Academic Policies and Procedures

Class Level

Class level is determined by the number of Scripps courses or course equivalents that have been completed as follows: 

Course Numbering and Credit

Scripps courses numbered 1-99 are lower division; those numbered 100–199 are upper division. One Scripps course is equivalent to four semester units or six quarter units. Transfer credit will be equated to Scripps courses according to a standard mathematical conversion table available in the Registrar’s Office. Courses considered for transfer from a community college are lower division.

Grading Policy

Academic evaluation at Scripps College is a system of letter grades with grade points assigned according to the following scale:

A minimum grade point average of 6.0 (C) is required in the major(s), minor(s), and cumulatively for graduation. Dual, double, and area studies majors require a grade point average of 6.0 (C) in each academic area. Cumulative grade point averages are calculated only on courses taken as a Scripps student. Letter grades on file with the Registrar at the end of the semester are final unless an error in calculating the grade is discovered. Errors must be corrected within one year of the time the grade was recorded. The following additional symbols are used to evaluate student performance.

P/F (Pass/Fail)

A maximum of one course per semester may be taken pass/fail with a maximum of four pass courses counting toward the 32-course degree requirement. Work must be C (not including C–) or above in quality to receive a P pass/fail grades are not calculated into the cumulative grade point average. The decision by the student to take a course pass/fail must be made and recorded in the Registrar’s Office by the last day to drop classes without academic penalty. Courses used to meet any general requirement or courses in the major(s) or minor(s) may not be taken pass/fail. A fail grade for a physical education activity does not appear on the student’s official transcript.

I (Incomplete)

An Incomplete may be given at the instructor’s discretion, except for senior thesis, under the following circumstances:

1. At least 75 percent of all course requirements to date has been completed; and
2. The student’s work to date is passing; and
3. Attendance has been satisfactory; and
4. An illness or other extenuating circumstance legitimately prevents completion of required work by the due date (written verification by the dean of students or medical practitioner is required); and
5. The incomplete is not based solely on a student’s failure to complete work or as a means of raising the grade by doing additional work after the grade report time; and
6. The instructor completes and submits the appropriate form with the course grade sheet, including the final grade to be assigned if the work is not completed on time.

Students must complete all remaining work no later than the deadline to add classes (10th instructional day) of the following semester, and the grade must be submitted no later than two weeks following completion of the work (end of the fourth week). Students must petition to the Committee on Academic Review to request an extension of the deadline. If the work is not completed by the established or petitioned deadline, the final grade submitted by the faculty member on the basis of work previously completed will be recorded. The senior thesis deadline may only be extended by petition to the Committee on Academic Review on or before the published thesis deadline.

IP or N (In Progress)

For courses designed to extend beyond one semester such as some senior theses.

NG or NR (No Grade Received)

This space holder will be used when no grade can be recorded before grades become available to students through their academic portal accounts at the end of a semester, e.g., grades for the course were not yet submitted; a grade was omitted from the grade sheet; or the grade submitted was not an approved Scripps grade. As soon as the Registrar’s Office has obtained the appropriate final course grade, the student will be notified of the final grade and the corrected semester and cumulative grade point averages, and the transcript will be updated.

W (Withdrawal)

Withdrew from the course after the deadline to drop classes.

Academic Transcript

All Claremont Colleges course work for which a student enrolls while at Scripps College constitutes a part of the official academic transcript, unless enrollment is terminated by the drop deadline. Effective fall 1996, transfer credit granted is summarized, not itemized, on the official transcript. Courses completed on affiliated Off-Campus Study programs are itemized and, since fall 1996, included in the Scripps cumulative grade point averages. Degrees or certificates earned, as well as majors, minors, and honors, are indicated.

The transcript fee is currently $3.25 per transcript. Transcripts may be ordered through the National Student Clearinghouse (www.getmytranscript.com) where debit or credit cards are used to cover transcript costs as well as special handling (PDF and FedEx) fees. By law, both students and alumnae must make a written request to release their transcripts to third parties which can also be provided electronically through the Clearinghouse. Transcripts will not be released if a student or alumna has a delinquent student account or other outstanding financial obligation to the College and its offices. Transcript fees are subject to change.

