Academic Warning, Suspension & Probation

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) is a policy designed to encourage students to advance steadily and successfully towards the completion of their degrees. By looking at your GPA and completion rate as indicators, SMSU identifies students who may be at risk.

Undergraduate students and graduate students must complete at least 66.67% of their cumulative attempted credits. Undergraduate students with 1-29 attempted credits need a cumulative GPA of 1.6 or higher. Undergraduate students with 30-59 attempted credits need a cumulative GPA of 1.8 or higher. Undergraduate students with 60+ attempted credits need a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. Graduate students need a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. These cumulative standards also serve as the semester standards for students who are not on probation.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

All degree-seeking, non-degree-seeking, graduate, international, and PSEO students are held to SAP standards. For transfer students new to SMSU, your credit from your previous academic institution(s) will impact your completion rate but not your GPA. Calculation of SAP is not dependent on a declared major and will not change if you change your major. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

You’ll need to use your transcript to check your SAP. You can get your unofficial transcript in eServices. To calculate the completion rate, divide the total earned credits by the total attempted credits; note that the completion rate includes transfer credits. Attempted credits are those which you receive a letter grade, or grade of I, IP, CR, NC, W, NA, or FQ. Use your last calculated cumulative GPA and compare that with the SAP GPA requirement based on the total number of credits attempted as of that same semester. Courses in which you receive a letter grade, NA, or FQ are used in calculating your GPA.

If you choose to repeat a course, the best grade will be the one used for calculation in GPA, but each time you repeat the course, it will count towards your attempted credits. If grades are not yet posted for the semester you are currently enrolled in, you can use the SMSU GPA calculator to estimate your semester GPA and factor that into your cumulative GPA. 

Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAP is calculated at the end of each semester. Students are notified via their SMSU email address if they are placed on academic warning or academic suspension and instructed on the next steps in the SAP process.

Academic warning means that you fell below one or both of the cumulative SAP standards. If you meet both, you will come off academic warning and be back in good academic standing. During the semester in which you are on academic warning, you’ll work towards meeting both the semester and cumulative SAP criteria. If you meet the semester standards but they don’t bring your cumulative GPA and/or completion rate above the cumulative criteria, you will continue on academic warning. If you don’t meet the semester standards, you will be put on academic suspension. If you are on academic warning, you can still register and enroll in classes, participate in activities/athletics, live in the dorms, and receive financial aid. You will work with the Assistant Director of Student Success in the Deeann Griebel Student Success Center to discuss your SAP criteria and create a success plan.

Academic suspension means that while you were on academic warning or probation, you didn’t meet both the semester and cumulative SAP standards. While you are suspended, you are not able to register for or be enrolled in classes, participate in activities/athletics, live in the dorms, or receive financial aid.

There are two ways for your academic suspension to end: you can sit out two full academic semesters (summer does count), or you can request an academic appeal for a chance to be reinstated.

The appeal process is outlined in the academic suspension letter that you receive through SMSU email. Appeals take place in January for the spring semester, May for the summer semester, June for the fall semester (for students suspended after spring), and August for the fall semester (for students suspended after summer). Students can choose to submit an in-person, virtual, or written appeal; you are strongly encouraged to appeal in person or virtually rather than in writing. This gives you a better chance to share your story and explain the circumstances that caused your academic hardships. You will complete an academic appeals questionnaire that will be reviewed by the appeals committee prior to your meeting with the appeals committee; if you are doing a written appeal, this is the only document you will need to submit. The appeals committee will deliberate and vote to determine if you are reinstated. It is common for the appeals committee to make recommendations, such as a credit limit for the next semester, courses to take to improve your completion rate and GPA, or campus resources to use. If you are appealing in person or virtually, you will get the results of your appeal that day. If you are submitting a written appeal, your results will be sent via U.S. mail, or you may elect to receive them via SMSU email.

Academic Appeals

If the appeals committee voted to reinstate you, that means you are able to return for the next academic semester under a probationary academic status. Students on academic probation need a GPA of 2.0 or higher each semester and must achieve a 66.67% completion rate on attempted credits each semester.

As long as you meet these criteria, you will stay on academic probation until your cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate exceed the normal cumulative SAP standards. You will work with the Assistant Director of Student Success in the Deeann Griebel Student Success Center to discuss your SAP criteria and create a success plan. Your SMSU record will be updated, and you will then be able to meet with your academic advisor to register for classes. If you have been receiving financial aid and are hoping to continue using financial aid, you will need to contact the Financial Aid Office to appeal your financial aid suspension.

If the appeals committee denied your appeal and you have waited two (or more) semesters, or if you chose not to appeal and waited out two (or more) semesters, you are eligible to be readmitted to SMSU. You can complete the digital Readmission Form. Your readmission application will be reviewed, and you will be reinstated on academic probation.

Being reinstated on academic probation means you will need to meet a 2.0 or higher semester GPA and 66.67% semester completion rate each semester until your cumulative GPA and cumulative completion rate exceed the cumulative SAP standards. You will work with the Assistant Director of Student Success in the Deeann Griebel Student Success Center to discuss your SAP criteria and create a success plan. Your SMSU record will be updated, and you will then be able to meet with your academic advisor to register for classes.

Please note that this readmission only pertains to your academic suspension. If you are hoping to use financial aid, you will need to work with the Financial Aid Office to appeal your Financial Aid Suspension.

You can get off academic probation in two ways: by surpassing the cumulative SAP requirements and returning to good academic standing, or by failing to meet the semester probation standards and being placed back on academic suspension. Students will remain on academic probation as long as they meet the semester probation standards but have not achieved the semester SAP standards.

Beginning in fall 2021, developmental courses will still be used in SAP GPA calculations but will no longer be used in SAP completion rate calculations.