Academic Standing Requirements

Students will be placed on Probation when one of the following occurs: (1) they previously received an Academic Warning (regardless of the semester) and did not achieve the required cumulative GPA to maintain good academic standing; (2) they fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 1.500 at the conclusion of any semester, having attempted 6 or more cumulative institutional credit hours; (3) they have not earned at least 6 credit hours of coursework in the most recent term in which they attempted a full-time course load.

A student on Probation will be required to develop and commit to an academic success plan and must meet with their advisor and an academic success coach prior to the start of the subsequent semester. Failure to meet these requirements will result in suspension from the College. In addition, a student on Probation will not be permitted to take part in co-curricular activities, including athletics.

A student who withdraws from all coursework in a semester will not be placed on Probation but will still be required to complete an academic success plan and hold a meeting, as described above, as a condition of returning to LVC.

Students will be suspended academically from the College when (1) they were previously placed on Final Probation (regardless of the semester) and did not achieve the required cumulative GPA to maintain good academic standing; (2) they were previously placed on Academic Warning or Academic Probation and fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 1.500 at the conclusion of any semester. Students suspended for academic reasons will not be permitted to return for at least the full subsequent semester (fall or spring). Students who are suspended for the spring semester may apply to return in the summer.

In the event of an academic suspension, a student may appeal the decision and will be assured due process as follows:

• No later than 14 calendar days following the date of the letter informing the student that they have been suspended, the student may appeal the decision. Failure to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal.
• To officially submit an appeal, the suspended student must complete an Academic Success Plan.  An appeal hearing will be awarded given the following conditions:
  • a change was made to a student’s grade in a course, and this change occurred before the start of the semester for which the student was suspended;
  • severe mitigating circumstances sufficiently documented by an authority contributed to the student’s poor academic performance.
• The Assistant Dean of Student Success and Retention (ADSSR) will serve as a touchpoint for any questions or concerns involving the appeal process. The ADSSR will assemble an Appeals Committee, consisting of at least two members of the Academic Affairs leadership team and one member of the faculty. The ADSSR will serve as the chair of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee has the authority to affirm or reverse the decision to suspend the student. All committee members will receive a copy of the Academic Success Plan and any relevant supporting documentation from an authoritative source, if provided.
• The chair of the Appeals Committee will consult with the student and members of the assembled committee to schedule a hearing. All persons will be given at least two College business days’ notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing. The student must be present at the hearing to present their case to the committee. If the student fails to show up for the hearing without contacting the chair of the committee prior to the scheduled meeting to communicate any conflicts or emergencies, the suspension will be upheld.
• The student may be assisted during the hearing by a person of choice. The selected individual may function in an advisory capacity only. They may not actively participate in the appeals hearing.
• Within one College business day following the appeals hearing, the committee’s decision will be communicated via LVC email to the student, student’s advisor, Associate Dean of Academic Success and Registrar, and Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students. The decision of the Appeals Committee is permanent and final.

To request reinstatement following a suspension, students must fill out an Application for Re-enrollment through the Registrar’s Office.  To be considered for re-enrollment following an academic suspension, a student must provide evidence that they are prepared for the rigors of post-secondary education and have addressed whatever difficulties contributed to a poor academic performance. This evidence may include letters of recommendation from employers, counselors, or medical professionals. Suspended students are highly encouraged to complete and earn grades of C or better with a 2.000 in at least 6 credits of college-level work. Students may complete coursework at another college, which must be approved for transfer in advance by their advisor and the Registrar’s Office. If seeking to return in the fall, students may apply to take summer coursework at LVC.

On reinstatement to the College following a suspension, a student will have two semesters to bring up their cumulative GPA to the minimum required for good academic standing at the College. Until the student achieves good academic standing, they remain on probationary status and are not eligible to participate in co-curricular activities. A suspended student who returns to the College and is suspended again for academic reasons will be permanently dismissed from the College. A permanent academic dismissal is recorded on a student’s academic transcript.

Students who fall below a 3.000 cumulative GPA or who earn a C or F grade a second time (whether in consecutive or non-consecutive semesters, excluding repeated courses in which a grade higher than a C was earned) are placed on Academic Probation. A student on Probation will not be permitted to take part in co-curricular activities, including athletics.

Students on Academic Probation must work with their advisor and/or the program director to review their program requirements, develop a course plan for the upcoming semester, and identify resources that can aid in their success. The program director or advisor reserves the right to restrict the number of credits a student may enroll in while on Probation and/or may require additional prerequisite work.

Through this advisement, the student must submit, in writing, a mutually agreed upon academic plan that clearly outlines the steps and actions necessary to return to good academic standing, including a projected timeline. If the student is unable to take courses due to extenuating circumstances, the student must communicate any changes to the agreed upon academic plan with their advisor and/or program director to allow for a scheduled hiatus.

Once placed on Academic Probation, the student must return to good academic standing within two semesters (in which the student is actively enrolled in one or more courses). If, at the end of two semesters, the student has not returned to good academic standing but has made significant progress toward good standing within the parameters of their mutually agreed upon academic plan, the student may request, in writing, a one-time Probation extension. Extension requests will only be granted to students who have the support of the advisor and/or program director and have a high likelihood of successful program completion. Extension requests must be approved by the program director and will be submitted to the Registrar’s Office and retained in the student’s academic file along with the approved academic plan. The extension request must include a realistic timeline for returning to good standing that is endorsed by the advisor and/or program director.

A student may appeal a dismissal decision to the Assistant Dean for Student Success and Retention (ADSSR). No later than 14 calendar days following the date of the letter informing the student that they have been dismissed, the student may appeal the decision. Failure to appeal within the limited time period constitutes a waiver of the student’s right to appeal. The appeal must be made in writing. An appeal will be granted if severe mitigating circumstances sufficiently documented by an authority contributed to the student’s poor academic performance. The ADSSR will assemble an Appeals Committee, consisting of a member of the Academic Affairs Council, a full-time faculty member, and the graduate program director. The ADSSR will serve as the chair of the Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee has the authority to affirm or reverse the decision to suspend the student. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final.

An academic dismissal is recorded on a student’s academic transcript.

After one year, a student may request reinstatement following a dismissal by submitting a written application for re-enrollment to the appropriate program director. The student must provide evidence that they are prepared for the rigors of graduate education and have addressed whatever difficulties contributed to their poor academic performance. This may include letters of recommendation from employers, counselors, or medical professionals. The application for re-enrollment must be received with sufficient time to allow a student to complete the program within the maximum timeframe indicated in the Time Restriction policy. After reinstatement to a graduate program following a dismissal, the dismissal will be removed from the student’s academic transcript. The student will be reinstated on Academic Probation and must follow the guidelines outlined above to return to good academic standing.

A student who is dismissed a second time will not be eligible for reinstatement.