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GCAC-404 - Satisfactory Scholarship (REVISED - Effective Fall 2025)

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Academic Goal

To ensure that students acquire the necessary formal knowledge that will allow them to expertly utilize their newly acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities in their chosen professions.

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Purpose

To define minimum standards of acceptable academic performance in graduate classes.

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Scope

All graduate students.

Policy Statement

**POLICY REVISION - A revision to this policy has been approved by the Graduate Council. The below version will become Effective Fall 2025. View the current policy.**

  1. Students enrolled in a graduate degree program must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 to remain in good academic standing.
    1. Degree students must be in good academic standing to schedule all academic benchmarks (for example, the qualifying examination, the comprehensive examination, the final oral examination) and graduation.
    2. One or more failing grades or a cumulative grade-point average below 3.00 for any semester or combination of semesters may be considered as evidence of failure to maintain satisfactory scholarship by the degree program.
    3. A graduate student who fails to maintain satisfactory scholarship or to make acceptable progress in a degree program may be discontinued or terminated from the degree program.
  2. Students enrolled in a graduate or postbaccalaureate credit certificate program must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.00 to continue enrollment and receive the certificate.
    1. Certificate programs may require a higher grade-point average to continue enrollment and receive the certificate.
    2. Students who intend to transfer credits earned in a certificate program to a graduate degree program should refer to Policy Statement 1 above and GCAC-309 Transfer Credits, Policy Statement 4.
    3. A graduate student who fails to maintain satisfactory scholarship or to make acceptable progress in a certificate program may be discontinued or terminated from the certificate program.
  3. Students enrolled in a Pennsylvania Department of Education certification program must meet the standards required for the certification.
    1. A graduate student who does not meet the standards required for certification may be discontinued or terminated from the certification program.
  4. Students enrolled as non-degree graduate students but not enrolled in a graduate or postbaccalaureate credit certificate or Pennsylvania Department of Education certification program must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.00.
    1. Failure to maintain a 2.00 after completion of 12 credits will result in the student’s enrollment being discontinued and the student will be prevented from enrolling in future semesters.
    2. Students who intend to transfer credits earned as a non-degree student to a graduate degree program should refer to Policy Statement 1 above and GCAC-309 Transfer Credits, Policy Statement 4.

Process

  1. Discontinuation or termination of a graduate student in a graduate degree program for unsatisfactory scholarship may be initiated either by the graduate program or by the chair of the student’s Ph.D. or professional doctoral committee following the procedures outlined in GCAC-803 Procedures for Discontinuation or Termination of the Degree Program of a Graduate Student for Unsatisfactory Scholarship).
  2. Discontinuation or termination of a graduate student in a graduate or postbaccalaureate credit certificate program for unsatisfactory scholarship may be initiated by the head of the certificate program.
  3. Discontinuation or termination of a graduate student enrolled in a Pennsylvania Department of Education certification program for unsatisfactory scholarship may be initiated by the certification program.
  4. Discontinuation of enrollment for a non-degree graduate student who is not enrolled in a graduate or postbaccalaureate credit certificate or Pennsylvania Department of Education certification program for unsatisfactory scholarship may be initiated by Graduate Enrollment Services. If enrollment is discontinued, the student should contact Graduate Enrollment Services to discuss their options for possible re-enrollment.

Procedures

Revision History

Approved by Graduate Council, April 16, 2025. Effective date: Fall 2025 (8/18/2025).

  • Added discontinuation as route to dismissal from a graduate program in addition to termination.

Approved by Graduate Council, Oct. 20, 2021. Effective date: Fall 2021 (11/17/2021).

  • Provisions added to include students enrolled in graduate credit certificate programs, Pennsylvania Department of Education certification programs, and non-degree graduate students.

Adapted from Graduate Bulletin: July 2018.