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 courses, starting with their second term of enrollment.  "Term" is defined as Fall, Spring and Summer.

The Office of the Registrar determines and makes the final decision on all academic standing designations assigned to any student.

Some Bethel University programs may have more stringent policies for continued enrollment than those expressed in the university academic standing policies. Specific program requirements are listed with program information and/or the student handbook. 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 Standing

Good Standing is defined as a cumulative GPA of (2.0) or above.

Academic Alert

Difficulties in a particular course or term may be a normal and temporary part of the student experience, or they may be an early indicator of larger academic challenges. An Academic Alert is used to notify a student that they may be at risk of falling out of good standing if challenges continue into future terms. An Academic Alert does not always precede academic probation or dismissal and appears only on the unofficial transcript. 

The Registrar’s Office will issue a notice of Academic Alert at the end of a term in which a student has completed one or more courses for an A - F letter grade and all of the following conditions are met:

During the first term of enrollment, the student: 

• Earned a term GPA below the minimum GPA required for good standing.  

During the second term of enrollment and beyond, the student:

• Earned a term GPA below the minimum GPA required for good standing, but maintained a cumulative GPA above the minimum GPA required for good standing. 

Students who receive the Academic Alert are encouraged to work closely with their student success advisor to develop a plan for academic success.

Academic Probation

Students will receive a notice of Academic Probation from the Registrar's Office at the end of any term in which they have completed one or more courses for an A - F letter grade and all of the following occur: 

• They have been assessed for academic standing. 

• They have earned a cumulative GPA below the minimum GPA required for good standing. 

Students may remain on Academic Probation for no more than two consecutive terms in which at least one A-F letter graded course is completed in each term. 

Academic probation of any student is the decision of the Bethel University Registrar and appears only on the unofficial transcript.

An academic standing of Academic Probation may not always be preceded by an Academic Alert.

Academic Dismissal

Students receive a notice of Academic Dismissal from the Registrar's Office at the end of any term in which a student completes one or more courses for an A - F letter grade and all of the following occur:

• They have been assessed for academic standing. 

• They have earned a cumulative GPA below the minimum GPA required for good standing. 

• They have had an academic standing of Academic Probation for the previous 2 consecutive terms.

Students will also receive a notice of Academic Dismissal from the Registrar's Office for any of the following:

• The requirements for provisional acceptance are not fulfilled at the time of provisional evaluation.

• Patterns of unsatisfactory performance are documented by the dean and presented to the Registrar's Office along with a recommendation for dismissal.

• Other patterns of unsatisfactory performance which are not listed above may also lead to academic dismissal.

Academic dismissal of any student is the decision of the Bethel University Registrar.

An academic standing of Academic Dismissal may not always be preceded by an Academic Alert or Academic Probation. 

Programs may have more stringent policies than listed above. Specific requirements are listed with program information and/or student handbooks.

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:

• The only course a student has taken in a term is of a grade type not included in the cumulative GPA calculation.

• Students taking courses at more than one level in a term will see No Calculation for the level which does not apply to the degree/credential of pursuit.

• If a student has a grade of I (Incomplete for A-F letter-graded courses only) in one or more courses in a term.

  • Once all grades of I for a term have been resolved with an A-F letter grade, academic standing will be re-evaluated and assigned for that term. This may or may not occur at the end of a term.

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-accepted student may require more than one term to complete enough A-F letter-graded courses to be provisionally evaluated. At the end of each of these terms, one of the following Academic Standing notations will appear on the student’s transcript:

• No Calculation

• Academic Alert: this indicates that the provisionally-accepted student’s term GPA or cumulative GPA is under the required minimum.