Good Academic Standing
Quincy College considers students to be in good academic standing when they have achieved academic progress by maintaining a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) above those set for academic warning and academic probation. The cumulative GPA, to be in good standing, is a minimum 2.00.
Academic Warning
A student will be placed on academic warning, one time, for the first semester they fall out of good-standing by failing to achieve the minimum GPA of 2.00.
Academic Probation
A student will be placed on academic probation for the semester following the warning semester, if they still remain below the cumulative GPA standards of SAP. Students on Academic Probation are required to complete a Probation Contract with an academic advisor.
Academic Suspension
Any student having not shown improvement by SAP standards while on Academic Probation will be suspended from the college with the right to appeal. Students on Academic Suspension will receive notice of their suspension, in a timely manner, from when their cumulative GPA is updated, to reflect their most recent final grades at the end of the fall or spring semester. This notice will inform the student that the student is prohibited from attending Quincy College for the following semester. A student may enroll in courses at another accredited institution to show satisfactory academic progress for a full semester before returning to Quincy College. The grades earned at the other institution will be considered in determining if the student may return to Quincy College. Upon the student’s return to Quincy College, the student will remain on Academic Probation during the semester of the student’s return, and the student will be required to follow the protocol of the institution’s Academic Probation procedure.
Academic Suspension Appeal
Students placed on Academic Suspension have the right to appeal their suspension. Students wishing to appeal must submit a written letter of appeal to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) within fifteen (15) business days of receiving the notice of their suspension. The student will also be required to meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss a plan for improvement.
Academic Probation Contract
The Academic Probation Contract (formerly referred to as the Academic Improvement Plan), is a comprehensive plan that guides the student’s meetings with their Academic Probationary Advisor. This resource helps students anticipate their current and future course schedules, the classes that they need to take in order to complete their degree, as well as Quincy College student support services that will help them achieve academic success.
Quincy College establishes, publishes, and applies reasonable standards for measuring students’ satisfactory academic progress in their educational programs. The qualitative and quantitative standard used to monitor academic progress must be cumulative and must include all periods of the student’s enrollment as well as periods of enrollment for which the student did not receive financial aid.
Quincy College assesses the following quantitative information for all students at the end of each fall and spring term:
1. Cumulative GPA (Minimum GPA of 2.0).
2. Number of credits attempted (Maximum allowable is 150% of program requirements).
3. Rate of completion (2/3 credits attempted must be completed successfully with a C or above).
Note: Failure to meet the Quincy College Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) may result in the loss of financial aid eligibility.
The first semester the student has not achieved the necessary GPA and completion rate; the student will be given one semester of academic warning. After the one time warning period, if the student has not shown any progress in their cumulative GPA and completion rate, the student will be placed on Academic Probation. The student can receive federal aid while on probation. Students on probation will be required to meet with their academic advisor and Financial Aid to fill out an Academic Probation contract to ensure that they are aware of what will be expected for that semester’s outcomes. If the student shows positive progress while on Academic Probation, but is still below SAP standards, they will remain on Academic Probation.
If the student does not show improvements after any probation semester, the student will then be placed on Academic Suspension with the option to submit a written appeal to the College’s Chief Academic Officer (CAO) within fifteen (15) days of receiving the notice of their suspension. Upon receiving the letter of appeal, the College’s CAO, with assistance from the Office of Academic Advising, will review all materials and make the final decision regarding student’s Academic Suspension Appeal. The student may also need to consult Financial Aid about their eligibility for aid.
Below is a breakdown of outcomes from a SAP Suspension Appeal
• If the appeal is approved by the Chief Academic Officer the student would then have one more semester to work on improving their GPA and Completion rate. If the student shows improvements at the end of the semester, the student would remain on Academic Probation. However, if at any point the student begins to decline again, they could be academically suspended.
• If the student is not approved for the Financial Aid Appeal, but approved for the Academic Suspension Appeal, they would be allowed to take an additional semester of courses but would be required to pay out of pocket since financial aid is suspended. If the student shows improvement at the end of the semester, the student would return to Academic Probation. However, if at any point the student begins to decline again, they could be academically suspended.
• If the Academic Suspension Appeal is denied the student would be academically dismissed for one semester. In this semester away, students may take courses at a different college to show academic improvement, but are not required to. Transfer credit may be considered if the student chooses to return to the college. If the student chose to return to the college after the semester away, they would have to complete an application for reinstatement which would be reviewed by academic advising and approved by the Chief Academic Officer. When the student returns after being reinstated, they will return to the college on Academic Probation as long as they are not meeting SAP standards.
Note: When a student returns from an academic suspension from SAP, they may be eligible to return to the college but does not mean they would be eligible for federal aid. Students who are not eligible for federal aid would be required to pay out of pocket.
For Financial Aid eligibility, refer to Financial Aid Process (Policy 8.01a) and Satisfactory Academic Progress (Policy 8.09)
Original: April 2006
Revised: May 2015; February 2020
Revised: November 2021
Update for Gender Inclusivity: Spring 2023
Updated: August 2024