Student Status Policies

Criteria Related to Status

Undergraduate Full-time status—Students who have met the entrance requirements and are enrolled in a program of 12 to 18 credit hours per semester. The average class load is 15 or 16 hours. The maximum load is 18. Students are not permitted to take more than 18 credit hours unless they have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 and written permission of their faculty advisor and the registrar. A class load below 12 credit hours carries the status of part-time student.

Sophomore, Junior, Senior status—To be ranked a sophomore, a student must have earned at least 25 credits; a junior must have earned at least 57 credits; and a senior must have earned at least 91 credits.

Academic Probation

Students who are not making good progress toward meeting graduation requirements may be placed on academic probation.

The basic goals of the probation system are threefold:

1. It serves to inform students when they are failing to meet the normal standards expected of University-level students;
2. It encourages students to spend more time on curricular activities;
3. It requires the student to reevaluate the motivation that prompted him or her to seek admission to the University and to consider whether or not these goals might better be pursued in some alternate course of action.

The criteria to measure academic performance is the semester and the cumulative grade point averages (GPA), computed on the basis of that portion of the student’s course work which is graded on a letter-grade basis.

With respect to these criteria, there are a series of plateaus to allow time for adjustment to the expectations of the University. The minimum levels of acceptable performance are:

Categories of Academic Performance

There are three categories of academic performance recognized by the University:

Good Standing — Students who are making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degree requirements (see above). Special students are expected to maintain a 2.00 GPA each semester to remain in good standing.

Academic Probation — Students who for the first time have failed to meet the minimum levels of academic performance specified under the category “Good Standing.”

Academic Suspension — Former students whose permission to register has been revoked because of failure to meet the minimum academic requirements specified above and below. Once suspended, individuals must remain on suspension for a minimum of one academic semester (Fall or Spring) before applying to be reinstated. Students who are placed on Academic Suspension at the end of the Spring semester may not take summer classes. (see Reinstatement  page 23).

Probationary Status

Students on academic probation may be subject to the following restrictions:

1. They may not hold any office or leadership role in any student or University organization or activity.
2. They may not participate in April Reign activities.
3. They may not pledge, nor be initiated into, a national social fraternity or sorority.
4. They may not represent the University in any on- or off-campus event.
5. They are ineligible to participate in varsity athletics..
6. Other restrictions may be established for individual situations.

Procedure for Changing Categories

The general procedure to be followed in changing a student’s academic standing will be:

1. At the end of each academic semester, the registrar will ascertain for each student the GPA. An “I” grade will be referred to the Academic Appeals Board/Grievance Review Board for a ruling on academic standing.
2. Each student will be placed in one of the three categories of academic standing described above. The minimum requirements to be satisfied for good standing will be determined on the basis of the total number of academic hours attempted or earned, whichever is greater as of the end of that semester. Students transferring to Baldwin Wallace will be required to achieve at the academic level corresponding to the number of hours transferred plus the number of hours attempted at Baldwin Wallace since transferring.
3. A student who fails to meet the minimum level of performance for either of the criteria discussed above will be placed on probation and will be subject to the restrictions described above. A student will be removed from probation when the cumulative GPA is above the required minimal levels.
4. A student placed on academic probation for the second time will be academically suspended. An exception to this would be a student who has completed fewer than 60 credit hours and earned a semester GPA of 2.00 or better for the previous semester. That student will be continued on probation while the record is reviewed by the Academic Appeals Board during the subsequent semester.
5. Students who are placed on Academic Suspension at the end of the spring semester may not take summer classes and must remain on suspension for a minimum of one academic term (fall or spring) before applying for reinstatement.
6. It is suggested that students who, in any semester, achieve a GPA of less than 2.00 consult their faculty advisor. Such students should consider the possibilities for improvement offered by the Learning Center and the Center for Academic and Professional Success.
7. A full-time student who, in any semester, receives a semester GPA of less than 1.00 that semester will automatically be placed in the category of academic suspension. A full-time student who drops a course, is graded on 7-11 remaining hours, and earns a GPA below 1.00 will be placed in the category of suspension. If a full-time student receives an “I” grade in one or more courses, but the graded courses result in a GPA below 1.00, the case will be referred to the Academic Appeals Board for evaluation and a ruling of probation or suspension. This evaluation will be based on such considerations as the student’s previous record, the reason for the “I” grade(s), and the quality of the work prior to the “I” being given.
8. Students enrolled for fewer than 12 hours during any semester will be considered part-time students. They will be evaluated whenever they have attempted or earned enough hours to take them to the next acceptable performance plateau or at the end of every 15-hour block of hours attempted after they have attempted more than 60 credit hours.

