Academic Status

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Academic Achievement Standards

1. A minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of "C" (2.0) must be achieved to graduate with an associate degree or certificate. 
2. A student making Satisfactory Progress is defined as:
   1. Satisfactory/No Conditions - A student whose cumulative GPA satisfies the Academic Status Scale.
3. A student making Unsatisfactory Progress is defined as:
   1. Academic Caution - A student whose cumulative GPA satisfies the Academic Status Scale but is below 2.0 and the credit hours attempted are less than 45.
   2. Academic Probation - A student who has attempted 13 or more credit hours and whose cumulative GPA is below the required GPA as indicated on the Academic Status Scale. 
   3. Academic Suspension - A student who has been on probation for at least two academic semesters or who has not met the conditions of their Academic Improvement Plan. 

Table for Determining Academic Status 

Following is the table for determining your academic status at Delta College. To use the table: 1) locate on your grade report or academic transcript your cumulative grade point average and the total number of credits attempted; 2) find the corresponding credits attempted in the left-hand column of the table; and 3) read across the page to your right until you locate the column which includes your current cumulative grade point average. This column heading indicates whether you are making Satisfactory Progress or are on Academic Probation. 

Academic Status Scale

Procedures for Academic Caution, Probation, and Suspension 

I. Academic Caution: 

Following each semester, students are notified of their status by the Registrar. Caution students are required to discuss their academic status with a counselor or academic advisor and will be required to develop an Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)¹ with a counselor. An approved AIP must be on file before students will be allowed to register. 

II. Academic Probation: 

After each semester's grades have been posted, students placed on probation will be notified of their status by the Registrar and will be required to develop an Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)¹ with a Counselor. An approved AIP must be on file before students will be allowed to register. 

III. Academic Suspension: 

Students on Academic Probation for at least two semesters, who have not met the conditions of their AIP, will be notified of their status by the Registrar’s Office. They will be denied enrollment for two consecutive semesters and will also be dropped from classes in which they have already registered for upcoming semesters. 

1. Students placed on suspension who may have mitigating circumstances² may appeal their suspension to the Registrar or his/her designee. If the appeal is successful an AIP will be required prior to registration. 
2. Students who wish to enroll following two semesters on suspension will be required to meet with an assigned counselor and have a new AIP on file in the Registrar’s Office prior to registering. 

¹ Academic Improvement Plan (AIP)

An Academic Improvement Plan is an agreement that specifies actions to be taken by the student. It includes such things as: 

• Specific course selection that will provide for maximum success.
• Number of credits to attempt that semester (based on data presented by student) and approved by their counselor.
• Assistance e.g. tutoring, selecting peer mentored classes, meeting with instructor.
• Time management strategies.
• Other services as appropriate including Disability Resources, Counseling,Career Services, etc.

²Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are documented conditions beyond the reasonable control of the student that will have a long-term effect. Students considering an appeal must first consult with their Counselor.

Academic Fresh Start Policy

Former students re-enrolling after an absence from Delta College of two or more years may submit a request to the Registrar to have their grade point average recomputed using only those grades earned after re-enrollment. A minimum of six credits must be completed before the grade point average will be recomputed. Students are required to meet with a Delta College Counselor or Academic Advisor before submitting an Academic Fresh Start Appeal application. Academic Fresh Start Appeal applications will be available in the Counseling Office and processed by the Registrar’s office. Consulting with a Financial Aid Advisor is also recommended as Financial Aid appeals have distinct guidelines and are a separate policy from Academic Fresh Start.

1. All courses taken at Delta College will remain on the student’s permanent records/transcripts. All course grades prior to re-enrollment will be converted to P/NC (Pass/No Credit) grades. Courses with grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+ and C will become P grades with credit; all other course grades will become NC grades without credit.
2. Students may be granted an Academic Fresh Start Appeal only once. The cumulative grade point average and Academic Achievement policy conditions will be computed using all grades earned from the point of re-enrollment. Students may request specific semesters to be considered for re-computation. Students must consult with a counselor or academic advisor before submission of the appeal.
3. Regardless of the number of “P” grades resulting from this policy, a maximum of twelve credits of “P” grades may be applied towards graduation requirements.

Board Action 4972 – November 13, 2012
Amended by Board Action 3677 – November 14, 1995
Amended by Board Action 3467 – December 14, 1993

Board Action 2530 – May 13, 1986

Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients

Students must be making satisfactory academic progress toward the completion of an eligible certificate or associate degree to be eligible for financial aid.

Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients are applied to all students receiving financial assistance after they have attempted 12.9 credits at Delta College. All semesters and courses in which students registered at Delta College are included in determining satisfactory academic progress, regardless of whether or not the students received financial aid for those semesters and courses.

1. Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients

   1. Making satisfactory academic progress is defined as earning a cumulative grade point average (GPA) consistent with the Academic Status Scale below, and as defined by Delta’s grading system including courses below 100 level.

2. Making satisfactory academic progress is also defined as having satisfactorily completed more than 67% of all credits in which students have ever enrolled at Delta College.
   1. Grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or Pass are considered to be satisfactory completions.
   2. Grades of W, WI, NC-No Credit, I-Incomplete, and F-Failure are not considered to be satisfactory completions.
   3. For students with repeat grades, the lower grade is considered to be an unsatisfactory completion and the higher grade is considered to be a satisfactory completion.
   4. For students choosing the Academic Fresh Start option, grades changed to P are considered to be satisfactory completions. Grades changed to NC are not considered to be satisfactory completions. (Students choosing this option should be aware that grades of C-, D+, D, and D-, which are considered as satisfactory completions, will be converted to NC grades, which are not considered to be satisfactory completions.)
3. Satisfactory academic progress also requires that financial aid recipients complete the certificate or associate degree within a time frame which, by federal regulation, is 150% of the published length of the program. For example, if a student is in an Associate degree program that requires 62 credits, the degree must be completed in a maximum of 150% of 62 credits, or 93 credits including both attempted and completed credits. (Students should consult the Delta College Catalog Programs A-Z  to find the number of credits required in their certificate or associate degree program, then multiply that number by 1.5 to determine the maximum number of credits.)
   1. When students reach the maximum number of credits in their program of study, financial aid will be terminated anytime during the academic school year.
   2. All semesters are taken into consideration when determining the maximum number of credits, whether or not students received aid during those semesters.
   3. All grades (A through F, P, I, NC, W, and WI) and repeated courses are counted in determining the maximum number of credits.
   4. Transfer credit must be taken into consideration when calculating the maximum number of credits for an associate degree and for a certificate.

Academic records of aid recipients are reviewed by the Financial Aid Office prior to awarding for the standard academic year (Fall and Winter semesters), and when a student changes their program of study to ensure that Standards of Academic Progress for financial aid recipients continue to be met. Otherwise all academic records are reviewed annually after the Winter semester. Students receiving aid whom the College places on academic probation between reviews will maintain their aid eligibility until the next review. This time provides students with the opportunity to improve their academic records and once again meet Standards of Academic Progress. If Standards of Academic Progress for financial aid recipients is not met at the time of the next review, financial aid will be terminated.

2. Appeals
   1. Students who have been terminated from further financial aid for failure to meet Standards of Academic Progress have the right to appeal. All appeals must be submitted in writing on the Satisfactory Academic Progress Appeal Form to the Financial Aid Office. Please check with the Financial Aid Office for semester appeal priority dates. Students submitting appeals should state the reasons why satisfactory progress was not made and discuss actions that have or will be taken to make satisfactory progress in the future. Documentation supporting the reasons for the appeal must be attached. Appeals submitted without documentation will not be considered. Mitigating circumstances beyond the reasonable control of students, such as injury or illness, death of a relative, or other special circumstances may be grounds for successful appeals. You must meet with an academic counselor/advisor to create an academic plan, which you are required to follow. Please attach a copy to your appeal.
      1. If appeals are approved, students will receive an additional probational semester of aid during which they must follow their approved academic plan (submitted with the appeal form). Students must also EITHER complete all courses in which they register with grades of C (2.0) or better (no C-, D+, D, D-, F, or NC grades), and with no withdrawals (W or WI) and no Incompletes (I), OR once again meet the Delta College Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients.
      2. If students have met the Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients, aid will once again be awarded. If students have not met these Standards, but have met the conditions as stated in No. 1 above, further aid will be granted on a probational semester-by-semester basis. Grades will be checked at the end of each semester before aid is awarded for the next semester to ensure that students are continuing to make academic progress. This process will continue until such time as the student once again meets the Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients.
      3. If it should be found that students have not made academic progress during one of these probational semesters, aid will be denied and the students will have to attend at their own expense until such time as the Standards of Academic Progress for Financial Aid Recipients are once again met.
   2. A second Standards of Academic Progress appeal may be submitted to the Director of Financial Aid if a student has additional documentation for consideration. The Director’s decision regarding the second appeal will be considered final.