The student’s full legal name at the time of matriculation and/or graduation from enrollment will appear on all official documents of the College including the official transcripts. The name presented on the student’s application for admission is presumed to be the student’s legal name unless discrepancies are discovered with high school transcript or other official transcripts, in which case the student will be contacted to present appropriate documentation to the Registrar.

While enrolled, the student may present an official government-issued document to the Registrar to request a change to the legal name, such as a birth certificate, current Social Security card, current driver’s license, current passport, or a court order officially changing the name.

For the purposes of class and grade lists on the academic portal, faculty will be provided the preferred name by which the student wishes to be addressed, in conjunction with the legal surname. Students may make a written request to the Registrar at any time during enrollment to change the preferred name.

The student’s full legal name at the time of graduation will be printed on the diploma, unless the student specifically requests through the Registrar that initials replace the first and/or middle name.

Academic Advisers

There are numerous resources available to assist students in educational planning. At the center of the academic advising program is the student’s faculty adviser who is available to assist in defining educational interests and goals and in developing a course of study.

A faculty adviser is assigned to each entering student for the first and second years. Students are free to change advisers at any time and are encouraged to do so once a major has been decided upon. (Use the Change of Adviser Form.) Faculty advisers are not always assigned to new students on the basis of expressed academic interests. Because no one person can provide all the information about courses and curriculum that a new student is likely to need, students are encouraged to ask questions of other faculty members and resource persons. (Students interested in medical school and those interested in a major in music or engineering are especially encouraged to see the faculty in these areas, because early planning is particularly important.) A student, in consultation with adviser, should compile information from many sources in planning a program.

A Scripps student is expected to assume responsibility for initiating all contact with adviser for information and advice about requirements, classes, low grade notices, potential graduate programs, and other academic matters. Specifically, a student accepts the following advising responsibilities:

1. Read catalog, the current portal schedule of courses, and the Guide to Student Life before meeting with adviser.
2. Initiate meeting with adviser during posted office hours at pre-registration/registration time to discuss requirements, classes, and plan of study.
3. Contact adviser for registration clearance, declaration of major and minor forms, any academic petition form, and add/drop slips in a timely fashion.
4. Know the office hours of adviser and adhere to them. If another time is necessary, contact adviser for a mutually agreeable appointment time.
5. Initiate and assume responsibility for any contact with adviser for information about requirements, classes, graduate schools, etc.
6. Initiate contact with professor and/or adviser upon receipt of a low-grade notice.

Preprofessional Advisers

A liberal arts education provides one of the best possible preparations for many careers. However, preparation for future professions requires planning and forethought while at Scripps. In addition to the roles played by Career Planning & Resources and the student’s academic adviser, the role of the preprofessional adviser can be especially important.

Specific advisers are available in those fields listed below that warrant special attention because of their general appeal. These advisers can provide information about additional training needed, relevant curriculum planning while at Scripps, and opportunities in the given profession. The premed adviser is a particularly important person with whom to talk at an early point. While the preprofessional advisers are not likely to have all the information a student needs, they should be able to suggest where the information might be obtained. In addition, Career Planning & Resources has an extensive library of resources and information about alumnae now working in many of these fields.

Writing Center

The Writing Center is operated under the supervision of the director of the Writing Program and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. The Writing Center offers students from all disciplines the opportunity to work on their writing by engaging in discussions with a knowledgeable peer tutor. While tutors do not edit or revise assignments, the tutors do formulate appropriate questions to prompt students to reconsider ideas, reconstruct the organization of their texts, and reformulate the presentation and language of a paper. Although the Writing Center is not intended for remediation, proofreading, or editing, tutors do provide instruction in usage and punctuation. Students at all stages of the writing process, from first-year students working on a draft to seniors working on a thesis, can gain confidence and competence by utilizing the services offered at the Writing Center.

