Requirements & Policies
General
Student Academic Standing
Satisfactory academic standing for all students is a 2.00 cumulative grade point average (G.P.A.) as determined at the end of the semester (or other determined grading period). Students who do not achieve satisfactory academic standing will be placed on academic probation or dismissed for poor scholarship.
Probation and Dismissal
Students are required to maintain satisfactory academic standing during their college/university careers. If a student fails to achieve satisfactory academic standing at the end of a semester (a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.0), that student will be placed on academic probation during the following semester. If a student fails to achieve satisfactory academic standing at the end of the probationary period, the student is subject to dismissal because of poor scholarship. If a student does not earn a semester G.P.A. of 2.0 after being on probation, the student can be placed on continuing probation if they have shown academic responsibility or can be academically dismissed from the College.
Students who are dismissed for poor scholarship have a right to submit an appeal to the Academic Review Board (comprised of faculty, staff and administration) seeking reinstatement. Dismissed students are required to notify the Dean of Academic Affairs if they wish to appeal. The Dean of Academic Affairs will reconvene the Academic Review Board for an appeal hearing. Students who appeal dismissal must prepare a typed statement explaining why they were not academically successful, and how they are going to plan for academic success in the following semester. The Academic Review Board will read the letter, talk with the student, privately discuss the appeal and notify the student of their decision at the appeal hearing. If the appeal is denied, a dismissed student has a right to appeal to the Dean of Academic Affairs for a final appeal. The Dean of Academic Affairs’ decision is final.
Academic Amnesty Policy
The Academic Amnesty policy at the College allows forgiveness of past academic failures for students who return to college work after an absence of at least two years and whose cumulative G.P.A. is less than 2.0 (C) upon re-entry. Students who, after re-entry, have completed at least nine, but not more than eighteen graded semester hours and have maintained a G.P.A. of at least 2.0 for these hours, may petition the Dean of Academic Affairs for academic amnesty. The petition should be submitted within 30 calendar days after the eligibility requirements have been met and must be accompanied by a written recommendation from the student’s academic advisor.
If amnesty is granted, all credits and grades earned prior to the interruption remain on the permanent record but are disregarded in the computation of the G.P.A. Courses graded “C” or higher and previously counted toward graduation continue to be counted, although the grades are excluded from the G.P.A. computation. No course in which a grade of “D” was earned before the interruption can be counted toward meeting graduation requirements. Academic amnesty may be granted only once in a student’s career at SCI and, if granted, is irrevocable. Information regarding the procedure to be followed may be obtained from the Dean of Academic Affairs.
Graduation Application
Students must complete and file an Application for Graduation with the Registrar. The Application for Graduation triggers a final audit to verify that a student has fulfilled all the necessary requirements to be eligible for their degree. A separate form must be filed for each degree received.
Graduation Honors
Graduation honors are awarded to undergraduate students who have achieved cumulative grade point averages for Benedictine University at Springfield course work as follows:
3.9 – 4.0 summa cum laude
3.75 – 3.89 magna cum laude
3.50 – 3.74 cum laude
