Academic Policies
- Academic Integrity
- Academic Actions: Probation
- Academic Ineligibility
- Grade Appeals
- Academic Policies and Procedures for Visiting Students
1. Academic Integrity
See the description of the Georgetown University Honor System in the Academic Regulations section of this Bulletin.
2. Academic Actions: Probation
Certificate & Degree Students
If a student fails one course during a semester, the student is automatically placed on probation and remains in that status until the terms of the probation are satisfied. In addition, a student will be placed on probation if their cumulative quality index is below 2.0 at the end of any academic semester. A student remains on academic probation until a minimal cumulative 2.0 GPA is achieved.
- Academic actions: Academic termination (degree candidacy terminated)
- Academic termination is determined on one of two grounds: academic integrity or academic ineligibility.
3. Academic Ineligibility
Certificate & Degree Students
For students in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies certificate and degree programs, earning one “F” in a semester while on probation, two “F’s” in any one semester regardless of previous record, or at any time an accumulation of three “F’s” results in academic termination.
Students are also terminated under the following conditions:
- If their cumulative GPA is at such a low level that raising it to the required 2.000 to be eligible for certificate completion within the program credit limit (18-credits for certificate; 120-credits for degree) becomes mathematically impossible. Termination for this reason is considered final and not open to appeal.
- If they are unable to complete program requirements with acceptable grades upon having repeated a course once (see Repeating a Course in the SCS Academic Rules & Regulations). Termination for this reason is considered final and not open to appeal.
- Student is unable to complete program guidelines within the time limit for certificate or degree completion.
Termination Appeal
Students are terminated for failure to meet the academic and degree requirements as outlined under the academic standing guidelines. Students who have been terminated will be notified in writing of the change in their status by the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance. If a student is eligible to appeal the academic action, the termination letter will note this.
The Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance convenes the SCS Academic Council to conduct a blind review of these exception requests. Once the Council has reviewed a case and a decision has been made, the decision is final without right of further appeal. Students will be notified in writing of the outcome by the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance.
A return to study should not be expected. Appeals will only be considered for cases in which exceptional, complicating circumstances contributed to the student’s inability to meet the standard academic requirements. In such cases, the Academic Council will consider whether a return is appropriate based on the student’s academic record, appeal materials, and feedback from the academic program (as appropriate).
If an appeal is denied, students are not permitted to submit an additional appeal or a new admissions application to return to study in the program from which they were academically terminated.
If an appeal is approved, students will return to study on probationary status, may be held to higher academic standards than what is required for the program or degree, may be required to earn specific grades in certain courses, and/or be required to repeat or take additional courses. The original termination notice remains on the official transcript. A second termination is final and without right of further appeal.
The appeal process is not allowed for:
- Registration errors on the part of students who did not adjust and verify their schedules during the regular add/drop and withdrawal periods.
- Students who took on too much (personally, academically, professionally) and failed to adjust their schedules accordingly.
- Students who have been terminated because their cumulative GPA is at such a low level that raising it to the minimum GPA required to be eligible for graduation within the program credit limit is mathematically impossible.
Guidelines for Submitting an Appeal
- Materials must be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance (scsoaac@georgetown.edu) 90 days from the date the termination letter was issued. Appeals will not be accepted once the deadline has passed. Once the deadline has passed, the termination becomes final without right of further appeal.
- Appeals must include a written statement and verifiable third-party documentation that demonstrates the exceptional, complicating circumstances that prevented them from meeting the minimum academic requirements of the program and degree.
A note about supporting documentation:
As each case is unique and the type of documentation available varies based on the circumstances, students are responsible for determining what documentation to submit in support of their appeal. Students are encouraged to submit any documentation they believe will be helpful in demonstrating to the SCS Academic Council that exceptional, complicating circumstances played a role in their case. Submission of supporting documentation does not guarantee a return to study will be approved.
4. Grade Appeal
Grounds for a Grade Appeal
Our faculty members have been chosen due to their unique experience and expertise in their respective fields. As such, SCS strongly believes in the authority of its faculty to determine the academic merit and grades of their students. While students may request a review of their final course grade, they should also keep in mind that the faculty member is considered the academic and professional expert in determining their grade. A mathematical error, error in grading procedures, or inequity in the application of policies stated in the course syllabus are grounds for an appeal. A disagreement with the professional judgment of the instructor should not be the basis of an appeal or any resulting change of grade.
