Academic Standing

Effective Fall 2024

Good Standing
In order to remain in good academic standing and be granted a diploma from the university, students must maintain a cumulative average of at least 2.0 (“C”). Professional curricula and some major programs have additional or higher academic standards, which the student must meet at specific intervals.

Academic Warning
Students shall be placed on Academic Warning the first fall or spring semester in which their cumulative GPA falls below 2.0.

Academic Probation
Students who are on Academic Warning and fail to raise their cumulative GPA to the minimum 2.0 in the following fall or spring semester shall be placed on Academic Probation.  Students on Academic Probation shall be allowed to continue at the University but shall remain on probation provided their semester GPA is at least 2.3. Once the cumulative GPA reaches 2.0, the student shall be removed from Academic Probation and shall be returned to Good Standing. Students shall have three (3) semesters to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.0. If the cumulative GPA is below 2.0 after the third semester of probation, the student shall be academically suspended.

Academic Suspension
Students on Academic Probation shall be Academically Suspended in the fall or spring semester if (1) their semester GPA is below a 2.3 and cumulative GPA is below a 2.0, or (2) their cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 after the third semester of probation. Students who are academically suspended from Western Connecticut State University are no longer matriculated at the University.

Suspended students can appeal for reinstatement to regain matriculation status, they may do so during or subsequent to the semester in which they are non-matriculated. Reinstatement to the University does not guarantee acceptance or reacceptance to programs with GPA requirements higher than 2.0.  All appeals shall be made to their Academic Dean. Once a student’s dismissal appeal has been granted, if a cumulative GPA 2.0 is not attained in the first semester back, the student will be dismissed. Students are ineligible to appeal if they are dismissed a second time.

Dismissed students may register part-time as non-matriculated students but must achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher prior to attempting 30 credits as a non-matriculated student, to return to good standing and apply for readmission to their last program of study.

Adding and Dropping a Course

Any student wishing to add and/or drop classes may visit the Registrar’s Office for assistance or students can also add and/or drop courses in Banner Web.  Throughout the registration period and up until the first five days of the semester, students may change their schedules at the Registrar’s Office or Banner Web.  See the academic calendar for exact dates.

Air Force ROTC is offered at the University of Connecticut and is available to Western Connecticut students in all majors. AFROTC prepares students for careers as Air Force officers who may serve as pilots, navigators, engineers, nurses, etc. The program consists of a basic and an advanced course, each of two years duration. The former may be replaced by a six week summer program (with pay) between the student’s sophomore and junior years. One must meet entrance criteria for admission to the advanced course. Those participating in the advanced course receive a monthly stipend. In addition, enrolled students are eligible for a variety of scholarships.

You must be certain to register at UConn for your ROTC classes and that you transfer your earned credits back to Western.

For information, call collect University of Connecticut’s Department of Aerospace Studies at (860) 486-2224.

Auditing a Course

Students may audit any course with permission of the instructor. Auditors are subject to those conditions established by the instructor. You must obtain approval to audit within the first four weeks for full semester courses or within the first two weeks for courses scheduled less than a full semester. Courses elected for an audit do not affect grade point average and do not apply toward any graduation requirement. Regular tuition and fees and refund rules apply to courses taken for audit.  Audit Formopens PDF file .

Cancellation of Courses

The academic deans reserve the right to make changes in personnel to teach a course and to cancel or reschedule any course offered should the change become necessary

Change of Status

Students must contact the Registrar’s Office if they wish to change their status from part-time to full-time or from full-time to part-time so bills can be assessed properly.  These changes can be made from the day of registration through the first week of classes.

Commencement Exercises

All candidates for the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of business administration, bachelor of music and associate in science degrees are expected to attend the commencement exercises held in May.

Undergraduate who will be within eight credits of those required for the degree are eligible to participate in the commencement exercises if they have applied for August graduation and intend to complete their requirements during the summer.

Credit By Examination

It is possible to earn academic credit through an examination procedure. The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers the opportunity to earn credits in a variety of subject areas including accounting, economics, educational psychology, English literature and composition, foreign languages, history, humanistic studies, marketing, mathematics, natural science, psychology, and sociology. Additional subject areas are covered by other examinations. You may not receive credit for both taking a course and passing its equivalent examination. For information on what specific examinations are available to you, and details on University policy regarding credit by examination, contact the Office of Student Life, 837-8494.

Dean’s List Eligibility

Full-time Undergraduate Students
Dean’s List recognition is awarded each semester to full-time matriculated students with satisfactory completion of a minimum of 12 graded semester hour credits and a 3.5 semester average, with no “incompletes” for the semester at the time grades were processed.  Also eligible are full-time students whose minimum 12 credits includes course work required in their programs of study that must be taken with a pass/fail option, excluding credits that do not count toward graduation, and whose semester average is 3.5.