Academic Freedom

Scripps College affirms the American Association of University Professors’ “Statement on Academic Freedom,” a portion of which follows:

The purpose of this statement is to promote public understanding and support of academic freedom and tenure and agreement upon procedures to assure them in colleges and universities. Institutions of higher education are conducted for the common good and not to further the interest of either the individual teacher or the institution as a whole. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition.

Academic freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research. Freedom in research is fundamental to the advancement of truth. Academic freedom in its teaching aspect is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the teacher in teaching and of the student to freedom in learning. It carries with it duties correlative with rights.

A copy of the complete statement is available for perusal in the Dean of the Faculty’s Office and any questions may be directed there.

Criteria for Student-Designed Courses

1. Student-designed courses can be held only in the spring semester.
2. Student-designed courses require a sponsor from the College’s continuing faculty to advise the students in preparing the course proposal. The sponsor will propose the course to the department or program chair.
3. Course proposals must be submitted to a department or program by the faculty sponsor for approval at the beginning of the fall semester and must include:
   • a title of topic
   • a description and justification for the course
   • a working bibliography
   • a list of students (minimum number six) who have designed the course and are committed to taking it.
4. The department and faculty member will judge course proposals on the basis of their merit as well as the department’s ability to staff the course with the allotted departmental faculty. Normally, faculty will not teach these courses without teaching credit.
5. Course proposals must be presented by the department to the Academic Policy Subcommittee by the standard deadline.
6. At the beginning of the spring semester, students will determine the formula for grading in consultation with the faculty member teaching the course. Peer evaluation will constitute no more than one-third of the final course grade.
   
   Minimum requirements for the class must include:
   • three meeting hours per week, of which at least one hour must be with the professor

7. Students may take only two student-designed courses while at Scripps.

Independent Study: Reading and Research

Independent study exists to provide opportunities for students to study in areas where a formal course is not offered. Enrollments in independent study may be petitioned by seniors, juniors, and second-semester sophomores who request supervision from a full-time faculty member within the discipline/department under which credit is being requested. The student is responsible for developing with the faculty supervisor a course syllabus, including methods of investigation, proposed readings to be covered, a timeline for completion, and appropriate papers or presentations. Petitions must also include a statement of learning objectives or outcomes for the study, as well as the evaluation and assessment by which the learning outcomes will be incorporated into the grade determination. Although independent study permits the student maximum freedom and independence in pursuing a subject of interest, frequent consultation with the faculty supervisor is encouraged.

Special petition forms to enroll in these courses are available in the Registrar’s Office and must be submitted by the deadline to add courses. Students may petition to enroll for half-course or full-course credit. A maximum of the equivalent to four course credits in independent study and/or internship will count toward degree requirements. Students thinking of integrating knowledge gained through an off-campus experience into an independent study should consult with the Registrar.

Internships

Internships are for the purpose of integrating relevant work experience into the students’ academic program. Students may register without petitioning for the following internships.

1. Psychology Department internship
2. When it is a credit-bearing and graded component of an off-campus study semester program approved by the Committee on Study Abroad
3. Internships fulfilled as part of an academic program at another Claremont College, e.g., the Public Policy Program at Pomona
4. Summer internships taken as part of a total program through another academic institution, subject to the same approval process accorded to transfer courses.

In addition to the above, seniors, juniors and second-semester sophomores may petition to the Committee on Academic Review to enroll for other internship opportunities on a pass/fail basis. All petitions must be submitted in advance of the beginning of the internship. The internship must be supervised by a Scripps faculty member. In order to earn academic credit, at the end of the internship the students must submit a report or journal to the supervising faculty. This report will reflect how the internship experience is related to the student’s academic program. A maximum of the equivalent to four courses in internship and/or independent studies will count toward degree requirements.

Students may find current internship opportunities and potential funding through Career Planning & Resources.

Resident Credit

The official transcript itemizes courses completed at any of The Claremont Colleges while enrolled at Scripps College. The last two letters of the course designation indicate the College or intercollegiate department at which the course was completed. Credit for courses completed as part of an official Off-Campus Study Program while enrolled at Scripps are notated as “resident credit.”

