The School of Computing requires students to maintain a high level of accomplishement i.e., Good Standing, in order to graduate. Academic probation exists to help students achieve the high standards expected of a degree in computer science. Through the system of probation, students receive advice and assistance making plans to be successful. In rare circumstances, probation forces students, who are unable to complete the degree requirements in a timely and satisfactory manner, to expediently move on to a more appropriate degree. In general, a student has two semesters (excluding summer) to meet the requirements for returning to good standing. Students failing to do so are removed from the CS program.
To remain in good standing and graduate, a student must maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher in computer science classes (at the 2000 level and above), as well as an overall University GPA of 2.5 or higher. Students whose GPA in either of these categories falls below 2.5 are placed on probation and given conditions for returning to good standing, which are specified in written communication to the student.
The first semester of probation is called the warning semester and does not affect a student's ability to enroll in future CS courses. Probationary students should meet with a CS academic advisor before registering for the semester's classes and should follow the recommended advice from the CS Undergraduate Committee.
The second semester of probation is called the extended probation semester. A student on extended probation is allowed to register for CS courses; however, the student's status is suspended after the class-add deadline. That is, the student is prevented from registering for future CS courses until satisfactory progress is made.
Directly after grades for the extended probation semester are posted, it is the responsibility of the student to petition the School of Computing Undergraduate Committee to be reinstated. At the time of the petition, if the student shows that their continuing GPAs (both cumulative and CS) are above 2.5, the student status is reinstated. Alternatively, students who have not met this requirement, but have made strong gains toward it, may petition for an additional semester of extended probation.
A student who has previously been on probation and then removed from probation, but is once again placed on probation, is placed in the extended probation category by default and has only a single semester to improve their GPA. Such students are strongly encouraged to meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about the best path for returning to good standing.
Students must adhere to the policy on repeating courses. Students who are unsuccessful in completing a required CS course in two attempts are placed on extended probation with the requirement that they successfully petition to retake the course and then successfully pass the course at the next offering. Failure to do so results in the student being permanently removed from the CS program.
Students who do not meet the requirement for timely graduation are placed on extended probation with the requirement that they petition to complete the remaining degree requirements in a short, yet reasonable, amount of time.
Students who believe that they have been incorrectly placed on probation or had their status suspended have until the midpoint of the probation semester to contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies to rectify the problem. Failure to do so will result in the probation standing.