Dec 04, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Catalog

Scholastic Progress Standards


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The college maintains a system for monitoring student scholastic progress. The system is designed to assist students in making progress toward successful course and program completion. All academic student records will be evaluated at the end of each long semester (Fall and Spring) and at the end of the summer sessions. The two summer sessions (Summer I and Summer II) are calculated together. Only semester credit hours and grade points, including developmental courses, earned at Howard College / SWCD are used for calculations of scholastic standing. A student is considered in Good Standing (academically) at Howard College / SWCD by maintaining a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher is required for graduation.

Scholastic Probation

Scholastic Probation will result if a student earns below a 2.0 GPA for the semester, AND the cumulative GPA is below a 2.0. Students placed on Scholastic Probation are notified of their academic standing, and a registration hold is placed on their account. To remove the hold, students placed on Scholastic Probation must meet with an academic advisor to develop a plan for improvement prior to the start of the next semester. Students may be limited to a maximum of 12 semester credit hours (excluding a one hour lab) and/or may be required to enroll in EDUC 1100 - Learning Framework , in the next semester. The student will remain on Scholastic Probation until both the semester AND the cumulative GPA are at or above a 2.0.

Scholastic Suspension

Scholastic Suspension will result when a student on Scholastic Probation earns below a GPA of 2.0 for the semester and his / her cumulative GPA is below a 2.0. A registration hold will be applied to their account. Students placed on Scholastic Suspension for the first time will be notified of their academic standing and may not enroll in any Howard College / SWCD credit courses for one long semester. A student on Scholastic Suspension that registered prior to the conclusion of the semester will be dropped from his / her courses.

Students returning from Scholastic Suspension after sitting out one long semester will be placed on Conditional Enrollment and will be returning to Howard under academic probation terms. The student will remain on Conditional Enrollment until his / her cumulative AND semester GPA is at or above a 2.0.  Students placed on Scholastic Suspension for the second time may be barred from enrolling at Howard College / SWCD for the next two long semesters.

Scholastic Suspension Appeal

A student placed on Scholastic Suspension may appeal the suspension status through a letter of petition to the campus lead instructional administrator or designee for immediate enrollment for the next long semester. Information on the appeal procedure and deadline is included in the notification sent to suspended students. If the appeal is granted, the student’s suspension status moves to Conditional Enrollment, and the student may have restrictions placed on them. Enrollment restrictions will be determined by the campus Administrative Dean. Additionally, the student must meet with an academic advisor to develop and follow a plan for improvement and to register for courses. The student will remain on Conditional Enrollment until his/her cumulative AND semester GPA is at or above a 2.0.

VA Educational Benefits

A student who is receiving VA educational benefits must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 to be considered making satisfactory progress. Students receiving VA educational benefits who fail to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.00 during any semester or quarter will be placed on probation during the following semester/quarter. If the student achieves a semester GPA of 2.00 or better during the probationary semester/quarter but has not achieved the required cumulative GPA of 2.00, the student may be continued on probation for one more semester/quarter. If the student who is receiving VA educational benefits is on probation and fails to achieve a semester or quarter GPA of 2.00 at the end of the probationary semester/quarter, the student will be reported to the Veterans Affairs Regional Office as making unsatisfactory progress. If a student receiving VA educational benefits fails to achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.00 at the end of the second consecutive probationary semester/quarter, the student will be reported to the Veterans Administration Regional Office as making unsatisfactory progress.