Reinstatement

When a student has been placed on academic suspension, the only way that the student may return is to be reinstated by the Academic Appeals Board. During the semester of suspension, or thereafter, the student may present a written application for reinstatement to the Appeals Board. Applications for reinstatement can be obtained from the Academic Affairs Office or downloaded from the web. (http://www.bw.edu/resources/dean/forms) The Board will study each case along with any supporting evidence from faculty and administrative personnel, parents, the student involved, and any other persons deemed by the Board to have pertinent evidence to offer. The Board will decide as a result of its study whether or not the student will be reinstated and, if so, the conditions under which reinstatement may occur, as well as the conditions which must be satisfied if the student is to remain eligible to register. The decision of the Board is final, although students may reapply in subsequent semesters. Unless permission has been obtained from the Academic Affairs Office, any work completed at another college while a student was suspended from Baldwin Wallace will not transfer back to BW unless approved by the Academic Appeals Board or the Associate Provost.

Attendance Policy

The official non-punitive policy for University approved absences, and as such serves as a basis for any individual absence policy developed by a professor, is as follows:

It is the responsibility of the faculty member to have a clearly stated attendance policy included in each course syllabus. A professor may have a more lenient attendance policy if he or she wishes and if it is stated in the syllabus. In the absence of this, the University policy prevails. Furthermore, persons leading co-curricular activities will follow the official University absence policy giving priority to academic requirements. Persons leading co-curricular activities are expected to inform students of potential conflicts with other academic requirements within the first week of classes or at the time of registration. No professor is required to excuse absences in excess of ten percent of class meetings.

1. The policy of the University is that all students are expected to attend all classes. It is realized, of course, that not all students will, or can, attend all classes.
2. Excused absences from class fall into the following three main categories:
   1. absences for field trips or activities directly involved with the academic program;
   2. absences for official University functions and activities, such as intercollegiate athletic competitions and co-curricular activities of performing groups or individuals;
   3. absences for a death in the family, a serious illness, or a major religious holiday.
3. Any student who wishes to be excused for reasons of “serious illness” must present some appropriate form of verification (e.g., a medical excuse) to the Student Affairs Office. In the absence of such documentation, the decision of whether or not to excuse is left to the professor’s discretion. Any student who wishes to be excused for sports-related, performance-related events or academic field trips must present the professor with advance notification (e.g., a letter signed by a coach or other faculty member) at the beginning of the term for scheduled events, and as far in advance as possible for events scheduled while the term is in progress.
4. Regardless of reasons for the absence, the student is responsible for contacting the professor at the beginning of the term for scheduled events, and as far in advance as possible for events scheduled while the term is in progress. The student is responsible for any work he/she may have missed due to absence, excused or unexcused. It is up to the discretion of the professor to decide when, where, and how the missed work is completed.

Financial Obligations and Refunds

All University charges and fees are due in full on or before Friday of the first week of the semester. Monthly account statements will be assessed a finance charge on any unpaid balance until the account is paid in full. If full payment cannot be made by the first due date, the student should make alternate arrangements through the Bursar’s Office.

For your convenience BW has an online payment site that is open around the clock. Payment can be remitted with VISA, MasterCard, Discover or electronic check. Credit card payments are subject to a 2.5% convenience fee while there is no fee for making a check payment online. Follow the link below and choose the payment link.

If you would like to spread out your payments, find the BW Payment Plan link at the website below. A small processing fee applies but there are no finance charges on the BW Payment Plan.

Students with past due accounts will not be allowed to register for the next semester unless full payment of the account has been received prior to the student registration appointment time. Students who are delinquent in meeting their financial obligations to the University are subject to additional restrictions. Certificates of credit (transcripts) or letters of honorable dismissal will not be issued. Diplomas will not be awarded. Students should contact the Bursar to make arrangements to resolve their past due account status.

University tuition and all related charges are refundable based on the published refund schedule.

For more information about financial obligations and refunds, go to www.bw.edu/resources/cashier/refunds

Policy on Academic Honesty

Baldwin Wallace is committed to the growth and learning of its students and believes strongly that such growth and learning prospers best within a community of trust. We believe that academic honesty, the fair and straightforward representation of what one has learned, researched and/or written, is the foundation of a healthy environment for learning. Instructors, administrators, staff, and students alike are responsible for upholding high ethical standards of academic honesty in all academic endeavors, and the academic community of Baldwin Wallace supports the policy that any form of academic dishonesty is a serious breach of ethics and shall be dealt with appropriately. www.bw.edu/resources/dean/policies