Retention Standards

Good Academic Standing

Students must meet specific grade point average requirements at specific levels of credit to remain in good academic standing.

Academic Probation

Students with grade point averages that fall below the required minimum will be placed on academic probation. During this probationary period, students who make satisfactory academic progress will continue to maintain their academic standing with the College and their concurrent eligibility for financial aid.

Students should meet with their advisers several times during the semester. Advisors will support students in making good academic progress in their classes, prepare them for registration, and help students in planning their course of study. Students should contact the Academic Advisement Center (646.557.4872) for additional information.

See also Maximum Number of Courses in a Term

Dismissal

The academic records of students who fail to meet the minimum retention standards are reviewed each year by the Academic Review Committee, which determines whether there has been satisfactory progress toward meeting required standards. Students who, in the judgment of the committee, have not made adequate progress are dismissed from the College. Upon dismissal, a student may not enroll at John Jay College for at least one year. There is no presumption that students will be readmitted after one year.

Students who receive three Fs, FINs, WUs, Rs or WNs, or any combination thereof in remedial or developmental courses are not permitted to continue at the College. (For a list of these courses, see the Remedial and Developmental Courses section of this chapter.) Students may not appeal the denial of registration. Students may apply for readmission after completing the equivalent remedial or developmental course at a community college.

Note: As of Fall 2021, the grade of WU is not a failing grade and will no longer apply in this policy

Reinstatement after Dismissal

Students who have been dismissed from the College because of poor academic performance may seek reinstatement after one year. The process for reinstatement is initiated by the submission of an application for readmission. Deadline dates are available on the academic calendar on the College’s home page, http://www.jjay.cuny.edu.

Deadlines are strictly enforced. Students are encouraged to reapply as early as possible. The application is reviewed by the Readmissions Committee, a decision is made and the student is notified in writing.

Students who are considered appropriate candidates are referred to an academic advisor (SEEK counselor for SEEK students). A student approved through this process is admitted to the College on academic probation and must follow the plan developed in the advising session. Students on probation have a hold on their registration until they meet with an advisor. Failure to meet the conditions of this agreement may result in permanent dismissal.

Second Chance Policy

John Jay College of Criminal Justice recognizes a student’s progress toward an undergraduate degree may often be interrupted for a variety of reasons. This Second Chance Policy applies to former John Jay students and allows individuals in the following situations to request permission to be readmitted to the College and begin with a new grade point average.

CUNY Justice Academy students, please skip to the section below about how this policy applies to you!

After a minimum absence of at least two (2) consecutive years, matriculated students who have been dismissed for academic reasons (other than academic dishonesty), or who have voluntarily “stopped-out” on academic probation, may seek readmission to John Jay College through this policy. Students whose cumulative GPA does not meet John Jay College’s good academic standard and who earned no more than forty-five (45) credits during their initial enrollment at the College may be permitted to readmit under this policy and have none of their previous John Jay College coursework counted toward the computation of their cumulative reentry GPA.

Students will be screened for eligibility for the Second Chance Policy when they apply for readmission (the form to file for Readmission can be found on the J Stop webpage). Students who meet the criteria for the Second Chance Policy will be provided with a Second Chance application along with their readmission decision. Second Chance applicants will be required to present a thoughtful educational plan that includes academic and career goals, strategies for achieving them, and evidence of personal growth and change since their previous enrollment at John Jay. The plan may also include evidence of preparedness to succeed such as documentation of learning through previous or current work experience and/or community service or transcript(s) of college-level courses completed at other accredited institutions. The College Readmission Committee will assess the student’s circumstances and plan in order to make a final decision on their Second Chance application. Please note that after the conclusion of the readmission process, students may not apply for Second Chance retroactively.

