Academic Dismissal

Undergraduate students whose academic performance indicates a limited chance of obtaining the minimum grades required for good academic standing will be subject to dismissal from the university.

The provost may dismiss a student if any of the following conditions apply to that student:

1. Any student who earns between a 0.000 and 0.500 grade point average (GPA) in the student's first semester at Kent State.
2. Any continuing student who is:
   1. Placed on academic probation (0.000 to 1.999 overall GPA) for the last term of attendance at the undergraduate level, and
   2. Earns between 0.000 and 1.999 semester GPA in the term under review, and
   3. Earns one of the following:
      1. Between 0.000 and 1.099 overall GPA for students with 0.000 to 29.999 GPA credit hours* or
      2. Between 0.000 and 1.499 overall GPA for students with 30.000 to 59.999 GPA credit hours* or
      3. Between 0.000 and 1.749 overall GPA for students with 60.000 to 89.999 GPA credit hours* or
      4. Between 0.000 and 1.999 overall GPA for students with 90.000 or more GPA credit hours*.
3. Any full-time student in the student's first semester at Kent State or on academic probation who receives 9 or more credit hours of any combination of the following grades or marks in the semester under review: F (Fail), NF (Never Attended–Fail), SF (Stopped Attending–Fail), U (Unsatisfactory). This policy applies without regard to whether the designated grades were included or excluded from the student’s overall GPA.
4. Any less-than-full-time student in the student's first semester at Kent State or on academic probation who receives 6 or more credit hours of any combination of the following grades or marks in the semester under review: F (Fail), NF (Never Attended–Fail), SF (Stopped Attending–Fail), U (Unsatisfactory). This policy applies without regard to whether the designated grades were included or excluded from the student’s overall GPA.

A student who is dismissed should expect to be away from the university for a minimum of 12 consecutive months. A dismissed student may not register for any coursework at any campus of Kent State University. The notation of academic dismissal will be printed on the student’s official transcript. For further information concerning the conditions of academic probation and dismissal, students should contact their college or campus advising office. See guidelines for dismissal appeals below.

* "GPA credit hours" are credit hours earned with a Kent State grade that counts toward the student’s GPA (e.g., 3 credit hours earned with a B grade at Kent State).

Dismissal Appeal

A student who is dismissed has the right to appeal the decision. Appeals must be based on recent circumstances that were beyond the control of the student. Appeals must be made in writing to the college or campus at which the student was enrolled at the time of the dismissal.

The appeal letter must be composed, typed and signed by the student. The appeal letter may be delivered personally or sent by mail, fax or e-mail from the student’s kent.edu account, and must include all pertinent documentation for the appeal to be considered. Appeal letters for dismissals must be received by the college or campus no later than 10 calendar days after final grades are posted on the student’s FlashLine account. Dates when final grades are posted can be found at the calendar page of the Office of the University Registrar website.

Appeal letters must include the following:

1. An explanation of the extenuating circumstances, such as personal illness/injury, critical family illness or other situations of sufficient severity that they may have adversely affected academic performance. These circumstances must be documented by providing physician statements or other appropriate official documents.
2. Proof of consistent satisfactory academic performance prior to the occurrence of the circumstances believed to be the cause of the dismissal. These efforts must be documented by course instructors, and their statements must be submitted on university letterhead or sent from each instructor’s Kent State e-mail address. If errors have occurred for one or more reported grades, the course instructor must verify that a grade change has been submitted.
3. An explanation of why action such as course withdrawal, complete term withdrawal, request for an incomplete grade, etc., was not taken before the end of the semester.
4. A detailed plan of action for achieving academic success for any future enrollment at Kent State University.
5. The student’s full name, Kent State ID number, current and permanent mailing addresses, current and permanent telephone numbers and Kent State e-mail address.

Appeals that do not meet these guidelines will not be reviewed.

Reinstatement

Reinstatement after dismissal from Kent State University is neither automatic nor guaranteed. A student may be reinstated only if the student provides convincing evidence of probable academic success if permitted to return to the university. A dismissed student who has previously accumulated a substantial number of credit hours and/or an excessively low GPA should expect that reinstatement is not likely to be approved.

Application for reinstatement after the required period of time away from the university should be to the dean of the college or campus that houses the major program the student wishes to enter. Students wanting to be reinstated into a program with selective admission requirements, specified certification standards or additional graduation requirements may be approved to be reinstated into the university but not into that particular program. The application should include convincing evidence of the student’s motivation to continue and of the student’s specific efforts during the period of dismissal to eliminate previous weaknesses. After evaluating the application for reinstatement and all supporting materials, the dean will inform the student of the reinstatement decision.

A student who is reinstated is automatically placed on academic probation until good academic standing (minimum 2.000 overall GPA) is attained. Academic requirements will be determined by the Catalog-in-force at the time the student re-enrolls at the university. For further information concerning reinstatement, students should consult their college or campus advising office.