Transfer Credit

Liberal arts courses satisfactorily completed at colleges and universities external to The Claremont Colleges will be considered for transfer credit toward the Scripps bachelor’s degree upon receipt of an official transcript if they meet the conditions listed below. Grades earned will not be calculated in the Scripps cumulative grade point average, and individual courses and grades will not be listed on the official Scripps transcript.

1. Courses will be considered for transfer credit only if they were completed through a comparable liberal arts college or university program and are also comparable to courses offered by, and within disciplines at, the undergraduate Claremont Colleges. Activity courses such as physical education, music ensembles, and theater workshops will not be considered for transfer credit. Students may be required to provide college catalogs, course syllabi, and other documentation as evidence of comparability.
2. Courses completed at a community college will transfer only as lower-division credit and must be identified in the community college catalog as transferable to, and articulated with, the University of California or comparable out-of-state university toward a liberal arts degree at the baccalaureate level.
3. A maximum of the equivalent to 16 Scripps courses, including a maximum of four Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits, may be transferred to meet degree requirements. A maximum of the equivalent to four Scripps courses may be transferred from summer sessions and university extension programs toward degree requirements. (Courses completed through one of The Claremont Colleges during a summer term are resident credit and are not included in these transfer maximums.)
4. Only courses graded C or above (not including C–) will be considered for transfer credit. Pass/fail or credit/no credit grades must be equated to C by the sending institution and will be elective credit only, not meeting any general education, major, or minor degree requirements at Scripps.
5. All transfer credit will be translated into equivalent Scripps course credits. One Scripps course is equivalent to four semester units or six quarter credits. To calculate approximate transfer credit, divide the total number of transferable semester units or quarter credits by four or six, respectively.
6. Courses approved as transfer credit may be applied toward general degree requirements and as elective credit upon initial evaluation at admission. They may only be used toward major or minor requirements when approved by faculty in the department of the major or minor as listed on an approval form. Work completed in a summer session or through a university extension program does not normally count toward the major or minor.
7. No transfer credit will be granted for courses challenged by examination at another college or university, even if that institution has given credit for courses so challenged. No transfer credit will be granted for experiential learning, although department faculty may allow registration into upper level courses based upon portfolios, auditions, or other department criteria. Such placement will not, however, constitute credit toward the minimum number of courses required for the degree, major, or minor.
8. International students requesting credit for college or university work completed outside the United States prior to admission may be required to pay for an official evaluation of the official foreign transcript through a service or agency recommended by Scripps College.
9. Credit for courses taken in affiliated programs through the Scripps Office of Off-Campus Study will be determined by the Scripps Registrar in accordance with established guidelines and procedures. Courses and grades completed through Scripps Off-Campus Study programs are considered to be resident credit, will be itemized on the Scripps official transcript, and will be computed in Scripps grade point averages. More information is available in the Office of Off-Campus Study and the Office of the Registrar.
10. Following initial entrance to the College, Scripps students will not be allowed to transfer credit from a semester program at a college or university abroad or one with which Scripps has a formal exchange program unless enrolled through Scripps. Summer course work abroad, as indicated on an official institutional transcript, will be considered for transfer credit only when offered through a comparable United States college or university liberal arts program or through a program with which Scripps is affiliated during the fall and spring semesters. Students must petition in advance to the Committee on Academic Review for any exception to this summer abroad transfer credit policy with a written recommendation from the Director of Off-Campus Study.

Exceptions to the above guidelines will be considered on an individual basis by petition to the Committee on Academic Review with applicable department faculty review and recommendation. Questions regarding credit and transferability of courses should be directed to the Registrar.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate

Students who have taken Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate high school courses followed by matching examinations will receive one elective course credit for achieving exemplary scores; no additional credit will be granted for subscores. (For example, a Calculus AB subscore of 4 or 5 on a Calculus BC exam will not earn credit, regardless as to whether or not the student earned a 4 or 5 on the Calculus BC exam to which the subscore is attached.) For Advanced Placement courses and examinations, scores of four or five on the examination will be considered for credit. For International Baccalaureate courses and examinations, scores of five, six or seven on higher-level examinations will be considered for credit. A maximum of four such elective course credits will count toward the degree, but may not be used toward the 16-course residence requirement. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations in the same subject with only one matching high school course will be considered as one.

