Academic Standards

Satisfactory Progress

Satisfactory academic progress is determined by two criteria: good academic standing and normal progress.

Good Academic Standing

A student is in Good Standing if he/she is not on University academic probation or dismissed from the University.

Any student not in Good Standing may not represent the University in any public manner as a member or officer of a University registered club or organization, delegate to any association meeting or convention, or participant in intercollegiate athletic competitions. Any student who is placed on University academic probation will be ineligible to represent the University in any of the above activities. Effective time and dates of ineligibility are 12:01 a.m. on the Friday prior to the start of the semester.

Normal Academic Progress

A student whose credits completed fall below the minimum listed is considered as not making normal academic progress.

The Office of Student Financial Assistance may require additional standards for ‘Normal Academic Progress.’ Students should, therefore, contact the department of Student Financial Assistance to confirm requirements for Satisfactory Progress.

Academic Honors

Academic honors include the Dean’s List and Graduation Honors.

Dean’s List

The Dean’s List is calculated on a semester basis. A part-time student completing a minimum of 6 credits and a full-time student completing a minimum of 12 credits in a reporting term  with a GPA of 3.6 or better is eligible for the Dean’s List.  In addition, there are no Incomplete or Incomplete Extension grades or grades below a C.  Students who receive an Incomplete grade and later complete the course are not eligible for the Dean's list.

If the student receive s an NG (No Grade) and the NG grade is replaced with a letter grade, Dean’s List eligibility will be reviewed at the request of the student. 

Graduation Honors

Upon graduation, students who complete the undergraduate program of study with the following cumulative GPAs are eligible for these honors, provided that at least 60 credits for a bachelor’s degree or 30 credits for an associate’s degree were completed at Sacred Heart University.

Summa Cum Laude: 3.8 or higher

Magna Cum Laude: 3.6 to 3.799

Cum Laude: 3.5 to 3.599

Academic Probation

All students, except first-semester freshmen, whose cumulative grade point average (GPA) falls below 2.0 will be placed on Academic Probation. Any student (including first-semester freshmen) who receives a one-semester GPA of less than 1.8 will also be placed on Academic Probation. If a student’s cumulative GPA is 2.2 or above and the semester GPA is lower than 1.8 but not lower than 1.5, the student will be administered an Academic Warning rather than placed on Academic Probation. However, two consecutive semesters of less than a 1.8 GPA, regardless of cumulative GPA, will automatically result in Academic Probation.

A student who receives a grade of F in six or more credits in any given semester will be reviewed for Academic Probation.

Any full-time student (enrolled for 12 or more credits) who fails to complete 12 credits in a semester will be reviewed for Academic Probation.

A student on Academic Probation may choose to enroll in courses at Sacred Heart University during the University’s Winter session and Summer sessions. Grades from the Winter session will be applied to the Fall- semester probationary status, while grades from the Summer session(s) will be applied to the Spring-semester probationary status. This will include grades from all courses taken during Winter session and Summer sessions, not just repeats of failed courses. Winter session and summer session grades will also apply to the cumulative GPA but will not be transcripted to the fall or spring semester.

Dismissal

All students subject to dismissal for academic reasons will be reviewed individually by the Academic Review Board of their college prior to a final decision and notification.

• A student who is on Academic Probation for two consecutive semesters will be subject to dismissal.
• Any student who incurs three Academic Probations during his or her academic career will be subject to dismissal.
• Any student whose cumulative GPA falls below the following levels will be subject to dismissal:

After One Semester: 1.00

16–30 Credits Attempted: 1.50

31–90 Credits Attempted: 1.70

91+ Credits Attempted: 1.90

A student who has been dismissed can appeal the dismissal to the Academic Review Board or equivalent structure through the dean of his or her college and request reinstatement. The procedure for appeal is listed below in the Academic Policies section.

Note: The above standards are University standards. Some programs have additional standards regarding program probation or program dismissal.

Athletic Training

Health Sciences Pre-Professional

Nursing First Professional Degree

RN-to-BSN Nursing Students