Academic Standing
Academic Eligibility Policy
For students in the undergraduate career, the University’s academic eligibility policy specifies the minimum standards of academic performance required for continued enrollment. These standards apply to undergraduate students enrolled in courses during or after the fall 2016 semester.
Degree-Seeking Programs
To guide students toward timely degree completion, the University maintains academic eligibility standards. These standards are reviewed at the end of fall, spring, summer I, and summer II terms. These standards determine academic status for each undergraduate in a degree-seeking program. Academic status indicates eligibility to enroll in any course in any term including summer. Students must check their academic status in ConnectCarolina at the end of each enrolled fall, spring, or summer term.
Academic status is determined through four standards of satisfactory academic progress:
- Grade Point Average. A cumulative UNC–Chapel Hill grade point average of at least a 2.000 is required.
- Completion Rate. Students must successfully complete at least 2/3 of cumulative attempted credit hours. By-Exam (BE) and credits transferred in to UNC–Chapel Hill count as both attempted and completed hours. Withdrawals, temporary grades including AB, IN, or SP, and failed courses count as attempted hours but not completed hours. Completed Hours/Attempted Hours=Completion Rate.
- Cumulative Hours Passed*. To enroll in courses, students must have earned the following:
- After one full-time semester: 9 academic hours
- After two full-time semesters: 24 academic hours
- After three full-time semesters: 36 academic hours
- After four full-time semesters: 51 academic hours
- After five full-time semesters: 63 academic hours
- After six full-time semesters: 78 academic hours
- After seven full-time semesters: 93 academic hours
Students are expected to complete their degree within a maximum of eight full-time semesters. Transfer students (who transfer in the UNC–Chapel Hill equivalent of two or more semesters, see “Calculation of Transferred Semesters Based on the Number of Transfer Hours”) may enroll in up to 10 total semesters. Students who enter as first years are required to apply for a ninth or tenth semester. For information about the application process, students in professional schools must contact their professional school dean, and students in the College of Arts and Sciences must contact the Academic Advising Program.
*Part-time students are excluded from this standard.
4. Maximum Time Frame.Students must complete their degree within 180 attempted credit hours.
There are four academic statuses: good standing, warning, suspension, and probation.
Students who meet each of the four standards at the end of an enrolled term will have an academic status of good standing.
Students who begin an enrolled term in good standing but do not meet each of the four standards at the end of that enrolled term will receive an academic status of warning. Students with a status of warning may enroll in courses and must complete an academic intervention plan.
A student who begins an enrolled term with a status of warning and falls short of the standards at the end of that enrolled term will earn an academic status of suspension. Students with an academic status of suspension cannot enroll in any courses in any terms. Students with an academic status of suspension have two options:
a. Appeal for probation. Students granted academic probation by appeal must complete an academic intervention plan. Students denied probation by appeal can pursue option b.
b. Spend a term engaging in study, work, or wellness activities away from UNC–Chapel Hill. These opportunities could include coursework at another institution, employment, volunteer work, or healthcare or wellness activities. During this time students should reflect on their academic path, development, choices, and actions. Students should also implement strategies that will enhance their effectiveness upon return to the University. After a term away from the University, students who have engaged in study, work, or wellness activities may appeal to return to the University on probation. Students appealing after a term or longer away from the University must include documentation of their experiences while away such as a transcript from another institution, a letter from an employer, or a letter from a healthcare provider. These documents must convey evidence of the student’s readiness to return to the University.
A student who begins an enrolled term with a status of probation and falls short of the standards at the end of that enrolled term will earn an academic status of suspension. Students with an academic status of suspension have two options (see above).
Repeats, Withdrawals, and Incompletes
Attempted hours include all those in which a student is enrolled as of the end of the second week of each fall or spring term (the 10th day of the term, generally known as the “census date”). Students may drop a course until the 10th day of the term. Dropped courses do not count in attempted hours.
The summer schedule is similar to fall/spring but is determined according to the summer calendar. Credit hours that are dropped or withdrawn prior to the census date are not considered attempted; credit hours that are dropped or withdrawn after the census date are considered attempted.
Repeated courses affect grade point average and Completion Rate.
Transfer hours do not affect grade point average. Transfer hours are added to both completed hours and attempted hours in the Completion Rate calculation.
Courses with temporary grades of IN or AB do not affect grade point average. If a grade of IN or AB is converted to a passing grade, grade point average will be recalculated accordingly.
Withdrawn courses do not affect grade point average. Withdrawn courses are NOT considered a successful completion, though, and will adversely affect Completion Rate.
Failed courses influence grade point average. A failed course will also adversely affect Completion Rate, counting as attempted hours but not completed hours.
Overview of Academic Status
| Entering Academic Status | Term Performance | New Academic Status |
|---|---|---|
| Good | Meets all 4 standards | Good (may enroll) |
| Good | Does not meet all 4 standards | Warning (may enroll; must complete academic intervention plan) |
| Warning | Meets all 4 standards | Good (may enroll) |
| Warning | Does not meet all 4 standards | Suspension (may not enroll; may pursue options a or b for suspension status) |
| Probation | Meets all 4 standards | Good (may enroll) |
| Probation | Does not meet all 4 standards | Suspension (may not enroll; may pursue options a or b for suspension status) |
Academic Eligibility Policy for Non-Degree-Seeking Programs
For non-degree-seeking students there are three academic statuses: good standing, alert, and ineligible. A non-degree-seeking student with a 2.000 or higher cumulative grade point average will be in good standing and eligible to enroll in courses. If a non-degree-seeking student falls below a 2.000 cumulative grade point average, the student will be assigned a status of alert. A non-degree-seeking student who begins a term with a status of alert and does not raise his or her cumulative grade point average to 2.000 or higher at the end of the term will have an academic status of ineligible and will not be permitted to enroll in courses. Non-degree-seeking students with a status of ineligible may appeal to Digital and Lifelong Learning.
Appeals
Students may, under extraordinary circumstances, present an appeal in writing (or online for students in the College of Arts and Sciences) to the dean of their school (for students in the College of Arts and Sciences, this is the associate dean for advising). The dean will refer the appeal to the administrative board for his/her school.
Calculation of Transferred Semesters Based on the Number of Transferred Credit Hours
See the Credit and Evaluation section of the catalog.
Additional Information for Students with an Academic Status of Suspension
- If students earn 15 or more transfer semester credit hours for courses taken at other institutions cumulatively over the fall or spring semesters before applying for readmission to the University, a calculation will be made as to how many semesters the student is regarded as having completed, based on the number of hours accepted for transfer credit. The resulting tally of total semesters completed will determine requirements for restoring academic eligibility.
- Students should consult their academic advisor if they are considering taking classes at another institution. Grades do not transfer, and credit hours accumulated through enrollment in fall and spring semesters at other schools can affect the number of remaining semesters that students have left to complete their degree requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill.
- Students who attend another institution (summer, fall, or spring), and who apply for readmission must have at least a 2.000 (C) average in work at the other institution.
- Students who have a housing assignment or contract for the following semester should either cancel their application/contract or notify the University’s Department of Housing and Residential Education of their intention to restore academic eligibility before the following semester begins.
Students who are inactive during a semester because of ineligibility (or other reasons) must apply for readmission before registering for a full-time term.
Removing AB or IN Grades
For information about completing courses with grades of AB (absent from the final examination) or IN (incomplete), see the grading system information.
