Academic Regulations

The Grading System

Scale 4.0 Grade Symbols
A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1
A - 90-100
B - 80-89
C - 70-79
D - 60-69
F - Fail

Standards of Academic Progress

The final grades for the completion of courses at Shaw University are as follows:

The failing grade of “Z” is given to those students who initially attended a class but, at some point during the semester, stopped attending and that was the basis for their failure. The grade of “Z” is calculated in the grade point average in the same manner as the grade of “F”, which is zero (0) grade points earned. Additionally, the grade of “Z” may impact a student’s future eligibility for financial aid.

Required courses in the major in which the student earned a final grade of “D”, “Z” or “F” must be repeated. In all such cases, only the improved grades are counted and calculated into the student’s semester and/or cumulative grade point average.

Incompletes

The “I” (Incomplete) is assigned when the student, as a result of illness, an unusual or mitigating situation, or some other acceptable circumstance beyond the student’s control has not completed the work of the course, provided the student is otherwise passing. The student has full responsibility for documenting the extenuating circumstance. The “I” grade is not to be used to help a student pass a course.

All Incompletes shall be removed within six (6) weeks of the next semester in which the student is enrolled - except by approved extension of time. If the Incomplete is not removed within the specified time frame, the un-removed “I” converts to a grade of “F”.

The Incomplete is a non-punitive grade that is not included in the computation of semester and cumulative averages. A special form for the removal of “Incomplete” grades is available to faculty members in the Office of Records and Registration.

All changes of “Incomplete” grades must be signed by the faculty and Division Head and be accompanied by record book evidence of completion of incomplete class work. Once approved by the Division Head this information is to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar. All Departments must document and keep file copies of grade changes for each instructor.

Academic Standing and Satisfactory Academic Progress

At the end of each semester, the records of all matriculated students are reviewed to determine satisfactory academic progress. A student’s academic standing at Shaw University is classified in one of six official standings: Good Standing, Academic Watch, Academic Warning, Academic Probation, Academic Suspension, or Academic Dismissal. A student will remain in good academic standing if he/she demonstrates satisfactory academic progress in accordance with the standards listed below. Standards by which a student will be evaluated include progress in increments of hours completed (quantitative) and cumulative grade point average earned (qualitative).

Quantitative Standards:

• Students must successfully earn two-thirds (i.e., 67% rounded to the nearest whole number) of the credit hours attempted. Attempted hours include all hours attempted at the University, as well as transfer hours. Transfer credit hours from another institution that are accepted toward the student’s academic degree program will count as both attempted and completed hours. [Example: If a student has attempted (enrolled in) in a total of 32 credit hours, he/she must earn a minimum of 21 credit hours (32 credit hours x 0.67 = 21 credit hours) in order to maintain satisfactory academic progress.]
• The maximum time frame allowed for a student to complete degree requirements and remain eligible to receive financial aid is 150% of the total credit hours required to receive a degree in a particular course of study. [Example: If a particular degree program requires a minimum of 123 credit hours, then the student may be eligible to receive financial aid for a maximum of 185 attempted credit hours (123 credit hours x 150% = 185 credit Hours).]

Qualitative Standard:

• A student’s cumulative grade point average must meet the criteria specified in the table below.

Please note: all correspondences regarding academic status are sent electronically to the student’s official Shaw University email and BearsNet. For security all other email addresses will not be used regarding private and sensitive information.

Academic Watch

At the end of each semester, the records of all matriculated students are reviewed to determine satisfactory academic progress. If a student achieves a GPA of 0.999 or less at the end of a fall or spring semester and has attempted 24 or more semester hours; and if the student is otherwise found to be in good standing; then the student will be placed on academic watch.The Academic Watch will trigger a flag in Jenzabar which will allow faculty to see the student is on Watch. The Academic Watch will not be entered on the student’s transcript. Academic Watch will not lead to further sanctions such as suspension or dismissal. Students on Academic Watch must take the following actions:

1. Repeat failed courses that are core requirements for their degree or required for their major.

2. If students have not already done so, visit the Academic Advising Center for an Academic Recovery Plan, referral for additional assistance from the academic department for the failed course and/or attend mandatory sessions in Tutorial Services.

