Academic standing serves as an overall summary of academic performance at NDMU SOIH. This policy defines the various levels of academic standing and describes how academic standing may affect the student’s continued enrollment within their program.
NDMU SOIH calculates academic standing by program. Students enrolled in multiple academic programs may therefore have more than one academic standing at a time. However, if a student is enrolled in two-vertically-stacked programs (e.g., a PBC embedded in a master’s degree), academic standing will only be calculated for the larger of the two programs.
For the purpose of this policy, failed grades are defined as grades of F or U. F or U grades that have been remediated (I.e., the course retaken and passed) do not count towards the failed credit totals that trigger probation or suspension. Remediation of failed grades therefore allows students to retake failed courses as soon as possible.
Good Academic Standing
A student is considered to be in good academic standing if they have:
- Less than 3 credits of failed grades in a certificate program (excluding PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine).
- Less than 6 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree (e.g., Doctor of Acupuncture), or the PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
- Less than 3 credits of failed grades in a postmaster’s doctoral program (e.g., Doctor of
Clinical Nutrition).
Note: If a student receives a failed grade on the repeated attempt of a previously failed course, the grade from both the first attempt and the second attempt will count towards the total credits of failed grades. Example: Failing ISCI-631 (1.5 credit course) in two successive trimesters is calculated as 3 credits of failed grades.
Academic Probation
A student may be placed on academic probation for any of the following reasons:
- They accumulate:
- At least 3 credits of failed grades in a certificate program (excluding PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine).
- At least 6 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree (e.g., Doctor of Acupuncture), or the PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
- At least 3 credits of failed grades in a postmaster’s doctoral program (e.g., Doctor of
Clinical Nutrition).
- They are a student who has been reinstated following suspension or dismissal (see descriptions below),and has not yet remediated all failed grades earned prior to suspension or dismissal.
Students on Academic Probation must return to Good Academic Standing within one academic year (3 trimesters). For example, if a student is placed on Academic Probation at the end of the fall trimester, they have until the end of the next fall trimesters to return to good academic standing. Failure to do so results in Academic Suspension. Note: Trimesters in which students are on a formal “Voluntary Break in Enrollment” do not count towards the 3‐trimester limit.
Academic Suspension
A student is placed on Academic Suspension when:
- They accumulate:
- More than 6 credits of failed grades in a certificate program (excluding PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine).
- More than 12 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree (e.g., Doctor of Acupuncture), or the PBC in Chinese Herbal Medicine.
- More than 6 credits of failed grades in a post‐master’s doctoral program (e.g., Doctor
of Clinical Nutrition).
- They fail to return to Good Academic Standing from Academic Probation within the timeframe
allowed.
Students on Academic Suspension are only eligible to continue in the program if they are approved for reinstatement by the Academic Standing Review Committee as described below.
Academic Dismissal
A student is Academically Dismissed if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Reinstatement is denied following review by the Academic Standing Review Committee
- Failure to move from Academic Probation to Good Academic Standing within the required timeframe following reinstatement from Academic Suspension
- Meet the criteria for Academic Suspension for a second time within a program
Students who are academically dismissed from a program and wish to reapply to the same program or a new program, should consult the Academic Reinstatement Policy.
Enrollment in Additional Programs
Students cannot register for any new programs unless they are in Good Academic Standing in current programs. Consult Policy 6075: Earning Multiple Degrees or Certificates for more details.
Procedures
Academic standing is calculated for students by program at the end of each trimester. Students are contacted by their academic advisor if the student’s academic standing has changed from the previous trimester.
Reinstatement Following Review of Suspension
- Students on Academic Suspension are not eligible to register for NDMU SOIH courses unless they are approved for reinstatement following review by the Academic Standing Review Committee.
- Students on Academic Suspension may submit a one‐time appeal for reinstatement by completing an Academic Appeals Petition Form and submitting it to reinstatement@muih.edu.
- The Academic Appeals Petition Form requires students to explain changes they have made in their academic preparation and strategies that will improve their potential for successfully completing their program.
- Appeals must be submitted within the first 45 days of a trimester in order for the student to be
considered for reinstatement in the subsequent trimester. - If a student does not appeal within two trimesters of suspension, the student will need to reapply to the program if they wish to continue their studies later. The student’s suspension will be reviewed as part of the admissions evaluation.
- The Academic Standing Review Committee reviews requests for reinstatement. The committee convenes once/trimester, is chaired by the Dean of Academic Affairs, and includes representatives from Academic and Student Affairs. The committee communicates its decisions to the Registrar’s Office and the relevant department chair(s). The department chair communicates the final decision to the
student. The decision of the Committee is final and cannot be appealed.- Students who are approved for reinstatement will be placed on Academic Probation status and must return to Good Academic Standing within the 3‐trimester timeframe described in the “Academic Probation” section of this policy.
- Students who request and are approved for reinstatement must meet any additional conditions set by the Academic Standing Review Committee including enrollment in the appropriate course(s), regular meetings with advisors, or tutoring.
- Reinstated students who fail to return to Good Academic Standing within the allowed timeframe, or who fail to meet any additional conditions set by the Academic Standing Review Committee, will be Academically Dismissed without possibility of reinstatement.
- All other conditions for program completion will apply to reinstated students, including completion time limits.