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Academic Affairs

Student & Administrative Services Center, Rm. 3052 · (570) 326-3761, ext. 7310

Academic Probation

Student in Good Standing

In order to be a student in good standing, you must not be under any disciplinary sanction, must not have any unsatisfied financial obligation to the College, and must not be on academic probation or suspension.

Your graduation-grade point average is calculated using only the courses taken while enrolled in a given major. If you switch majors, grades for courses not required by your new major are not figured into your graduation grade point average.

Academic Probation

If your graduation grade-point average falls below 2.0, you will be placed on academic probation (applicable only to students enrolled in a degree- or certificate-granting major). A probationary review will determine the conditions you must fulfill to continue your enrollment at Penn College.

Notification

If you are not a student in good standing at the end of a semester, you will receive a letter explaining your academic status (probation, repeated course attempts, academic dismissal). You may be required to meet with an academic representative from your school and/or personnel from Counseling Services to discuss specific academic issues. Failure to meet these obligations could result in academic dismissal.

Academic Dismissal

You may be dismissed from the College based on the following academic regulations:

Unsuccessfully Repeating Courses
You may repeat any developmental course (RDG 001,111; ENL 001; MTH 004, 005, 006) just one time. If you take a developmental course twice without earning a passing grade, you will be academically dismissed from the College.

You may repeat a non-developmental course two times. If you take a non-developmental course three times without earning a passing grade, you will be unable to remain in or change to any major that requires the course. You may, however, change to any other major that does not require the repeated course. For additional detail, consult the College Catalog.

Academic Probation Semester Limitation
You will be academically dismissed if your graduation grade-point average is lower than 2.0 in any three semesters (applicable to students who entered Penn College in Fall 2004 or later). This dismissal cannot be appealed. You can, however, petition to re-enroll after one year’s absence from the College.

Developmental Semester Requirements
If you are taking a developmental semester (are enrolled in three developmental classes and ORN 001), you must earn a least a 2.0 semester grade-point average or face academic dismissal. This dismissal cannot be appealed. You can, however, petition to re-enroll after one year’s absence from the College.

A semester's work is generally defined as the courses listed for a semester in a given major, or 15 credits of course work.

Grade Point Average Deficiency
You will be terminated from the College if your graduation grade-point average is:

  • Below 1.0 at the end of the first semester’s work (6-20 attempted credits).
  • Below 1.5 at the end of the second semester’s work (21-36 attempted credits).
  • Below 1.8 at the end of the third semester’s work (37 or more attempted credits).

In some instances, you may be eligible to appeal this dismissal. Directions for doing so are provided in the official notification of termination letter. If the appeal is denied, you may petition to re-enroll after one year’s absence from the College.

Petitioning to Re-enroll after Academic Dismissal

If you have been academically dismissed, you may be eligible to petition to re-enroll after one year’s absence from the College. To do so, you must send the following items to the Associate Vice President for Academic Services:

  • A discussion of the issues that led to your academic problems and proof that you have successfully addressed these factors.
  • A written account of your activities during your time away from the College.
  • If applicable, an official transcript showing successful completion of course work at another institution.
    (It would be to your benefit to repeat Penn College courses you failed. You can do so by successfully completing an equivalent course at another institution and then transferring the course into Penn College. Please contact the Advisement Center for assistance to ensure you are enrolling in the appropriate courses.)
  • Two letters of recommendation addressing your readiness to resume college-level work. These letters can come from professors at other colleges, employers, or other associates who are familiar with your activities during your time away from the College.

If your petition is successful, special requirements (e.g., credit limitations, GPA requirements, mandatory major change) may be imposed. Failure to satisfy these requirements will result in permanent dismissal from the College.