Part-Time Undergraduate Students
An appropriate academic standard for Dean’s List for part-time undergraduate students shall be a minimum of 12 graded semester hours satisfactorily completed within one academic year (fall and spring semesters) with a grade point average for the year of 3.5. The only exception is for students whose minimum of 12 credits includes course work (a) that is required in a program of study, taken on a pass/fail basis, and (b) that does not count toward graduation. For such students, both the academic year average and the cumulative grade point average  must both be at least 3.5.

Double Major

Any WCSU student who wishes to fulfill the requirements for more than one academic major may do so.  Students must satisfy the requirements for both majors, and courses required for one major may not be used to complete requirements for a second major.  To complete a double major in the Ancell School of Business within the five (5) business administration departments, students must complete the BBA Core and the courses in both majors with no duplication of courses in the two majors.  Both majors will be listed on the student’s transcript; however, only one degree will be awarded.

• If a student qualifies for more than one degree, e.g., both a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science, the student must notify the Registrar’s Office as to which degree to receive at commencement.
• Students are advised to exercise caution in selecting more than one major because the requirements to meet two majors will limit the ability to take elective courses.
• Students are responsible for fulfilling the requirements of both majors as well as any special general education requirements in the majors.

Grades

Students are required to observe the attendance regulations announced by the instructors for those courses in which they are enrolled.

Minimum Student Preparation Hours
The university expects all students to devote a minimum of two hours of preparation for each hour of class time.

Grading System

The following grades and associated numerical values are used on academic records:
A 4.0
A- 3.67
B+ 3.33
B 3.0
B- 2.67
C+ 2.33
C 2.0
C- 1.67
D+ 1.33
D 1.0
D- .67
F 0.00

P Pass on Pass/Fail Option
FP Fail on Pass/Fail Option

AUD Audit
INC Incomplete
W Officially Withdrawn
WF Withdrawn Failing. This grade has academic penalty equivalent to an “F” and is received if you stop attending class without officially with drawing, or if you withdraw after the official withdrawal date without permission of your instructor.

WFP Withdrawn failing from a Pass/Fail course

RM or RP These grades are given in specified courses to permit you to improve competence without academic penalty. Required courses in which a student receives an RP must be repeated. The RM grade requires a student to work with the instructor to correct specified weaknesses until a level of competence of “C” or better has been attained.

Courses in which the RM or RP grade is allowed to be given:
CHE 100

MAT 098/100
PHY 110/111
FR 161/162/163/164       SPA 161/162/163/164
GER 161/162/163/164     WRT 098
IT 161/162/163/164        WRT 101

Quality Points (Grade Point Average)
In order to determine a student’s grade-point average (GPA), letter grades are assigned numerical values. The numerical weight given each grade is then multiplied by the number of credits (semester hours) assigned to each course. For example, a grade of “B” in a three-credit course would merit (3.0 x 3) = 9.0 quality points.

Your GPA is determined by dividing the total number of quality points by the number of credits attempted. Grades of INC, P, FP, WFP, W, AUD, RP, and RM carry no quality points, and the credits for courses with those grades are not considered in the total credits attempted; therefore, they have no effect on your GPA.

Courses that you transfer to WestConn from another institution are not included in the determination of your GPA.

Grade Reports
You can access your grades by logging onto WestConnduit.wcsu.edu.  If necessary, grades will be mailed if a request is made at the Registrar’s office.

Grade Changes

If a student wishes to question the grade received in a course, it is proper to raise that issue with the instructor. If the instructor believes that the final grade should be changed, he/she will recommend the change to the dean. In the instructor’s absence, the department chairperson may act in his/her place. (A student may appeal a final grade. Information about this process may be found in the Student Handbook and the Undergraduate Catalog.)

Graduation Honors

To be eligible for graduation honors, you must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours of quality point-bearing credit at WestConn. No pass/fail credits or transfer credits are included in this minimum. Graduation honors standards are based on your cumulative grade point average and are awarded as follows:

Summa Cum Laude                           3.9 to 4.0
Magna Cum Laude                            3.7 to 3.89
Cum Laude                                        3.5 to 3.69

January graduates and May candidates for Graduation Honors, who will be recognized at the May Commencement ceremonies, are identified at the conclusion of the January Intersession semester preceding graduation. Students who have earned a minimum of 30 credits toward their graduation requirements in residence at Western Connecticut State University with a cumulative earned GPA of at least 3.50 are considered to be Graduation Honors candidates eligible for recognition at the May Commencement. Candidacy for May Graduation Honors does not guarantee the award of Graduation Honors upon completion of degree requirements.

Graduation honors, which appear on the transcript and on an honor’s certificate, will be awarded only to students who complete their graduation requirements with a minimum of 30 credits in residence at Western Connecticut State University and have a cumulative earned grade-point average of at least 3.50. The residency requirement for honors may not be waived. Students with questions regarding academic honors should consult the Academic Dean of their major.