Upon reentry under this policy, all previously earned grades will be removed from the calculation of the student’s GPA index but will continue to remain visible on the transcript along with a notation indicating the student’s readmission date. Additional terms and conditions of this policy include: 

• Academic Status: The student is subject to all existing academic policies and practices at the time of readmission.
• Advisement: The student may not register for classes until the student meets with an academic advisor to select an appropriate course load and schedule.
• GPA: The student’s GPA will be recalculated using only grades earned from the point of their readmission to John Jay College. All previous coursework and grades will continue to remain visible on the student’s transcript along with a notation indicating their readmission date under the policy.
• Graduation: The student must earn at least thirty (30) credits in residence at John Jay College after being readmitted under this policy and meet all other graduation requirements.
• Other Requirements: The student must complete all current, published College-wide and program-specific matriculation requirements in effect at the time of their readmission under this policy.
• Usage: This policy may be implemented only once during the student’s academic career at John Jay College.

Second Chance Policy as applied to CUNY Justice Academy Students: CJA Academic Forgiveness

Students who complete a CUNY Justice Academy associate’s degree program after being dismissed or placed on probation at John Jay College do not go through the readmission process described above. Instead, academic forgiveness will be applied during the Justice Academy intake process by the Office of the Registrar. Such students who complete a CUNY Justice Academy associate’s degree program, including at least 30 credits at the community college, may return to John Jay to begin their second career with a GPA of 0.00.

Freshman Forgiveness Policy

Effective September 1, 2020, the college has implemented the following Freshman Forgiveness Policy. This policy will apply to all lower freshman students, as defined below, who enrolled at the college in the Spring 2020 term or thereafter.

In accordance with this policy, if a student passes the suite of freshman courses, they will receive the grade earned which will carry the designated GPA. If a student fails a course(s), upon request to the Registrar's Office, the failing grade (F, FIN) will be administratively converted to “NC – No Credit,” and have no impact on the student's GPA. Once the grade is changed, the student and the faculty member who assigned the original grade, will receive an email confirming the change of grade.  Students can then repeat these courses, ideally at their first available opportunity.  A student who repeats a course that has been assigned an NC grade in the prior term will receive a standard letter grade on the second attempt. The "NC" grade will remain on student transcripts. The Office of Undergraduate Studies will communicate opportunities for students to complete these courses with extra support to best ensure their success in passing the course.

Students who receive grades of "NC" are not eligible for the Dean's List for that semester or that year for part-time students. For the purpose of calculating Latin Honor’s at the time a student's degree is conferred, "NC" grades will be treated as failing grades.

Who does this policy apply to? 

This policy applies only to a freshman student (attending full-time or part-time) in their first freshman semester, (aka., Lower Freshman).

1.  A lower freshman is defined as a new student who has not previously matriculated in a college, as a degree-seeking student, prior to their first term of attendance at John Jay.
2. A lower freshman is coded by the Office of Admissions as being in the “FRSH” Student Group in CUNYFirst.
3. Entering freshman with up to or less than 14.9 college credits earned through College Now, Regents Examination, AP credit, or other exams (i.e., CLEP), or other early or pre-college        programs offered to high school students are still eligible for forgiveness under this policy. (Approved by College Council September 2022)
4. Transfer students, coded as “TRNS,” who enter into the Upper Freshman level or beyond are not eligible for forgiveness under this policy.

Restrictions

1. This policy is effective for lower freshman students enrolled in the college beginning the Spring 2020 term and thereafter. It cannot be applied retroactively to any semester prior to Spring 2020. 
2. This policy will not apply to readmitted students who return to the freshman term. For this restriction, a readmitted student is considered a student who attended the college and received letter grades.
3. This policy applies to matriculated, undergraduate, degree-seeking students. Non-degree students are ineligible for forgiveness under this policy. 

Limitations

1. The Freshman Forgiveness Policy only applies to courses taken in the first, lower freshman semester of matriculation. It will not apply to any courses taken thereafter. 
2. Freshman students enrolled less than full-time in the lower freshman semester will be permitted to apply the forgiveness policy to the first 18 credits earned at John Jay College.
3. This policy applies only to courses taken at John Jay College. Courses taken at another college (CUNY or otherwise) are not eligible for forgiveness under this policy. 
4. Courses with a grade assigned of “NC-No Credit” may negatively impact a student’s financial aid, (i.e., Satisfactory Academic Progress, Program Pursuit and Credit Accumulation) eligibility. It is strongly recommended that students meet with a financial aid counselor prior to the forgiveness policy being applied.

The chart below outlines how the Office of the Registrar will treat the original grades.