Academic Standards
Matriculated students must complete their program in 150% of the normal time allocated for a certificate or degree program (typically 3 semesters for a 2 semester Certificate or 6 semesters for a four semester Associates Degree and meet each of the following two criteria in order to remain academically eligible to attend Utica School of Commerce:
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.
Transfer Credits are also used in the calculation of Total Credit Hours Attempted but not in the determination of the cumulative grade point average.
Total Credit Hours or Minimum Credits
All courses appearing on the student's transcript (including W, WP, WF, FT 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/she enrolled. Furthermore, no full-time 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.
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 Executive Vice President of Academics feels satisfactory progress could be made in the succeeding semester.
Academic Dismissal
Once a student has attempted 12 cumulative hours, an academic review of progress will occur at the end of each semester. Any students failing to meet the minimumStandards of Satisfactory Progress and/or Pursuit of Program as described above will be academically dismissed from their program of study. 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. An academically dismissed student may attend classes as a non-regular student for one semester, at his/her own expense, in order to improve his/her academic standing. Should the student fail to meet the academic standards, he/she will be academically dismissed at the end of the semester.
Academic Appeal
If a student can document that mitigating circumstances influenced his/her academic performance, he/she may request a waiver of the USC's Standards of Academic Progress by submitting a Request for Academic Appeal to the Executive Vice President of Academics prior to the start of the semester for which he/she wishes to return. The Request for Academic Appeal must include a statement describing the student's mitigating circumstances, documentation to support his/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/her to continue on to the next term.
-
Maintain eligibility for Federal and/or New York State Financial Aid.
-
Deny continued enrollment.
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/her program for any reason and seeks readmission to the College must send a letter requesting re-admittance. 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.