No additional or revised coursework can or will be accepted to improve a student’s course grade after that course has been completed. Assignments that were graded real-time during the semester cannot be re-evaluated after the course has been completed. For example, if students were evaluated on in-class presentation skills or received a grade for in-class participation, the points/grades for those assignments cannot be altered at a later time as they were assessed based on the student’s real-time performance in the course. In the case of all grade appeal reviews, any re-evaluation of the grade could lead to the grade being raised or sustained.
The grade appeal procedure is not set up to address allegations of discrimination. However, SCS takes all such allegations very seriously and advises that students who believe they have been discriminated against make a formal complaint through the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (202-687-4798; ideaa@georgetown.edu). The Grievance Procedure and Discrimination Complaint Form can be found at ideaa.georgetown.edu/policies/.
Please note: the grade appeal process only appeals to final grades. Students with questions about grades received on individual assignments while a course is in-progress should speak directly with their instructor.
Grade Appeal Process
In the event that a student would like to appeal the final grade received for a course, the following steps are to be taken:
- Students should first contact the instructor via email specifying the grounds upon which they are appealing their grade. This process must begin no later than 30 days after the beginning of the semester following that semester in which the contested grade was received. In their email to the instructor, students should include copies of the course syllabus and all graded assignments, so the instructor can review all aspects of the grade and how it was calculated and recorded. The syllabus should serve as a guideline with the understanding that instructors can make amendments to their syllabi during the semester (adding or deleting assignments, for example, or changing a percentage allocation for an assignment under unusual circumstances) if needed as long as all students in the course are held to the same academic standards. Once the instructor has reviewed the appeal, students will be provided with a written explanation of the grade breakdown, how the grade was calculated, and the instructor’s decision to sustain or raise the grade. If the instructor recommends a grade change, they will submit the recommendation to program leadership for review. If approved by program leadership, the recommendation will be submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance to ensure the grade change is consistent with University and School policies. Once the recommendation has been reviewed, the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance will confirm the outcome with program leadership. The academic program will follow up in writing to the student with the final decision. Grade changes are not considered final until the Office of Academic Affairs has completed a policy review.
- If, after receiving the instructor’s decision, the student still believes the final grade was incorrectly assigned, they may then appeal in writing to the leadership of the program offering the course. The student must supply a copy of the syllabus, and copies of all graded assignments. The committee will only consider and review the syllabus and graded assignments as part of the review process. This process must begin no later than 60 days after the beginning of the semester following the semester in which the contested grade was received. The course instructor may also be contacted by the program for additional information. Upon completion of this review, the program may decide (1) there is no basis for the appeal and the original grade will be upheld or (2) the appeal warrants further review by a faculty committee comprised of three faculty members within that program. If a committee is called, the program leadership will name a chair and all members will complete a blind review of the information and assignments and then make a formal, written recommendation to the academic program. In re-evaluating the student’s work, the committee can decide to raise or sustain the grade. In either case, the program leadership will not judge the academic merit of the assignments; rather, they will review the situation solely to ensure that the grading criteria were followed and applied to all students. After investigating the matter fully, the program will notify the student in writing of the decision. If the appeal results in a grade change, a recommendation will be made to the Office of Academic Affairs & Compliance. The Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance will review the recommendation to ensure the grade change is consistent with University and School policies. Once the recommendation has been reviewed, the Office of Academic Affairs and Compliance will confirm the outcome with program leadership, who will follow up in writing with the student with the final decision. Grade changes are not considered final until Academic Affairs has completed a policy review.
- If, after completing the appeal process with the instructor and the program offering the course, the student would like to appeal further based solely upon procedural grounds, they may then submit a formal request in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs & Compliance (scsoaac@georgetown.edu) for final review. Students are responsible for providing all written documentation he/she received throughout the appeal process. The academic program and course instructor may also be contacted for additional information. This process must begin no later than 90 days after the beginning of the semester following the semester in which the contested grade was received. This final level of appeal reviews the administrative handling of the appeal only, to ensure the grade appeal policy and process was followed as outlined in the handbook. No evaluation of the academic merit of the work (such as re-grading a paper or test) will be conducted. Academic Affairs will confirm the outcome of the procedural review to students in writing. The decision at this level of appeal is final and not open to further appeal.
5. Academic Policies and Procedures for Visiting Students
All of the credit and degree programs within the School of Continuing Studies are application-based. Acceptance to one undergraduate program within the School does not guarantee or imply acceptance into another undergraduate program within the School or University. Specific student handbooks and policies have been developed to reflect the unique undergraduate populations (such as part-time, non-traditional, or visiting students) served within the School of Continuing Studies. Students in these programs should refer to their program handbook for policies that govern their study (http://scs.georgetown.edu/academic-affairs/student-handbooks (new window)).