The appropriate Scripps academic department will determine waiver of major requirements or placement into advanced courses based upon Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses and scores. Elective credit granted for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate credit will not meet general education requirements.

College-Level Examination Program

Scripps College will consider granting transfer credit for College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Subject Examinations for which students have also completed the Optional Free-Response Section. Students must petition to the Committee on Academic Review to receive credit and must provide the committee complete documentation:

1. CLEP Subject Examination scores and a copy of their free-response essay(s).
2. A recommendation (based on the above-referenced score and essay) from a Scripps faculty member representing the appropriate department.

The following limitations apply:

1. No more than the equivalent to a total of eight Scripps courses will be granted for CLEP or CLEP in combination with the Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs.
2. No credit will be granted for CLEP scores for examinations of like content to a transfer course from another college or university.
3. No credit will be granted for CLEP General Examinations or for Subject Examinations submitted without the Optional Free-Response Section.
4. Students must take appropriate on-campus examinations for placement in Scripps College language or mathematics courses. CLEP credit will not be granted for an equal or higher level than Scripps placement examination results.

Class Attendance

Students are expected to attend all classes and not to absent without adequate reason. The regulation of class attendance is ultimately the responsibility of the faculty. It is particularly important that students attend those classes immediately preceding and following vacation periods.

Reading Days

The Wednesday prior to finals week is designated the last day of classes. Thursday and Friday of the last week of classes each semester are designated as Reading Days. Classes are suspended, but professors may hold study sessions, critique sessions, or reviews during normal class times. No new material may be introduced at these sessions and no exams given except to second semester seniors.

Examinations

Each semester closes with a period of final examinations. The final examination schedule is standardized for the five undergraduate colleges.

1. Examination times for “arranged” classes, as well as for classes which meet at times different from the Standard Class Times must be scheduled by mutual agreement of the instructor and the students; classroom space must also be specially arranged.
2. Final examinations will be in the same rooms assigned for regular class work unless other arrangements are made with the Registrar’s Office. In the event that another room is used, the instructor will announce the change.
3. To be counted as work completed in the course, all papers, reports, drawings, and other assigned material must be submitted to instructors before the scheduled date of the final examination, unless an earlier deadline is given.
4. In the spring semester, seniors completing requirements for graduation must take final examinations during the last week of regularly scheduled classes.

In addition, the following applies to Scripps:

1. Students must petition to the Committee on Academic Review to request a change in the examination from the scheduled time.
2. In order to protect students from the excessive academic pressure of being examined during the last week of classes, faculty are urged to give their final examinations within the published final examination period. If, for emergency reasons, the final examination has to be given earlier, the examination must be confined to the hours during which the class is scheduled to meet.
3. Because grades in the spring semester for graduating seniors must be reported to the Registrar on the last Reading Day, seniors completing requirements for graduation may not take final examinations during the regular examination period.

Petitioning Process

Students who seek an exception to academic policy or procedure must file a petition for the Committee on Academic Review. Petitions are required to:

1. Seek exceptions to any published deadline including change in registration or intent to withdraw.
2. Enroll for independent study or independent internship credit.
3. Request a waiver of, or exception to, any stated academic regulation.
4. Enroll in six or more courses.
5. Participate in a combined degree or other accelerated program. (See Combined Degree Programs .)
6. Postpone required first-year courses, including WRIT 050 , CORE001, CORE002, as well as CORE 003 in  fall of the second year (see Core Curriculum in Interdisciplinary Humanities ).
7. Change a scheduled examination.
8. Receive transfer credit for College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Subject Examinations.
9. Appeal of a previous decision by the Committee on Academic Review with respect to Academic Probation, Academic Suspension, or Academic Dismissal (must be submitted within five [5] working days following email notification to the student of the decison that is the subject of the Petition).

