Academic Load and Enrollment Status
An undergraduate student admitted to and enrolled in a degree program usually registers for 15 credit hours each semester so that the required minimum of 120 credit hours for the bachelor’s degree is completed in four years.
Students are considered full-time if registered for at least 12 credits hours, half-time if registered for 6 to 11.99 credit hours, and less-than-half-time if registered for less than 6 credit hours. This designation applies to fall, spring, and summer, with summer status determined by total credits across all sessions.
For fall and spring, a typical load for a full-time student is 15 credit hours; however, the flat undergraduate tuition rate applies to a total of 17 credit hours. To register for more than 18 credit hours, students must receive permission from their academic unit.
Evaluation of Academic Performance
Students are responsible for:
- identifying implications for their progress and status at the university, including impact on financial aid, which results from any change in registration,
- verifying that all changes in registration are reflected in their official student record,
- reporting to their instructors any errors in calculating grades on assignments, tests, or other activities before the day of the final examination as posted the Registrar’s Final Exam Schedule, and for
- reporting to their instructors any errors in calculating or posting a course grade no later than one year from the day the course grades were posted by the Office of the University Registrar.
Judgment regarding standards of evaluation for a student’s academic performance is a faculty responsibility; therefore students may not request a second evaluation of any work leading to the final grade for the course. Students should consult the policy on Student Academic Grievances.
Good Academic Standing
Undergraduate students (degree and nondegree) are in Good Academic Standing if they are either enrolled in semester classes or are eligible to enroll in subsequent semester classes. There may be higher requirements for students receiving financial aid or other awards.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Recipients of federal (Title IV) or institutional funds must maintain satisfactory academic progress toward their degree objective to remain eligible for financial assistance.
Minimum Standards
- Full-time undergraduate financial aid recipients must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, complete 24 credit hours per academic year (fall/spring), and complete four-fifths (80 percent) of all attempted credit hours.
- Part-time undergraduate financial aid recipients must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average and complete four-fifths (80 percent) of all attempted credit hours.
- All students must complete their academic program within 150 percent of the normal time limit of that academic program as defined in the Academic Regulations.
- Merit-based scholarship recipients may have different standards than those listed above. Please refer to the original award notification regarding merit award eligibility criteria.
Special Considerations
The following alternative grading options do not count toward the grade point average but do have an impact on students’ satisfactory academic progress:
- Withdrawals (W), Administrative Withdrawals from Audits (ZL), Audits (L), and Fails on Pass/Fail option (FZ) count as credits attempted but not earned, and have no impact on the grade point average.
- Incompletes (I) and Unreported Grades (N) count as credits attempted but not completed.
- Administrative Failures (ZX or FX) count as credits attempted but not earned, and are factored as a grade of F.
- Pass (P) counts as credits attempted and earned, but has no impact on the grade point average.
- In Progress (IP) courses are excluded from the calculation in the initial academic progress evaluation. An IP grade may not stand as a permanent grade and must be resolved before a degree can be awarded.
Frequency of Monitoring
The Financial Aid Office monitors the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) of each aid recipient annually. This audit occurs in late May upon the submission of spring grades. Financial Aid will notify in writing students who are not making satisfactory progress.
Academic Appeals
All questions regarding the factual substance of academic records and all requests for changes to those records must be made to the academic departments. Financial Aid has no authority to alter the academic record of a student.
Re-Establishing Financial Aid Eligibility
For a student who has failed to maintain satisfactory academic progress, eligibility for financial aid funds may be re-established by the following means: the changing of a grade, the completion of incomplete or in progress course(s), or the reporting of a missing grade. Please note that funds are not set aside for students in these circumstances. Even if the appeal is granted, funds may not be available at that time.
Financial Aid Appeals
Students failing to meet SAP standards due to extenuating circumstances that precluded them from successfully completing their coursework may submit an appeal in writing to the Financial Aid Office. Priority consideration will be granted to students who submit an appeal by the deadline stated on the SAP notification. The request should include a comprehensive description of the circumstances, supporting documentation, and a plan of study with the student’s anticipated enrollment for the upcoming academic year. The Appeals Committee will review the appeal, make a ruling, and send a letter of response to the student.
Academic Warning
When the academic unit determines that a student has lost good academic standing or failed to make satisfactory academic progress, the academic unit may issue to the student in writing an academic warning. Students will be given an academic warning when either the student’s semester GPA falls below 2.00 or the student is not making satisfactory academic progress. An academic warning is not recorded on the transcript.
Academic Probation and Dismissal
The Registrar will place students on academic probation when their cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 or when the Registrar is notified by the academic unit that a student has failed to meet other conditions for academic progress that may apply in some majors. The Registrar will notify students in writing of their academic probation status and the academic unit will provide a description of any conditions associated with the academic probation. Conditions that students must adhere to during the academic probationary period may include, but are not limited to, inability to petition instructors for incompletes, successful completion of specific courses, minimum grades in courses, or the overall GPA to be achieved in the academic probation period.
Once placed on academic probation, a student must maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.33 and show satisfactory academic progress towards raising their cumulative GPA to the required level and meeting any other requirements unrelated to GPA, as stated in their notification letter from their academic unit. Students are to check with the Office of Financial Aid to determine if any additional criteria are required in order to retain their financial aid. Students can be placed on academic probation for no more than two semesters in total, or three semesters in total if a summer term is included. After that threshold is reached, students will be dismissed from the University.
A student on academic probation may be subject to restrictions as to the load for which he or she may register. Such a student is ineligible to hold office in student organizations or to participate in intercollegiate competitions. Also, a student may with permission of the student’s academic unit complete the season of any collegiate sport in which he or she is participating at the time he or she falls below a 2.00 cumulative average GPA.
The university will dismiss immediately students whose cumulative GPA, after attempting or completing 24 credits (excluding courses in which the recorded grade is W, I, or IP), falls below 1.0 (D). Students who are dismissed with a GPA lower than 1.0 will not be considered for re-admission.
When dismissing students from the university, the university may give students the option of reapplying for admission after one calendar year has passed from the final day of the session during which the dismissal was implemented. The dismissal will be included in the letter from the academic unit, and recorded by the Office of the Registrar on the transcript. Readmission applications are evaluated based on the total record of the student and consistent with the admission practices in effect at the time of application. A readmitted student is governed by the academic requirements in effect at the time of readmission.
Academic probation and dismissal are permanently recorded on the transcript of undergraduate students. An academic warning is not recorded on the transcript.
Changes in Field of Study
To change from one academic unit to another or to change majors within an academic unit within AU, students must be in good academic standing and receive the permission of the academic unit or teaching unit designee in charge of the program to which they wish to transfer. The various academic units and teaching units may establish additional requirements which must be met by each of their candidates for a degree.
Class Standing
Class standing is determined by the total number of credits, with adherence to the policies for repetition of courses, that students have earned including graded courses at AU, IB/AP/CLEP/A-level credits, or transferred courses. Credits that are not included in calculating class standing are credits not completed (N, I, IP), or credits not accepted through transfer, examination, or experiential learning.
| Credit Hours Completed |
Standing |
| 0-29 |
Freshman |
| 30-59 |
Sophomore |
| 60-89 |
Junior |
| 90 or above |
Senior |
|
