Academic Probation
What is it? Academic probation is a strong warning to students that their academic performance is less than that expected by the University. Notices of academic probation are sent to students through email at the end of the semester, when final grades are released.
Please note that probation is retroactive. When a student is notified of academic probation they already have one semester of probation (for the semester that was just completed).
How is this determined? A student seeking an undergraduate degree is placed on academic probation under any of the following three conditions:
- The University cumulative GPA is below 2.00.
- The GPA for the most recent semester is below 2.00.
- The cumulative departmental GPA is below 2.00, based on at least 16 credits. For ME students, this means all MEEM credits taken.
What are the consequences? A student on academic probation is not permitted to register for more than 16 credits per semester unless approval is granted by the Dean of Students Office. Academic probation is also an intermediate step toward academic suspension (see below). Financial aid may be impacted as well, contact Michigan Tech Student Financial Services to inquire about consequences specific to your aid package.
What can be done? When does probation end? See an advisor to develop a plan that may include repeating courses (see FAQ #6).
A student is removed from academic probation (back to good academic standing) when all of the following conditions have been met:
- The University cumulative GPA is 2.00 or greater.
- The GPA for the most recently completed semester is 2.00 or greater.
- The cumulative departmental GPA is 2.00 or greater, based on at least 16 credits.
Academic Suspension
What is it? A specified period of time where a student will not be permitted to enroll at the University
How is this determined? The following are grounds for academic suspension:
- The student earns a semester GPA of 0.0 while attempting 12 or more credits, or
- The student’s cumulative GPA is below 2.00 after two semesters of academic probation (remember that this is only one semester after triggering probation status), or
- The student does not achieve good academic standing (i.e. not on probation) after two semesters of probation (two consecutive semesters of below 2.00 semester GPAs).
What are the consequences? This depends upon how many times the student has been placed on academic suspension and how well the student performs upon return:
- Upon receiving a first notice of academic suspension, a student may not attend Michigan Tech for at least one semester, plus a summer. That is, a student suspended at the end of a fall semester may not re-enroll until the following fall, and a student suspended at the end of a spring semester may not re-enroll until the following spring semester. Students may appeal their suspension to avoid being unable to attend Michigan Tech for these time frames (see below).
- Upon receiving a second notice of academic suspension, a student may not attend Michigan Tech for two semesters, plus a summer.
- After returning from a second suspension, failure to achieve good academic standing (i.e. not on probation) or show substantial academic progress within one semester will result in academic dismissal. There is no opportunity for reinstatement after academic dismissal; however, a student may request an appeal.
What can be done? The University has a reinstatement process in place for students returning from suspension as well as a suspension and dismissal appeals process.
Suspension appeals must be received prior to the published deadline for each semester. Appeals must be submitted online to the Dean of Students office.
Reinstatement requests must be made 6 weeks in advance of the start date of the planned return semester. To request reinstatement, students must follow the procedure on the Dean of Students office website (date due for each semester published on this page also). The reinstatement request online form will ask a series of questions regarding goals, previous academic history and future plans for improvement. Students will also be asked to submit a letter of recommendation/performance review from their current employer, a transcript for any courses taken during the suspension period (see FAQ #5 for how to transfer coursework completed at other institutions to Michigan Tech) and a three-semester academic plan developed in conjunction with an ME academic advisor.