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 return to Good Academic standing. In most circumstances, it is in the student’s best interest 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.
- Less than 6 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree.
- 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 semesters 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.
- At least 6 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree.
- 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 semesters). For example, if a student is placed on Academic Probation at the end of the fall semester, they have until the end of the next fall semester to return to good academic standing. Failure to do so results in Academic Suspension. Note: Semesters in which students are on a formal “Voluntary Break in Enrollment” do not count towards the 3‐semester limit.
Academic Suspension
A student is placed on Academic Suspension when:
- They accumulate:
- More than 6 credits of failed grades in a certificate program.
- More than 12 credits of failed grades in a master’s degree, bachelor’s‐to‐doctorate degree.
- 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 time frame
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 time frame 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 the Earning Multiple Degrees or Certificates Policy for more details.
Procedures
Academic standing is calculated for students by program at the end of each semester. Students are contacted by their academic advisor if the student’s academic standing has changed from the previous semester.
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 muih-reinstatement@muih.ndm.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 semester in order for the student to be
considered for reinstatement in the subsequent semester. - If a student does not appeal within two semesters 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/semester, is chaired by the Associate Dean of SOIH, and includes representatives from Advising and the student's department. 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‐semester time frame 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 time frame, 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.