Academic Standing and Satisfactory Academic Progress of Students
[amended 5/25/2023; 12/6/22]
The university-level academic standing policies in this section apply to all degree- and non-degree-seeking undergraduate students at the University of Missouri (MU) to ensure that students are making progress toward a baccalaureate degree at the University.
- Definitions
- Term. For the purposes of this policy term refers to a fall, spring, or summer semester. Semester and term may be used interchangeably.
- Grade point average (GPA)
- Term GPA calculation factors in MU coursework.
- Cumulative GPA calculation factors in all University of Missouri system coursework.
Cumulative GPA is the UM GPA and is the grade point average of record that is printed on transcripts and used for determining academic standing. Cumulative GPA and UM GPA may be used interchangeably. - Grades of “S,” “U”, “W” or “I” will not be included in determining the grade point average.
- Academic Standing
- Good Academic Standing. New, first-semester students to MU are considered in good academic standing until they have established an MU GPA. Continuing students whose most recent term and cumulative GPAs of 2.0 or higher are in good academic standing.
- Academic Notice. Students in good academic standing (including those in their first semester of enrollment at MU) whose term GPA falls below 2.0 are placed on academic notice. Students on academic notice must establish a 2.0 term and cumulative GPA within two successive terms of enrollment or they are on academic dismissal status.
- Academic Warning. Students on academic notice whose term or cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 for a second consecutive term are placed on academic warning.
- Academic Dismissal. Students on academic warning must establish a 2.0 term and cumulative GPA in their next term of enrollment, or they are on academic dismissal.
- Grade Changes and Academic Standing
- Appeals for Academic Dismissal
- Readmission Following Dismissal
- Academic Standing Notification by Academic Units
- Majors and Academic Units with Higher Academic Standards
- Academic standing — Graduate students
- Academic standing — Advanced professional students
- Satisfactory academic progress — Undergraduate students
- An undergraduate student is considered to be making satisfactory academic progress if he/she completes at least 75% of all credit hours of graded coursework attempted.
- An undergraduate student shall not be considered to be making academic progress if he/she have attempted more than 180 semester hours of graded coursework. These hours may have been attempted at MU or at another institution and transferred to MU.
- An undergraduate must be enrolled in an academic program that leads to a degree in order to be eligible for federal, state, and institutional financial aid.
- During the student’s freshman year only, the dean of the division in which the student is enrolled may authorize a student to engage in credit or non-credit prerequisite or remedial programs or courses and apply the time spent on remedial work to the minimum semester hour requirement specified in A.6, A.7 and A.8 above.
- Satisfactory progress — Graduate students
- Satisfactory progress — Advanced professional students
- Additional information
- Academic renewal
- Eligibility. To be eligible for academic renewal consideration, students must meet these requirements:
- Students must not have enrolled as degree-seeking at the University of Missouri or any other University of Missouri System campus for four or more consecutive years.
- Students must not have graduated from the University of Missouri.
- Students must either:
- Be admitted as degree-seeking and have earned a minimum of 12.0 credit hours with at least a 2.5 GPA of record for those hours at the University of Missouri within the past 12 month, or
- Have attended as a non-degree-seeking student and have earned thereby a minimum of 12.0 credit hours with at least a 2.5 GPA of record for those hours at the University of Missouri within the past 12 months and subsequently have been admitted as degree-seeking by the university.
- Conditions. Academic renewal is based on the following conditions:
- All courses and credits taken during the chosen terms will be removed from consideration for GPA and degree requirements. Students may not combine individual courses from multiple terms to comprise the semester(s) dropped. All courses and grades for the chosen terms will remain on the student’s academic record.
- Renewal may be applied only to academic terms completed prior to the student’s extended absence.
- Students may be granted only one academic renewal.
- Students who choose academic renewal must meet the degree requirements of the University of Missouri undergraduate catalog at the time of their readmission.
- Degree requirements met during the dropped terms will have to be repeated.
- To be eligible for a degree, students must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours at the University of Missouri after the granting of academic renewal.
- Procedures
- Students should discuss their desire to pursue academic renewal with an academic adviser in the college they wish to enter.
- Students should submit an application for academic renewal to the Office of the University Registrar.
