Academic Success

Academic Success: Getting Back on Track

(Scroll down for required steps to return to good academic standing)

Academic Standards and Academic Success:

For the purposes of Academic Standing, Academic Success is defined as the completion of courses attempted without a failing grade and/or withdrawal. A student who achieves these standards will remain in good academic standing at the college. Students who are not successful can progress from academic warning to academic probation to academic suspension unless they take active steps to get back on track.  The Counseling and Advising Center as well as other resources at the college have developed a variety of strategies to keep students on track and to ensure that they can return to good standing in the event that they end up in difficulty.

Academic Standing is calculated based on cumulative GPA (Credit) hours (rather than attempted hours) and the student’s overall GPA. Courses with the # and ^ sign and N, W, I, AU (Audit), and P (Pass) are excluded from the calculation.

Students who have completed 11 or fewer credits whose Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) falls below 1.5 will be given a Written Warning. Students who have completed between 12 and 30 credits inclusive whose CGPA falls below 1.7 and those who have completed 31 or more credits whose CGPA falls below 1.9, will be given a written notice that they are placed on Academic Probation.

What does it mean to be on Academic Probation?

Course load:

Students will receive written notification of the academic probation status and will be required to reduce their registered course load for the next enrollment period. An advisor will help determine what the recommended courses and course load will be based on the student’s prior history of success. In general, students who have been full time will, at a maximum will be registered for up to 9 credits.

Students who fail to regain satisfactory academic progress at the conclusion of the Academic Probation Semester will be subject to Academic Suspension from the College for a minimum of one semester.

Students placed on Academic Probation or Suspension who believe extenuating circumstances affected their performance, including financial aid recipients who have their funding suspended due to unsatisfactory academic progress, may submit a written letter of appeal to the Academic Dean.

Financial Aid Implications:

Financial Aid recipients placed on academic probation will also have their funding suspended until they regain satisfactory academic progress. Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid purposes means that the student has successfully completed 67% of courses attempted. Failing grades and Withdrawals count as unsatisfactory attempts.

What steps do I need to take to return to good academic standing?

Required actions:

  1. View Academic Success Workshop and complete Academic Success Worksheet. Print the worksheet to fill out as you view the PowerPoint. Bring the completed worksheet to your advising appointment (Step 2)
  2. Meet with an advisor in the Advising and Counseling Center (Room A113). 8:30am-5pm Monday-Friday by drop-in or by making an appointment at https://www.threerivers.edu/admissions-2/how-to-enroll/booking-appointments/.
  3. In conjunction with an advisor develop a Success Action Plan.

Suggested Academic Support resources to explore:

  • Upcoming Workshops (link). Throughout the semester the Counseling and Advising Center offers workshops on a variety of topics that are designed to increase students success as a student.
  • Tutoring and Academic Support Center:The TASC provides access to peer, professional and faculty tutors in all subject areas. These services are free and some of the services can be accessed online.
  • GPA Calculator: This is a neat tool to help you figure out how many credits you need to take and what grades you need to obtain in order to improve your academic standing.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • I previously attended TRCC and recently returned to the college after a break. Why am I on Probation? Students who return to the college either as continuing students (last attended within the past 4 semesters) or as a readmit student (a break of longer than 4 semesters) return with the same academic standing that they held when they “stopped out” of their courses. Students who have been out for more than 4 semesters can apply for the Fresh Start Option (link). Please discuss this option when you meet with your advisor.
  • How soon will I be off of Probation? Course load and grades will determine the time frame that it takes to return to good academic standing. You can utilize the GPA calculator under the Academic Support Resources listed above to help you determine this.
  • Why am I limited to courses when the more credits that I take and pass the sooner I will be off of Probation? While it is tempting to take a full course load to balance out the number of failed attempts, this strategy can  pull your academic standing down further. It is important to focus on developing strong academic success skills and apply them to a smaller course load to ensure success in all courses attempted. Once you have learned to balance the smaller course load successfully you will have opportunity to increase your course load. You may also be able to utilize short term semesters to regain lost credits from the reduced load. Talk to your advisor about the practicality of doing this.