3. Mandatory Weekly-Check -Ins with the Academic Advising Center

4. Maintain regular contact with their academic faculty advisor and the Academic Advising Center according to their individual Academic Recovery Plan.

Academic Warning

A student is placed on academic warning when the student’s semester grade point average and credit hours are below the minimum requirements according to the table above. If a student fails to remove the sanction by the end of the following semester, the student will be placed on academic suspension. A student may remain on probation for academic suspension for two (2) consecutive semesters. Once a student who has previously been on Academic Warning has achieved Good Academic Standing for two consecutive semesters, at any point, if the student fails to meet academic progress, the academic standing begins anew with an academic warning.

Students who have an academic warning or are readmitted after an academic suspension or dismissal must adhere to the following:

1. Enroll in no more than 13 semester hours.
2. Repeat all failed courses that are core requirements for their degree or required for their major.
3. If students have not already done so, visit the Academic Advising Center for an Academic Recovery Plan, referral for additional assistance from the academic department for the failed course and/or attend mandatory sessions in Tutorial Services.
4. Mandatory Weekly-Check -Ins with the Academic Advising Center
5. Complete two hours of mandatory tutorial services at the Student Success Center.
6. Maintain regular contact with their academic faculty advisor and the Academic Advising Center according to their individual Academic Recovery Plan.
7. All academic probationary students’ academic progress and participation will be documented and shared with the SAP Academic Standards Committee throughout and at the end of the semester.
8. Enroll in no more than 13 semester hours.
9. Repeat all failed courses that are core requirements for their degree or required for their major.
10. If students have not already done so, visit the Academic Advising Center for an Academic Recovery Plan, referral for additional assistance from the academic department for the failed course and/or attend mandatory sessions in Tutorial Services.
11. Mandatory Weekly-Check -Ins with the Academic Advising Center
12. Complete two hours of mandatory tutorial services at the Student Success Center.
13. Maintain regular contact with their academic faculty advisor and the Academic Advising Center according to their individual Academic Recovery Plan.
14. All academic probationary students’ academic progress and participation will be documented and shared with the SAP Academic Standards Committee throughout and at the end of the semester.

Academic Suspension and Academic Dismissal

Academic suspension occurs automatically at the end of the second semester when a student fails to remove the academic warning sanction. A student who has an academic suspension sanction may improve his/her academic standing by attending Summer School at Shaw University. Attendance at Summer School, however, does not result in automatic readmission to the University. Students may be readmitted upon the recommendation of the Academic Standards Committee. Students who are readmitted by the Academic Standards Committee will be assigned to work with the Academic Advising Center on a recovery plan. The Academic Advising Center staff will review a student’s progress at the end of the semester following readmission to the University to determine if the student has made progress under the plan and if so the Academic Standards Committee, with recommendation from the Academic Advisng Center, will give the student an additional semester of probation, and the student will not be placed on academic dismissal even if he/she fails to meet the Satisfactory Academic Progress standard. If the student has failed to improve his/her cumulative GPA at the end of the semester of readmission, and has not been placed on an additional semester of probation by the Academic Standards Committee then that student is subject to academic dismissal. At the end of the second semester after readmission, the student must meet the aforementioned minimum qualitative and quantitative standards.

A student who has been academically dismissed will be required to leave the university for one semester. They may appeal the dismissal in writing to the Academic Standards Committee in care of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.

The appeal process for Academic Suspension and Academic Dismissal is as follows:

Any student who is on Academic Suspension may appeal the suspension in writing to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The request must include documentation to support the extenuating circumstances. Examples of acceptable documentation include, but are not limited to: death certificates, statements from physicians(s), clergy, or other verifiable information.

1. The letter of appeal must be received by the Academic Advising Center according to the date specified in the letter.
2. Below is the required information that must be submitted with your academic appeal letter.                                                                                             Appeal submissions without this information will not be reviewed.

   Student Academic Success Recovery Plan

   Item 1:  Please identify the obstacles you encountered last semester:

   Upon review of your past academic history, what circumstances negatively

   impacted your grades? Describe and discuss in detail obstacles you faced.

