Academic Progress Policies

• Good Standing
• Regulation of Academic Standards
• Petitions
• Ombudsman
• Probation
• Dismissal

Good Standing

The University of Florida defines a student in good standing if he or she is eligible to continue or to re-enroll at the university, even if on probation.

Colleges may choose not to consider students for admission to and may deny continuation in a degree program if they fail to maintain reasonable academic progress, as specified by the college or department.

Policies on academic standing, probation and dismissal are based on the possibility that a student can overcome academic difficulty and make appropriate progress toward a degree.

Regulation of Academic Standards

Regulations for academic probation and dismissal enforce the academic standards of the university and require the maintenance of grade point averages and reasonable conformance to a program of study. Any college may specify additional academic standards and students are responsible for observing these regulations.

The probation and dismissal regulations that apply to undergraduate students also apply to postbaccalaureate students. All actions taken to enforce these regulations shall be reflected by notations on the student’s academic record; some of these notations can be permanent.

Petitions

When an academic regulation appears to result in undue hardship, students may petition for waiver of the regulation.

In general, petitions for waiver of an academic regulation for the current term should be directed to the school or college in which the student is enrolled. For example, petitions to drop or add after the drop/add period should be presented to the school or college. Exceptions to the course load regulation are to be presented to the school or college. Petitions approved by the school or college must be reported to the Office of the University Registrar before the action is official.

All other petitions should be presented to the Office of the University Registrar, which will refer them to the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions. Petitions approved by the committee will be reflected on the student’s transcript.

Detailed information on petition procedures is available from the student’s college or from the Office of the University Registrar.

The student seeking waiver of a regulation through petition must remember that no committee on petitions can direct an instructor to change a student’s grade, nor can the Senate Committee require any college or school to grant a degree by waiving any regulation.

Ombudsman

The Office of the Ombudsman was established by the state legislature. The purpose of the ombudsman is to help students resolve problems and conflicts. The office provides an informal avenue of redress for students’ problems and grievances that arise in the course of interacting with the institution. By considering problems in an unbiased way, the ombudsman works to achieve a fair resolution and to protect the rights of all parties involved.

When an academic regulation appears to result in undue hardship, students may petition for waiver of the regulation. If a student wishes to appeal a decision of the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions, he/she may do so to the university ombudsman in 31 Tigert Hall.

Probation

The intent of academic probation is to serve notice formally that a student may not be making satisfactory progress. The conditions of academic probation are intended to specify the achievement standards required to graduate; to identify unsatisfactory academic performance at an early date; to provide occasion for counseling; and to give students whose ultimate success is in question further opportunity to demonstrate their ability to meet academic expectations.

• Students may be placed on probation by their college for failure to maintain normal academic progress in their degree program. College probation will be removed when the college determines that satisfactory academic progress has been demonstrated.

• Undergraduate students with less than a 2.0 cumulative grade point average for University of Florida course work and a grade point deficit of fewer than 15 shall be placed on academic probation.

• Academic probation will be continued for all undergraduate students as long as they have a grade point deficit of fewer than 15. It will be removed when the grade point deficit has been reduced to zero. Should the grade point deficit increase to 15 or more, the student will be dismissed from the university.

Dismissal

Academic dismissal from the university denies registration privileges to students who have a grade point deficit of 15 or more in their University of Florida course work. The student shall be dismissed from the university and their advance registration(s) will be cancelled.

• Students who are dismissed will not be permitted to enroll again unless an application for readmission is completed by the application deadline and readmission is approved by the college. A student who is readmitted after academic dismissal will be dismissed again if his or her grade point deficit is 15 or more at the end of any term.

• Any courses, including extension, correspondence and courses taken at another institution while dismissed from the University of Florida for academic reasons, will not be counted as credit earned toward a University of Florida degree. However, upon approved readmission, transfer credit earned elsewhere by a student dismissed from UF for academic reasons, may be accepted upon recommendation of the college and approval of the Faculty Senate Committee on Student Petitions.