- For each term approved for academic renewal, a note will appear on the transcript.
| Starting Standing | Term GPA | CGPA | Expected Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| ≥ 2.0 | ≥ 2.0 | Good Standing | |
| ≥ 2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Notice | |
| <2.0 | ≥2.0 | Academic Notice | |
| <2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Notice | |
| Good Standing | ≥2.0 | ≥2.0 | Good Standing |
| Good Standing | ≥2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Notice |
| Good Standing | <2.0 | ≥2.0 | Academic Notice |
| Good Standing | <2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Notice |
| Academic Notice | ≥2.0 | ≥2.0 | Good Standing |
| Academic Notice | ≥2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Warning |
| Academic Notice | <2.0 | ≥2.0 | Academic Warning |
| Academic Notice | <2.0 | ≥2.0 | Academic Warning |
| Academic Warning | ≥2.0 | ≥2.0 | Good Standing |
| Academic Warning | ≥2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Dismissal |
| Academic Warning | <2.0 | ≥2.0 | Academic Dismissal |
| Academic Warning | <2.0 | <2.0 | Academic Dismissal |
A student’s academic standing will be re-evaluated whenever a previously non-reported, erroneously reported, in-progress, or incomplete grade is changed.
Students have the right to appeal to an academic unit following their first academic dismissal. Students with approved appeals will be placed on academic warning. Students with denied appeals will remain on academic dismissal and required to sit out for a minimum of one calendar year before they may apply for readmission. Appeal decisions by the academic unit are considered final decisions.
Students with subsequent dismissals must remain on academic dismissal. After one calendar year, they may apply for readmission to the university with an appeal to an academic unit. The appeals process for each academic unit must e published each term.
| Appeal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Academic Dismissal | Approved | Academic Warning |
| Academic Dismissal – Readmission | Approved | Academic Warning |
| Academic Dismissal | Denied | Academic Dismissal |
| Academic Dismissal – Readmission | Denied | Academic Dismissal |
If approved for readmission the student’s academic standing will be academic warning.
Academic units are responsible for notifying students of their academic standing. This is typically completed within 2-3 days of when grades are due.
Application and communication must be made promptly using processes as agreed upon by the academic Advising Leadership Council (AALC) and Undergraduate Deans.
Some majors and academic units may have higher academic standards for students to be admitted to academic programs with additional requirements for upper-level admissions and to earn a degree. If students do not meet the academic requirements established for a particular major, that academic unit may require the student to change to a major for which they are academically qualified. That process is not defined by the University’s academic standing policies, and an academic division will not use academic standing for the purposes of requiring a student to change to a different academic program. Students should consult the University catalog and advising office for more information about the requirements for their specific degrees.
Students enrolled in dual career programs (i.e., undergraduate and graduate or undergraduate and professional) will have a set of academic actions defined by the graduate or professional program.
The GPA in the Graduate School is based on the student’s entire graduate record in courses numbered 7000 and above taken at MU. To remain in regular standing, a graduate must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. At the end of any semester, a graduate student with a GPA below 3.0 is placed on academic probation. If at the end of the following semester the cumulative GPA is 3.0 or better, probation status is removed. A student on probation failing to raise the cumulative GPA to 3.0 may, on the recommendation of the department or area, be allowed a second and final probationary semester. A student is subject to dismissal upon failure to raise the cumulative GPA by the end of the second probationary semester or at any time that the semester or cumulative GPA falls below 2.0.
Regulations regarding academic standing of advanced professional students are determined by the faculty of the respective advanced professional schools (schools of Law, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine).
Each undergraduate student is expected to make satisfactory progress toward achieving his/her educational objective. Standards for satisfactory academic progress are as follows:
The graduate faculty determines satisfactory progress and the maximum time limit for completion of a graduate degree for graduate students.
Regulations regarding satisfactory progress and the maximum time limit for completion of a degree of advanced professional students are determined by the faculty of the respective advanced professional schools (schools of Law, Medicine and Veterinary Medicine).
The regulations in this Article represent the internal policies of the university. In addition, these regulations are to be used as standards for making certifications to external agencies regarding a student’s academic standing and progress toward his/her educational objective. Typically, such certifications to external agencies have to do with the students’ eligibility for financial aid.
Athletic grants-in-aid have their own prescribed policy concerning academic standing and satisfactory progress and are not covered under this article.
An academic year shall be defined for the purposes of this policy to be a “12-month period of enrollment” that begins with the summer term. The Financial Aid Office will review student’s compliance with this policy once each academic year at the end of the spring semester. In order to be making satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes a student must meet both the qualitative and quantitative provisions of this policy. A student who is deemed not to be making satisfactory academic progress for financial aid eligibility may appeal this decision to the director of the Financial Aid Office. A student will also retain the right to further appeal any decision to the Financial Aid Advisory Committee.
Students who are returning to the University of Missouri to pursue an undergraduate degree after an extended absence may request permission to remove one or more of the complete academic terms from future degree and GPA considerations.