Once the Committee on Academic Review (CAR) has made its final decision on a petition, a student may appeal the decision on one or more of the following grounds:

1. The procedures set forth by the College to adjudicate petitions were not properly followed by CAR; or
2. New information or evidence relevant to the case has since become available; or
3. CAR’s interpretation of the relevant College policy or policies was erroneous.

Any such appeal must be initiated by submitting a written statement to the Dean of Faculty within five (5) working days following email notification to the student of CAR’s final decision. The statement to the Dean must set forth the CAR decision being appealed and the reason(s) the student contends the decision should be overturned or modified. Within five (5) working days of receipt of the appeal, the Dean of the Faculty, in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), shall initially determine whether the appeal satisfies the foregoing requirements. If the Dean decides that the appeal does not satisfy the requirements, the Dean shall inform the student in writing of the appeal’s deficiencies. If the Dean determines that the appeal satisfies the requirements, the FEC shall consider such appeal at either a regularly scheduled or special FEC meeting that is no later than eight (8) working days following submission of the appeal. Any members of FEC who participated in the CAR decision that is the subject of the appeal will recuse themselves from the FEC appeal vote. To evaluate such an appeal, the FEC may request additional information from the student and/or the College’s faculty and staff, and the FEC may extend the period to consider the appeal, at its discretion, to accommodate its request(s) for additional information. The decision by the FEC with respect to any appeal of a CAR decision is final.

Specific petition forms are available in the Registrar’s Office to:

1. Enroll for independent study credit.
2. Enroll for independent internship credit.
3. Petition a particular course to meet the gender and women’s studies general education requirement. Refer to the Registrar’s web page to view the current semester’s list of approved gender and women’s studies courses.
4. Petition a particular course to meet the race and ethnic studies general education requirement. Refer to the comprehensive list of race and ethnic studies courses approved to meet this requirement.

Petition forms may be obtained at the Registrar’s Office or on the Registrar’s web page and must carry the signature of the student’s adviser and, where relevant, of the supervising instructor. Adviser and instructor comments are strongly encouraged. A copy of the course syllabus is required for consideration that a specific course meet a specific requirement.  All Petitions must include the student’s current email address and telephone number.

Repeating Courses

A student may only repeat a course in which an F grade has been assigned, exceptions being designated courses that have a minimum passing grade (e.g., WRIT 050 ) and courses specifically identified in the catalog that may be repeated for credit. All grades will be included in the cumulative grade point average and will appear on the student’s transcript.

Policies on Disputed Grades

The presumption in the administration of grades at Scripps is that the professor alone is qualified to evaluate the quality of the academic work of the student in the course.

When a student has grounds for believing that, apart from questions of academic quality of an individual piece of work, a particular final grade was assigned by the professor in a manner that was arbitrary or discriminatory, or that crucial evidence was not taken into account, the following procedure is available:

1. The student must first discuss the matter with the professor.
2. If the outcome of that discussion is not satisfactory, the student should consult with the dean of students.
3. If there appear to be grounds for further investigation of the situation, the dean of students will consult with the dean of the faculty, who will then contact the professor involved in an effort to bring the issue to a satisfactory solution.
4. If, following these discussions, the claims of the student and professor are still unreconciled, the dean of the faculty will arrange for a group meeting including himself, the dean of students, the professor, and the student.
5. If no satisfactory solution results from this informal meeting, the student will be advised to petition the Committee on Academic Review, which will meet with the student and the professor individually.
6. Should the Committee on Academic Review wish to consider the case further, it will determine its own procedures according to each case. If the committee decides that a grade change is warranted, it will establish procedures for determining the new grade. Procedures could include working with the faculty member on an appropriate change or reassessing the student’s work overall through the semester. In no case will the committee be involved in reevaluating individual papers or examinations. Any issue on disputed grades will usually be settled in the following semester, but in no case later than a year from the time the disputed grade was given. The committee decision is final, and the student and professor will be notified by mail. The committee, at its own discretion, may accede to a faculty member’s wish that it consult colleagues in the discipline.

