Ram's Eye View

West Chester University

West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-1000





Probation and Dismissal Policy

Maintenance of Academic Standards: Probation and Dismissal

A student's scholastic standing at the University is indicated by his or her cumulative grade point average (GPA). Three categories of academic standing have been established: good academic standing, probation, and dismissal. A student remains in good academic standing as long as he or she maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 for all work taken at the University. Probation and dismissal are actions taken by the University when a student's GPA falls below an acceptable level at the end of the fall or spring term. No student will go on or come off academic probation, or be dismissed from the University for academic reasons, at the end of the summer term.

Conditions of Probation and Dismissal

Probation is defined as a trial period during which a student whose cumulative average has fallen below acceptable standards must bring his or her average up to those standards or be dismissed from the University.

An academic review is conducted at the end of each fall and spring semester. The University will notify, in writing, each student who goes onto academic probation or who is dismissed for academic reasons.

  1. Students earning a 0.00 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at the end of their first semester of full-time enrollment will be dismissed from the University.
  2. Any other student falling below the 2.00 CGPA standard will be placed on probation for one full-time semester (12 credits). A notice of probation shall be printed on the student's transcript, and the University will notify the student, in writing, that he/she is in danger of dismissal. The student who is placed on probation must see his/her adviser and develop an Academic Recovery Plan (ARP). It is the student's responsibility to contact the adviser and schedule an appointment to complete an ARP (see below).
  3. Any student still below the 2.00 CGPA standard after one full-time semester of probation is subject to dismissal. A student may petition to receive extended probation. The special assistant for academic policy may grant one semester of extended probation to a student who (1) has made progress toward academic good standing while following his/her Academic Recovery Plan, and (2) has a reasonable mathematical chance of reaching a CGPA of 2.00 after one additional semester on probation.
  4. Any student who is still below the 2.00 CGPA standard after one full-time semester of extended probation (two consecutive full-time semesters on probation) will be dismissed. If the student changed from full-time to part-time status as part of his/her Academic Recovery Plan, a third semester of probation may be permitted, provided that the student has had a semester GPA higher than 2.00 each semester since being placed on academic probation.
  5. Any student who regains good academic standing, but again falls below the 2.00 CGPA standard, will be placed on probation and given a maximum of 12 credits to return to good academic standing. A student may be placed on probation no more than twice; placement on probation for a third time will result in immediate dismissal from the University.

Dismissal from the University

  1. A student may appeal his/her dismissal in writing to the special assistant for academic policy.
  2. Nothing in this policy shall be taken to preclude the dismissal of students for violations of other University policies, in accordance with the provisions of those policies.

Readmission of Dismissed Students

  1. A student dismissed from the University may not take course work at the University until he or she applies and is considered for readmission by the University. No student will be considered for readmission earlier than one full calendar year after the time of dismissal.
  2. Students readmitted to the University will have a maximum of two full-time semesters (24 credits) to reach a CGPA of 2.00. During that time, the student must maintain a GPA of at least 2.30 for each semester of work following readmission. Failure to maintain a GPA of 2.30 for each semester until the CGPA reaches 2.00 or higher will result in a second dismissal. Any student who is dismissed from the University for poor academic performance a second time is not eligible for future readmission.

If a student is approved to be readmitted to the University under the Academic Renewal Policy and the student was, prior to separation from the University, a candidate in a program leading to initial teacher certification (B.S.Ed., B.M. in music education, or B.S. health and physical education-teacher certification), he or she may not be readmitted to the original major. The academic renewal student must re-enter in a nonteacher certification degree program or as an undeclared student.

If a student readmitted under academic renewal subsequently qualifies for formal admission to teacher education based upon the provisions of the academic renewal policy, that student may seek a change of major to a teacher certification program under the prevailing internal transfer policy of the specific program.

Academic Renewal Policy

The Office of the Associate Provost through the special assistant for student policy, at its discretion, offers academic renewal to students at the time they apply for readmission.

The Academic Renewal Policy permits readmission to West Chester University undergraduates whose GPA and total credits earned make it impossible for them to graduate from West Chester University, even if they were granted five more repeats. Students can be admitted only once under the Academic Renewal Policy, and it is not retroactive if a student has already been readmitted.

If a student is approved to be readmitted to the University under the Academic Renewal Policy and the student was, prior to separation from the University, a candidate in a program leading to initial teacher certification (B.S.Ed., B.M. in music education, or B.S. health and physical education-teacher certification), he or she may not be readmitted to the original major.  The academic renewal student must re-enter in a non-teacher-certification degree program or as an undeclared student.

If a student readmitted under academic renewal subsequently qualifies for formal admission to teacher education based upon the provisions of the academic renewal policy, that student may seek a change of major to a teacher certification program under the prevailing internal transfer policy of the specific program.

For further information concerning this policy, please refer to the WCU Undergraduate Catalog.

Academic Recovery Plan

It is the responsibility of the student to schedule an appointment with his/her academic adviser as soon as possible after learning that he/she is on probation. The meeting should take place no later than the third day of the first semester on probation, to allow time to adjust that semester's schedule, if necessary. The student will develop an Academic Recovery Plan at that meeting with the adviser's assistance. The ARP is an electronic form that can only be accessed by the adviser. Once the ARP is completed, copies are sent to the student, the adviser, and the Office of the Special Assistant for Academic Policy. If the ARP is not submitted within a month of the start of each semester, a hold will be placed on the student's account.

The ARP is intended to identify the problems that contributed to a student going on academic probation and list steps that the student will take to correct the problems. Students must commit to the changes in behavior necessary to achieve academic success. Steps to be taken might include regular class attendance, repeating failed courses, decreasing the number of credits attempted in a semester, taking reading/study skills courses, decreasing the amount of time spent working or in extracurricular activities, or taking a semester off to deal with personal or financial problems.