All students must meet the following minimum standards of academic achievement and successful course completion while enrolled at the Utica School of Commerce. Students will be evaluated at the end of each semester using the following criteria to establish their eligibility to enroll for the next semester. Students not meeting these standards will be academically dismissed.

Entering Semester	1st	2nd	3rd*	4th	5th	6th**
CERTIFICATE
A student must have passed at least this many degree credits	-	3	15	-	-	-
With at least this grade point average	-	1.0	1.5	-	-	-
Prior semester credits completed***	-	6	9	-	-	-
AOS/AAS DEGREE
A student must have passed at least this many degree credits	-	3	9	18	30	45
With at least this grade point average	-	1.0	1.2	1.5	2.0	2.0
Prior semester credits completed ***	-	6	9	9	12	12

All courses appearing on the student's transcript (including W, WP, WF, and Inc.) will be included in the number of credits attempted. Grades of A, B, C, D, P and PR will be counted as courses successfully completed. Grades for repeated courses will be utilized for the previous course failures in the computation of a student's GPA and successful course completion rate. Remedial courses will also be included in successful course completion rate.

A student who successfully completes only the minimum percentage of courses attempted at each evaluation point as described above, will undoubtedly have to continue enrollment beyond the standard length of the program for which he or she enrolled. Furthermore, no matriculated student can exceed one and one-half times the standard program length in terms of credit hours as a regular student and receive a degree or a certificate.

Pursuit of Program
In addition to the Standards of Satisfactory Progress, a student must also follow a standard pursuit of program. During the first year of higher education, a student must pass or fail 50% of his or her registered courses. During the second year, he or she must pass or fail 75% of his or her registered courses. During all subsequent years, he or she must pass or fail 100% of his or her registered courses. Transfer students will be put into the proper position for pursuit of program purposes.

Warning, Academic Regulation
Even though a student exceeds the minimum standards of satisfactory progress, any student with a GPA under 2.0 at the end of any semester may be given a warning. Students enrolled full time in an AOS or an AAS Degree Program with a cumulative average below 1.0 for one semester may be academically dismissed unless the Faculty Committee and/or Dean feels satisfactory progress could be made in the succeeding semester.

ACADEMIC DISMISSAL
Academic review of the student's progress will occur at the end of each semester that he or she has attempted 12 cumulative hours. Any students failing to meet either the minimum Standards of Satisfactory Progress and/or Pursuit of Program as described above will be academically dismissed from their program of studies. Students who have been academically dismissed may no longer continue at USC as a regular student and are no longer eligible for Federal and State student aid.

A Non-regular student may attend classes for one semester, at his or her own expense in order to improve his or her academic standing. Should the student fail to meet the academic standards, he or she will be academically dismissed at the end of the semester.

ACADEMIC APPEAL
If the student can document that mitigating circumstances influenced his or her academic performance, he or she may request a waiver of the USC's Standards of Academic Progress by submitting a Request for Academic Appeal to the campus director or Academic Dean prior to the start of the semester for which he or she wishes to return. The Request for Academic Appeal must include a statement describing the student's mitigating circumstances, documentation to support his or
her appeal and a preventative plan including what actions have been made for future academic success.

After reviewing the student's Request for Academic Appeal, the Appeals Committee will notify the student in writing of its decision to:

Reinstate enrollment, and allow him or her to continue on to the next term.
Renew eligibility for Federal and/or New York State* Financial Aid.
Deny continued enrollment.

* Provisions for eligibility for a TAP Waiver allow a student no more than one waiver as an undergraduate student throughout his or her collegiate career. TAP Waivers will be considered only for documented medical emergencies after concurring with the student that issuance of the TAP Waiver is in his or her best interest. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and no subsequent appeal will be considered unless additional information is provided to
warrant further deliberation.

Academic Readmittance
Any student who terminates his or her program for any reason and seeks readmission to the college, must send a letter requesting readmittance. This letter must be sent to the Faculty Committee which will evaluate each request and report its decision to the Admissions Office.

Course or Program Change
A student wishing to change or withdraw from a course or program must have the approval of the college administration. No course withdrawal will be authorized after the tenth week (or seventh week of the summer semester). Students currently enrolled in a one-year certificate program must meet the standards of progress for the certificate program at the
time of any transfer to any Associate Degree program.

Student Regulations

Attendance Requirements
Regular attendance in classes is expected. Cultivation of correct habits and punctuality is just as important as the acquisition of knowledge and the development of skill. When absences must occur, the student should notify the college immediately. Each instructor will maintain individual student attendance records and establish attendance policies. Excessive absence may result in the student being dropped from the course, receiving a failing grade, or a
grade reduction. A faculty review committee will evaluate situations necessitating student dismissal or removal from a course. Any student who misses a test or final exam may be charged a make-up fee. The responsibility for making up work missed because of absence rests directly upon the student.

Student Handbook and Right to Know Handbook
Policies regarding absences, grading systems, quality points, grievance procedure, etc., are further explained in the Student Handbook, a copy of which is given to each student upon entering the College.

Student Responsibility
Students are held responsible for abiding by all regulations set forth in this catalog and the Student Handbook. While one may seek the advice of an advisor, final responsibility for any decision reached or action taken is the student's.

Dress
All students are expected to dress neatly, modestly, and to be properly groomed.