Academic Standing (Appeals)

Appeals

If you experienced critical extenuating circumstances that interfered with your studies, and that can be documented, you may petition for reconsideration of status. To request to be readmitted, please contact Student Affairs at studentaffairs@fitchburgstate.edu or 978.665.3130.

Students whose appeals are granted will be placed on Dean's Probation and will have to sign an academic contract, which will be delivered to their email.

Good Academic Standing

To achieve good academic standing, students must:

• Maintain an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher
• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in the major
• Meet any additional requirements of the major which have been approved by the All-University Committee and are consistent with university policy

Honors

Fitchburg State University honors students who have high academic achievement throughout their university career as well as at graduation. The honors are:

President’s List

Honors students for consistently high academic achievement. Students are named to the President’s List when they have attained a semester average of 3.75 or higher for three successive semesters while maintaining full-time status. Incompletes do not count toward the President’s List.

Dean’s List

Honors students who have attained an average of 3.2 or better for the semester while maintaining full-time status. Incompletes do not count toward the Dean’s List.

Summer Dean’s List

Students taking 12 semester hours or more through continuing education during the summer sessions who maintain an average of 3.2. These students can be named to the President’s List if they meet the specified cumulative average.

Graduation Honors

Graduation honors recognize outstanding academic careers as signified by a high cumulative average. To graduate with honors, a student must have completed at least 45 credits with a numerical grade at the university.

• Summa Cum Laude honors students who graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or higher.
• Magna Cum Laude honors students who graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.79.
• Cum Laude honors students who graduate with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 to 3.49.

A Commonwealth Scholar Special Distinction is given to students who have completed the Fitchburg State University Honors Program

Academic Probation

Students whose cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0 will be placed on probation.

Academic Warning

Students whose cumulative GPA falls in the range of 2.0 to 2.2 will be placed on academic warning. Students on academic warning still remain in good standing.

Students on probation and academic warning must:

• Meet with their academic advisor before the start of the second week of the relevant semester to review their current course load and arrange periodic meetings throughout the semester
• Meet with an academic coach for the number of times stipulated in the probation or academic warning letter and/or as dictated by the academic coach

Students who maintain the University’s academic standards for probation must also meet the financial aid and athletic eligibility requirements for satisfactory academic progress. Financial Aid and Athletics offices have additional academic requirements for probationary students. Students should consult the appropriate office to determine their eligibility.

Students placed on probation for the first time will remain eligible to participate on athletic teams.  Any additional probations will disqualify a student from eligibility.

Students who voluntarily withdraw from the University while on probation will remain on probation if they are readmitted.

Suspension

Students will be suspended if either of the following apply:

• They have a cumulative GPA below a 2.0 for more than two successive semesters
• They do not meet the minimum cumulative GPA, as stipulated below

Suspended students are not eligible to enroll in any course in any division of Fitchburg State University for at least one semester. Following suspension, students must submit a letter, before the deadline established by the Registrar, requesting readmission. Students who are readmitted after suspension do so under an academic contract. Suspension status is not changed by a voluntary withdrawal.

Dismissal

Students will be dismissed from the University if, after having been readmitted following a suspension, they do not meet probationary standards as laid out in a contract.

Dismissal status results in the student’s dismissal from all divisions of Fitchburg State University.  A dismissed student may not enroll in any courses in any division of the University for a period of five years.