Academic Progress

Effective Beginning Summer 2019:

When students fail to make adequate progress towards meeting and maintaining a 2.00 grade-point average as required for graduation, various academic progress statuses are used to serve as notification of such failure and to assist the students in correcting their academic difficulties. These statuses include Academic Warning (54-20) and Academic Suspension (54-40) and are summarized in the table below.

Academic progress statuses used to notify students who fail to meet and maintain the 2.00 grade-point average.
Status at Beginning of Semester	Cumulative GPA at End of Semester	Semester GPA	Status at End of Semester
Good Standing	2.00 or higher	2.00 or higher	Good Standing
Good Standing	2.00 or higher	Less than 2.00	Good Standing
Good Standing	Less than 2.00	Less than 2.00	Academic Warning
Academic Warning	2.00 or higher	2.00 or higher	Good Standing
Academic Warning	Less than 2.00	2.00 or higher	Academic Warning
Academic Warning	Less than 2.00	Less than 2.00*	Academic Suspension

* Suspension will be deferred at the end of the student's second semester at Penn State if they attempted seven or fewer credits in at least one of the semesters. Attempts are defined as earning a grade in a course or late-dropping the course. Semesters from which a student withdraws are counted in determining when a student has reached their third semester.

Academic Warning

Academic Warning (54-20) serves as official notification that the student has failed to earn a 2.00 cumulative grade-point average. A student placed on academic warning will have a hold placed on their registration and will be required to meet with an academic adviser in order for this registration hold to be removed.

Students in academic warning status may continue to enroll for classes as long as their semester grade-point average continues at a 2.00 or higher. To return to good standing from academic warning, the cumulative grade-point average must be 2.00 or higher. A student in academic warning who fails to maintain a semester grade-point average of 2.00 or higher will be academically suspended (54-40).

Academic Suspension

Academic suspension (54-40) is an official notification that a student has earned a semester grade-point average of less than 2.00 while on academic warning. A student who has been academically suspended may not enroll at the University or attend classes for two consecutive semesters (Note: Summer session is equal to one semester and includes all courses offered after Spring semester and before Fall semester).

Students with 15 or fewer recovery points may petition the Faculty Senate for a reduction in or stay of the suspension. Petitions will not be granted automatically.

A student returning from academic suspension must apply for re-enrollment as defined in policy 58-00 and returns to the University in warning status, with the former cumulative grade-point average, and with a hold placed on the registration. The student must follow the requirements and procedures of the college for which re-enrollment as a degree candidate is sought.

Academic Dismissal

A student who has been placed on academic suspension and fails to achieve at least a 2.00 semester GPA is subject to Academic Dismissal (54-50) and is no longer permitted to take courses at the University.

After a period of four calendar years, a student who has been academically dismissed from the University may seek re-enrollment to the University by requesting academic renewal (54-90).