Scholastic Progress Standards

1. Only semester credit hours and grade points, including developmental courses, earned at Howard College/SWCID are used for calculations of scholastic standing.
2. All academic student records will be evaluated at the end of each semester/term and action will be taken accordingly.
3. Hours taken in a mini term will be calculated with the immediate preceding semester to determine GPA and cumulative GPA.
4. 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.
   Interventions:
   • Students placed on Scholastic Probation are notified of their academic standing and that a registration “hold” is placed on their records.
   • Students placed on Scholastic Probation must meet with a counselor and develop a plan for improvement in order to register for classes again.
   • Students placed on Scholastic Probation may be limited to a maximum of 12 semester credit hours in the next regular semester or for the summer.
   • Students placed on Scholastic Probation will be required to enroll in Learning Framework the next semester of enrollment (if they have not already successfully completed the course).
5. Probation status will remain until the student earns above a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
   Interventions:
   • Required Academic Advising
   • Tutoring and other support services assigned by either the Academic Advisor and/or by the Campus Dean for Student Affairs/Support Services
   • The student’s semester load may be restricted.
6. Scholastic Suspension will result when a student on Scholastic Probation earns below a 2.0 for the semester and his/her cumulative GPA is below a 2.0.
   Intervention:
   • Registration hold applied. Students are notified that they are suspended and may not enroll in any Howard College/SWCID credit courses for the indicated period.
   • A student placed on Scholastic Suspension may appeal the suspension status for immediate enrollment for the next long semester or sit out for a long semester.
   • If the appeal is granted, enrollment may be restricted. Specifically, suspension moves to Conditional Enrollment and the student will remain on Conditional Enrollment as long as the semester GPA is 2.0 or greater. Enrollment restrictions will be determined by a committee appointed by the campus Executive Dean. Additionally, the student must meet with an advisor to develop and follow a plan for improvement and to register for courses. Once a student has achieved a cumulative AND semester GPA of 2.0, they will be in good standing.
7. Students placed on Scholastic Suspension for the second time may be barred from enrolling at Howard College/SWCID for the next two long semesters. Students placed on Scholastic Suspension more than once must apply for enrollment permission which will be evaluated by the Admissions and Standards Committee.
   Interventions:
   • Enrollment for students placed on scholastic suspension for the second time will be restricted. Specifically, Suspension moves to Conditional Enrollment and the student will remain on Conditional Enrollment as long as the semester GPA is 2.0 or greater. Enrollment restrictions will be determined by the Admissions and Standards Committee.

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.