Academic Probation and Suspension

Students are encouraged to contact their academic advisor or their Dean's Office to discuss the probation policies and the options available to students who are not in good academic standing. Please refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin "Academic Regulations" for details on Probation and Suspension Policies.

Fostering Undergraduate Student Success is a University of North Carolina policy adopted by all public institutions in North Carolina. This policy applies to all new, continuing, and returning undergraduate students enrolled Fall 2014 and after. Please review Fostering Undergraduate Student Success, for more information about these changes that impact academic standing and repeat policies.

Undergraduate students must earn, as a minimum, a 2.00 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) to continue at Appalachian in good academic standing. Failure to earn a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 will automatically place the student on academic probation during the fall or spring semester that follows. (Note: The cumulative grade-point average earned at Appalachian is computed ONLY on the basis of coursework taken at Appalachian; i.e., grades earned on coursework taken at other collegiate institutions or by correspondence are not computed in or allowed to affect the grade-point average at Appalachian, and therefore not used to determine academic standing.)

The exception to the minimum GPA policy applies to some students earning a 0.0 GPA. Any undergraduate degree-seeking full-time student enrolled in her/his first semester (fall or spring) at Appalachian State University will be academically suspended if she/he receives a GPA of 0.0 (including "I" incomplete grades) for that semester. These students may then choose to return under the forgiveness policy outlined below or return in a summer term to attempt to raise the cumulative GPA to 2.0 or higher. Full-time students are defined for these purposes as students who are registered for 12 or more hours at the end of drop/add. A student may appeal this type of academic suspension in writing to the University Registrar prior to the subsequent term. A date for the appeal deadline will be set prior to each term. The University Registrar will convene an Appeals Board. The Board's decision will be based on (1) the student's letter of appeal which must include the reason for poor academic performance, (2) documentation of extenuating circumstances, and (3) a plan for improving academic performance. Student conduct records will be reviewed by the Board in making their decision. The Board's decision is final. The appeal form is available online on our forms page.

A student whose cumulative GPA is below the required minimum is placed on academic probation. Each student is permitted two regular terms (fall, spring) of academic probation. If the student has used both probation terms and again fails to meet the required cumulative GPA, the student will be suspended from further enrollment during the fall and spring terms. The student may, however, attend summer school at Appalachian. Students who raise their cumulative GPA to the required minimum during the summer term(s) will be permitted to return in the regular sessions.

Probation status is indicated on the grade report as follows:

  • Academic Probation - First Probation Term
  • Continued Probation - Second Probation Term
  • Academic Suspension - Ineligible to Return Fall/Spring terms

Since the Academic Probation Warning is not punitive in terms of a students' academic record, there is no appeal process. The purpose of the warning is to ensure that students are informed that continued failure to meet expected Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) ratio could have future consequences in terms of their GPA and financial aid eligibility. The SAP ratio compares cumulative earned credit hours to cumulative attempted credit hours and the threshold for good SAP standing is 67%. More information can be found under the Fostering Undergraduate Student Success page.

Options Available to Undergraduate Students Who Do Not Meet Academic Standards

  1. Repeating Courses and Submitting a Repeat Form
    Repeating a course should always be considered when attempting to improve your GPA. Please see the Repeat Policy page for more information.
  2. Summer School at Appalachian
    A student who does not meet the required academic standards may enroll in summer school at Appalachian and attempt to raise the grade point average by taking new courses or repeating courses. The summer sessions do not count as semesters earned and are available for students regardless of their academic standing. Students should see an academic advisor prior to enrolling for summer classes to determine the best schedule and the grade point average needed to be off probation. Summer course work taken at other schools will not affect the GPA since only hours, not grades, transfer back to Appalachian.
  3. Two Year Forgiveness Policy
    Students who are academically ineligible to return to Appalachian may do so if two years have elapsed since their last enrollment (including summer school). This policy permits the student to return, retaining credit for prior successful course work, and begin a new grade point average. Any collegiate course work taken during the period of absence from Appalachian must have a minimum overall grade point average of at least 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale).
  4. Re-Admission With Credit Hours Forgiveness Policy (One Year Forgiveness Policy)
    A student who has not attended Appalachian for a minimum of one year (including summer school), may return to Appalachian if the following requirements are met:
  • A. The student must have earned a minimum of 30 semester hours of transferable credit from another collegiate institution since the student's last attendance at Appalachian. To determine admission, the grades earned at the other institution will be averaged with the grades previously earned at Appalachian. The combined average must be a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in order for the student to be eligible to return.
  • B. Credit for the previous hours earned at Appalachian as well as credit for transferable hours from the other institution is awarded, but the student will have no entering GPA. The new GPA is based on hours earned after returning to Appalachian.

A former undergraduate student may be readmitted under a forgiveness policy ONLY ONCE during her or his academic career. At no time during the "stopout" period shall the student be dually enrolled at Appalachian and at another institution. These policies are designed for readmission to the University and do not override specific grade requirements of individual colleges and/or departments. Students returning to the University under a forgiveness policy must apply through the following application and must complete a minimum of one year in residency (30 semester hours) beyond their date of readmission and must fulfill the catalog requirements in effect the year of their re-admission. Please note that students are not granted additional semesters of probation or repeats when admitted under a forgiveness policy; however, any previously unused repeats or probation semesters may be used.

Steps to Academic Success

The Office of Student Success and the Student Learning Center provide many resources to help students do their best in the classroom. Please visit their web pages or contact either office for assistance. 

Additional information concerning probation semesters, the repeat policy, and the three year policy is in the Appalachian State University General Bulletin.