By action of the Academic Dean’s Committee, the policies governing grade disputes in cross-registration situations are as follows:

1. A student charged with academic dishonesty in a course taken outside the home college shall be tried according to the procedures for handling such cases in the home institution. Faculty members are obliged to accept the decision of the student’s college and may not impose a penalty should the appropriate hearing panel fail to find guilt. Any student grievance concerning a grade given by an instructor as a result of such a hearing decision will also be handled according to the rules of the student’s home college.
2. All other grievances concerning grades are handled by procedure of the college sponsoring the course.

Academic Dishonesty

Cheating and/or plagiarism seriously violate the principles of academic integrity that Scripps College expects its students to uphold. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated at Scripps and may result in suspension or expulsion from the College. (See the current Guide to Student Life.)

Probation/Dismissal

The Committee on Academic Review will monitor the academic progress of all Scripps students. At the end of each semester, the Committee will discuss any student whose semester or cumulative grade point average falls below 6.0 (C) or who, in the judgment of the Committee, jeopardizes progress toward the degree.

Academic Probation

A student will be placed on academic probation the first time the semester grade point average falls below 6.0 (C). Typically, to meet the terms of probation, a student must achieve a semester grade point average of 6.0 (C) and a passing grade in each of four, full letter-graded courses in the first subsequent semester of enrollment. The Committee on Academic Review may choose to set additional or course-specific probationary terms. If the student meets all of the terms of probation but the cumulative grade point average remains below 6.0, the student will normally be continued on academic probation until the cumulative grade point average also reaches 6.0 or higher.

The Committee on Academic Review may establish specific probationary terms for any student who, in the judgment of the Committee, may be jeopardizing normal progress toward the degree. Examples of normal progress in jeopardy may include:

• Not having successfully completed WRIT 050  by the end of the first year;
• Not having successfully completed the 3-semester Core requirement by the end of the second year;
• Having passed fewer than six courses at the end of two semesters of full-time enrollment; or having passed fewer than 14 courses at the end of four semesters of full-time enrollment; or having passed fewer than 22 courses at the end of six semesters of full-time enrollment; or similar limited progress toward degree completion for part-time students.
• Having a major grade point average below 6.00 in courses submitted on an approved Junior or Senior Major Form.
• Any other obstacles to timely graduation which are identified by the Committee.

Failure to meet all of the terms of academic probation will normally lead to suspension or dismissal from the College (see below). At the discretion of the Committee on Academic Review, a student under exceptional circumstances may be continued on a second and final probationary period.

Academic Suspension

If a student fails to meet the terms of academic probation or completes a second semester with a grade point average below 6.0 (C), the student will usually be suspended from the College. After at least one semester away from the College, a student who has been suspended may petition the Committee on Academic Review for readmission on probation. The Committee will evaluate the petition for readmission based upon evidence that the student will perform successfully if readmitted. Such evidence may include one or more full-time terms of successful academic performance in an equivalent academic environment, academic history, positive changes in health or personal circumstances, and/or recommendations from Scripps or off-campus faculty or other professionals. Such evidence, however, will not guarantee readmission by the Committee. If readmitted, the Committee will define the probationary terms under which the student may continue enrollment. Students who fail to meet the terms of academic probation following readmission will normally be dismissed from the College.

Academic Dismissal

If a student fails to meet the terms of academic probation or is otherwise not making satisfactory progress toward the degree, the student will be subject to dismissal from the College by the Committee on Academic Review. Students who have been suspended from the College and unsuccessfully petition for readmission will be subject to dismissal from the College. Only under extraordinary circumstances and after an extended period of more than one year away from the College may a student reapply to the College. 

The decisions of the Committee on Academic Review with respect to Academic Probation, Academic Suspension, and Academic Dismissal may be appealed through the Petitioning Process.  Any Petition seeking to appeal a decision regarding Academic Probation, Academic Suspension, or Academic Dismissal must be submitted to the Committee on Academic Review within five (5) working days following email notification to the student of the decision being appealed.