College policies require that all students maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to remain
in “good academic standing.”
At the end of each fall and spring semester, our College conducts a review of all
students’ academic records based on their cumulative GPAs.
If your cumulative GPA is below 2.0, you will fall under “academic progress review” and are subject to academic dismissal from the College.
This review is the college’s way of ensuring that students meet our minimum academic
standards and make timely progress toward degree completion (i.e., graduating within
four years).
You will be able to see your grades on Banner within a week of the end of the fall
and spring semesters.
The Registrar’s Office then spends a few days processing the completion of incomplete
grades, recalculating GPAs based on repeat coursework, and rectifying other irregularities
to ensure the accuracy of all academic records.
The college initiates Academic Progress Review as soon as the Registrar’s Office completes
their end of term processing. IF you are under review, the Provost/Vice-president
for Academic Affairs will send you a personal letter and email that you are under
academic review. The academic progress review notices are sent to students via email
(to only your Plattsburgh webmail account) and in hard copy to the home address you have listed on Banner.
Academic review notices include a detailed letter about the academic review process
and explicit guidelines on submitting written appeals or other specified statements.
Since the academic review process might be a challenging time for you, we encourage
you to read the letter and guidelines very carefully, and several times, so that you
don’t miss an important piece of information or react hastily. You will find answers
to most or all of your questions within the notice.
Typically, you will be asked to submit an appeal to your dismissal that (a) explains
any extenuating circumstances that factored into your low GPA and, as important, (b)
the manner in which those circumstances have been resolved. Again, our letter and
guidelines will spell out what you need for an appeal and the deadline by which the
appeal is due.
Take time to craft your appeal or required statement. Do not hastily respond to your
notice without thoroughly proofreading your document before sending it. What you write, and how you write it, are both important. Misspelled words, poor grammar, and no capitalization
(like “i” instead of “I") create a “text message” impression that will reflect poorly
upon you. Consider asking friends or family members to read the appeal guidelines
and your letter to ensure you have addressed everything adequately. There is a maximum
600-word limit for any appeal.
The college will accept only written appeals (i.e., we do not consider face-to-face or phone appeals). As per the academic review
guidelines, you may submit written documentation that substantiates an extenuating
circumstance (e.g., unforeseen personal issue) or letter that supports your academic
reinstatement (e.g., from a professor). You are responsible for furnishing any documentation
you wish for us to read; please do not provide phone numbers for us to call or indicate
support is available upon request.
The Academic Progress Committee (APC) reviews every appeal and determines whether
to afford a student the opportunity to return on academic probation or to academically
dismiss the student from the College. All cases are afforded the same due process
and consideration.
You may submit your required materials through a variety of options: email to [email protected], send by U.S. mail or FedEx, fax to 518-564-2079, or personally deliver to our office.
However, please use ONLY ONE of those methods. Sending appeals or academic probation
statements by multiple means slows our processing significantly.
Monitor Your Email: Check your Plattsburgh email account for college notices about
the outcome of your academic progress review. Ensure that you have not exceeded your
disk quota (to keep email from being returned to sender).
The APC very carefully reviews each appeal, and weighs all factors presented.
We do consider extenuating circumstances that mitigate a student’s academic performance,
yet we give foremost consideration to two factors:
(1) your academic history at SUNY Plattsburgh, and
(2) the difference between your cumulative GPA and the required minimum 2.0 GPA.
As examples (far from exhaustive, however):
A student with one bad semester in a string of otherwise successful semesters is granted
more leniency than a student with any history of academic probation at SUNY Plattsburgh
or a student who has been here for multiple semesters and has inconsistently maintained
a minimum 2.0 GPA.
A first-semester student with a GPA very close to a 2.0 may be granted more leniency
than a first-semester student whose GPA is far from a 2.0.
Note: These are general rules that guide the committee’s decision making; other factors such as support letters,
your citizenship record (i.e., campus judicial record), courseload, etc., are weighed
in dismissal or reinstatement decisions.
If you are enrolled in summer courses following spring semester, or winter courses
following fall semester, in order to raise your GPA, you may remain in them regardless
of the outcome of the review.
The Academic Progress Review, however, is based upon your cumulative GPA at the end
of the spring and fall semester. Taking summer/winter courses is a privilege, and we do not delay dismissal or reinstatement
decisions until summer/winter course grades are finalized.
Likewise, we do not consider your number of summer/winter credits as a grounds for appeal or
a guaranteed GPA boost. Stating you are taking a summer/winter course will not help your argument or sway
the committee.
IF you are dismissed, and your summer/winter grades earned (as a non-matriculated
student) happen to raise your cumulative GPA above a 2.0, you may subsequently ask
for special permission to continue as a non-matriculated part-time (11 or fewer credits)
student for the forthcoming semester. At the conclusion of that full semester, you
may apply for readmission if your cumulative GPA remains at least 2.0.
Readmission is not guaranteed and is at the sole discretion of the Admissions Office; the Academic
Advising Office does not make readmission determinations. Please read SUNY Plattsburgh’s readmission guidelines for application/forms, deadlines, and requirements.
The Academic Progress Committee meets and makes decisions on all cases at the same
occasion, so there is no need for you to phone during the process to ask for updates
on your case.
All decisions will be made and communicated to you by Plattsburgh email approximately
9 days after the appeal due date listed in your letter. You may also phone our office
about the decision on or after the day listed in your letter.
All decisions are final and are not subject to additional review or appeal. We do
not re-hear appeals via phone, visit, or email.
If you do appeal an academic dismissal, we recommend that you not wait for the results
of your appeal before exploring other educational options for the next semester. It
is always good measure to have a “plan B” in the event you are not reinstated at SUNY
Plattsburgh.
One option might be to contact your local community college and ask about their admission
requirements and deadlines.
Note: Other information about Plattsburgh summer/winter session enrollment, instructions
on readmission application to Plattsburgh, guidelines for repeating coursework, and
financial aid/housing implications of dismissal are addressed in the academic review
correspondence we send to you.