Leave of Absence

Students may choose to request a Leave of Absence (LOA) from the university for a period of time not to exceed two consecutive major semesters (Fall and Spring).  Students seeking a Leave of Absence must meet the following criteria:

•          Be matriculated and enrolled with no more than one semester break prior to the requested Leave of Absence

•          Have no pending university disciplinary action

A Leave of Absence is related to a student’s enrollment at the university and is not recognized by federal regulations.

A Leave of Absence may be requested at any time during a semester, but cannot be applied to withdraw from courses during the week of final exams.

Spring semester Leave of Absences submitted on or before December 31 will be processed after January 1 due to end-of-calendar year tax document preparations.

While on a Leave of Absence:

•          A student remains matriculated at the university

•          A student may return and register for courses at the end of the LOA without having to reapply to the          university

•          A student will receive registration related notification materials

•          A student will not have the access rights held by registered students such as access to the library,                campus facilities, computer labs etc.

Important Note:  While on a Leave of Absence a student is not reported as enrolled to any third parties. This may have an impact on loan repayments.

When returning from a Leave of Absence a student is expected to:

• Follow the degree requirements as identified in the catalog at the time the student originally matriculated. The academic department may authorize an exception.
• Meet with their advisor and obtain the registration PIN.
• Address any outstanding financial obligations to the university.
• Register for courses.

If a student does not return at the end of the requested Leave of Absence, the student will no longer be considered matriculated. Should the student decide to return to WCSU, they must re-apply via the Admissions Office and pay associated application fees.

Click hereopens PDF file to access the Leave of Absence form.

Pass/Fail Option

You may take general elective courses on a pass/fail basis. The purpose of this option is to encourage students to take courses in areas they would like to investigate in addition to those in which they are majoring or concentrating.

A maximum of four general elective courses may be taken as pass/fail grades, provided that:
1. You notify the Registrar’s Office of your intent to take a free elective course on a pass/fail basis within the first four weeks for full semester courses or the first two weeks for courses scheduled less than a full semester; and
2. You change no more than one course per semester to pass/fail credit; and
3. You do not use the course to satisfy a general education requirement, a requirement for a major or minor program, or the foreign language requirement.
4. Permission of the instructor

Credits taken on a pass/fail basis do not generate quality points and are not included with credits attempted on the standard basis in computing the academic average. Successfully completed pass/fail credits are included in the credits necessary for graduation unless the description of the particular course indicates otherwise. Information regarding changes of grade or pass/fail options can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office.

Important Note: Once a Pass/Fail grade has been applied to a student’s academic transcript, it cannot be changed to a letter grade.

Proficiency Requirement Appeals Procedure

(For students who have not fulfilled their proficiency course requirement within the 24 credits permitted by the Board of Trustees resolution of July, 2003)

1. Students who enter the university beginning fall semester 2004 are subject to the Resolution concerning proficiency courses (CSU Board of Trustees, July 16, 2003).
2. Students will be notified of this requirement when they enter the university, and they will receive regular reminders from their school dean until completion.
3. A student who needs to demonstrate proficiency but who fails to complete the requirement within his/her first 24 credits at the university will be notified by the school dean that no further registration for credit course will be permitted at any CSU institution until the required proficiency courses or their equivalents have been successfully completed elsewhere.
4. A student may appeal the suspension by responding in writing to the dean within two weeks of notification. This deadline may be extended only if the student is unable to respond because of hospitalization or other reason beyond his/her control.
   1. To support the appeal, only reasons beyond the students’ control can be considered, such as medical emergency, leave of absence, or family leave.
   2. All reasons must be supported by evidence.
   3. For further support, the student’s record must show evidence of academic progress.
5. The dean will respond to the student in writing within two weeks of receiving the appeal.
   1. An extension of time to meet the requirement may be granted at the dean’s discretion after review of the evidence
   2. Extensions may not exceed one additional academic semester.

Repeating Courses

Any course designated as X98 (Faculty-Developed Study) or X99 (Student Independent Study) is excluded from this policy. Special Topics classes are also excluded. Students are encouraged to consult with their academic adviser before repeating a course.  Education majors and post-baccalaureate certification students should refer to the Education Department for information regarding the repeating of courses as this policy may affect eligibility for certification.

The Repeat Policy Request Formopens PDF file must be in to the Registrar’s Office by the end of the sixth week of classes.

Pre-Approved Courses:

1. If the school and course is listed on the database as an approved equivalent course, no further action is required.

2. To determine WCSU course equivalencies, visit our database of local schools and WCSU transfer course equivalencies.

3. Students will not receive duplicate credit for a course in which they have already earned credit.

Courses Not In Transfer Equivalency Database:

The official transcript should be mailed to the following address:
Western Connecticut State University
Registrar’s Office, Old Main 102
181 White Street
Danbury, Connecticut 06810