Academic Standing
At the close of each semester, the Student Progress Committee reviews the records of all students who have earned fewer than 16 units that semester, whose semester or cumulative grade point average (GPA) is below 2.0, or whose status for the semester was on a Semester of Academic Concern. Students who are not making satisfactory progress toward the Bachelor of Arts degree according to the criteria outlined below may be subject to a change in their academic standing.
Making satisfactory progress is defined by:
- Earning a minimum of 2.0 semester GPA
- Maintaining a minimum of 2.0 cumulative GPA
- Earning, on average, 16 units each semester in attendance at Oxy
All decisions are made by the Student Progress Committee on a case-by-case basis. When making decisions the committee looks at the record of the current semester and, for students who have attended several semesters, patterns of academic improvement or deterioration. When evaluating a student’s progress and academic standing, the Student Progress Committee may consider the following in addition to units earned and semester and cumulative GPA:
- Incomplete grades (default grades and amount of work remaining may be considered)
- Current semester and past semester course withdrawals (W)
- Current semester and past semester courses with non passing grades
- Completing degree requirements in a timely manner
- Extenuating circumstances
Good Standing
A student is in good standing unless they are placed on a semester of academic concern, a required academic leave, or dismissed according to the criteria outlined below.
Semester of Academic Concern
The purpose of placing a student on a semester of academic concern is not punitive; its intention is to alert students to developing problems that may jeopardize their eventual graduation from Occidental, and to urge them to take immediate action to address these problems.
Students whose semester or cumulative GPA is below 2.0 will typically be placed on a semester of academic concern for the following semester. (First-year students finishing their first semester—not including transfer students—will typically be placed on a semester of academic concern if their GPA is below 1.85.) In addition, students with semester or cumulative GPA’s at or above 2.0 may be placed on a semester of academic concern if they are not making satisfactory progress toward meeting degree requirements.
Students placed on a semester of academic concern will receive a letter via email, announcing this status, with requirements that they consult with a Student Success Advisor and their academic adviser(s) to devise a plan for academic success and a return to good academic standing. The records of students placed on a Semester of Academic Concern are reviewed at the end of the following semester. If a student has made satisfactory progress during that semester, that review may result in a return to Good Standing. Failure to make satisfactory progress following a semester of Academic Concern may result in an additional Semester of Academic Concern or a Required Academic Leave, as described below.
Required Academic Leave
A required academic leave is intended to provide students who have serious difficulties time to rethink their academic strategies and future at Occidental College, with the purpose of having them either return for a successful academic career at Occidental, or to develop a more successful educational plan elsewhere. A required academic leave may be assigned for one or two semesters.
Students who have been placed on a Semester of Academic Concern are reviewed at the end of the following semester and will typically be placed on a required academic leave for one semester if they have not made satisfactory progress while on a Semester of Academic Concern.
Students who achieve a semester GPA of 0.75 or below in any semester will typically be placed on a required academic leave for one semester the following semester.
Full-time students who earn fewer than 6 units in any semester may be placed on a required academic leave for one semester.
Students earning a semester GPA below 2.0 for three consecutive semesters or whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 for three consecutive semesters will typically be placed on a required academic leave for one year.
Students who return from a required leave are placed on a Semester of Academic Concern. Those failing to demonstrate satisfactory progress toward the degree during the first semester back at Oxy may be placed on a required leave for one year.
Students on a required academic leave are typically required to complete the equivalent of a full-time semester of coursework (12 transferable semester units) at another institution, and to complete the units satisfactorily before readmission to Occidental. Any departure from this requirement will be noted in the official notice sent to the student following the Committee’s decision.
Dismissal
When the Student Progress Committee determines that a student’s chances of success at Occidental are minimal or none, it may impose dismissal. A comment indicating the dismissal is recorded on the student transcript. Dismissed students are not given the option of applying for readmission.