Overview
Academic standing is evaluated based on the student's cumulative GPA at the end of each term in which they have registered for one or more A-F graded courses, starting with their first term of enrollment. "Term" is defined as Fall, Spring and Summer.
Academic standing is determined upon initial submission of final grades for Fall, Spring, and Summer terms. In addition, academic standing will be reassessed after students have received a change of grade (including incompletes) or have repeated a course.
The Office of the Registrar determines and makes the final decision on all academic standing designations assigned to any student. The Office of the Registrar notifies students of all standings except that of Good Standing and No Calculation.
Some Bethel University programs may have more stringent policies for continued enrollment than those expressed in the university academic standing policies. Such program specific requirements are listed with program information and/or the student handbook. Students must adhere to their specific program continuation or graduation requirements in addition to maintaining good academic standing. Any such program alerts, probations and dismissals are the decision of the deans and program directors for that program and are not under the purview of the Office of the Registrar.
Students have the right to petition their academic standing and are advised to contact their student success advisor for more information about this process.
Good Academic Standing
Students are in Good Academic Standing if they are not on Academic Probation or Academic Dismissal. The following chart prescribes the requirements for Good Standing:
| Cumulative Semester Credit Hours | Minimum Cumulative GPA for Good Standing |
|---|---|
| 0-16 | 1.7 |
| 17-32 | 1.8 |
| 33-48 | 1.9 |
| 49+ | 2.0 |
Provisionally admitted students should refer to the Admissions Categories/Provisional Evaluation section of the catalog for academic requirements unique to their admittance category.
Academic Probation
Students whose Academic Standing has been evaluated and do not meet the requirements for Good Academic Standing will be placed on Academic Probation. Students can be on probation for no more than two consecutive terms. These are referred to as Academic Probation 1 and Academic Probation 2.
Students are placed on Academic Probation 1 when they were on Good Academic Standing or No Calculation in the last term in which they were enrolled.
Students are placed on Academic Probation 2 when they were on Academic Probation 1 in the last term in which they were enrolled or in the term in which they re-enrolled after Academic Dismissal.
Students must achieve Good Academic Standing at the end of the term in which they are on Academic Probation 2 to avoid Academic Dismissal.
Academic Dismissal
Students will be dismissed for low academic performance when:
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The cumulative GPA is below Good Academic Standing
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And they were on Academic Probation 2 in the last term in which they were enrolled.
Students receive a notice of Academic Dismissal from the Registrar's Office if the requirements for provisional admittance are not fulfilled at the time of provisional evaluation.(see the Provisional Evaluation catalog policy)
Academic dismissal of any student is the decision of the Bethel University Registrar.
Certain Academic programs may have more stringent policies than listed above. Specific requirements are listed with program information and/or student handbooks.
Special Cases
Some students may have unique circumstances which can affect their academic standing. These special cases are detailed below.
No Calculation
An academic standing of No Calculation will appear on a student transcript in the following situations:
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A first term student who has not taken any A-F graded courses in the current term
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A student has earned 4 or fewer cumulative credits in A-F graded courses in the term being assessed.
Provisionally Admitted Students
Provisionally admitted students should refer to the Admissions Categories/Provisional Evaluation section of the catalog for academic requirements unique to their admittance category.
Provisionally-admitted students may require more than one term to complete enough A-F letter-graded course credits at Bethel to be provisionally evaluated. For this reason, academic standing will not be determined until the term in which they are evaluated for having met the conditions of their provisional acceptance. Their status will show a “no calculation” for those terms until the required number of credits are taken.