Actions from Post
- Know that enrolled P1 Students are added in the ASW on January 18, 2022 for the Spring Semester
- Remove Holds for RETURNING P1 students who took a semester off. They will be enrolled in the ASW their next registered semester back.
- Note that readmission appeals are now accepted on a rolling basis with decisions issued monthly
- Download the updated Target GPA Calculator
Probation Policy:
Academic probation is an intimidating term—it might helpful to explain to students that it is an academic warning because their GPA is too low to graduate. Of course, some programs and majors require even higher GPA’s but the university minimum is a 2.0.
Once on probation—this warning—lasts for 24 UNC, grade-carrying credits to get into Good Academic Standing. These 24 credits begin the first semester after receiving the academic probation notice and we will count any completed course with a grade (A-F). We aren’t going to count S/U, Withdraws, or Incompletes.
A quick note, incompletes are in a limbo space until they turn into a grade.
Standing Codes
Quick Note: standing is based on the last completed semester. Grades from Fall determine the Spring standing. Then new grades from Spring determine their Summer or Fall standing.
- P1 = First Term under a 2.0 (start counting credits)
- PC = Continuing (check their progress towards 24 credits)
- PA = Appealed (one semester to RGS)
- PS = Prior Suspension and readmitted (help them avoid a second, permanent suspension by reaching RGS in one semester)
- PX= Prior Suspension and back on Probation (help them avoid a second, permanent suspension by reaching RGS before their 24 credits)
- GS = Good Standing
- 00 = Null Standing (no GPA calculated yet)
- G1 = Good Standing, prior Suspension
- S1 = Suspension First Time (help them with Readmission Appeals or Fresh Start)
Tweetable Policy Explanation: Probation means the GPA is below 2.0 and you have two semesters (24 credits) to improve. All completed classes with an A-F count for the 24 credits while on probation.
Suspension Policy:
There are two reasons students are academically suspended—this has nothing to do with code of conduct suspensions.
- The cumulative GPA is below 2.0 after 24 credit hours on probation.
- This means they reach OR exceed 24 credits that semester and the final grades aren’t enough to hit that 2.0 mark.
- The cumulative GPA is below a 1.0 while on probation.
- The key here is “while on probation”—so a student can START probation below a 1.0 but it has to get up after that first semester. And if they are already PC, they need to keep it above the 1.0 line.
Quick Note: A 2.0 is a "C" average while a 1.0 is a "D" average.
Appeals for Suspension
If your student is suspended, they can submit an immediate appeal—the deadlines and information is posted to our probation support website. Suspended students are also invited to a Zoom Info Session about the appeal process and receive a recording of that information well before their appeals are due.
Quick Note: Appeals require a letter to the Academic Review Committee alongside any supporting documents like a letter of support, medical records, etc.
Fresh Start
Some students find that taking classes at community college or just a few years off helps them come back to UNC stronger.
With Fresh Start letter grades "C-," "D+," "D," "D-" or "F" (excluding first semester back courses) will remain on the transcript but will no longer be used in the calculation of UNC GPA. These courses will no longer count for graduation, either. These programs offer a fresh start, meaning they may need to retake classes to fill LAC, major, or minor requirements.
Note: We have two paths and a whole video explaining each one that you can watch.
More information and the application is on our probation support website.
Readmission appeals:
The last option for suspended students is a readmission appeal after one full semester has passed. These are accepted on a rolling basis, which should help students return more easily when eligible. ARC will review appeals each month, with applications received by the last Friday of that month being reviewed the following week. If your student misses that Friday cut-off, their readmission appeal will be bumped to the following month. This still gives everyone plenty of time to prepare for the upcoming semester.
Again, the appeal application is on the probation website.
Common Questions from 2021
Here are the answers to a few really common questions and scenarios for Probation.
The ASW
The academic success workshop is a self-paced Canvas course where students learn the policy and receive resources. It is a required for ENROLLED P1 students before you remove the hold and open to all students. I add those enrolled P1 folks early in the semester and it will show up in Canvas alongside their regular courses. P1 Students enrolled in summer or interim courses will also be added to the ASW early in that session BECAUSE they will not be classified as P1 during the next semester….. since they have new completed grades in the system.
Returning P1 Students
Remember how standing is based on last completed semester? Well sometimes students have that rough semester and end up on probation (P1) but then take a semester off. When you are registering a returning P1 student, you can remove their probation hold without the Academic Success Workshop. I will enroll the student in the ASW after they are registered with the other P1 folks. Their standing won’t change until that new semester is complete (so I can catch them as an Enrolled P1).
Looking for Grade Replacements
There are three ways you can check if a grade replacement was applied to a student’s record. All three will appear on their unofficial transcript. First, it will say Grade Replacement under the course. It will also have an “E” after the grade—if the student repeated the course or that class is still being applied to the GPA you will see an “A” instead. And last, check the math: with the Grade Replacement, you should see the GPA Hours and Quality Points on that term adjusted.
Dual-Enrollment
Many students take DE courses…and sometimes they earn less than a C. While their UNC GPA will reflect that DE grade, it will NOT trigger the Probation Policy. We don’t want students starting their UNC journey on academic probation. It is still important to keep an eye on your DE student because they might be at higher risk of probation next semester since they are starting with a lower GPA.
Final Standing
Students may appear to be in Good Standing (GPA over a 1.99) yet still have an Academic Probation code. This happens when a student completed a grade replacement, grade change, incomplete, or retroactive withdrawal--which changes the GPA--and the current semester has not concluded or they were not enrolled in the last completed semester. The Academic Standing will be updated after all final grades are due the next term they are enrolled.
Thank you for supporting our students as they work through the academic probation process. Check out these other videos related to the probation policy at UNC!