   Examples of common obstacles are below:

   Academic Obstacles:

   Ineffective study skills, lack of effective time management skills, unprepared for exams

   and why, what worked in high school doesn’t work anymore, hard to concentrate, difficult classes/not prepared for course level, conflict with professor, unable to understand course

   content or find important information, poor reading skills, poor study skills, did not disclose individualized learning plan which would have allowed for classroom modifications

      Personal/Other Obstacles:

   Financial difficulties, health problems, hard to get out of bed in the morning, use

   or abuse of alcohol or other substance(s), possible learning disability, difficulty

   sleeping at night, pressure, stress, anxiety, tension, excessive time spent online,

   family issues, extracurricular activities, working long hours

    

   Item 2: Generate potential solutions for overcoming the obstacles you

   described and discussed:

   Think about possible solutions for overcoming the obstacles you described.

   Make sure you list and discuss potential solutions for overcoming the obstacles you

    faced in your academic success recovery plan.

    

   Item 3: Commit to workable and achievable solutions:

   What are the most achievable solutions you are willing to try?

   How will these solutions help you?

   What changes will you need to make to achieve your goals?

   What will these solutions require of you in terms of time and effort?

    

   Please note: The information provided will be included in final academic recovery

   plan completed with the Academic Advising Center.

    

   1. The Academic Advising Center will submit the student’s appeal to the Academic Standards Committee. The Academic Standards Committee will review the academic suspension and/or the academic appeal. If the appeal is approved, the readmitted student will be allowed to resume attending classes on probation. If the appeal is denied, the Academic Suspension /Academic Dismissal will stand and the student will be required to comply with the conditions based on the decision of the Academic Standards Committee.

    

   2. If the student fails to complete the Academic Advising Center Re-admit process, the appeal

   will be forfeited and the student will not be able to attend for the semester and must re-appeal

   for consideration of readmission for a different semester.

    

   3.If student does not appeal for ensuing semester, the student will have an appeal deadline until

   the week before formal classes begin of semester appealing to attend. The only exceptions to this deadline are military deployment, death of an immediate family member, and/or

   an  immediate medical emergency. All supportive documentation must be provided at the time

   of appeal submission.

A student who has been readmitted twice on an appeal is no longer eligible to be readmitted to the University.

Summer School

If a student receives an academic warning or academic suspension sanction at the end of a semester and plans to attend summer school to correct his/her deficiency, the student’s SAP will be recalculated at the end of the summer term to determine if he/she will come off of sanction; or if the student fails to meet SAP, he/she will be placed on the next higher sanction. 

Readmission

Any student who has previously attended Shaw University, but was not in attendance during the prior semester or who withdrew from the University before completing the prior semester. A student who has been academically dismissed from the University must refer to the section on Satisfactory Academic Progress. A student who formally withdrew may apply for readmission prior to the beginning of the next scheduled semester or summer session.

Any student who has previously attended Shaw University, but was not in attendance during the prior semester or who withdrew from the University before completing the prior semester, is required to submit an appeal letter to the Academic Standards Committee. All correspondences with students occur electronically via email. Once the student has received his/her re-admit status, the student must complete an application for readmission with the Office of Admission. A student who is appealing to return back to the University, and he/she has an Academic Warning or University Withdrawal will not have an appeal to count against them.  

If the appeal is denied, by the Academic Standards Committee, the student is referred to attend a Community College enrolling and successfully passing full-time transferable credits. The official transcript from the community college must be submitted for review of academic progress. Please note only credit hours will transfer and not grade point averages. Once the student re-submits the appeal letter with the official transcript from another University/ Community College; the Academic Standards Committee members will review all documents for the semester he/she is applying.

A student who has been readmitted twice on an appeal is no longer eligible to be readmitted to the University.

Please contact the Office of Academic Advising Center for additional assistance at (919) 582-4990.

Withdrawals, Incompletes, and Repeats

Withdrawals, incompletes, “Z” grade, and repeated courses will not be exempt from the calculation of attempted hours. Students will be required to complete the minimum number of credits as outlined in the above chart.

Policy on Non-Punitive Grades for Veterans

Non-punitive grades are those that are not computed into a student’s grade point average (GPA). Grades of “I,” “W,” and “U” are non punitive grades. Veterans who are assigned these grades will have them reported to the Veterans Administration and benefits that were paid for the pursuit of these courses in which nonpunitive grades were assigned are subject to recovery by the University.

Department of Veteran Affairs

Incomplete (“I”) grades, which are removed during the first two weeks of the following semester are not reported to the Department of Veteran Affairs.