As a Chapman student, you are considered to be in good academic standing as long as your Chapman grade point average (institutional GPA or semester GPA) remains at or above 2.000.
If your GPA falls below 2.00, you may face academic probation or academic dismissal. Read on to find out more about each.
Academic Probation
Any student whose term or cumulative GPA at Chapman drops below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation.
If you are on academic probation, you may enroll in no more than 16 semester credits each term you are on probation (credit totals depend on their cumulative GPA). This 16-credit limit includes credits taken at Chapman and in transfer each semester.
In addition, if you are on academic probation you are required to meet with your Academic Advisor for guidance and assistance regarding methods to improve your academic status.
Academic Dismissal
You are subject to academic dismissal from Chapman if either of these occur:
- Your cumulative GPA at Chapman remains below a 2.000 for two consecutive semesters.
- Your term GPA falls below 2.000 for two consecutive semesters and your cumulative GPA falls below 2.700.
If you are awarded financial aid or Veterans Administration (VA) benefits, you are advised that academic dismissal carries the cancellation of any federal financial aid or VA benefits.
Options for appealing an academic dismissal
If you are academically dismissed from Chapman, there are two options available:
Option 1: If you believe there were extenuating circumstances that prevented you from achieving a 2.0 GPA or above, you may appeal your dismissal status to the Undergraduate Student Standards Committee. To initiate an appeal, you must:
- Before the deadline indicated on your dismissal email, inform the Office of the University Registrar of your desire to schedule a hearing by contacting registrar@chapman.edu.
- Submit a typed narrative and supporting documentation detailing the extenuating circumstances that contributed to your academic performance.
If your appeal to the committee is denied, you may petition the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at vpuged@chapman.edu to reconsider the dismissal only if:
- There is no additional information about your case that was no available to the Undergraduate Student Standards Committee in your originial petition.
- There is evidence of procedural error by the Undergraduare Student Standards Committee.
Option 2: Demonstrate that you can be successful by taking college-level coursework elsewhere. To do this, you must achieve the following within two academic years from the time of dismissal:
- Enroll in at least 12 graded baccalaureate-level semester credits/units (or 18 quartercredits/units) in one term at another regionally accredited institution (the credits mustbe transferable to Chapman University).
- Earn no grade lower than a C.
- Please note that prior to beginning coursework elsewhere, it is recommended that students contact their Academic Advisor to review the coursework they plan on taking outside Chapman to ensure the courses fulfill the requirements set forth by Chapman. In accordance with the University’s graduation requirements, some credits might not be accepted in transfer upon a student’s return. A maximum of 24 credits may be transferred after matriculating at Chapman. Refer to the university catalog for more information on the transfer policy.
Returning to Chapman after dismissal
If you are seeking to return within two years of dismissal, you must submit your request to be reinstated to the Student Standards Committee via the Office of the University Registrar.
- Verification of enrollment information through an official transcript must accompany the petition for reinstatement.
- If you are reinstated, you may be reconsidered for financial aid at that time; however, reinstatement does not necessarily mean that financial aid will be available for that semester or any future semester.
If you are seeking to return after more than two years from the time of dismissal, you must reapply for admission via the Office of Admission.
- When you return after academic dismissal, you will be placed in probation status and may enroll in no more than 16 semester credits for the first semester or first year after return.
- If you fail to achieve an institutional GPA of at least 2.000 in the first semester back at Chapman, you will remain in probation status. If you remain on probation after two consecutive semesters of being reinstated, you will be permanently dismissed.
Permanent Dismissal
If you are permanently dismissed by the Student Standards Committee, the only appeal available is to the Office of the Provost.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
If you are receiving federal financial aid (including grants, scholarships, work study, and/or loans), federal law requires that you maintain satisfactory academic progress.
Federal requirements for satisfactory academic progress might differ from Chapman’s policies on academic standing as outlined above.
To achieve satisfactory academic progress, you must:
- Maintain specified minimum grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
- Successfully complete a minimum of 12 credits in one semester.
- Complete your educational objectives within a specific period of time.
All terms of college attendance will be considered for your academic progress, including terms in which financial aid was not received. Academic records will be evaluated at the end of each spring semester to determine if the above standards were achieved.
The latest policies on federal financial aid can be found on the Financial Aid website.
