place the student on an extended program. While on an extended program, students will be permitted to take elective courses or to retake courses in which they have received a grade of "C" or less. Students will be able to resume the standard program curriculum upon successful completion of all programmatic requirements.

Extended program is not noted on the student's transcript. Leave of absence will be noted on the transcript for periods of non-enrollment during the extended program period.

Academic Leave of Absence
Academic leave of absence may occur when a student has failed one or more courses, has accumulated two or more quarters when the cumulative GPA is less than required by their program, or has not met programmatic criteria required to proceed in the curriculum. Academic leave of absence may or may not be preceded by academic probation. This action results in the suspension of the student from all academic courses for a period of up to one year, or until all program requirements for re-entry have been fully met. A mandatory academic leave of absence is noted on the student's transcript.

The student who has been placed on a mandatory academic leave of absence does not have to re-apply for admission and is guaranteed reentry into their academic program upon successful completion of all failed courses and/or when all programmatic requirements are met. Upon reentry to the academic program, the student is routinely placed on academic probation for the following quarter.

Academic Dismissal
Students may be dismissed from the College for academic reasons upon the recommendation of their program's Student Academic Review Committee. Dismissal is based on the determination that the students have not satisfactorily demonstrated that they can successfully achieve the standards and requirements set forth in the academic policies and professional expectations for their program. Students who accumulate two or more failures or three quarters below the minimum required grade point average may receive a recommendation for dismissal. The course failures and/or the three-quarters with less than the required minimum cumulative GPA do not have to be consecutive.

Retake of a Failed Course
If a student passes a previously failed course, the original failure remains on the transcript as an "F" grade and is included in the total number of accumulated failures in the student's academic record. The grade from the original failed course is no longer used in the computation of the GPA following repeat of the course. The grade from the repeated course will be factored into the overall GPA.

Under exceptional circumstances, such as academic probation or extended program, students may retake a Midwestern University course in which they have earned a "C." The Program Director and the CHS Dean must approve this retake option. Typically, a maximum of three courses with "C" grades can be retaken, and a course may only be retaken once. The original "C" grade will remain on the transcript but will not be used in the computation of the GPA following the completion of the repeated course. The new grade will be factored into the overall GPA.

All repeated courses are subject to additional tuition. Students should consult with their financial aid advisor regarding the financial implications of repeated coursework.

Readmission After Dismissal for Poor Academic Performance
It is at the discretion of each CHS academic program to readmit a student who has been dismissed for poor academic performance. To initiate the reapplication process, candidates must complete and submit a new application and proceed through the standard application process established by the program. Before reapplying, however, individuals should seek the advice of an admissions counselor. It is expected that these individuals would have addressed documented deficiencies before reapplication and be able to demonstrate that they meet all admission requirements and technical standards of the program.

The program's Admissions Committee will review completed applications of candidates and submit recommendations to the Program Director for action. The CHS Dean, via the Office of Admissions, then notifies applicants in writing of admission decisions.

No guarantee of readmission is implied, and questions related to advanced standing and similar issues will be addressed as they are for new applicants. Reapplications are allowed only within the first two years following dismissal and readmission will be granted only once.