Academic Warning, Probation, Dismissal

The Marietta College Community is dedicated to the academic success of all students and our goal is to aid students in their progress toward graduation. The policies governing academic warning, probation and dismissal are designed to help ensure that a student is making satisfactory progress toward degree completion.

A student will receive an academic warning when their semester grade point average falls below 2.0. Academic warning is used to alert students to potential problems with unsatisfactory academic progress.

The purpose of academic probation is to

inform students when they are not meeting the normal academic standards expected of college level students;
encourage students to re-evaluate their motivation and to develop strategies for academic success;
encourage students to spend more time on academic endeavors.

Upon their placement on academic probation, students will receive a letter from the Academic Resource Center identifying strategies to improve their academic performance. Students are also required to meet with a staff member of the ARC and their academic advisor to discuss their probationary status within the first two weeks of the semester. During these meetings, each student will complete a Probation Contract outlining the College’s expectations regarding attendance and performance and requiring the student to commit to specific efforts identified to support academic success. Should a student fail to complete the Probation Contract or to honor the agreed upon terms of the contract, the student may be considered for an Administrative Withdrawal (see below).

Should a student’s cumulative grade point average remain below the stated minimum for two consecutive semesters, the Academic Standards Committee will review the individual’s academic record and determine whether to dismiss the student from the College. A student may appeal the decision to dismiss to the Academic Standards Committee.

A student can also be considered for dismissal by the Academic Standards Committee with no prior warning or probationary period when his or her performance drops significantly below the minimum stated above.

Restrictions applying to Students on Probation

The following restrictions apply

A student on academic probation may enroll in no more than 14 credit hours each semester.
The following co-curricular restrictions will apply to a student on academic probation
1. They are ineligible to participate in any college athletic team or club sport.
2. They may not hold office in any campus organization or social fraternity or sorority.
3. They may not travel off campus to a meeting or trip with any college organization or club unless required to do so for an academic program.
4. They may not represent the college in any on campus or off campus public events or other co-curricular activities (e.g., plays, musical performances, student newspaper) unless required to do so for an academic course.
5. They may not register for courses that require co-curricular participation, unless required by their major.

The above restrictions, credit hours and co-curricular, first apply in the semester subsequent to that in which the student is placed on academic probation, with the exception that for first year students, implementation of the above co-curricular restrictions will occur at the end of the spring semester. The restrictions continue in force until the student has returned to “good academic standing”, with the exception that when a student has earned a semester grade point average of 2.0 or better, with a minimum of 12 credits calculated in the last semester attended (Fall or Spring), co-curricular restrictions will not be enforced for the following semester. All appeals will be handled by the Academic Standards Committee.

At the beginning of each semester, a list of students on co-curricular restriction will be available in the Records Office. All faculty, staff and administrators that directly or indirectly supervise co-curricular activities are responsible for checking with the Records Office to ensure that students are eligible to participate in a co-curricular activity. The Provost of the college is responsible for enforcing adherence to the academic probation policy by all members of the college community.

Readmission after Dismissal

A student who has been dismissed for insufficient grade point average may be considered for readmission on probation if that student has been away from Marietta College for at least a summer plus one semester, and can submit evidence of maturity and motivation. Examples of such evidence are:

Transcript of credits earned at an accredited college or university
Letter(s) from employer(s)
Record of service in the armed forces

A student dismissed for insufficient grades, readmitted, and separated from the College again for the same reason, is thereafter ineligible to return.